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16 Pages Price 10,000 Rials 38th year No.13012 Monday JANUARY 1, 2018 Dey 11, 1396 Rabi’ Al thani 13, 1439

830,000 jobs Lopetegui: Iran, International to be created Portugal and Morocco musicians to perform by Mar.2019 4 are all the same 15 at Fajr festival 16

Israelis protest against Netanyahu, regime’s corruption for 5th week Thousands of Israelis have flocked into the to Ma’asiyahu [Prison].” streets of Tel Aviv for the fifth consecutive They also held signs and placards, Attempt to hijack week, calling for Prime Minister Benjamin reading, “Crime Minister,” “Traitor-Ya- Netanyahu to be jailed over corruption hu; Parasite-Yahu,” “Corrupt officials go scandals. home,” “not left, not right, but honest.” Over 2,000 people took part in the pro- Protester Rony Shtern said, “I think test rally, dubbed the “March of Shame,” it is very important to come here even in Tel Aviv’s central Rothschild Boulevard though I live abroad to show my support,” on Saturday night. adding that corruption “is the number one Demonstrators chanted slogans such as thing that should be eradicated from the nation’s voice “Bibi go home,” “Shame,” and “Netanyahu core of our politics.” 13 See page 2 Fajr Film Festival unveils official lineup ARTTEHRAN — A total Ebrahim Darughezadeh, said in a press deskof 22 films will be con- conference. tending for the Crystal Simorgh in the “Dark Room” by director Ruhollah He- official competition at the 36th edition jazi, “Istanbul Intersection” by Mostafa of the Fajr Film Festival, the organizers Kiai, “Woodpecker” by Behruz Shoeibi, announced on Sunday. “Cold Sweat” by Soheil Beyarqi and “At The films have been chosen out of 67 Damascus Time” by Ebrahim Hatamikia submissions, the secretary of the festival, are among the competing films. 16

Rouhani:Criticism is different from violence POLITICS TEHRAN – In his first “According to the Constitution and deskreaction to three days citizenship rights, people are completely of protests in certain cities across Iran, free to express criticism and even pro- President Hassan Rouhani told a cabinet test. But at the same time we should meeting on Sunday that people should note that the way criticism is delivered express their grievances in a way that should be such that it would end in better would lead to better living condition for situations for the country and people’s Tasnim citizens and investment in the country. lives,” Rouhani said. 2 EDITORIAL Rouhani congratulates Iranian Christians on New Year ARTICLE Haniyeh Sadat Jafariyeh By Mohammad Ghaderi Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani has congratu- The Iranian president on December Tehran Times Journalist Tehran Times editor-in-chief lated the country’s Christians ahead of the new 24 sent congratulatory messages to Pope @ghaderi62 Gregorian calendar year. Francis and other world leaders ahead of “We honor an Iran which is the home to all Christmas and the new Gregorian calendar Iranians, including Muslims, Christians, Jews and year and expressed hope that the world How Takfiri thinking Zoroastrians,” Rouhani said in his congratulatory would see the eradication of discrimination Official statistical message on Sunday ahead of New Year 2018. and poverty. found way to Europe? He added that respect for all divine religions In today’s world, which is plagued with im- figures vs. Iranians’ is a valuable teaching of Islam. moralities, injustice and suffering, statesmen hen European countries, played The Iranian president emphasized that the and religious scholars shoulder an important economic conditions a facilitating and complementary Jesus Christ’s teachings for human beings are duty to work together and help each other with Wrole in the regional war which its full of consideration for spirituality, peace and the purpose of creating a “beautiful world full ccording to the latest report re- scenario was written by the Arabic-Amer- friendship and urged all to act based on the President Rouhani meets families of Chris- of peace, tranquility, [and] moderation” free leased by the Statistical Center of ican and Zionist troika, which led to the prophet’s guidelines. tians who were martyred fighting for Iran from “violence and extremism,” he said in his AIran (SCI), in the first half of the destabilization of the inhabitants of South- He expressed hope the Iranian Christians would in the 1980’s Iraqi-imposed war, Sunday, message to Pope. current fiscal year (March 21-September west Asia, in particular the two countries have a New Year full of happiness and prosperity. December 24. (Source: Press TV) 22), the country’s economy grew by 5.6 of Iraq and Syria, they never thought that percent, while the figure, without taking they should soon expect a terrible storm. into account oil production, stood at 6 This coordination and the subsequent percent, compared to last year’s corre- actions that followed, took place after years Blast at funeral in eastern Afghanistan kills 15 sponding period. The state-run body also of Islamophobia, Shia-phobia, and Iran- An explosion at a funeral in Afghanistan’s restive the attack near the provincial capital Jalalabad rified mourners, mostly elderly men, could be put the inflation rate for the 12-month ophobia, so that Western public opinion east on Sunday killed at least 18 mourners and at 18, with 13 wounded. seen running from the scene. period ended on the last day of the ninth could be prepared for the commitment of wounded another 13, officials said, capping a Provincial health director Najib Kamawal While the Taliban is still responsible for the Iranian calendar month of Azar (December such crimes by their governments. deadly year for ordinary Afghans. confirmed the new toll. majority of attacks and casualties across Afghan- 21) at 8 percent, compared to the same In fact Europe, in particular the three There was no immediate claim of responsi- The explosion happened during the funeral istan, the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant period in the preceding year. countries of Britain, France and Germany, bility for the blast which authorities initially ceremony for a former governor of Haska Mina (ISIL/Daesh) terrorists have been on a rampage “The six-percent growth in addition to the with their full support for this conspiracy, said was caused by a suicide attacker but now district who died recently of natural causes, a this month. single-digit inflation rate reflects Iran’s good and against all their human rights slo- believe was triggered by explosives attached statement from the governor’s office said. The incident in Nangarhar, a volatile prov- economic situation,” Frist Vice President gans, helped America and its mercenaries. to a motorcycle. The twisted wreckage of a motorcycle ince bordering Pakistan and a stronghold for the Es’haq Jahangiri claimed on Wednesday. Since they saw the Arab revolutions in the The Taliban said on Twitter they had nothing - a popular mode of transport in impov- ISIL terrorist outfit, comes days after the group But do Iranians agree with the First Middle East as a great danger for their to do with the incident - the latest violence to erished Afghanistan – laid in the dirt at claimed an assault on a Shia cultural center in Vice President? filthy purposes, they shed the blood of claim the lives of civilians in the war-torn country. the cemetery. Kabul that left 41 people dead and more than Inflation, purchasing power thousands of innocent people for at least “The explosion was caused by a motorcycle Pools of blood, clothes, shoes and hats were 80 wounded. Has Iranians’ purchasing power in- the past six years so that in this way, they bomb our investigation has concluded,” Nan- scattered on the ground. That followed a Christmas Day attack, also creased? Can wages combat inflation’s might be able to prevent the spread of garhar governor spokesman Attaullah Khogyani Photos posted on social media purportedly claimed by ISIL, near an Afghan intelligence upward trend and expenditures? the Arab revolutions by the pattern of told AFP. of the scene showed bodies lying in blood and a agency compound in the Afghan capital that The increase in prices of basic goods the Islamic Revolution of Iran. The governor’s office put the death toll from plume of black smoke rising into the sky. Ter- left six civilians dead. 13 outstrips that of people’s income i.e. If we look more closely, we will notice purchasing power has decreased. Ques- that this European Troika, with partic- tioning the announced inflation rate of 8 ipating in this horrible crime, actually percent in Azar, some experts note that sought to achieve several goals and objec- the calculated base year- the year used for tives. Objectives that, although in some comparison in the measure of a business cases, such as the sale of large quantities Devastation activity, here the inflation rate,- has been of weapons, delaying the collapse of the changed from Iranian calendar year of 1390 dictators of the region, etc., but didn’t from 1000 to 1395 (ended March 20, 2017), which as lead into the expected results. they say has led into decrease in inflation More precisely, the allies of the White days of war rate by two or three percent. i.e. in case House and the fake regime of Israel on of having 1390 as the base year, inflation the Green Continent, were misled in their in Azar would stood at 10 to 11 percent. calculations in at least in two directions: on Yemen Economic growth First, they have been fooled by America As the Saudi-led war on Yemen passes Is the achieved economic growth or and Israel again and trusted them in a way the grim 1,000-day milestone, the United the curbed inflation tangible in Iranians’ that eventually ended up in their ruin. And Nations is warning that if humanitarian daily lives? secondly, without a proper impression of workers cannot gain greater access and Iranian businessmen and entrepre- the strength of the resistance front, they the violence does not subside, the cost in neurs lament that they cannot feel the equipped a group that was anti-resistance lives will be incalculable. impact of the obtained growth in their and acted against nations of the region. “As violence has escalated in recent days, business activities. Some experts explain To properly understand this, we may children and families are yet again being that the achieved rate has occurred in Iran’s need to go back a little; to the time when killed in attacks and bombardments,” the major economic firms and state-run or the European governments tried to pre- heads of key UN agencies said Friday in semi-governmental companies, such as vent the development of Islam in Europe a joint statement. those of the auto sector or petrochemicals, as a peaceful and attractive religion, in The Saudi war on Yemen has destroyed and the growth’s impact cannot be felt by order to prevent their citizens, especially Yemen’s infrastructure and led to the star- the private sector or the common people the European youth, to be attracted by AFP vation of eight million population. who are in contact with small and medium Islam. 7 sized businesses. 4 I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y POLITICS JANUARY 1, 2018 MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS Government says Rouhani:Criticism is different won’t ban social media from violence Protests must be expressed in a way to help improve living standards POLITICS TEHRAN — The Iranian government’s 1 The president said the resolution and even congregations and demonstrations. desk stance on social media is clear, Deputy of certain problems facing the country is This is a right with people.” Interior Minister Ismaiel Jabbar-Zadeh said on Monday, not easy and will certainly take some time. He added, “The government definitely announcing that social media apps will not be banned in Referring to the motivation behind the will not tolerate those who destroy public the country. protests, Rouhani said, “Part of the economic property or disrupt public disorder.” In a press briefing, Jabbar-Zadeh said the Rouhani ad- problems of people date back some years, He reiterated that criticism should be ministration has no plans to ban social media apps, but when while another part of the problems are related made in a quite logical and legal way so the public order is threatened it’s natural that such tools be to the present day. The government and the that it can lead to the improvement of the restricted temporarily, YJC reported. nation should join hands and help each other. situation. Security and serenity are two important needs of every However, people’s criticism does not pertain If a method is adopted for expression society and governments can carry out their plans when the to the economy alone. People have things of criticism which would cause “concern” two needs are met, he emphasized. to say about corruption and transparency. among the people, undermine “investment”, They demand that things be transparent.” or please the enemies, it would definitely be People also have criticism against the Ju- a “wrong approach”. U.S. meddlesome diciary and parliament and other bodies, the On U.S. President Donald Trump’s med- president said. dlesome remarks about the protests, Rouhani policy won’t go “To turn all the people’s criticism against said, “This guy who is trying to sympathize unanswered: the executive body in media is imprecise,” with our people today has forgotten how a Rouhani remarked. few months ago he called the Iranian nation Rezaee “People complain that corruption should terrorist. This guy who is against the Irani- be fought more seriously, and [ask] why some an nation from head to toe has no right to POLITICS TEHRAN — Mohsen Rezaee, secretary sympathize with [them].” desk issues are not disclosed to them properly. of the Expediency Council, said on Sunday Criticism in the country’s entire affairs is a The president went on to note how these that Washington’s meddlesome policy against the Islamic right of the people and we believe that the days certain Arab countries which were never Republic will not remain unanswered. government and the country belong to people friendly towards Iran are now “celebrating”, “America, with its history of oppression against domestic and people should be able to well express concluding “We should consider if this way of protests, is today exploiting the protests [in Iran],” Rezaee what they wish to.” that criticism is different from violence and criticism. And the related bodies should open protesting is a precise method and whether said in a tweet. The president in the meantime stressed sabotage of public property. “We welcome way for people’s legal criticism and protest it benefits people or others.” Trump said on Friday that the Iranian government should “respect their people’s rights, including right to express themselves.” He also said the Shah’s regime has been long buried in Iran and will not be brought back into life, even by a mes- Attempt to hijack nation’s voice sianic breath of life. Sources close to security bodies have said of over 500 people to stand with us in demanding the regime respect their each case has its own reason”, adding that the government arrested during the disturbances in different cities in Iran, basic human rights.” is duty-bound to revise them. more than 80 percent have admitted receiving money and However, Interior Minister Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli The parliament security committee plans to hold an emer- Quds forces free ordered from outside the country to misuse the people’s said on Sunday that Iran trusts “power of the system” and gency meeting on Monday to assess the situation, Kamal protest against price rises and high unemployment. “vigilance of the people” to prevent the misuse of the situ- Dehghani Firouzabadi, the committee’s deputy chairman, Iranian hostage in This comes against the backdrop of a declared scheme by ation by the ill-wishers. said on Sunday. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman to bring unrest “Our tolerance comes from our trust on the power of the Ill-wishers seeking to undermine people’s hope Afghanistan to the streets of Iran. The plot seems to have untraveled in system and vigilance of the people. There are legal ways and Mohammad Reza Aref, chairman of the pro-reform Hope the form of sporadic feats of sabotage by relatively profes- no problem can be solved in chaos,” the minister said during faction in the parliament, said on Sunday that the “ill-wishers” sional men during the public protests over the last few days. a meeting of the supreme council of provinces. seek to poison the atmosphere and kill the people’s hope. POLITICS TEHRAN — The IRGC Quds ground The premonition for this also came back in October by Groups of protesters held rallies in several cities, including Habibollah Asgaroladi, the president of the Iran-China deskforces have managed to free an Iranian U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson who said Washington Tehran, Arak, Kermanshah, Khoramabad, on Thursday and Friday Chamber of Commerce, said that the people’s protests have engineer from hostage-takers in Afghanistan. would seek regime change in Iran. to voice their anger over the rising prices and unemployment. economic roots, however, the foreign elements link political Mohammad Marani, the force’s commander, said the A recent anti-Iran plan by Saudis, Zionists, and the U.S. Rahmani Fazli said, “We should talk to the people and issues to economic ones. forces carried out an operation and managed to free Hossein was put to force by funding the terrorist expatriate group there is no way but the people’s involvement in solving the “Economic problems of the people who defend the Is- Haj-Maleki, who was kidnapped and transferred to a border Mujahedin-e Khalq Organization (MKO) to seize the mo- problems.” The interior minister also said if people want lamic revolution with all power should be solved,” he noted. province in Afghanistan, Fars reported. ment and wreak chaos. their living conditions to improve they will not be realized Moshen Hashemi, the chairman of the Tehran city Haj-Maleki was kidnapped by unknown people on De- Alaeddin Boroujerdi, chairman of the Majlis National through violence and disorder. council, said that protest should be expressed within the cember 14, while he was going to his resort between Hamun Security and Foreign Policy Committee, said on Sunday Mohammad Hossein Moghimi, Tehran’s governor, told framework of law. and Zabol in Sistan-Baluchistan province, the commander that “enemies of the revolution have provoked the people ISNA on Sunday that all the rallies are “illegal”, because no He attached importance to maintaining unity. said. He added the engineer was freed on December 24. and instigated the recent unrest”. permission has been issued in this respect. Hamidreza Jalayeepour, a professor of sociology at Tehran The senior MP expressed hope that the government Meanwhile, Hossein Naghavi Hosseini, the spokesman for University, told IRNA that reformists “loudly” announce would meet the people’s demands to prevent any abuse by the Majlis National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, that they are “fiercely” against provoking unrest by MKO Army Aviation anti-establishment elements. has called on the Interior Ministry to specify certain places and monarchists who wish an overthrow of the Islamic MKO terrorist leader urges spread of violence for the people to hold peaceful demonstrations. Republic system. to unveil new in Iran Govt. vows to address concerns over price hikes Seyyed Reza Taqavi, a principlist cleric, said the Iranian Maryam Rajavi, the MKO terrorist leader, has urged First Vice President Es’haq Jahangiri said on Saturday nation have repeatedly proved that it has the “power to equipment more violence and chaos in a twitter message. that the government will work to solve economic problems counter the greatest challenges”. State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert has and price hikes. Ali Motahari, a vocal principlist lawmaker, said it is tweeted, “Secretary Tillerson reiterates the United States’ According to Press TV, he said that “the prices of several necessary to respect the rights of people for “civil protest” POLITICS TEHRAN — The Iranian Army Aviation deep respect for the Iranian people. We call on all nations commodities may have seen a rise due to some incidents, and but those who do sabotage acts should be dealt with. deskhas manufactured new equipment which will be unveiled soon, its commander announced on Sunday. The aviation takes steps in proportion to new military threats, said Yousof Qorbani, the aviation commander. Iran-Palestine relations need ‘serious Iran condemns Canada’s position on Pointing to an emphasis by the Leader of Islamic Revolution revision’: envoy protests Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to develop homegrown equipment, he said the new military achievements were made despite POLITICS TEHRAN —Pales- POLITICS TEHRAN —The Irani- sanctions against the country. desktinian Ambassador deskan Foreign Ministry on to Tehran Salah al-Zawawi has said Sunday condemned Canada’s meddlesome that Iran-Palestine relations are in position on the recent protests in Iran. ‘Don’t get excited’, need of “serious revision” from both “The Islamic Republic of Iran con- sides. siders the meddlesome position of the Iranian advisor Speaking to ILNA, al-Zawawi said Canadian government a violation of the tells Trump serious talks between the officials of country’s international commitments the two sides would lead to mutual and is totally unacceptable,” ministry understanding and better relations. spokesman Bahram Qassemi said. Lauding the historic relations be- Pointing to murder of an Iranian cit- POLITICS TEHRAN — Hossein Amir Abdollahian, desk tween the Islamic Republic and the izen in Canada by police forces and lack a senior foreign policy advisor to the Ira- Palestinian Authority (PA), he said of attention to the problems of Iranians nian parliament speaker, has responded to U.S. President “I’m the longest serving ambassador living in Canada, Qassemi said Canada Donald Trump’s meddlesome remarks about the recent in the Islamic Republic. I’ve been in practices double standards. protests in Iran. Tehran as ambassador for 37 years.” of jihad in order to free Palestine. “Ji- Unfortunately, the current sitting gov- prices and unemployment. In a tweet on Sunday, Amir-Abdollahian told Trump: “I’ve always had close relations had has been a medal on Palestinians’ ernment in Ottawa is “repeating the wrong, Canada’s Global Affairs issued a “Do not get excited. Sedition, unrest and chaos are different with Iranian authorities,” he said, chest,” he said. illogical and ineffective language of the statement on Saturday saying, “Cana- from gatherings and peaceful protests to pursue people’s emphasizing that there’s no official The Palestinian nation has de- former Canadian governments against da is encouraged by the Iranian people demands.” in Iran with whom he does not have fended Muslims’ sanctities and will the Iranian people,” he added. who are exercising their basic right to “The Iranian people prefer national security and religious friendly relations. continue to do so, he said, calling on The spokesman said the Canadian gov- protest peacefully.” democracy of the Islamic system to the domination of the He thanked Leader of the Islamic Muslim countries to support Pales- ernment’s position does not conform to the “We call on the Iranian authorities White House’s hypocritical and terrorist policies.” Republic Ayatollah Ali Khamenei for tinians in their struggle. Canadian officials’ remarks on interacting and to uphold and respect democratic and In a tweet on Friday, Trump said the Iranian govern- his stance on the issues of Palestini- He also said the Palestinian Au- holding dialogue with the Islamic Republic. human rights. Canada will continue to ment should “respect their people’s rights, including right ans, saying Ayatollah Khamenei will thority attaches great importance to Since Thursday, groups of Iranian support the fundamental rights of Ira- to express themselves.” be able to unite Palestinian groups. its ties with Iran, which has always protesters have held rallies in several nians, including the right to freedom of He also underlined the importance supported the Palestinians. cities to voice their anger over rising expression,” the statement added. Zia Hashemi named IRNA chief Iran warns Central Asia may be Daesh’s next target POLITICS TEHRAN — The defeat of Daesh (ISIS) in The two sides also discussed parliamentary cooper- special importance to ties with Iran in view of the two deskIraq and Syria has made the terrorist group ation and reviewed the latest regional and international countries’ common language and historical and cultural to change the geography of its activities and Central Asian coun- developments, IRNA reported. commonalities. tries must be watchful of this threat, Iranian Ambassador to Referring to a recent visit to Tajikistan by Foreign Minister He assessed the future of bilateral relations as promising. POLITICS TEHRAN — In a decree on Sunday, Cul- desk Tajikistan Hojjatollah Faghani warned in a meeting with Tajik Mohammad Javad Zarif as well as the holding of a joint econom- On November 9, Foreign Minister Zarif met with Pres- ture Minister Abbas Salehi appointed Zia Parliament speaker Shukurjon Zuhurov in Dushanbe on Sunday. ic commission meeting in Dushanbe, Faghani said relations ident Emomali Rahmon in Dushanbe to discuss ways to Hashemi as the new managing director of the Islamic Republic Faghani also voiced Iran’s willingness to share experiences between the two countries are rapidly gaining momentum. improve economic and trade relations and coordinate News Agency (IRNA). with Tajikistan in counter-terrorism efforts. The Iranian diplomat also highlighted the need to ex- their counterterrorism efforts in the region. Zarif also Hashemi, born in 1967, replaced Mohammad Khod- Ambassador Faghani and Shukurjon Zuhurov also dis- change parliamentary delegations and friendship groups. participated in the inauguration ceremony of Iran’s new dadi who resigned last week. Khoddadi was appointed cussed ways to expand mutual relationship. The Tajik speaker, for his part, said Dushanbe attaches embassy building in the Tajik capital. as IRNA chief on September 16, 2013 by former Culture Minister Ali Jannati. Hashemi, an associate-professor of sociology at the University of Tehran, served as caretaker science minister Expert: Iran can connect Kazakhstan to Persian Gulf in the early months of Rouhani’s second administration POLITICS TEHRAN — Meysam Araie “Kazakhstan, for its turn, can serve as a bridge political ties between the two countries. opment of relations between Tehran and which began its work in August. deskDarunkala, a Central Asia for Iran to access China, Russia, Uzbekistan, The expert cited natural and geopolitical Astana in the past. He has also been among the founding members of Ira- expert, has said that Iran can act as an appropriate Turkmenistan and Tajikistan,” he told IRNA situation of Kazakhstan and the isolation He noted that relations between the nian Students News Agency (ISNA) and member of board corridor to connect Kazakhstan to the Persian in an interview published on Sunday. imposed on the country during the Soviet two countries should be reviewed from of directors of Shia News Association. Gulf region as well as Pakistan and India. He called for expanding economic and era as main reasons that hindered devel- different aspects. I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y JANUARY 1, 2018 INTERNATIONAL Mohammed Bin Salman’s regional Erdogan: Al-Quds red line failures, leaving Saudi regime isolated for Muslims worldwide Manifestations of disrespect toward the House of Saud regime’s leadership are being expressed across the region due to its poorly managed foreign and regional policies On 19 December, the House of Saud regime said it had intercepted missiles fired by the Ansarullah (Houthi) popular movement forces from Yemen towards the Yamama Palace, the official residence of King Salman in Riyadh. The attack, as the Saudi regime authorities think, perhaps came as a stern response to a Saudi regime-made animated video that went viral on social media few days before. The clip depicts a Saudi regime invasion and regime change in Tehran. This direct attack on the kingdom’s highest political leadership and the symbol of Saudi regime authority is highly significant. Such an attack would have been unthinkable a couple of years ago, but Saudi Arabia’s poorly managed foreign and regional policies recently have left it largely short of respect, exposed Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has once again criticized and regionally isolated. the U.S. recognition of al-Quds (Jerusalem) as the “capital” of Antagonizing Turkey Israel, stressing that the Israeli-occupied city is of great value While Turkey has been very keen on maintaining posi- to all Muslims. tive relations with the Saud regime, on a diplomatic level the Addressing the 16th Islamic Circle of North America-Muslim kingdom has largely disregarded its approach. This has been American Society Convention in Chicago, the United States, via especially so after Turkey stood firmly by Qatar and sent troops a video link, Erdogan said on Saturday that al-Quds (Jerusalem) to the emirate following the PGCC (Persian Gulf Cooperation was the “red line for all Muslims,” calling on Muslims “not to Council) diplomatic crisis in June. The House of Saud regime, allow anyone to divide them on the basis of ethnic, sectarian or the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Bahrain decided to cut cultural differences.” their relations with Qatar and practically besieged it. to send a message. It was as if the House of Saud regime was why the Jordanian king was present at the OIC summit despite He also praised the United Nations General Assembly’s voting Initially Turkey tried to keep an equal distance from all asking for trouble from Turkey. being under huge pressure to boycott it. earlier this month, during which the U.S. recognition of al-Quds parties involved in the crisis, repeatedly emphasizing the need Turkey, like Iran, is a regional powerhouse. Being at odds Jordan is certainly going to pivot away from Saudi Arabia, as Israel’s capital was declared “null and void.” for dialogue and lending support to the Kuwaiti mediation with the two main regional powers leaves the Saudi regime get close to Turkey and very likely closer to Iran as well. To “The victory we gained on the issue of Jerusalem al-Quds attests efforts. When fears of a looming invasion of Qatar and a pos- largely isolated in the region. sum up, one can count Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, Lebanon and to the fact that we can achieve many things through solidarity... sible regime change were growing, Turkey deployed troops Satellite states falling out of orbit Jordan as states falling out of the Saudi regime orbit or piv- This victory at the same time showed the whole world that there to the Persian Gulf emirate, a move that was not well received Elsewhere, the House of Saud regime’s radical approach oting away from it. are values that cannot be bought with money.” by the House of Saud regime. with Qatar has scared off other PGCC states, forcing them to Defeat of Saudi policies? “Everyone must draw a lesson from the vote on Jerusalem It was not long before a Saudi journalist, with close ties to look for strong regional backers. For example, Kuwait, which Meantime, the House of Saud regime is not only pushing [al-Quds]. We are inviting the American and Israeli officials the ruling class, interviewed Fethullah Gulen (Mohammed has tense relations with Iran and expelled its ambassador mid- away Turkey and smaller states but is also undermining its not to take any steps that will escalate tensions. Jerusalem [al- Fethullah Gulen Hocaefend), a religious leader who lives in exile 2017, began to foster closer relations with Turkey, including image in other Arab states and among Arab public opinion. Quds] is so precious to be compromised over our own interests,” in the United States and is designated by Turkey as a terrorist. plans to boost military cooperation. Aside from its contribution to the ongoing catastrophic Erdogan pointed out. Gulen is accused of being the mastermind behind the 2016 The Kuwaiti emir, who represented his country at the OIC humanitarian situation in Yemen, manifestations of disrespect On December 6, Trump announced his decision to recognize coup attempt in Turkey. He is viewed as a public enemy and al-Quds (Jerusalem) conference, is certainly wary of Saudi to the Saudi regime leadership are being expressed across al-Quds as Israel’s capital and relocate the U.S. embassy in Israel his case is viewed as a matter of national security in Turkey. regime’s foreign policy, which explains why he is moving closer the region. from Tel Aviv to the occupied city. The House of Saud regime’s low-level diplomatic rep- to Turkey. Oman is another PGCC state whose relations with Last week, during a football match in Algeria, the U.S. Pres- The dramatic shift in Washington’s policy vis-à-vis the city resentation to the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) the regional power house Iran are relatively better than any ident Donald Trump and King Salman were depicted as “two triggered demonstrations in the occupied Palestinian territories, summit called by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in other. It might not feel the need to rush toward Turkey but it faces of the same coin” on the al-Quds (Jerusalem) question. Iran, Turkey, Egypt, Jordan, Tunisia, Algeria, Iraq, Morocco and response to the U.S. declaration on al-Quds (Jerusalem) was will still seek to boost its security vis-a-vis the Saudi regime During demonstrations in Gaza against U.S. al-Quds (Jerusa- other Muslim countries. another departure from regional solidarity. It also reflected designs, as mentioned by an Omani diplomat to Middle East Eye. lem) declaration, Palestinian protesters set fire to pictures of On December 21, the United Nations General Assembly over- its siding with the U.S. and Israel in the region, which puts the The Saudi regime leadership’s most irresponsible act was Trump, King Salman and his son the crown prince. whelmingly voted in favor of a resolution that calls on the U.S. to Saudi regime at odds with Turkey, which is seeking religious forcing Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri to resign, holding The regional power house Iran has taken note of this, with withdraw its controversial recognition of al-Quds (Jerusalem) leadership of the Muslim world. him practically against his will in Riyadh. the deputy commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard as Israeli “capital.” Two days before the OIC summit, Okaz, a Saudi regime This united the Lebanese political elite and public against Corps (IRGC), Hossein Salami, describing it as a “defeat of In an attempt to avert the resolution, Trump had warned newspaper, published an interview with Riza Altun, the “for- the House of Saud regime in a manner unprecedented in the Saudi policies”. that “we’re watching,” threatening reprisals against countries eign minister” of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK/Partiya history of relations between the two countries. It also detained Saudi Arabia, already facing a local crisis, will have to that backed the measure, which earlier faced a U.S. veto at the Karkerên Kurdistanê), which Turkey has designated a terrorist Jordanian billionaire Sabih al Masri as part of a “corruption deal with another problem - a growing sense of insecurity UN Security Council. organization. The interview was initially meant to be with Cemil probe” to put pressure on Jordan to accept U.S.’s declaration as missiles could again potentially explode over Riyadh for Israel, however, rejected the world body’s resolution while Bayik, head of the PKK. This could not have happened without on al-Quds (Jerusalem). everyone to hear. thanking Trump for his decision to move the U.S. embassy from the direct approval of the Saudi regime political authorities. Al-Aqsa Mosque, the third holiest place in Islam, is under The House of Saud regime’s regional policies have been an Tel Aviv to al-Quds. Turkey holds the PKK responsible for killing many civilians the authority of the king of Jordan through past agreements. utter failure and have left it largely isolated. Should it continue Al-Quds (Jerusalem) remains at the core of the Israeli-Pal- and security personnel; as with Gulen, the situation is regarded It constitutes one of very few sources of political legitimacy for in the same direction it will become even more isolated. estinian conflict, with Palestinians hoping that the eastern part as a matter of national security. The interview definitely aimed the Hashemite (House of Hashem) kingdom. And this explains (Source: Middle East Eye) of the city would eventually serve as the capital of a future inde- pendent Palestinian state. Fresh Saudi regime airstrikes claim lives in western Yemen (Source: TRT) The House of Saud regime warplanes have to drink. 1,000 days of bombed hospitals conducted fresh air raids on western Yemen, and damaged schools. 1,000 days of children causing several casualties as Riyadh con- recruited to fight. 1,000 days of disease and South Korea seizes second tinues to defy international calls to end its death … of unimaginable human suffering,” destructive campaign against its impover- it added. ship suspected of providing ished neighbor. “Yemen has passed the tipping point into oil to North Korea The strikes killed at least four people in a rapid decline from crisis to deepening ca- Amran Province and injured two others in tastrophe,” the statement further read. “Yem- South Korean authorities have seized a Panama-flagged vessel Hudaydah Governorate early on Sunday, Yem- en’s families should not have to withstand suspected of transferring oil products to North Korea in violation en’s al-Masirah television network reported. another day of war, let alone another 1,000.” of international sanctions, a customs official said on Sunday. The Saudi regime jets also bombarded the Saudi regime siege on Hudaydah The seizure was the second to be revealed by South Korea northern province Jawf and the west-central Earlier this month, the House of Saud within a few days, as the United Nations steps up efforts to squeeze province of Sana’a. regime claimed that it had lifted its inhumane essential oil supplies to the reclusive North following its nuclear On Saturday, 34 people lost their lives in a blockade on the port city of Hudaydah, a life- or ballistic missile tests. number of Saudi regime aerial attacks on Hu- line for the Yemeni people, but realities on The ship, KOTI, was seized at Pyeongtaek-Dangjin port, the daydah. The Saudi regime war was launched the ground attest to the contrary. official told Reuters, without elaborating, due to the sensitivity in March 2015 in support of Yemen’s former “It is unfair to use siege on a port that is the of the issue. The port is on the west coast, south of Incheon. Riyadh-friendly government and against the lifeline for 25 million civilians as a war tactic A marine official also confirmed the seizure, which he said country’s Ansarullah (Houthi) movement, to achieve your military goals,” Mohammad was done “recently”. 1,000 days of war in Yemen. As violence has which has been running state affairs in the Yemenis can’t ‘withstand another Abu Bakir Ishaq, chairman of the executive The ship can carry 5,100 tons of oil and has a crew mostly from escalated in recent days, children and fami- absence of an effective administration. day of war’ board of Red Sea ports, told Press TV. China and Myanmar, Yonhap News Agency reported, adding that lies are yet again being killed in attacks and The offensive has, however, achieved In a joint statement on Friday, the United Since December 10, he noted, only 38,000 South Korea’s intelligence and customs officials are conducting bombardment,” it read. neither of its goals despite the spending of Nations agencies, namely the World Health tons of fuel and 28,000 tons of humanitarian a joint probe into the vessel. Yemen is grappling with the worst hu- billions of petrodollars and the enlisting of Organization (WHO), the World Food Pro- assistance have reached Hudaydah, which A Foreign Ministry spokesman confirmed the probe, declining manitarian crisis in the world, with some the cooperation of the Saudi regime’s regional gram (WFP) and the United Nations Children’s used to receive 300,000 tons of aid a day. to provide details. “The government has been in close consultations 75 percent of its population in need of hu- and Western allies. The Saudi regime-led Fund (UNICEF), expressed concerns about Ali Rajih, president of Hudaydah’s worker with related countries and ministries to thoroughly implement manitarian assistance, the statement said. campaign, which is accompanied by a land, the situation in Yemen. The statement was syndicate, also told Press TV that the port the sanctions by the UN Security Council,” the spokesman said. “More than 1,000 days of families driven aerial and naval blockade of Yemen, has so released to mark the 1,000th day since the city’s closure had left 30,000 Yemeni workers Proposed blacklisting from their homes by brutal violence. 1,000 far killed more than 13,600 people and led beginning of the Saudi war on Yemen. without job. On Friday, South Korea said that in late November it seized the days without enough food to eat and safe water to a humanitarian crisis. “We have passed the grim milestone of (Source: Press TV) Hong Kong-flagged Lighthouse Winmore, which is suspected of transferring as much as 600 tons of oil to the North Korea-flagged Sam Jong 2. The United Nations Security Council last month PA recalls envoy from Pakistan over al-Quds rally row unanimously imposed new sanctions on North Korea for a recent The Palestinian Authority (PA) has recalled its ambassador The Palestinian ambassador addressed a crowd of thou- insufficient evidence to continue extending his detention. intercontinental ballistic missile test, seeking to limit its access to Pakistan after he attended a rally in support of Palestine’s sands at the rally. Saeed is subject to international sanctions for his as- to refined petroleum products and crude oil. position on Jerusalem hosted by Hafiz Muhammad Saeed, “All Pakistani people from all walks of life have strongly sociation with Lashkar-e-Taiba, including UN restrictions The United States has also proposed that the United Nations who carries a $10m the United States bounty on his head rejected Trump’s decision of [recognizing] Jerusalem as the that subject him, Jamaat-ud-Dawa and other associated Security Council blacklist 10 ships for transporting banned items from for allegedly masterminding the 2008 Mumbai attacks. [Israeli] capital,” Ali told Al Jazeera shortly after his speech. organizations to an asset freeze, arms embargo and inter- North Korea, according to documents seen by Reuters on Tuesday. Ambassador Walid Abu Ali was summoned back to Ramal- The PA’s decision appears to have come after India pro- national travel ban. The Lighthouse Winmore is one of the 10 ships proposed to lah on Saturday, with the Palestinian foreign ministry saying tested the ambassador’s presence at the rally, terming it In 2002, Pakistan banned Lashkar-e-Taiba as a “terror- be blacklisted. The KOTI does not seem to be included on the list. his participation in the rally was “an unintentional mistake, “unacceptable”. ist” organization, and since 2008, authorities say they have On Thursday, China blocked a United States effort at the but not justified”. “The spokesman for the Palestinian Foreign Ministry been abiding by UN sanctions. Jamaat-ud-Dawa, however, United Nations to blacklist six foreign-flagged ships, a UN Se- Thousands of Pakistanis attended the mass protest ral- stresses the commitment of the State of Palestine and its continues to operate freely across the country and is often curity Council diplomat said. ly organized by Saeed in the northern city of Rawalpindi keenness to maintain good relations with the friendly Re- seen at the forefront of humanitarian relief efforts following China’s Foreign Ministry, responding to a question from on Friday, rejecting the U.S. decision to recognize al-Quds public of India, as well as its support for the efforts of the natural disasters. It also runs a network of seminaries and Reuters on the blocking, said Beijing always fully and strictly (Jerusalem) as the capital of Israel earlier this month. Republic of India in its war against terrorism,” noted the releases several periodical publications. implemented Security Council resolutions. Saeed, the founder of the Lashkar-e-Taiba armed group, Palestinian foreign ministry’s statement. Late on Saturday, Pakistan defended the decision to allow “At the same time, any measures taken by the Security Council has long been accused by the United States and India of mas- “The State of Palestine stands with the Republic of India Saeed’s rally in Rawalpindi. must have a basis in conclusive and actual proof. China will con- terminding the 2008 Mumbai attacks, which saw gunmen in dealing with terrorist threats.” “The public meeting held yesterday was yet anoth- tinue to participate in the work of the relevant Security Council kill 166 people as they stormed hotels and other targets in India was among 128 United Nations member states, er demonstration of the Pakistani strong sentiments in sanctions committee on this principle,” it said in a short state- the Indian financial hub. including Pakistan, to vote for a non-binding resolution support of the Palestinian cause,” said a foreign ministry ment, without elaborating. China also denied reports it had been Saeed denies any involvement in the attacks and says he rejecting Trump’s decision to recognize al-Quds as the capital statement. illicitly selling oil products to North Korea in defiance of UN only runs the Jamaat-ud-Dawa charitable organization. The of Israel earlier this month. “This public rally was attended by thousands of people sanctions, after the U.S. President Donald Trump said he was United Nations and the U.S. both designate Jamaat-ud-Da- International sanctions from all walks of life. More than 50 speakers addressed the unhappy that China had allowed oil to reach the isolated nation. wa and its affiliates as a front for Lashkar-e-Taiba, which Saeed’s status has long been a thorn in the rocky relationship rally, including Hafiz Saeed. Contrary to the impression being Russian tankers have supplied fuel to North Korea on at least frequently carries out attacks targeting Indian security per- between Pakistan and India. After being held under house created, UN proscription does not place any restrictions on three occasions in recent months by transferring cargoes at sea, sonnel in the disputed region of Kashmir. arrest since January, he was released last month by a judicial the freedom of expression.” breaching UN sanctions, sources said. India terms attendance ‘unacceptable’ review board, which deemed the state to have presented (Source: Al Jazeera) (Source: Reuters) I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y 4 ECONOMY JANUARY 1, 2018

STOCK MARKET SP platform TEDPIX 95561.6 IFX 1033.3 Sources: tse.ir, Ifb.ir 14A to be CURRENCIES installed USD 42,050 rials EUR 52,330 rials GBP 57,500 rials on Jan. 10 AED 11,670 rials ENERGY TEHRAN — Platform within one month after the installation, the Source: Mehrnews.com desk14A of Iran’s South Pars Public Relations Department of Pars Oil and gas field (in the Persian Gulf) is projected to Gas Company (POGC), which is in charge of be installed on its designated offshore spot South Pars development, announced. complete so far and implementation of the barrels of condensate. on January 20-22, according to the operator Platform 14A will be loaded at Bandar rest 15 percent will be finished by the next The field is divided into 24 standard phases COMMODITIES of South Pars phase 14 development plan. Abbas yard in south of the country on Tuesday. 1.5 years”, Shana news agency reported. of development in the first stage. Most of the Hamidreza Masoudi said that by installing Three months ago, POGC Managing South Pars, which Iran shared with phases are fully operational at the moment. Brent $66.87/b this platform, which is the main platform of Director Mohammad Meshkinfam said that Qatar in the Persian Gulf, is estimated to Completing development phases of South WTI $60.42/b phase 14, production of 500 million cubic development phases of South Pars gas field contain a significant amount of natural gas, Pars is among the Oil Ministry’s priorities feet (around 14.5 million cubic meters) of gas will be completed within one and half years. accounting for about eight percent of the outlined by President Hassan Rouhani in a OPEC Basket $62.16/b per day is planned to be started in this phase He said: “85 percent of the phases are world’s reserves, and approximately 18 billion decree in mid-September, 2017. Gold $1,303.95 /oz Silver $16.99/oz Official statistical figures vs. Iranians’ economic conditions 1 years of rampant inflation. But how far can the government Platinium $932.60/oz As they suggest, it is a must for the government to modify its calculation methods to provide a vivid reflection continue the trend to restrict the amplitude of misalignment Sources: Oilprice.com, Moneymetals.com of the country’s economic status quo. on the exchange rate? The question remains unanswered. Unemployment, available jobs Keeping all above in mind, it is worth noting that, Iran Are there sufficient job vacancies for Iran’s young has been under draconian sanctions for years and major part 830,000 jobs to be created workforce? Are small and medium-sized production units of its potentials and capacities has been left unexploited. As ready to absorb domestic workforce? of the implementation of its nuclear deal in January 2016, by Mar. 2019 Domestic production sector is not working at full capacity. however, the country has taken a breath and could reach a There are still a large number of small and medium-sized positive economic growth. Even if the growth is not tangible ECONOMY TEHRAN — Government spokesman Mohammad enterprises which have been closed or are operating with half in people’s lives or the number of created jobs is less than deskBaqer Nobakht announced that the government will of their capacity. As Jahangiri announced on Wednesday, 3.1 the unemployed workforce, the achievements should not create 830,000 job opportunities by the end of the next Iranian calendar million of Iranians are still unemployed, although the govern- be downgraded. year (March 20, 2019), IRIB news reported on Sunday. ment could create 600,000 jobs within the past two years. Accordingly, to make the obtained economic growth “70 percent of the mentioned job opportunities will go to the edu- Minister of Labor and Welfare Ali Rabiee put the blame tangible in Iranians’ lives, especially low-income earners, cated workforce,” he said in a televised interview. on the large number of young force. As he said, “the number single-digit territory and couple it with positive economic it is a must for the government to maintain its developing Few days ago, Nobakht, who is also the Head of Planning and of job applicants surpasses the number of the created jobs growth, he vowed. trend in the upcoming years, via supporting production and Budget Organization, said that 750 trillion rials (over $18 billion) by the government and this is the main reason that govern- “The government aims to improve the figure up to one million uprooting unemployment. The government should focus on from the next year’s national budget is considered to be allocated for ment’s efforts to create new jobs are not noticeable.” The per annum in future,” Jahangiri announced on Wednesday. renovation of industrial units, developing knowledge-based creating job opportunities in the country. government continues creating jobs in small and medium Rial depreciation economy and shifting from dependency on oil revenues to sized industries, he added. Could government manage to halt depreciation non-oil income. Oil revenues should be injected to production Outlining his government’s performance recently, President of rial, as an influential and tangible economic factor for sector to lubricate economy wheels instead of being spent Iran’s non-oil trade up 11% Rouhani addressed the unemployment issue announcing that common people? on current expenditures. there was zero job creation from 2006-7 to 2013-14 whereas Rial has been depreciated in the past months against the And the most important of all, the government should in 9 months yr/yr from the third quarter of 2014-15 to the second quarter of U.S. dollar and was quoted at 42,050 to the greenback at not overtly rely on the obtained statistical figures as its ma- 2017-18, an average of 685,000 jobs were generated annu- Tehran’s free foreign exchange market on Sunday. In fact, jor achievements, since regarding the current economic ECONOMY TEHRAN — Th e value of Iran’s non-oil trade ally. The progress made by his administration in the first rial depreciation has a negative correlation with economic conditions of Iranians, which will mistakenly suggest pub- deskwith foreign partners reached $69.21 billion dur- 100 days of his second term in terms of job creation is more growth. During the past years, rial depreciated much less lic opinion that the government is exaggerating about its ing the first nine months of the current Iranian calendar year (March impressive than that of the past two to three years, he added. than the inflation rate thanks to oil revenues which enabled achievements and opens the way for opponents to scrutinize 21- December 21), up $7.637 billion or about 11 percent from the same The government will continue to keep inflation rate in the policymakers to stabilize the exchange market during the it for its measures. period last year. According to IRNA, the coun- try’s non-oil trade stood at $61.573 billion during the first nine months Direct shipping route of last year. Meanwhile, the trade balance inaugurated between was reported negative with the value of imports exceeding that Iranian, Omani ports of exports by $5.93 billion. As reported, some $37.570 bil- ECONOMY TEHRAN — A direct shipping lion worth of non-oil goods were deskroute between Iran’s southwest- imported to the country during the ern Khorramshahr Port and Oman’s northern Sohar mentioned time span to register Port was officially inaugurated as the first cargo an 18.31 percent rise compared to vessel left Iran for Oman on Sunday. Second Announcement IN THE NAME OF GOD last year’s 9-month period. The inaugural ceremony was attended by a Automobile parts, passenger number of Iranian and Omani officials including ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF IRAN BROADCASTING cars, corn and rice were reported to be the main drivers of the increase the governor general of southwestern Khuzestan in the value of the country’s 9-month imports. Province, Omani ambassador to Iran, and chairman The value of exports stood at $31.64 billion during the said period, of Iran-Oman Joint Chamber of Commerce, as well falling 2.39 percent from last year’s figure. as some traders and businessmen, IRNA reported. EXTENSION OF INTERNATIONAL TENDER NO. 96-07/131 Gas condensate, liquefied propane followed by methanol and low- Addressing the media on the sidelines of the cer- density oils and finally hematite granule were among top exported emony, Gholamreza Shariati, the governor general Tender Holder: commodities from Iran. of Khuzestan, said that direct cargo shipping lines ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF IRAN BROADCASTING (IRIB) China, the United Arab Emirates, Turkey, South Korea and Germany between Khorramshahr and Qatar and also between were top exporters of goods to Iran, while China, the UAE, Iraq, South Khorramshahr and Kuwait are also planned to be Korea, and Afghanistan were the top importers of Iranian commodities. inaugurated soon. Subject of Two-Stage Tender: Providing CDN Infrastructure and Cloud Storage Space (IRIB, Tehran) according to the tender documents

Deadline of Receiving Documents: As of publishing second announcement of advertisement latest by the business hour dated on Saturday Jan. 06, 2018.

First Announcement SINGLE- STAGE INTERNATIONAL TENDER Place of Receiving Documents: Secretariat of Tenders’ Commission, Technical Purchasing (KALA) Dept., Media Technology and Development GOVERNMENT TRADING CORPORATION OF IRAN Deputy Office, Bldg. No. 2, IRIB, Jam-e Jam St., Vali-e Asr Ave., Tehran Government Trading Corporation of Iran (hereinafter referred to as GTC), affiliated to the Ministry of Agriculture Jihad of the Islamic Republic of Iran, intends to purchase 45,000 M/Ts 10 pct M/L Indian Type and Amount of Guarantee for Participating in Tender: 1121 sella rice,(in 3 separate cargoes of 15000 MTs M/L 10% each. cargoes to be shipped in 3 lots at 10 days The amount of USD 214,410 which should be in the form of extendable bank guarantee interval during April 2018) on CFR basis,through single stage international tender. Time and Place of Delivering Priced Bid: All qualified companies and suppliers who are interested to bid above tender are invited to receive tender documents from 02/01/ 2018 until 14/01/ 2018 from Trades & Tenders Committee located on the 4th floor The sealed A, B & C packages/envelopes should be submitted within one main envelope marked with tender of GTC building no 2 , at No 225 Fatemi Avenue Tehran-Iran. along with an official letter of introduction. number no later than 15 p.m. on Monday Feb. 5, 2018 and submitted to the Secretariat of Commission of Tenders. The bidders are required to submit stamped and sealed envelopes containing their offers latest by 14:00 on 13/02/2018 to the Tender secretariat located on the 7th floor. The bid’s envelope will be opened at 13/02/2018 By14:30 In the presents of the bidder’s representative in GTC’s purchasing committee hall . (9th floor, No Time and Place of Opening Envelopes: 12, Jahad Square, Tehran, Iran). The date of opening envelopes A&B is at 8:30 a.m. on Wednesday Feb. 7, 2018 in the office of Vice President of IRIB Planning and Financial Resources and opening of envelope C will be after technical evaluation. Bid bond : bid bond worth EUR 305,000 (IRR 13,420,000,000) for each 15000 MT cargo It should be noted that bidders should hold license from the authorized bodies. Bid bonds may be deposited either cash in Rials or through an unconditional bank guarantee issued in Euros by renowned Iranian bank located in Tehran, with three months validity and extendible for another three For more information, please contact the following phone numbers: 0098-21-22166313 months. It is obvious that cost of publishing two advertisements shall be borne by the winner of tender. Note: participates who wish to bid for more than one cargo are obliged to deposit the above mentioned bid bond for each extra shipment. Public Relations Dept. of IRIB For more information, you may refer to our website WWW.GTC-PORTAL.COM or contact us by phone No.00982188957477 (Foreign Trade Department). I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y JANUARY 1, 2018 ENERGY 5

OPEC wins over hedge funds to Will 2018 be the year of solar or coal? make 2017 oil’s most bullish year Since taking office, President Trump has gone out of his way to help the coal industry. He’s reversed ground on the Clean Power Plan and Oil bulls are charging into the new year with supply disruptions in Libya and Kurdistan, a other Obama-era air pollution regulations; he’s removed regulatory unprecedented vigor, and the credit goes to pipeline shutdown in the North Sea, and last barriers on mining operations; and he’s even made it easier to mine OPEC. but not least, a brutal cold snap in the final coal on federal lands. The signs that the group is winning its tug week of the year that drove up demand for Yet even with all of these actions, the coal industry is still relatively of war with shale are compelling, and money heating oil, fuel oil and natural gas. stagnant and coal-fired power plants are retiring at a breakneck speed. managers have taken note: Their combined One of the most remarkable shifts that The market has been keeping coal from truly making a resurgence. bets on rising prices for West Texas Interme- occurred in 2017, if a very technical one, was Coal’s losing market share in the power industry, notwithstanding diate and Brent crude reached record levels the change in the futures curve -- first for these eased regulatory burdens, because natural gas prices have stayed in December. Brent and more recently for WTI. Contracts low and utility-scale solar costs have declined to the point where solar “At least through the first half of 2018, for nearby delivery are trading at a premium is, in many places, the cheapest way for a utility to add new capacity. they’ll stay pretty bullish,” said Ashley Pe- to longer-dated ones as demand rises and tersen, lead oil-market strategist at Stratas supplies tighten. This pattern, known as back- Advisors in New York. “June will be a real wardation, hadn’t been seen so consistently turning point because that’s when we’ll hear since 2014. about unwinding the deal, and if OPEC doesn’t Hedge funds boosted their Brent net-long handle it delicately, then there will be concern position -- the difference between bets on a that the market will be flooded with oil again.” rally and wagers on a decline -- to an all-time The last week of the year saw futures trad- high on Dec. 12 and have kept it near that level. ing above $60 a barrel in New York and $67 The net-long position on WTI increased in London for the first time since mid-2015, 7.3 percent to 411,972 futures and options after the two most important oil benchmarks during the week ended Dec. 26, according surged more than 40 percent from their dol- to data from the U.S. Commodity Futures drums in June. The rally came on the back Trading Commission on Friday. That was of a well-orchestrated campaign led by Saudi While the threat of too much shale pro- a steady diet of positive information.” close to a record set in February. Longs rose Arabia and Russia to enforce and extend sup- duction next year still looms, producers are The optimism wasn’t so widespread earlier by 5.3 percent and shorts fell by 11 percent. ply curbs implemented by the Organization ending the year a lot less gung-ho than they this year. Concern that OPEC’s efforts weren’t The net-short position of swap dealers, an This latter development has been a game changer. What seemed of Petroleum Exporting Countries and other started. Under pressure from investors to enough and would end abruptly in March indication of hedging, increased for the 11th impossible just five years ago is starting to happen now with some producing nations. focus on profits over growth, explorers have 2018 led short-sellers to dominate the scene straight week to a fresh record, according to regularity: utilities are retiring their coal plants and announcing plans The effort culminated with a meeting in slowed down on drilling with the U.S. rig count for several months, with WTI plunging to the the CFTC data. to replace them with large solar arrays. Vienna in November, where the group and stalling in December. low-$40s in June. In the fuel market, money managers in- In most parts of the country, solar still isn’t even close to being its allies agreed to extend the cuts through “The expectation is that the rebalance will “It really wasn’t until the fourth quarter that crease their net-long position on benchmark the cheapest way to provide energy to homes and businesses. That the end of next year. Meanwhile, U.S. crude continue,” Gene McGillian, a market research we saw a resounding faith in the recovery,” U.S. gasoline by about 10 percent. Meanwhile, honor goes to wind turbines and large combined-cycle natural gas stockpiles have declined by about a fifth since manager at Tradition Energy in Stamford, Stratas Advisors’ Petersen said. the net-bullish position on diesel rose by 26 power plants. These are the cheapest sources of energy right now, peaking in March and approached the end of Connecticut, said by telephone. “We’ve ap- Global events also swung the market up and percent to a record as the cold snap boosted and that isn’t likely to change in 2018. the year at their lowest level since October 2015. proached an area where we really need to see down along the way, such as Hurricane Harvey, heating demand. (Source: Bloomberg) But utilities in certain areas of the country don’t just have to provide energy; they’re also required to ensure that there is enough power plant capacity on the grid at times of peak usage. This is where solar North Sea Forties pipeline U.S. rig count falls slightly as becomes economic. When energy demand is high, typically during the afternoon hours of a hot summer day, solar is at its best. This makes system fully operational Canada’s rig count tanks it a valuable asset to utilities for capacity purposes. And as coal plants retire, utilities need to replace that lost capac- ity. Coal plants are usually large in size but, at least for the last few years, they haven’t been operating much because wind and natural gas plants have been cheaper to dispatch. So when a large coal plant retires, replacing the lost energy is often not as significant a concern as replacing the lost capacity. In other words, older coal plants are running less than they were five or ten years ago, but we still need them (or something else) to keep the lights on when demand is at its highest. For decades utilities have relied on smaller natural gas combustion turbines to provide capacity at peak times when it’s needed. These turbines are cheap to build but expensive to run. Yet now - primarily because of all of the federal tax incentives - it has become cheaper to build new solar power plants than these natural gas peaking plants. When coal plants retire, utilities are therefore likely to replace that lost capacity with solar, meaning utility-scale solar construction could explode in 2018 given coal’s precarious market position. (Source: Forbes)

The North Sea’s Forties Pipeline System The completion of repair work and the The number of active oil and gas rigs dipped which has previous limited price spikes that Oil-rich Venezuela is -- one of the world’s most important crude reopening of the pipeline system, common- this week, according to Baker Hughes data, came on the back of the Forties shutdown and oil conduits -- is fully back in business after ly known as FPS, means the network can decreasing by 2 rigs, bringing the total rigs a pipeline bombing in Libya. But U.S. crude out of gasoline being shut earlier this month due to the resume operations as normal heading into to 929 rigs, which is an addition of 271 rigs oil production for the week ending December discovery of a hairline crack. the new year. More than 80 fields feed into for the 2017 calendar year. 22 came in at 9.754 million barrels per day—a According to the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, “Ineos confirms the Forties Pipeline the Forties Pipeline System, which Ineos The number of oil rigs in the U.S. stayed hair off the previous week’s high, and break- the highest proven oil reserves in the world, including non-con- System is fully operational,” operator In- purchased from BP Plc earlier this year. the same for the second week in a row, while ing a nine-week production increase in the ventional oil deposits, are in Venezuela. eos AG said Saturday in a statement. “All About 450,000 barrels of oil a day flow the number of gas rigs decreased by 2. The U.S. While the 9.754-million-barrel-per-day “Gentlemen: There is no more gasoline in Venezuela. In Ven- restrictions on the flow of oil and gas from through the pipeline when it is operating number of oil rigs stands at 747 versus 525 a production level is still the second highest, ezuela, we are out of gas. In Venezuela, there is no gas oil. In platforms feeding into the pipeline system normally. year ago. The number of gas rigs in the U.S. the fact that production didn’t increase for Venezuela, there are no lube oils,” said Iván Freites in a televised have been lifted and virtually all platforms Following the FPS shutdown on Dec. 11, now stands at 182, up from 132 a year ago. a tenth week bolstered confidence. press conference. Freites is the secretary of the professional and are now on line.” Ineos said it would take two to four weeks to At 10:04pm EST, the price of a WTI barrel The most alarming news this week is technician division of the United Federation of Venezuelan Pe- The company also said a force majeure bring the pipeline system back into service. was down $0.20 (+0.33 percent) to $60.04—a Canada’s rig count, which saw a decrease troleum Workers. declared Dec. 13 has been lifted and that The company earlier this week announced 2.5-year high, while the Brent barrel was of 58 oil rigs and 16 gas rigs. In his address, Freites said that poor management led to the crude oil loadings from the Hound Point that it had lifted all restrictions on the flow trading up $0.18 (+0.27 percent) to $66.34, The Permian basin rig count stayed flat stoppage of 80 per cent of the country’s refineries. “Only Amuay and terminal in Scotland are expected to resume of oil and natural gas platforms feeding into largely on the back of weeks of falling U.S. this week, but stands at 134 rigs above this Cardón refineries are operative and that is nothing. They produce this weekend. Force majeure is a legal meas- the system and that normal rates would crude oil inventory, and a surprise decrease same week last year. Williston and Haynesville 40,000 barrels per day and the national demand is over 200,000 ure that protects suppliers when they can’t resume around the new year. Some of the in U.S. crude oil production. basins lost rigs this week, with DJ-Niobrara barrels of gas per day,” he said. fulfill contractual obligations for reasons larger fields had also resumed production. U.S. crude oil production has been on a gained 3. Venezuela’s oil production has fallen to levels not seeing since beyond their control. (Source: Bloomberg) steady upward trajectory for nearly a quarter, (Source: oilprice.com) the late-1980s. According to the latest OPEC report, which is based on information provided by the Nicolás Maduro government, the country is producing about 2.3 million barrels of oil per day. In October, it experienced the steepest fall in production of 2017, GOP tax bill is a boon for oil and gas as only 1.9 million barrels were extracted, 130,000 barrels less A few days before Christmas, the U.S. House and Senate for master limited partnerships (MLPs). This corporate than the previous month. The oil industry, however, is still the passed the most comprehensive tax reform plan since 1986. vehicle is popular with oil pipeline companies and renewable major source of income as it generates about 96 per cent of the Upon signing the bill, President Donald Trump called it energy projects. It’s been used by Energy Transfer Part- foreign exchange. “an incredible Christmas gift for hard-working Americans.” ners—owner of the Dakota Access and Rover lines—and “Can you imagine how much it would be to bring our refineries But Trump’s allies in the GOP Congress gave an incredible uses “pass-through entities”, meaning taxes aren’t paid back to operation? To recover production in the Eastern Coast of end-of-the-year gift to energy companies. at the partnership level; only investors pay the applicable the Lake (of Maracaibo)?” Iván Freites asked during the media Defenders believe a windfall of exploration, production taxes. Under the previous U.S. administration, pass-through brief. He blamed corrupt government officials for the fuel crisis and and investment will emanate from energy companies in rates investors paid were the same as their personal income dismissed the theory that it is all due to the sanctions that Donald 2018, while critics say it will lessen renewable energy at the rates, but the new tax bill slashes the pass-through rates to Trump imposed on some key figures in the Venezuelan cabinet. expense of the environment by unleashing further fossil 20 percent. Another boom for the energy industry. He also expressed concern about the fact that Maduro’s admin- fuel exploration. The power of the energy industry was also evident in the istration pulled out of a partnership with Cuba in its Cienfuegos American businesses in general will reap billions in new tax bill when congress didn’t eliminate the Renewable oil refinery, taking into account that all of Venezuela’s oil products tax savings from the cut in the corporate income tax rates Fuel Standard, the oil depletion allowance and tax breaks have been unloaded on the island for the past 15 years before from 35 percent to 21 percent, but with the treatment of The biggest benefit overall for the energy industry is the for intangible drilling costs by independent firms, or the making their way to other markets. (Source: oilprice.com) capital expenditures lessening business tax exposure, this cut in the corporate tax rate. Barclay’s equities analysts 15 percent tax credit for enhanced oil recovery. is a particular boom for energy companies. calculated: Utility companies did well by having their corporate rates Exxon Mobil Vice President of Investor Relations Jeffrey “The 14 percent point cut in the corporate tax rate will cut and being allowed to fully expense capital investments Repairs begin on Libyan oil Woodbury said, “The first things that are being funded add $1 billion to the profits of the U.S. oil and gas explora- that will save billions. Industry lobbyists also convinced [after the tax cuts are implemented] are our dividends and tion production firms, equivalent to a $1 a barrel increase the GOP-led congress to preserve their tax-saving ability pipeline damaged by blast our investment program.” Though EM had a negative tax in oil prices, and the tax cut could add five percent to the by deducting their state and local taxes. rate last year, in previous years they have paid as high as earnings per share of Exxon Mobil and Chevron.” “Due to the regulated nature of the electric power in- Repairs were carried out on Saturday on a Libyan oil pipeline 33 percent diminishing investor returns. For capital-intensive companies (and the oil and gas dustry, this is a huge win for customers as the drop in the badly damaged by an explosion four days earlier, an engineer said. The renewable energy industry had to fight efforts to industry qualifies for this designation), lowering the effec- corporate rate is mostly flowed back to them over time in The explosion on Tuesday about 130 km (80 miles) south of eliminate their tax credits, but eventually avoided propos- tive corporate rates and expensing provisions—in which rates,” The Edison Electric Institute said in a statement. the Es Sider terminal, reducing output by an estimated 70,000- als that would have been tough for U.S. solar and wind to companies can expense 100 percent of their investment Many claims will be now be tested to prove whether 100,000 barrels per day (bpd), according to the National Oil remain profitable. In the final version of the bill, production over five years—is a dramatic impact. these tax breaks and elimination of tax burdens will ben- Corporation (NOC). and investment tax credits were left in place, ensuring re- Oil refiners will also see new corporate profits from the efit American energy companies and their constituents. A A picture sent to Reuters by the engineer, who asked not to newable energy will continue to grow at taxpayer expense. plan. Pavel Molchanov, energy analyst at investment firm recent Monmouth poll showed 50 percent of Americans be named because he was not authorised to speak to the media, The electric vehicle industry was also spared, thanks to the Raymond James, believes the corporate rate cut is most believe their personal taxes will go up under tax reform. showed workers attending to a stretch of exposed pipeline. Other retention of the $7,500 tax credit when an electric vehicle beneficial for independent oil refiners. He estimates the So it’s no wonder the majority of Americans believe the photos posted online showed a new section of pipe being lowered (EV) is purchased. earning per share for refiners “will jump by an average of bill is bad for them and that energy companies will use into the ground by a digger. But to the dismay of environmentalists, the bill opened 23 percent.” Integrated multinational oil companies like the benefits only to enrich themselves and shareholders. The work on Saturday would be followed by testing, the engi- up portions of the politically-charged Arctic National Wild- Exxon Mobil, Shell and Chevron will also see new profits Whatever the case, nothing creates job and opportunities neer said. It was not clear how long it would take for production life Refuge (ANWR) to oil exploration. It was a make-or- since they own oil refineries. International earning will also the way oil and natural gas exploration does at this time. to be restored. break issue for the tax bill to clear the senate, since Alaska be taxed differently, and at lower rates, further assisting Disaster has been foretold for this bill. Now let’s see what Waha Oil Co, which operates the pipeline, has described the Senator Lisa Murkowski said that was the only way she large energy firms. takes place for energy companies in 2018. cause of the explosion as a “terrorist attack”, without giving details. would vote yes. Oil investors were also rewarded with additional benefits (Source: oilprice.com) (Source: Reuters) ADVERTISEMENTS

I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y 6 INTERNATIONAL JANUARY 1 2018

The evolution of the refugee crisis MbS’s regional failures are By Erik Berglöf

The 2015 refugee crisis is still a raw issue for millions of Europe- ans, and continues to serve as fodder for populist and nationalist movements. But, in reality, the situation has started to improve leaving Saudi Arabia isolated dramatically in many host countries, and it is now incumbent on European leaders to ensure that the trend continues. Manifestations of disrespect toward the Saudi leadership are being expressed As they celebrate Christmas, Germans are also remembering the dead from last year’s attack on a Berlin Christmas mar- across the region due to its poorly managed foreign and regional policies ket by a migrant who had been denied asylum. That incident fanned the flames of public sentiment against immigration, On 19 December, Saudi Arabia in- holding him practically against his will and probably played a role in Chancellor Angela Merkel’s tercepted missiles fired by the Ansar in Riyadh. stunning failure to form a new a coalition government after the Allah group (Houthis) from Yemen This united the Lebanese political federal election in September. Within the German electorate, towards the Yamama Palace, the official elite and public against Saudi Arabia there are widespread fears that another wave of migrants like residence of King Salman in Riyadh. in a manner unprecedented in the the influx two years ago will deluge the country. The attack perhaps came as a stern history of relations between the two response to a Saudi-made animated countries. It also detained Jordanian video that went viral on social media billionaire Sabih al Masri as part of a few days before. The clip depicts a Saudi “corruption probe” to put pressure on invasion and regime change in Tehran. Jordan to accept Trump’s declaration This direct attack on the kingdom’s on Jerusalem. highest political leadership and the Al-Aqsa Mosque, the third holiest symbol of Saudi authority is highly sig- place in Islam, is under the authority of nificant. Such an attack would have been the king of Jordan through past agree- unthinkable a couple of years ago, but ments. It constitutes one of very few Saudi Arabia’s poorly managed foreign sources of political legitimacy for the and regional policies recently have left Hashemite kingdom. And this explains it largely short of respect, exposed and why the Jordanian king was present at regionally isolated. the OIC summit despite being under Antagonizing Turkey huge pressure to boycott it. While Turkey has been very keen Jordan is certainly going to pivot But the facts on the ground have changed dramatically. On on maintaining positive relations with away from Saudi Arabia, get close to November 15, 2015, a migration command center in the German Saudi Arabia, on a diplomatic level the Turkey and very likely closer to Iran as Foreign Ministry on Werderscher Markt in Berlin was tracking kingdom has largely disregarded its well. To sum up, one can count Qatar, refugee flows at every potential border crossing on the route from approach. This has been especially so Kuwait, Oman, Lebanon and Jordan Greece to Germany. Eventually, of 12 million displaced Syrians, after Turkey stood firmly by Qatar and as states falling out of the Saudi orbit one million arrived in Europe. And despite a massive response sent troops to the emirate following the or pivoting away from it. from the German government and members of the public, many PGCC diplomatic crisis in June. Saudi Defeat of Saudi policies? asylum-seekers ended up sleeping on the streets and in railway Arabia, the UAE and Bahrain decided Saudi Arabia is not only pushing stations. At the time, there were rumors of a migrant-fueled to cut their relations with Qatar and Saudi Arabia is not only pushing away a away a regional powerhouse such as crime wave sweeping the country, though later research found practically besieged it. regional powerhouse such as Turkey and Turkey and smaller states but is also little increase in crime along migration routes. Initially Turkey tried to keep an equal smaller states but is also undermining its undermining its image in the Arab Two year later, much has changed. The German bureaucratic distance from all parties involved in world and among Arab public opinion. engine has been firing on all cylinders to process asylum claims the crisis, repeatedly emphasizing the image in the Arab world and among Arab Aside from its contribution to the and facilitate integration. Of 700,000 asylum applications in need for dialogue and lending support public opinion. ongoing catastrophic humanitarian 2016, almost 300,000 were denied, and those people are wait- to the Kuwaiti mediation efforts. When situation in Yemen, manifestations ing to be returned to their countries of origin. Greece, the first fears of a looming invasion of Qatar its siding with the U.S. and Israel in the largely isolated in the region. of disrespect to the Saudi leadership stop in the European Union for refugees from the Middle East, and a possible regime change were region, which puts Saudi Arabia at odds Satellite states falling out of are being expressed across the region. has started to close some refugee camps, after granting asylum growing, Turkey deployed troops to with Turkey, which is seeking religious orbit Last week, during a football match to around 50,000 people. And even Italy, the first EU port the Persian Gulf emirate, a move that leadership of the Muslim world. Saudi Arabia’s radical approach with in Algeria, President Trump and King of call for African migrants, is now experiencing a decline in was not well received by Saudi Arabia. Two days before the OIC sum- Qatar has scared off other PGCC states, Salman were depicted as “two faces of asylum applications. It was not long before a Saudi jour- mit, Okaz, a Saudi newspaper, pub- forcing them to look for strong regional the same coin” on the Jerusalem ques- Turkey, meanwhile, has stuck to its deal with the EU, whereby nalist, with close ties to the ruling class, lished an interview with Riza Altun, backers. For example, Kuwait, which has tion. During demonstrations in Gaza it receives financial aid in exchange for taking in Syrian refu- interviewed Fethullah Gulen, a reli- the “foreign minister” of the Kurdistan tense relations with Iran and expelled its against Trump’s Jerusalem declara- gees. Before the deal entered into effect in March 2016, Tur- gious leader who lives in exile in the Workers’ Party (PKK), which Turkey ambassador mid-2017, began to foster tion, Palestinian protesters set fire to key’s government had been actively encouraging migrants and U.S. and is designated by Turkey as has designated a terrorist organization. closer relations with Turkey, including pictures of Trump, King Salman and refugees to continue to Europe; now, it is integrating refugees a terrorist. Gulen is accused of being The interview was initially meant to plans to boost military cooperation. his son the crown prince. into Turkish society, and even trying to prevent high-skilled the mastermind behind the 2016 coup be with Cemil Bayik, head of the PKK. The Kuwaiti emir, who represent- Iran has taken note of this, with the migrants from leaving. Accordingly, the European Commission attempt in Turkey. He is viewed as a This could not have happened without ed his country at the OIC Jerusalem deputy commander of the Revolutionary announced this month that it would provide another €700 public enemy and his case is viewed as the direct approval of Saudi political conference, is certainly wary of Saudi Guard, Hossein Salami, describing it million ($830 million) in aid to Turkey. a matter of national security in Turkey. authorities. foreign policy, which explains why he as a “defeat of Saudi policies”. The situation has also improved in Northern Iraq (Iraqi Kurd- Saudi Arabia’s regional policies have Turkey holds the PKK responsible is moving closer to Turkey. Saudi Arabia, already facing a local istan). Previously, the Syrian civil war and the rise of the Islamic been an utter failure and have left it for killing many civilians and security Oman is another PGCC state whose crisis, will have to deal with another State (ISIS) had displaced three million Iraqis and hundreds of largely isolated. personnel; as with Gulen, the situation relations with Iran are relatively better problem - a growing sense of insecurity thousands of Syrian Kurds. But now that ISIS has been defeated Saudi Arabia’s low-level diplomatic is regarded as a matter of national se- than any other. It might not feel the as missiles could again potentially ex- militarily and its territory reclaimed, refugee Kurds have a choice representation to the Organization of curity. The interview definitely aimed need to rush toward Turkey but it will plode over Riyadh for everyone to hear. of either staying in Iraq or returning to Syria. Internally displaced Islamic Cooperation (OIC) summit to send a message. It was as if Saudi still seek to boost its security vis-a- Saudi Arabia’s regional policies have Iraqis, on the other hand, are expected to return to whatever remains called by Turkish President Recep Arabia was asking for trouble from vis Saudi designs, as mentioned by an been an utter failure and have left it of their cities and homes – a process that has been accelerated by Tayyip Erdogan in response to U.S. Turkey. Omani diplomat to Middle East Eye. largely isolated. Should it continue in the Iraqi Kurds’ renewed push for independence this year. President Donald Trump’s declaration Turkey, like Iran, is a regional power- The Saudi leadership’s most irre- the same direction it will become even Against this backdrop of relatively improved conditions, on Jerusalem was another departure house. Being at odds with the two main sponsible act was forcing Lebanese more isolated. Lebanon stands out as an exception. Although Lebanon has a from regional solidarity. It also reflected regional powers leaves the kingdom Prime Minister Saad Hariri to resign, (Source: Middle East Eye) population of just four million people, it is now host to more than 1.5 million Syrian refugees. The result is a growing sense of refugee fatigue, which is threatening to destabilize the country’s fragile multi-confessional power-sharing arrangement. Already, the How Trump learned to love war in 2017 government’s rhetoric has started to focus on returning refugees to Syria, rather than on determining how best to provide for them. The president promised to deliver peace. But in his first year, he expanded every war he inherited. As for the refugees themselves, many are visible in the streets of Beirut, the capital, but most are stuck in camps or temporary Back in March, U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson that this crisis can be handed to a team of nego- host communities, and lack adequate access to health care and defended his proposed slashing of the Foreign Opera- tiators under the aegis of the United Nations.” Of schooling. And even when refugees are accommodated by schools tions Budget by 31 percent on the grounds that, “As all parties to the conflict, the United States has and universities, they have limited employment prospects after time goes by, there will be fewer military conflicts that the greatest leverage in brokering an end to the graduating. Another lost generation is coming of age in a country the U.S. will be directly engaged in.” A few weeks ago, 33-month civil war, but American diplomats have that has long been riven by bungled integration efforts. Making he made an even more expansive claim, saying that, been nowhere to be seen. matters worse, following the resignation and return of Prime “Bringing the budget numbers back down is reflective Meanwhile, in Afghanistan, Gen. John Nicholson, Minister Saad Hariri, Lebanon is now experiencing a political of an expectation that we’re going to have success in commander of the longest-running war in American crisis that has raised the specter of a return to civil war. some of these conflict areas, getting these conflicts history, has adapted a time-tested tactic of several of So, what can be done? Neighboring Jordan may offer one resolved.” his predecessors: repeating that the United States is model to follow. Rather than integrating refugees, Jordan has Needless to say, Tillerson’s aspirations — that winning (or will win) and that the Taliban is not (or until recently kept them largely confined along the Syrian border. the United States will be involved in fewer wars and cannot). He also appears uninterested in support- At first, this left refugees with little access to education or labor deliver greater peace — have not been achieved. In ing any political settlement involving the Taliban, markets. But, thanks to concerted efforts by the international reality, the Donald Trump administration has dem- pledging instead to achieve an undefined end state community and funding from the EU, there are now several onstrated no interest in reducing America’s military of “We will be here until the job is done” — whatever programs in place to stimulate investment, encourage compa- commitments and interventions, nor committed that means. nies to hire refugees, and create special economic zones on the itself in any meaningful way to preventing conflicts In reality, the Donald President Trump has also repeatedly threatened border. The idea is that by spurring economic activity on the or resolving them. Moreover, as 2017 wraps up, pre-emptive strikes against nuclear-armed North border, Syrian refugee communities and businesses can start the trend lines are actually running in the opposite Trump administration has Korea (a terrible idea), as well as threatened to to develop the capacity needed to rebuild post-war Syria when direction, with no indication that the Trump admin- demonstrated no interest terminate the Iran nuclear agreement, which he the time comes. It is too soon to evaluate the full impact of these istration has the right membership or motivation in reducing America’s calls “the worst deal ever.” He can do so in mid- measures, but they are promising nonetheless. to turn things around. January by refusing to certify that Iran is meeting But Europe, for its part, must do far more than provide fund- President Trump has maintained or expanded military commitments and its obligations under the deal, even though the ing. The failure of European governments to manage the sudden the wars that he inherited from his predecessor. interventions, nor committed International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has influx of refugees in 2015 has fueled populism and intolerance As Jennifer Wilson and I pointed out in an appro- itself in any meaningful way certified that Iran has, in fact, been doing so for in previously open societies. True, this failure was partly due to priately titled column in August, “Donald Trump Is nine straight quarters. If Trump abandons the genuine constraints, particularly in health-care and education Dropping Bombs at Unprecedented Levels.” Within to preventing conflicts or agreement, Iran will kick the IAEA inspectors out. systems. But it also reflected poor preparation, a lack of coordi- eight months of assuming office, Trump — with the resolving them. The IAEA monitors and verifies Iran’s nuclear- nation, and insufficient investment. announcement of six “precision aistrikes” in Libya related commitments for the low price of $11 mil- The refugee crisis is fundamentally a systemic challenge, because — had bombed every country that former President State fighters had been killed in Iraq and Syria. In lion a year. developments in one country can affect many other countries. Barack Obama had in eight years. One month after 2014, just after the war began, the CIA claimed that In May, Trump declared, “I’m getting As and As such, the crisis demands an EU-level and, indeed, a global that, the United States surpassed the 26,172 bombs the Islamic State could “muster between 20,000 A+s on foreign policy. And nobody thought about response. Fortunately, for the first time since Syria’s civil war that had been dropped in 2016. Through the end of and 31,500 fighters.” The fact that the United States it.” No nonpartisan grader would assign the presi- began, there is hope that the EU might muster an effective joint December 2017, Trump had authorized more airstrikes more than doubled the size of its enemy in pursuit dent such high marks. The reasons are simple: approach to the problem. In a wide-ranging speech at the Sorbonne in Somalia in one year (33), than George W. Bush of defeating it on the battlefield — for the time He has achieved none of his major foreign-policy in September, French President Emmanuel Macron injected new and Obama had since the United States first began being — should lead to a re-examination of U.S. initiatives and has further destabilized already energy into EU policymaking in this area. And, inspired by the intervening there in early 2007 (30). counterterrorism strategies. unstable conflict zones by increasing America’s Jordanian model, EU policymakers can now begin to develop a The growth in airstrikes was accompanied by a But as the volume of airstrikes and deaths military footprints, intensifying military opera- more coherent, evidence-based migration policy. more than proportional increase in civilian deaths, increased, the Trump administration has sub- tions, and generally abandoning conflict preven- Of course, much will depend on Germany. One hopes that which Azmat Khan and Anand Gopal documented sequently made no progress in winding down tion activities. As Tillerson acknowledged most its leaders will not let whipped-up sentiments about migration in the most impressive work of investigative jour- America’s wars. Moreover, it doesn’t even pre- recently, “We don’t have any wins on the board torpedo a coalition agreement. They must recognize that Ger- nalism that I read this year, as well as the killing of tend that the United States should play any role yet.” As things stand, there will not be any wins man leadership in the EU and on the world stage is crucial for militant fighters. In July, Gen. Tony Thomas, head in supporting diplomatic outcomes. For example, on the board in 2018, though there may be one managing the migration challenge, not least in Germany itself. of U.S. Special Operations Command, claimed “in in the U.S.-backed air war in Yemen, Secretary or two more wars. (Source: Project Syndicate) conservative estimates 60,000 to 70,000” Islamic of Defense James Mattis has stated, “Our aim is (Source: Foreign Policy) I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y JANUARY 1, 2018 ANALYSIS & INTERVIEW 7 Isolation of America in Challenge over popularity international arena of Trump for it. This state of affairs portends a dangerous world. Known to everyone that U.S. created ISIS with the help of By Naseer Ali Soufi Kashmiri its Arab allies and is responsible for the brutality and mass destruction of Syria and Iraq. On the one side U.S. is claiming Political Analyst for fighting against terrorism but on the other side covertly bosting and supporting the same group to disrupt the peace in the Middle East. Has left free hand to Saudi Arabia to TEHRAN — It is not less than a shame and shock for a so attack and kill the innocent people of Yamen. U.S. is also called superpower; which was left alone in UN General As- responsible for what is happening is Afghanistan. Recent sembly when the decision of its President, Donald Trump to attack in Afghanistan by Taliban is also being pushed and recognize Jerusalem was turned down by a majority of 128 pumped by U.S. to keep the region insecure to pave way for member countries of the United Nations. The scenario was its presence in the region. worth to see and watch. U.S. left alone with its oppressive Iran by eradicating ISIS has insulted and humiliated Israel, Veto, the only tool to rule, despite the fact that Trump had U.S. and especially, its Arabs, West and Eastern Allies who threatened to cut off aid to countries which opposed the U.S. directly or indirectly helped ISIS to leverage their benefits. move. There were more threats. However, no major country There were personnel from more than fifty countries in ISIS By Saeed Sobhani supported U.S. The world has shown that they are against salem at the top of the Islamic agenda. At Arab and Islamic and other nations were supporting them, funding money the announcement of declaring Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. leadership summits, the usual talkers and final statements on and providing them weapons and war vehicles. But, where is TEHRAN — After one year of Donald Trump›s presidency, This was followed by the Arab League foreign ministers’ Jerusalem will no longer suffice. Muslims around the world, the so called Caliphate of Daesh (ISIS) now? The remaining we see an increase in public discontent over his performance at meeting and then the extraordinary summit of the Organi- and especially in the Middle East, may ultimately hold their terrorists on Syrian border get a good safe guard from US the White House. Various polls conducted in the United States, zation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) held in Istanbul on Dec. ruling elites accountable for an epic failure of leadership. forces. A double standard being played by U.S. will definitely especially in recent months, show that Trump has little popularity 13. Even India which in recent years has emerged as one of Three weeks is the beginning of the beginning. This crisis strike it back. Why should not European Union change its with American voters. On the other hand, Republican defeat in the closest U.S. allies voted against the country. There was will have a long fuse. mind and to realize the reality on the ground? the state of Alabama, after 25 years, indicates a decrease in the no other option. The U.S. by recognizing Jerusalem as Israeli Meanwhile, U.S.-Turkey relations have sunk to new lows This change, as quoted by Ali Akbar Velayati, a senior advisor popularity of Trump and the Republican Party. capital had made it inordinately difficult for its allies to support as Cengiz Candar writes that all this means that a “train crash to Leader of the Islamic Revolution, can be attributed to “the Many American analysts say that if Republicans fail in this it. Its threats and warnings have failed to browbeat the world between Ankara and Washington is more likely than the two victories of the resistance front in Iraq, Syria and Yemen.” year›s mid-term elections for the Democratic congressional elec- into toeing its illegitimate line on Jerusalem. erstwhile but estranged allies› cementing their strategic part- “They portrayed the Islamic Republic, the main supporter tions, they will also be defeated by the presidential elections of Both the Arab League foreign ministers’ meeting and nership.” of the resistance front, as the world’s main enemy. But the 2020. In that case, we will no longer see Trump›s presence again Istanbul’s OIC summit did bring attention to the issue of Trump’s decision on Jerusalem represents the gravest recent majority vote at the UN General Assembly reflected at the White House. In such a situation, the president of the Jerusalem and its sensitivity to Arabs and Muslims. Whether challenge to U.S.-Jordan relations. King Abdullah II of Jordan, the awareness and cognizance of the global public opinion,” United States, by falsely reading the polls, is trying to continue directly as a result of these summits or because of the popular one of Washington’s most valued allies, is reeling from the Velayati stated. to be successful as a president! response, the world took notice. Left isolated at the UN Security decision. Abdullah’s concerns go beyond the immediate effects For the Arab states, the time to take out the dark glasses of Newsweek reported that as the clock counts down the final Council, the U.S. was forced on December 18 to use its veto of the Trump announcement, which is seen here as having prejudices has come, to respect their nation and the demands hours of 2017, a fundraising committee for President Donald after Britain and all other members of the Security Council delivered a fatal blow to the two-state solution. The escalation of their people to support the cause of Palestine and safeguard Trump and Vice President Mike Pence is ending the year by re- voted for a binding resolution condemning Trump’s move. of Jordan’s diplomatic offensive against its most important Quds, a sacred place for the Muslims and Christians round leasing an “Inaugural Year Approval” survey that doesn’t permit After the veto, a similar, but non-binding, resolution was put financial and military backer underlines its anxiety over the the globe. Otherwise it could be very late for these rulers and respondents to rate Trump’s first year in the White House badly. to vote at the General Assembly, which was overwhelmingly long-term ramifications of the U.S. move. The Jordanian they shall be held accountable for their failure. The poll, which can be seen on DonaldJTrump.com, is labeled approved, with 128 in favor, 9 against and 35 abstentions. monarchy exists on the razor’s edge, and cannot ignore the Donald Trump›s decision to declare Jerusalem as Israel›s “Official Presidential Job Performance Poll.” Off course, this is a sad global state of affairs. When a outrage of its citizens on this one. Abdullah can’t stomach capital has taken joy out of Christmas for the people in the It has already drawn some smirks, snarks and accusations global power or so called superpower which was expected to talk of a “Jordan option” for Palestine, as Jordan already has holy land who witnessed a low key celebration with thousands of bias from Twitter users, because of its first question: “How maintain and strengthen a rules based international order a population that is half Palestinian, and has instead “chosen of tourists choosing to stay away from festivities. would you rate President Trump’s first year in office (2017)?” The and lead by example chooses to unilaterally and unjustly to up the ante through a sustained diplomatic offensive and «There is no way we can accept Trump›s declaration be- only answers offered are: “Great,” “Good,” “Okay” or “Other.” support one country against the rest of the world, it is bound that is why he is backing Abbas, who has adopted extreme cause it compromises our national principles, our national For the second question, “How would you rate President Oba- to create fresh reasons for conflict in the world. Trump›s anti-U.S. positions. But the big question here is: How far rights, our national future and everybody in Bethlehem and ma’s first year in office (2009)?” there is one more option: “Poor.” vicious campaign rhetoric, the anti-Muslim tone and even would the king go in opposing the U.S. move, and Trump Palestine refuses and rejects this statement,» Anton Salman Other tweeters ridiculed the survey and rejoiced in the op- policies of the new U.S. Government have detracted from the in particular? Bethlehem›s Mayor said, adding that the «Palestinians are portunity to give unfiltered feedback to Trump in the blank text U.S. moral authority. The country is no more in a position to Major European Union countries including Britain unan- one people, and Jerusalem is sacred to Palestinian Christians box marked “Other.” There’s another element of the poll that has lecture other countries on the human rights and democracy imously voted against the U.S. that gives rise to a question and Muslims alike». some cranky and suspicious: respondents must submit identifying when it is apparently involved in human rights violation. as to what caused the change in their views. They have now The time has come when Israel and U.S. should think about information, including their names and email addresses, raising Immediately after Trump›s announcement, Abbas had realized that U.S. is no more reliable and trustworthy. They the decision of new capital Jerusalem and should take back concerns that the details will be raided for marketing purposes. said «The United States has chosen to lose its qualification very well know that Trump has even trashed the multilateral the decision for world peace and Palestine. U.S. President The site’s fine print below the form notes that, “by provid- as a mediator... We will no longer accept that it has a role in agreements which previous administration had played an Donald Trump had warned the countries of stopping financial ing your phone number, you are consenting to receive calls and the political process from now.» He further said that U.S. instrumental role to rally the world around. One such critical assistance in the future if they vote against the decision of texts, including autodialed and automated calls and texts, to effectively disqualified itself as a broker, but his speech was agreement was the Paris Climate accord. Trump unilaterally Jerusalem as Israel capital. U.S. President’s tactics have not that number from TMAGAC and its participating committees.” more sharply worded and delivered to a global audience. withdrew from it saying it was unfair to U.S. However, more materialized and world unity shows by voting against the @jenniezcarr tweeted: “Got this Inaugural Year Opinion Poll The speech marked a significant shift in Abbas› approach than a withdrawal from U.S. global engagements and com- Israel decision that his dictatorship won’t apply. After this the in an email from Trump Headquarters BONUS: Can›t submit a toward the U.S., after years of focusing on courting U.S. good- mitments, it is the U.S. abandonment of the human rights world leaders should break diplomatic ties with Israel until response unless you enroll in ongoing texts from Trump FUTURE will because of Washington›s role as sole mediator in the discourse that is a source of great concern. it takes back the decision. We have to give the rights to the HEADLINE: Trump›s first year receives 98% approval rating.” Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Abbas also urged Muslim nations Why should not European Union change its mind when Palestine people to live in the peaceful world by ending the The survey can be found on the Trump/Pence website, and and countries having relations with Israel to take necessary U.S. has not even respected its own alleys so far as Iranian atrocities and injustice done by Israel. There is a responsi- is being sent out via email. political and economic measures against Israel «to force it Nuclear deal is concerned, the deal has been signed by 5+1 bility on the shoulders of the world leaders to give justice to The GOP.com homepage links to a shorter version of the survey, to abide by international consensus» to end its occupation of world powers and now the U.S. dual standard is no more Palestine people who live under apartheid-like conditions “Presidential Approval Poll; where do you stand on President›s Palestinian territories, including east Jerusalem. hidden. This has also made the leaders of the other countries while Israel enjoy a sense of normality, guaranteed for them Trump›s job performance.” It omits the question about Obama›s This move of Trump, has sparked global condemnation including Saudi Arabia and Bahrain less mindful of the human by their illegal state and make peace process successful by first year in office, but also omits any negative options as a survey from world leaders and has unified Arab ranks to put Jeru- rights. Because they don›t think they will be held accountable sending Israel out of Palestine. response for Trump. 13

How Takfiri thinking found

1396.4469N.I.O.C National Iranian

First Announcement 1396.4469 Drilling Company way to Europe? Public Calls For Quality Evaluating Of Tender(First Publish/Seconed Publish)- Retender

One-Stage(compressed) 1 Islam does not have any enmity with other hand, it gives the opportunity to TENDER GUARANTEE the heavenly religions and other prophets, terrorists to endanger Europe. ESTIMATED Tenders Portal Subject of Tender TENDER NO. / INDENT NO No VALUE (Rial) Reg. No. and it recalls with its utmost respect of But today, after the failure of the West Euro Rial other divine prophets in its teachings. This conspiracy against the resistance front Tender No.: FP/17-96/031 religion has a two-pronged approach, and and the universal discourse of the Islamic PARTS FOR HOOK VARCO 1.510.299 1 BJ-5500 has a transcendental program for the pri- Revolution, the virus of Takfiri terrorism 80,100 2,803,000,000 74,118,476,858 Indent No.:48-22-9622040 vate and social dimensions of human life. has spread in European cities. In the cur- Tender No.: FP/17-96/032 PARTS FOR KELLY That is why the Materialist schools in the rent situation, the police alarm sirens of 1.510.302 2 SPINEER FOSTER 77 West, especially the liberal democracy, sees London, Paris, Berlin and Brussels and ... 5,390 188,700,000 3,773,957,969 Indent No.:48-22-9622042 Islam in conflict with their own interests are constantly heard due to the Takfirist and thus come into confrontation with it. They looked at the Islamic Revolution terrorist acts, and turned to the horror of Brief discriptionBrief of subject:discription of subject: In fact, what exists today as an ideology of Iran as a model, and began to fight European citizens. This is the same storm National Iranian DrillingNational Company(NIDC) Iranian Drilling address Company(NIDC) pasdaran Blev., Airport address Saqare, Ahvaz,pasdaran Iran herebyBlev., intends Airport to purchase Saqare, its requirements in the West, is a mixture of humanistic against U.S. allies. The Arab revolutions in that Europe has created with following from qualifiedAhvaz, and interested Iran herebytenderers intendsthrough one-stage to purchase public tenderits requirements (compressed) uponfrom following qualified terms and and interestedconditions: theories and achievements that remove the region, from which it was interpreted the U.S. and the Zionist regime. A) Qualitativetenderers evaluation ofthrough tenderer: one-stage public tender (compressed) upon following terms and God from the political and social life of as the Islamic awakening and the Arab Today, the Takfiri terrorism virus has The evaluationconditions: is based on article ( J ) implementing regulations of the law of tenders and also carried out base on worksheets qualitative the people in order to satisfy the interests Spring, was the very incident that liberal spread in Europe more than anywhere else. evaluation inquiryA) Qualitative in the tender evaluation doucments. Minimum of tenderer acceptable: point of quality is 60. of the ruling oligarchs. This is the point ideology was concerned about. Therefore, Of course, this is only the beginning, and B) Preparation ofThe tender evaluation documents: is based on article ( J ) implementing regulations of the law of tenders of conflict between Western ideologies it tried to show a false image of Islam to Europe will certainly face lots of security Purchasing ofand documents: also carried out base on worksheets qualitative evaluation inquiry in the tender and the teachings of Islam. the world so that it may be able to prevent crises in the future. In order to receivedoucments. the tender Minimum documents, acceptable 510,000 Rials point should of be quality paid to SIBAis 60. account number 2174652205004 of NIDC in Bank Meli So obviously, the material systems gov- its expansion. Finally, at a primitive look, the relation- Iran and providing B) the Preparation original deposit of receipt.tender documents: erning the West should won›t allow the The Wahhabi Islam and the Salafi di- ship between the intellectual and historical Reciving of documents: Purchasing of documents: expansion of a religion which frees their vergent reading of the liberating religion of circuits mentioned in this theoretical and Tenderers must beIn obtain order the to quality receive evaluation the tenderdocuments documents, along with tender 510,000 documents Rials maximum should tenbe dayspaid after to theSIBA date of second societies of exploitation, and they fight it analytical framework may not seem log- publication inaccount person at numberthe following address: Hall No.:113, 1thfloor, Foreign the last Prophet, was the instrument that with all their might. Of course, this current ical. But the reflection on the events that Procurement Dept., 217465220500 National Iranian4 ofDrilling NIDC Company, in Bank Airport Meli Iransquare, and Ahwaz, providing IRAN the original deposit receipt. the West, had prepared to use to suppress Reciving of documents: has always existed throughout history. challenges the world around us shows Notice: Only the real or legal persons who apply to purchase and recieve tender ducments from foreign procurment department in due date people›s uprisings. But the West has ig- Tenderers must be obtain the quality evaluation documents along with tender and participates in tenderwill be known as tenderer from tender committee. One of the hallmark of this trend nored the fact that such a reading of Islam that the political and social changes of documents maximum ten days throughout history is to mislead those will also grow in Europe and the United the international community are moving C) Delivery of envelopesafter the of date bids andof callsecond quality publication evaluating: in person at the following address: Hall No.:113, people who seek to discover the truth based States, and will turn to a major problem towards a particular destination. A desti- Tenderers shall1th floor,submit Foreignsimultaneuosly envelopes of bids including bank guarantees(A), financial offer(C) and stamped and signed of on their divine nature; the very truth that for those who created it in the first place. nation that is nothing but destruction. And tender ducuments(B) Procurement along with Dept., qualificaion National worksheets Iranian in Drilling form of Company,software in CDAirport and documentary square, Ahwaz, within 40 IRAN days from last day of God has mentioned as the main purpose However, the establishment and equip- except for turning to spirituality, there is document recivedNotice deadline: Only to thethe followingreal or address:legal Hallpersons No.:107, who 1thfloor apply ,Tender to purchase Committee, andBuilding recieve operations, tender National Iranian of creation. ping of Takfiri currents, as acknowledged no other way out. Drilling Company,ducments Airport square,from Ahwaz,foreign IRAN. procurment department in due date and participates in Now we return to the contemporary by Hillary Clinton, was aimed at opposing This is exactly where Islam can meet Notice: The deadlinetenderwill for the be refusal known of biddersas tenderer participation from in tender the the tendercommittee. is the last day of determined for submission of bids. period. After centuries, hope has finally the nature of the Islamic Revolution of all the spiritual needs of today›s human D) Tender Guarantee: C) Delivery of envelopes of bids and call quality evaluating: showed up. The Islamic Revolution of Iran, but ultimately did not achieve its goal, beings. And this is what Western rulers Type of guarantee: Tenderers shall submit simultaneuosly envelopes of bids including bank Iran, led by Imam Khomeini, revealed and eventually the European countries are afraid of. But this is the sure promise A)Bank guaranteesguarantees( or guaranteesA), financial issued by non-bankoffer(C) institutionsand stamped that have and activites signed licensed of tender by the ducuments(B) Central Bank of the along Islamic Republic the path to real freedom for the people of were in trouble over the spreading virus of the Creator of the world in the Holy of Iran. with qualificaion worksheets in form of software in CD and documentary within 40 days the world. This historic event, from the of Takfiri terrorism. Qur›an that: B) The originalfrom cash lastdeposit day receipt of paiddocument to National recived Iranain Drillingdeadline Company. to the following address: Hall No.:107, th very beginning, fought for the oppressed Perhaps Europe was unaware of the fact «We have written in the Psalms, after Duration of credit1 floor guarantee ,Tender & quotation: Committee, Building operations, National Iranian Drilling Company, people in order to defend them against that the permission to promote Wahhabi the Reminder, that the earth will be in- This durationAirport should be square, valid for Ahwaz,90 days and IRAN. extendable maximum For one time in initial credit amount. the tyrants. For this reason, hostilities Islam on the Green Continent, as a religion herited by My righteous servants.» (The Notice: The Moredeadline on this for & otherthe tendersrefusal is ofaccessible bidders by participationclick on. WWW.NIDC.IR in the the tender is the towards Islam were raised again so that that does not contradict the materialist Prophets/128) and also: last day of determined for submission NIDC Telegram of bids. Channal: @nidc_pr D) Tender Guarantee: the root of this religion would be dried and capitalist schools, may have prevent «But we desired to favor those who Type of guarantee: Foreign Procurement Dept up forever. European citizens, especially young peo- were oppressed in the land, and to make National Iranian Drilling Company But after three decades, the nations of ple, to go after the spiritual, political and them leaders, and to make them the in- تهران تایمز : نوبت اول 11/10/96نوبت دومthe region gradually realized the truth. social dimensions of Islam, but on the heritors.» (Al-Qasas/5) 96/10/12 I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y 8 INTERNATIONAL JANUARY 1, 2018 History of the world at year 1 after Trump By Hamid Dabashi Given their choice between Hillary Clinton fatwas against one thing or another. by declaring Jerusalem their capital. There are those among Americans who think The world has endured one complete and and a nefarious charlatan, Americans opted One day, he bans Muslims from entering The world is scared witless of climate change. Trump is a political isolationist or an economic completely calamitous year of Donald Trump, the for the nefarious charlatan. There are certain the U.S.; another day, he pulls the U.S. out of He says global warming is good to combat cold nationalist. But that is not the case. Politically, president of the United States - «Mr. President», snakes in hell from which you run to dragons, environmental accords meant to preserve the earth; weather. he is a warmongering bully that has intensified as Americans reverentially refer to him. as we say in Persian. the next day, he wants to build a wall at the Mexican The world is aghast at the range of sexual bombing of nations and then sought to close the After a tumultuous and deeply divisive The world thus nosedived into perhaps the most border because he thinks Mexicans are rapists; and assaults and sexual harassment perpetrated by U.S. borders to its catastrophic humanitarian presidential campaign, in a free and fair general dangerously destructive year in its recent history. the day after, he steals a whole historic city and gives powerful men and here he is the president of the consequences. That is not isolationism. That is election, Americans elected a notoriously racist, We are now living that history. We are about to it to his Zionist financiers, before, just for fun, saying United States, the most dangerously powerful amoral cowardice. consistently misogynistic, white supremacist, finish its first year: year 1 AT (after Trump). Haitians «all have AIDS». man on planet earth, facing allegations of The same goes for his economic policies. xenophobic, real estate charlatan as their The future historians (if Trump leaves us a If he doesn›t have anything else to do, he predatory sexual misconduct. He wishes to rob the world of its natural president, entrusting him with their highest and future to fathom and does not cause a nuclear just tweets - a few Islamophobic videos, defends We the future historians of our present must resources, destroy the environment, and enrich most revered political office. He was solemnly holocaust or an environmental calamity does some neo-Nazi thugs, and makes a few anti- rush to anachronism to tell our posterity (if there his obscenely rich political backers. That is not sworn in to «preserve, protect and defend the not put an end to us all) ought to know that this Semitic remarks. His supporters just love him will be a posterity) what has happened to us. economic nationalism. That is highway robbery Constitution of the United States» on January U.S. president wakes up early in the morning for these spontaneous outbursts of his true The world looks at the United States today on a global scale. 20, 2017, at 09:00 A.M. and the first thing he does is start bombarding nature. «He tells it like it is,» they say. and shivers with outrage, with fear and trembling, The first target of Trump›s nefarious To be fair, in electing Donald Trump as their the globe with the most inane, most imbecilic Trump lies, insults people aghast at the moral and political bankruptcy of a economics has been American people president Americans did not have much of a salvos of gibberish that emerge from his mental Trump consistently lies, systematically «democratic system» that results in such disgraceful themselves. His monumental tax scheme that choice, for opposing him in the final election and moral indigestion. cheats, unabashedly insults weak and vulnerable insults to common human decency. This is in sharp his fellow Republicans just passed will target was a singularly corrupt corporate lackey He calls them his «tweets». What a beautiful people. He keeps up with his predecessors› contradistinction to what any decent American the poorest segments of the U.S. society to and carpetbagger named Hillary Clinton who word to abuse and waste for his blithering habit of mass-selling arms to Arab tyrants thinks of himself or herself. Trump›s election has enrich the tiny upper echelon of the country. systematically sabotaged the campaign of the verbal diarrhea - no harmless birdie ever to kill more Muslims, gives them for free to brought the majority of Americans to the bosom of What sort of «nationalism» is that? He is a thief only decent American that could have been chirped anything but joy in this world. Then Israelis to keep killing more Palestinians and humanity at large - fearing for themselves their own stealing from the poor enriching the rich even elected president - Senator Bernie Sanders. he goes about issuing his racist misanthropic stealing their lands, and he then awards them elected imperial officers. more. 13

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Apt. in Elahieh 150 sq.m, fully furnished, full renovated, green yard, it has a specially character Tel: Ehsan 0912 4388634 Tel: (021) 22022920 Fax: (021) 26201855 021 - 430 51450 www.maskanfereshteh.com [email protected] Add.: No. 18, Hojjat Bldg., Sharifimanesh Intersection, Fereshteh, Elahieh [email protected] I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y JANUARY 1, 2018 HEALTH 9 Your New Year’s resolutions really can People judge you based on these two things, according change your life to a Harvard psychologist There are a lot of reasons not to make New most people want to lose weight hold you Year’s resolutions, and everyone wants to back from actually losing weight. Embrace tell you all about them: the popularity of the resolution instead— They just don’t work. January is a great time to find others who People don’t stick to them. want to do the same thing you do. You’ll fail if you take on too many Secretly thinking about committing to resolutions at once. a Dry January? You won’t be the only one. Making them on New Year’s is to- Whole30? Half your friends are probably tally pointless because goals can be made thinking of trying it out too. In January anytime, and especially, it’s socially acceptable to make They’re no longer cool because every- a change and announce it to the world, so one’s making them. embrace it and join with others to work hard This anti-resolution sentiment means and stick with something. that practically every wellness publication Support is often critical to a resolution’s and influencer on the planet will encour- success… and (plug alert!) that’s one of the age us to make “anti-resolutions,” remind primary reasons we’re building Greater, a us that resolutions are bad” recommend we pop-up support group app, which can help “just commit to small changes,” or instruct you accomplish your health goals with other By Brooke Nelson us about “how to deal with annoying Janu- people who are trying to do the exact same ary gym-goers.” They’ll post funny memes thing you are. about how everyone has already given up Everyone doing resolutions just means You already know that making a good first impression can go a by January 2nd. So hilarious. it’s easier to find people to do them with! long way. But forget all the advice you’ve received about dress- But this hoity-toity, “holier than thou” 4. The end of one year and the start of ing to impress or putting on a cheesy smile. Turns out, the true approach makes me mad. another can be a monumental time. secret to building a lasting connection reaches much deeper than Sorry you’ve already got it figured out, In 2014, I finally took control of my per- that’s good for you too? Every new year we confront our mortality. what you wear. perfect humans, but some of us normals are sonal finances. I had mostly been ignoring Well, it’s hard! We’re all busy at work and And so does everyone else. We’re all getting According to Amy Cuddy, a Harvard Business School profes- actively struggling to improve and working them since starting Greatist, and I was woe- already know what we love doing with our older together. sor who has researched first impressions for more than 15 years, to get better. fully behind. It took a near-failure at Greatist friends. When are we supposed to find time OK, that got a little morbid. everyone (consciously or subconsciously) asks two questions Instead of judging, let’s love that people (and some brutal self-discovery) to figure out to step back and try something totally differ- But it’s true—we don’t really treat our when they meeting someone new: Can I trust this person? And want to change, help them to succeed, and why I was avoiding it. Reading Ramit Sethi’s ent? I think one way (maybe the only way) is birthdays as a chance to turn over a new leaf. can I respect this person? make it more likely they’ll actually stick to awesome book twice helped me take charge, to overdo it for a bit. Approach New Year’s Instead, we usually celebrate them by going Both questions help you measure a person’s warmth and com- their resolutions. There’s no time like the and I haven’t looked back since. In fact, I as an opportunity to commit 100 percent hard on some ice cream cake. New Year’s, on petence, respectively. But, Cuddy says, you should put gaining start of a new calendar year to embark on spoke with Jerry Colonna on The Reboot to something you’re a little uncomfortable the other hand, is different—we’ve done our your peers’ trust over winning their respect—even in a workplace a big change. Podcast about this tough (but important) with and unaccustomed to: indulging over Thanksgiving and Christmas setting. “If someone you’re trying to influence doesn’t trust you, Here’s why we should embrace New Year’s experience. .. Decide you want to try that interest- and Boxing Day (we don’t even celebrate you’re not going to get very far; in fact, you might even elicit sus- resolutions instead of fighting them: And I’m not the only one who actually ing restrictive diet everyone’s raving about. Boxing Day but had sticky toffee pudding in picion because you come across as manipulative,” Cuddy wrote 1. Resolutions really can work. follows through on New Year’s resolutions. .. Choose to go for a run every single day honor of it anyway). The gingerbread and in her book Presence: Bringing Your Boldest Self to Your Big- Most New Year’s resolutions will be aban- Fellow entrepreneur Alex Lieberman of because you’d like to move more. eggnog and pumpkin pie and all that good- gest Challenges. “A warm, trustworthy person who is also strong doned, it’s true. But some won’t, and can the dope Morning Brew newsletter (one of my .. Try every type of meditation because ness are done with. There’s basically nothing elicits admiration, but only after you’ve established trust does even change your life. few daily reads) decided to stop drinking soda everyone swears it’s life-changing. super social and big to commemorate again. your strength become a gift rather than a threat.” Don’t believe me? Here are two of mine: cold-turkey in 2011, and it changed his life. Not for a whole year, maybe—but let’s say Anyway, all this positions New Year’s as But that’s not the only way you can start off on the right foot In 2012, I resolved to stop being late to My friend Elizabeth decided to pick up for just the month of January. You may not a rare, remarkable time when we can choose with a stranger. Your physical appearance matters, too. A 2017 meetings. My mother was notoriously late the violin two New Years’ ago and has been stay a raw vegan, run an ultra-marathon, or to reflect on the year that’s gone by and then study by psychologist Leslie Zebrowitz of Brandeis University to everything—and I mean everything, even playing ever since. She even captured her become a Buddhist monk, but you’ll almost push forward, start from scratch, and reinvent found that people use four cues to judge your face: babyfacedness, college graduation. Despite a general inten- monthly progress for the first 30 months on her certainly become aware of meals you enjoy ourselves. Every chance to step back and familiarity, fitness, and emotional resemblance. While you can’t tion to be different, I’m ashamed to admit Instagram. Turns out, she’s mad-talented— that feature less red meat, find a running potentially commit to making a change is a control all of these factors, you can improve your “emotional I also spent too long taking everyone else’s and even released a freakin’ album last year. playlist that gets you out of bed, or discover great one—let’s not discard the opportunity resemblance” by using body language that builds trust naturally. time for granted. You know, the old, “Sorry, So New Year’s resolutions can work. Maybe you’re a better partner after just a few minutes just because it’s been done before. The bottom line: The next time you meet someone new, focus team member—I’m not done, so you can wait yours will too. of mindfulness. Conclusion: New Year’s is awesome. on gaining their trust—not winning them over with a firm hand- for our meeting.” 2. Taking on too much might be the only To discover and commit to these “mini And New Year’s resolutions—big, fat, shake. You’ll want to know the other unexpected ways people Finally, someone on our team bravely way to find changes that really stick. resolutions,” you have to first try and discard scary, ambitious ones—aren’t pointless. are judging you, too. brought my habitual lateness up to me, and Maybe overcommitting isn’t such a bad lots that aren’t right for you—and that’s OK. They can work, and you may just end up (Source: curiosity.com) I realized how bad I was for making people thing. By going all in to start, you might just end sticking to them (or, more likely, a piece wait. I resolved to be different starting that No, you don’t need to become an entirely up with a few healthy habits that work their of them) forever. They’re an opportunity January 1st, and since then, I’ve changed different person to succeed at your New Year’s way into your life for good. to find social support, pressure, and ac- my ways. I’d say I’m on time (if not early) resolutions. Ultimately, you just want to find 3. Working with others to accomplish your countability from friends like never before. to almost all meetings, and when things are a few good habits to stick with so you can be resolution together can be crucial to success. And there’s no better time to start than This disease is more common delayed, I’m quick to communicate and apolo- healthier long-term. I get it. Sure, New Year’s resolutions are popular. when you’re looking ahead at a long (and gize. Everyone else’s time is as valuable as But how do you discover those habits? Sometimes it feels like everyone wants to lose potentially life-changing) January. in women than breast cancer mine—of course it is. How do you fall in love with something new weight next year. But don’t let the fact that (Source: greatist.com) Better parenting in the New Year By David Allan frozen in fear -- from my yelling. She hadn’t seen the bear. Slow down If you’re looking to improve your parenting, you’re not alone. Some of the most difficult moments of parenting are the In my opinion, it’s an essential area of course correction, up transitions. The times we are trying to get kids to put their shoes there with weight loss, better eating and better spending, and socks on to get out the door. Some of this you can’t avoid. arguably more essential. Everyone needs to get to school and work on time. But there are What’s beautiful about parenting resolutions is that your also times when we create rushed transitions by overscheduling kids benefit too, and likely your spouse and any potential ourselves. The pace of modern life has sped up considerably future grandkids. You get a lot of bang for your resolution buck. since our childhoods, and kids have less time to be bored and As with any resolution, honestly examine areas where you discover what they can do in moments of quiet. feel you could be doing better or want to improve. Below are My wife is often pushing us to do less as a family, because eight parenting resolution thought-starters in categories we then we experience each other more. If our whole Saturday all probably need to give more attention in the coming year. is planned, we lose the opportunity to have long, lazy morn- Being there ings of board games and fort building or the chance to all There’s a lot of talk, many articles and a long shelf of of a sudden decide to take a family hike and be in nature. By Kaitlyn Chamberlin books on mindful parenting. But it all boils down to this: For those times when you can’t alter the schedule (early When you’re with your kids, give them full, curious and checking and/or using their mobile devices while driving, school mornings, for instance) building in more time to get Nearly 10 million people in the United States suffer from this happy attention. according to a Common Sense Media poll last year. And ready will help reduce the level of impatience we feel and condition—but no one is talking about it. Listen to them, respond, don’t let yourself be distracted when you repeatedly model a behavior in front of your kids, then transfer to/teach our kids. When you think of diseases and health disorders that primarily by your phone, or future-thinking or your own agenda. Be that’s called teaching. Avoid “like” all the, like, time affect women, breast cancer is probably the first to pop into mind. fully there for them, giving what they need the most: your Once they have a license, do you want your kids texting or If your kids often say “like” when they are, like, talking, While breast cancer certainly is very prevalent worldwide, it’s attention, combined with an openness that encourages them talking while they drive? Do you want other drivers texting and they sound, like, wishy-washy and unsure of, like, what not nearly as common as the number of women suffering from to share whatever is on their mind or what’s happening with or talking while driving anywhere near your children? Me they mean, they probably learned it from you. I know my fibromyalgia, a chronic pain condition. them at that moment. neither. When you stop doing it yourself, you are immediately kids certainly did. And maybe we can all, like, do a better job The National Institutes of Health defines fibromyalgia as The dividends of this effort are deep and long-long lasting modeling the behavior you want from them when it’s their of reducing our use of this verbal crutch. Clearly one sounds “long-lasting or chronic disorder that causes muscle pain and -- from fewer tantrums to stronger bonds. If you only pick time to be behind the wheel. And help spread this gospel more knowledgeable and sincere when they, like, don’t use fatigue (feeling tired).” one resolution, make it this one. to friends and family. The lives we save may be our own. the L-word so much. Maybe this isn’t an issue for your fam- “The hallmarks of fibromyalgia are exhaustion, insomnia, Be more laissez-faire about some things Yell less, breathe more ily, but it’s definitely an area I am going to work on in 2018. widespread pain, and brain fog,” says Jacob Teitelbaum, MD, You may be burdening yourself with milestones and I’d like to meet the parent that hasn’t been driven to Decrease screen time author of The Fatigue and Fibromyalgia Solution. Symptoms cultural expectations that really don’t matter if you pause the point of yelling at some point (or many points) in their Measure your screen consumption, and that of each of typically look similar to that of arthritis or tendinitis with pain to think about them. Here are some developmental achieve- parenting life. That level of frustration is understandable, your kids’, over the course of a typical week. Count everything being the most common complaint. ments you don’t really need to waste time, energy and anxi- but yelling is the least productive way to manage it. (school, work, smartphones, laptops, TV) and add it all up. This National Fibromyalgia Association estimates that nearly ety pushing. Rest assured these will almost always work And it can do damage. Researchers at the University Whatever it is, it’s probably too much. 10 million people in the United States and three to six percent themselves out in due time. of Pittsburgh and the University of Michigan found that There are relationship and development downsides to of the population worldwide suffer from this condition, with Crawling tweens and teens whose parents yelled for discipline had excessive screen use that far outweigh the modest educa- 75 to 90 percent being women. (Compare that to the 236,968 Talking increased behavioral issues including being violent. Another tional benefits. American women who were diagnosed with breast cancer in Walking study linked yelling to lowering a child’s self-esteem and I’m no Luddite -- this column is on a screen -- but resolve 2014, as reported by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Potty training increasing the likelihood of depression. to cut their (and maybe your) time spent staring at the digital Prevention.) While the exact causes of fibromyalgia remain un- Bathing regularly Plus, it just ramps up the family stress level all around. world by 25%, or if that sounds drastic, by just 10%. Or pay known, researchers believe it has something to do with a glitch in Learning to read In her book, “Ready, Set, Breathe,” Carla Naumburg shares attention to moments when all of you are reaching for a the nervous system. Some researchers believe that we’re seeing Riding a bike some simple exercises to interrupt the anger that is rising screen and offer an alternative instead. Who wants to play a steady rise over the years due to the increased stress people Here are some things that maybe you shouldn’t be so in you and respond when you are more calm. An easy one is Jenga or Uno? Let’s go outside for a game of basketball or face in their daily lives. laissez-faire about, even at early ages. to place your hands on a surface, like the counter, and feel catch! Lego time! Improv games! Let’s read! Cook! Write! Art! “Fibromyalgia represents a very severe form of the human Good nutrition your feet rooted into the ground. Then breathe, count to 10 Treat yo’self energy crisis, where the demand for energy outstrips our body’s Enough sleep and respond after you have lowered your stress response. I can’t personally relate to this problem because I have ability to keep up,” says Dr. Teitelbaum. “When that occurs, we Exposure to nature You can also walk away (give yourself a time out), lay a greater tendency toward selfishness (which I’m working essentially blow a fuse/trip a circuit breaker called the hypothala- Good manners down on your bed or a couch and breathe slowly. You can on) than selflessness. But more often than not, parents are mus.” That means your brain basically tricks your body into being Kindness even tell your kids that you need to take a break before you giving so much of themselves that they are often miserable hypersensitive to stimuli that you normally wouldn’t find painful. Don’t drive under the influence of your phone respond to them, because you want to calm yourself. That’s and exhausted as a result. While there’s no known cure for the disease, most medical Here comes your PSA: More than 40,000 people died great modeling for the times when they feel the same level Kids benefit from happy parents, so if your balance is professionals agree that a combined treatment plan of prescrip- on US roads in 2016, according to National Safety Council of frustration. off-center, make a resolution for more “me” time away from tion drugs, a healthy diet, exercise, and enough sleep may help estimates. Many roadway fatalities involve drunken driv- There’s one rare exception: if your child is in immediate the kids in the happiness-making pursuits of friendships, alleviate the pain associated with fibromyalgia. Numerous studies ing, speeding and not wearing seat belts (so don’t do any of danger and needs to comply. Last year I yelled at my daughters creativity, exercise, sleep or just being alone -- whatever show that regular exercise is key when dealing with fibromyalgia those things, clearly), but increasingly, accidents are being when a bear entered our campground. “Come to me, right you need more of in order to be a more effective and hap- as exercise releases endorphins, which are natural mood boosters. caused by people texting or talking while driving. now!” I shouted as soon as I saw it walking toward them. pier parent. Read on to learn natural treatments for fibromyalgia. Fifty-one percent of teens reported seeing their parents The older one complied immediately, but her little sister was (Source: CNN) (Source: rd.com) I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y 10 TECHNOLOGY JANUARY 1, 2018

10 hot titles of IT world 7 Technology trends that By Alireza Khorasani Here are high rated IT titles in the world that reviewed by savvy tech users: Tesla will face huge challenges in 2018 — and it could will dominate 2018 1 put the company under crushing pressure. Tesla will By Jayson DeMers face major challenges as it becomes a mass-market automaker. The challenges range from CEO Elon Musk’s workload to the Regardless of whether you’re a diehard tech fanatic, always arrival of new competitors. after the latest devices, or a laid-back “average” consumer, if you’re like me, you can’t help but look forward to the Floridians face a full ban on texting while driving if tech developments and trends that lie ahead. After a year 2 legislature passes new bill. with surprisingly high sales for smart speakers and virtual For now, Florida is one of seven states that requires those texting reality, as well as the debut of several new phones and while driving to have committed another infraction before being tablets, I’ve spent the last several weeks looking ahead to charged with distracted driving. the possible trends that will unfold in 2018. As a marketer, my perspective often turns to how we cryptocurrency expert Pavel Lerner was snatched can use these new technologies and trends to better com- 3 by an armed gang wearing ski masks near his office municate and connect with our audiences, but general tech in Ukraine. trends hold much more potential than that—they have the The kidnappers demanded to be paid $1 million worth of bitcoins. capacity to change how we live and interact with each other. So what will the biggest tech trends of 2018 be, and The Democratic Republic of Congo’s government how will our lives change, accordingly? 4 has ordered telecoms to cut internet and SMS access 1. AI permeation. Artificial intelligence (AI), largely ahead of planned mass protests against President Joseph Ka- manifesting through machine learning algorithms, isn’t bila, whose administration has continuously delayed elections just getting better. It isn’t just getting more funding. It’s to replace him. being incorporated into a more diverse range of applica- tions. Rather than focusing on one goal, like mastering Apple starts offering its $29 battery replacements. a game or communicating with humans, AI is starting 5 That is a $50 discount from the usual price of $79. to make an appearance in almost every new platform, A couple days ago, Apple apologized for throttling the CPU of app, or device, and that trend is only going to accelerate certain iPhone models. in 2018. We’re not at techno-pocalypse levels (and AI may never be sophisticated enough for us to reach that Alleged Huawei P20, P20 Plus, and P20 Pro designs point), but by the end of 2018, AI will become even more 6 leak out, triple cameras everywhere. of a mainstay in all forms of technology. According to a previous report, Huawei’s upcoming triple rear cam- 2. Digital centralization. Over the past decade, we’ve era will have a resolution of 40 Megapixels, and “5x hybrid zoom” seen the debut of many different types of devices, in- come an even higher priority. With consumers talking to Similarly, robotic speech and chatbots are growing more cluding smartphones, tablets, smart TVs, and dozens smart speakers throughout their day, and relying on digital sophisticated. In 2018, with these improvement cycles Qualcomm had the highest share of the smartphone of other “smart” appliances. We’ve also come to rely devices for most of their daily tasks, companies will soon have continuing, I imagine we’ll see the manifestation or 7 SoC market during Q3 2017, followed by Apple. on lots of individual apps in our daily lives, including access to—and start using—practically unlimited amounts of solidification of seamless conversation. We’ll be able As the year started to come to an end, Qualcomm received an those for navigation to even changing the temperature personal data. This has many implications, including reduced to communicate with our devices, both ways, without unsolicited takeover bid from Broadcom. of our house. Consumers are craving centralization; a privacy, more personalized ads, and possibly more positive any major hiccups or mistakes. convenient way to manage everything from as few devices outcomes, such as better predictive algorithms in healthcare. 7. UI overhauls. I also think 2018 is going to be a major Forever 21 says hackers accessed customer data from and central locations as possible. Smart speakers are a 5. White collar automation. Is your job likely to be re- year for UI; we’re going to have to rethink how we interact 8 April to November 2017. good step in the right direction, but 2018 may influence placed by a machine? How certain are you of that answer? with our apps and devices. The onset of smart speakers The malicious software stored victims’ payment card numbers the rise of something even better. AI has been advancing enough to replace at least some white and better voice search has made it so it’s no longer nec- in a log, along with expiration dates, internal verification codes 3. 5G preparation. Though tech timelines rarely play collar jobs for years; even back in 2013, we had algorithms essary to look at a screen to input data. Desktop devic- and in some instances, cardholder names, the Los Angeles-based out the way we think, it’s possible that we could have that could write basic news articles, given sufficient inputs es are becoming less and less used as well, with mobile retailer revealed. a 5G network in place—with 5G phones—by the end of data. Is 2018 going to be the year all humans are finally continuing to take over. New types of visuals and more of 2019. 5G internet has the potential to be almost 10 replaced by their new robot overlords? Almost certainly not, audible clues will likely be included in next-generation German Court Orders Amazon to Stop Advertising times faster than 4G, making it even better than most but I do think we’ll see the fledgling beginnings of radical UI, and consumers will adapt to them quickly, so long as 9 ‘Birkenstok’ Sandals. home internet services. Accordingly, it has the potential job transformations throughout the United States. I think they serve their core needs. According to Reuters, Birkenstock convinced a Dusseldorf court to revolutionize how consumers use internet and how it’s naïve to think that jobs will be fully replaced, but they It’s hard to say how fast these trends will manifest, or that Amazon had placed ads for the misspelled variants of its developers think about apps and streaming content. will be more heavily automated, and we’ll have to adapt our what types of devices and upgrades will dictate their de- name via Google AdWords. The shoemaker worried that custom- 2018, then, is going to be a year of massive preparation careers accordingly. velopment, but I’m confident we’ll see increased exposure ers could be lured to buy counterfeit versions of their products, for engineers, developers, and consumers, as they gear 6. Seamless conversation. A few years ago, voice search on all these fronts as 2018 develops. which in turn could damage their brand. up for a new generation of internet. was decent, but unreliable. Today, voice search might Regardless of how you feel about technology, or your primary 4. Data overload. By now, every company in the world as well be flawless; Microsoft’s latest test gives its voice motivations for using it, I think we can all be excited about Apple admitted purposely slowing down old iPhones, has realized the awesome power and commoditization of recognition software a 5.1 percent error rate, making it the new gadgets and infrastructure that await us new year. 10 with plans to keep on doing it. This wasn’t well accepted consumer data, and in 2018, data collection is going to be- better at recognizing speech than human transcribers. (Source: Forbes) across the internet and major companies decided to dissociate from such practices. LG and Samsung alongside HTC and Motorola confirm not slow- ing down old phones. 2017’s biggest cybersecurity facepalms Phones set to get smarter in 2018

The Most Popular Google Android and Apple iOS Apps of 2017

Which mobile app did people download the most in 2017? Which Android app? Which iOS app? Glad you asked. Both Google (which makes Android) and Apple (which makes iOS) have announced the most downloaded mobile apps of 2017. Some are surprises. Others? Not so much. Top (New) Google Android Apps of 2017 as measured by Play Store downloads during the year: 1. FaceApp. This popular app was also controversial, allowing users to transform photos of their face using artificial intelligence. (How so? By changing a frown into a smile, by reversing (or 2017 was a year like no other for cyber- The WannaCry ransomware attack If 2017 was about dual cameras and Handset makers kept the momentum accelerating) the effects of time, or even changing one’s gender. security. It was the year we found out the spread like wildfire, locking up a third longer battery life, the year 2018 is ex- high through the year, refreshing their Like we said: controversial!) horrid truths at Uber and Equifax, and of the National Health Service (NHS) pected to churn out smartphones with portfolio with new models across multiple 2. What the Forecast. This weather app takes related data and border security took our passwords. A in England. That was followed by other larger screens packed with features like price points. Companies like Samsung, explains conditions in plain language, with a touch of sass. (“Is year of WannaCry and Kaspersky, VPNs worms, like Petya/NotPetya, which hit US facial recognition and augmented/vir- Micromax and Vivo introduced devices this fedora weather? Nope. It’s never fedora weather.”) and blockchains going mainstream, health hospitals in June. tual reality. with 18:9 aspect ratio display that prom- 3. Boomerang. This app, not to be confused with the Insta- care hacking, Russian hackers, WikiLeaks On May 12, more than 150 countries Put simply, the phones are slated to ise a better viewing experience to users. gram feature of the same name, is made by Time Warner and playing for Putin’s team, and hacking back. were hit in one weekend by a huge ran- become grander, lighter and smarter in Facial recognition and artificial intel- allows users to watch popular Looney Tunes, Hanna-Barbera, In 2017 we learned that cybersecurity somware crime wave named WannaCry 2018 with features so advanced that they ligence -- through virtual assistants -- are and MGM cartoon series—Tom and Jerry, Popeye, The Jetsons, is a Lovecraftian game in which you trade that demanded $300 in bitcoin from each would seem straight out of a sci-fi flick. slated to reach more hands as Chinese etc.—owned by Warner Bros. sanity for information. victim. And 2017 has already set the tone for and domestic players bring such features 4. TopBuzz Video. There’s little magic (but a lot of fun) to this This was the year Kaspersky finally Equifax was forced to admit it was such new age innovations. onto more affordable devices. app, which uses machine learning to serve up what it believes got all the big press it’s been angling for. hacked badly in both March and July, The handset in 2017 were less about These AI-based features are also mak- are the most shared or trending viral videos on the Internet. Unfortunately for the antivirus company, with the latter affecting around 200 mil- calling, more an extension of the owners’ ing their way into wearables like fitness 5. Yarn. This novel app tells you a story through a series of it wasn’t for its research. Kaspersky spent lion Americans (plus 400,000 in the UK). personality -- a high-resolution camera, trackers and smartwatches that help text messages. an uncomfortable year in the headlines In late November, Uber admitted it an on-demand movie screen, a portable people improve their health and lifestyles. Google didn’t tally the most popular apps (old and new) in the being accused of working with Russia’s was hacked in October 2016, putting 57 music system, apps for just about any- Experts feel the focus will be on enhanc- Google Play store for the year, but there are several that have re- FSB (former KGB). Eventually those million users and more than half a million thing -- and all these tech wonders in ing the software of the phone, allowing curred on the most popular list throughout the year. Among them: suspicions got it banned from use by US drivers at risk. one device that fit snugly into the palm users to do more with their devices. Amazon Alexa, Google Home, Facebook Messenger, Snapchat, government agencies. (Source: engadget) of your hand. (Source: indiatimes) Instagram, Spotify Music, Fitbit, Pandora, Netflix, and Facebook. Top Apple iOS Apps of 2017 Not just the new ones. As measured by App Store downloads Kenwood will be one of the first to offer wireless Android Auto during the year. Google talked about wireless Android Auto back in It may take a while for this head end to arrive. Many 1. Bitmoji. An app to create an expressive cartoon avatar for spring 2016, but there hasn’t exactly been widespread products announced at CES tend not to ship for a few yourself. adoption. You still have to assume that you’ll need months. And this certainly won’t be a trivial expense 2. Snapchat. The popular, occasionally ephemeral social a USB cable when you hit the road. That’s about to when it does arrive. However, this might be one of your media app. change: JVCKenwood has casually teased plans to unveil better options if you want to get directions or listen to 3. YouTube. The Google-owned video channel to end all video a high-end head end unit with “wireless connectivity music without plugging in your Android phone. Also, channels. for Android Auto” at CES in January. It’s keeping most we won’t be shocked if this hints at other wireless An- 4. Facebook Messenger. The social media company’s chat app. details close to the vest, as you might expect before droid Auto introductions in the near future, including 5. Instagram. The Facebook-owned, multimedia-first social the big show, but it will pack Apple CarPlay support built-in implementations. media service. and a 720p screen. (Source:JVCKenwood) 6. Facebook. The social media giant’s signature service. 7. Google Maps. The popular mapping and directions app (and competitor to Apple’s own Maps.) 8. Netflix. The streaming movie and TV show monolith. Windows 10`s new update ask your mobile number 9. Spotify. The popular (if unprofitable!) streaming music Windows 10 Build 17063 asks, nay, demands to finish installing the new build on your across your devices.”There is no “Skip” “Continue on PC” which is an app that service. that you give your mobile phone number to PC. The screen that demands your number button, and when you enter your mobile allows you to start looking over a website 10. Uber. The dominant (if controversial) on-demand trans- Microsoft during the set up process. says “Link your Phone and PC. number an SMS message is sent to your on your phone and finish it on your PC portation service. If you refuse to give the number to the Windows loves all your devices-get smartphone that links the two devices. screen. (Source: Fortune) gang in Redmond, you will not be allowed essential apps that help you work better This allows you to use features like (Source: MSPoweruser) I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y JANUARY 1, 2018 SCIENCE 11

Adverse effects of climate New patch aims to turn energy-storing fats into energy-burning fats change in Iran A new approach to reducing bulging tummy fats has shown The adverse effects of climate change and was all finalized ad signed in London. So promise in laboratory trials. global warming have been increasingly felt by it’s critical that countries with technological It combines a new way to deliver drugs, via a micro-needle Iran over the past decade. DW spoke to Iran’s capabilities offer support and are willing to patch, with drugs that are known to turn energy-storing white COP23 delegation chief Majid Shafie-Pour share their technologies with others. fat into energy-burning brown fat. This innovative approach about actions to mitigate these problems. It’s also clear that the rates of return on developed by scientists from Nanyang Technological University, How is climate change affecting Iran their investments are very attractive. Iran Singapore (NTU Singapore) reduced weight gain in mice on a and what measures are being taken by the is an attractive place for foreign investors, high fat diet and their fat mass by more than 30 per cent over government to counter these effects? particularly from the EU as they know the four weeks. A: The adverse impacts of climate change market. and global warming are already evident all European businesses have long been over Iran, where the average temperature active in the Iranian power plant industry. rise has exceeded 1.8 degrees Celsius. It is And with the nuclear deal between Iran and one and a half times the mean average tem- global powers in place now, it really pays for perature rise globally. EU firms to reenter and reap the gains of the This has led to a reduction in rainfall, Iranian market. which in turn has resulted in spells of drought Will the conflict with the U.S. have an and a lowering of the available fresh water impact on Iran’s climate action plan? resources in the country over the past two A: The international community is crit- decades. ical of the The reduction in rainfall and water levels, Donald Trump administration’s climate as well as increase in heat, has had a severe policy, particularly the U.S. withdrawal from negative effect on our agriculture. To cope gas, which is a climate-compatible source of to play a bigger role in renewables. the Paris agreement. But the majority of coun- with the increase in the intensity of heat, energy, we have expanded the use of natural Read more: Climate change - India battles tries in the world do not take the U.S. plans people use more electric power for cooling gas nationwide in recent decades and de- to balance economy and environment into account when devising their own climate and air conditioning, spiking our energy ployed advanced natural gas technologies In Ahwaz, the instruments that monitor approach. That’s what we have experienced The new type of skin patch contains hundreds of micro-nee- consumption. This counteracts our efforts that appear to be well in order. pollution from particulates were out of ac- during the climate change conference in Bonn. dles, each thinner than a human hair, which are loaded with the to curb greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and It’s not that we undertake only one step tion for days. “Within hours, there was dust The delegations from different countries drug Beta-3 adrenergic receptor agonist or another drug called reduce the space available to us to advance at a time, but rather we have pursued all everywhere. Suddenly, I had red spots on are trying to engage in negotiations as the thyroid hormone T3 triiodothyronine. our climate programs. these efforts in parallel. For instance, in my whole body. My skin felt like it was on international community understands the When the patch is pressed into the skin for about two minutes, The energy sector in Iran accounts for Iran’s sixth socio-economic development fire and I was hospitalized,” Rosita told DW. significance of a collective move. these micro-needles become embedded in the skin and detach two-thirds of the country’s GHG emissions. plan, unveiled about several months ago, She is a teacher in Khuzestan, the capital of So the U.S. administration’s rhetoric, since from the patch, which can then be removed. We’re therefore focusing our efforts on curbing we included a target of setting up 5,000 a province rich in oil. President Trump came to power, doesn’t af- As humans grow older, the amount of brown fats lessens and emissions from energy-intensive segments megawatts (MW) of renewable energy ca- To achieve Iran’s climate and energy fect these joint actions. On the other hand, is replaced with visceral white fats. of the economy such as oil refineries, cement pacity, including 3,000 MW of solar and goals, how important is cooperation with everybody appreciates the European Union’s Published in the journal Small Methods recently by NTU and steel industries as well as transportation. 2,000 MW of wind power. foreign countries? response. Professor Chen Peng and Assistant Professor Xu Chenjie, this We are striving to first improve energy Of course, this is not a big number, but A: Cooperation with foreign partners is Together we can make the world a livable approach could help to address the worldwide obesity problem efficiency and then later move on to energy overall the direction that we are taking is very extremely important. For instance, about six place - a place with peace and security. And without resorting to surgical operations or oral medication which conservation practices. The last step would clear and the government is mulling over weeks ago, a consortium of British, Spanish a better climate regime is essential to it. We could require large dosages and could have serious side effects. be the deployment of renewables. But since various financial and regulatory incentives and Italian firms agreed to set up an 800-MW can achieve it through dialogue and under- “With the embedded microneedles in the skin of the mice, the Iran is endowed with vast resources of natural to persuade the private sector and investors solar power plant in Iran. And the agreement standing each other’s viewpoint. surrounding fats started browning in five days, which helped to increase the energy expenditure of the mice, leading to a reduction in body fat gain,” said Asst Prof Xu, who focuses on research in Ingenious artificial island will collect wind energy and divert it to shore drug delivery systems. (Source: eurekalert.org) The winds of change are blowing towards 2030 and 2050 is onshore wind is hampered renewable energy, and nations are becoming by local opposition and nearshore is nearly How neurotechnologies increasingly more creative in how they can full. It’s logical we are looking at areas fur- capitalize on the growing trend. ther offshore.” impact risk appetite At present, the most popular sources of Scotland, meanwhile, recently opened renewable energy come from either solar or the world’s first floating wind farm. Where The frontal cortex, a person’s financial risk appetite can be in- wind. Both, however, require tracts of land TenneT’s proposed project differs is in how creased temporarily. Their article on the cognitive mechanisms for their infrastructure. With real estate for it plans to manage the energy generated by of risky decision-making was published in eNeuro, an interna- wind farms becoming increasingly expensive the farm. tional peer-reviewed scientific journal published by the Society and scarce, Dutch power grid and energy The wind farm island hub would collect for Neuroscience. network operator TenneT wants to build energy from the wind turbines through short Neuroeconomics focuses on the neurobiological foundation wind turbines on the sea. cables. of decision-making. Economists, biologists and psychologists Well, not on water per se: rather, on Direct current use a novel interdisciplinary approach to explain the reasons shallow areas in a region in the North Sea Converters would then turn the electricity behind certain decisions and inclinations. The “majority of a called the Dogger Bank. Located some 125 into direct current, so as not to lose power person’s decisions take place under conditions of uncertainty km (78 miles) off the East Yorkshire coast, over the long distance travel towards the or risk. This is why we were particularly interested in uncover- Dogger Bank is supposedly a windy enough of 30GW. “It’s crucial for industry to continue with Netherlands and the United Kingdom, and ing the neurobiological mechanisms of risky decision-making,” site, allowing the company to optimize wind What’s more, TenneT’s proposed project the cost reduction path,” Rob van der Hage, later on perhaps even to Germany, Denmark, explains one of the study’s authors, Zachary Yaple, who is also a energy generation. might give wind energy a necessary push TenneT’s offshore wind grid development Belgium, and Norway. research fellow in the Centre for Cognition & Decision Making. Artificial island towards continuing to lower the price of program manager, told The Guardian. The long-distance cables would also al- To solve this problem, the researchers conducted an exper- The Dogger Bank project is effectively wind energy. The “big challenge we are facing towards low electricity to travel to whichever country imental game. Each of the 34 participants chose whether they what’s called an offshore wind farm, but what needed it most at any given time. This setup wanted to participate in a lottery that could potentially bring a makes this project radical is the artificial The “big challenge we are facing towards makes sure that energy generation is con- monetary profit or receive a guaranteed smaller amount. While the island built in the middle. 2030 and 2050 is onshore wind is hampered sistent and cost-effective, and that nothing participants were making a decision, the researchers delivered a This would serve as a hub for the vast would be wasted. transcranial alternating current stimulation on the left and right offshore farm, expected to be even bigger in by local opposition and nearshore is nearly “Is it difficult? In the Netherlands, when we frontal area of the brain. The stimulation was delivered online at scale than the current largest windfarm in full. It’s logical we are looking at areas see a piece of water we want to build islands 5 Hz (theta), 10 Hz (alpha), 20 Hz (beta), and 40 Hz (gamma). Gansu, China. TenneT expects the Dogger or land. We’ve been doing that for centuries. The results showed a robust effect of the 20 Hz stimulation over Bank project to be able to handle a capacity further offshore.” (Source: sciencealert.com) the left prefrontal area that significantly increased voluntary risky decision-making. The researchers assume that the 20 Hz stimulation led to a change in the internal rhythm of the brain and that this may 7th, 8th ATRs purchased by Iran Air land in Tehran: BIM suggest a possible link between risky decision-making and re- ward processing, underlined by beta oscillatory activity. Beta Two ATR airplanes purchased by Iran ATR planes. The contract was first signed in February and 70 seats. waves come about during a state of wakefulness and impact Air from the world’s leading turboprop Two ATR72-600 purchased by Iran Air 2016 in Tehran following the commercial In addition to the 8 ATRs delivered to Iran many processes in the brain. (Source: Medical Xpress) manufacturer have just landed at Mehrabad (HOMA) under a contract signed with the discussions held in Rome and Paris, on aviation fleet following the implementation Airport in Tehran, bringing the number of Franco-Italian aircraft manufacturer in the occasion of the visit of Iran’s President of the JCPOA, three Airbus planes have also ATR-72 delivered to Iran by the Franco- February 2016, have landed at Mehrabad Hassan Rouhani, and the Minister of joined the Iranian fleet. Italian company to 8, Public Relations Airport on Saturday. Transportation of Abbas Akhoundi. Back in June, two privately-owned Iranian The story of humans’ origins Dept. of the Bank of Industry and Mine The delivery of the two aircraft, registered The deal contains the purchase of airlines, Airtour and Zagros, signed MoUs got a revision in 2017 (BIM) reported. as EP-ITH and EP-ITG, bring the number 20 short-haul passenger planes with an for total purchase of 73 Airbus aircraft worth Given the above issue, Bank of Industry of the ATR-72 planes delivered to Iran by estimated value of $400 million. 4.5 billion euros at the Paris Airshow, the Scientists often presumed Homo sapiens emerged relatively and Mine financed provision of 7th and 8th the western company to eight. The ATR 72-600 has a range of 1,500km Public Relations Dept. of the bank concluded. quickly around a given time. Discoveries reported in 2017 point to an earlier evolutionary phase. Fossil and genetic studies in 2017 suggested a reason why: No clear starting time or location ever existed for our species. IKCO Receives GSO Certificate for Dena+, Runna Homo sapiens’ signature skeletal features emerged piece by Iran Khodro Industrial Group is first Iranian as a well-known international certificate in hard tests including body strength, crash tificate for its future generations of Dena+ piece in different African communities starting around 300,000 car manufacturer which has achieved GSO the Middle East. resistance and dynamic tests. and other vehicles. Exporting vehicles to the years ago, researchers proposed. certificate. The certificate is combination of a number Iran Khodro has managed to achieve the Persian Gulf states is also top on the agenda In this scenario, high, rounded braincases, chins, small teeth With achieving the certificate, the car of strict European and American standards certificate for its Dena+ and Runna prod- of Iran Khodro. and faces, and other hallmarks of human anatomy eventually company can now export its Dena+ and which IKCO has achieved as the first Iranian ucts after passing successfully the mentioned It’s noteworthy that achieving for the first appeared as an integrated package 200,000 to 100,000 years ago. Runna type products to the Persian Gulf states. company in auto industry. tests which led to the appraisal of the GSO time in Iran such a strict standard which is This picture of gradual change contrasts with what scientists In addition to Persian Gulf region, GSO To achieve the GSO standard, any appli- certificate observers. widely prestigious in the Persian Gulf region have often presumed, that H. sapiens emerged relatively quickly certificate is also highly credible in most Arab cant company needs to meet a number of Now, the largest car manufacturer in the provides Iran Khodro with a special credit to during the latter time period. Fossils clearly qualifying as human and Asian countries. Meanwhile, it is viewed strict standards and pass successfully some Middle East is planning to achieve the cer- promote its image at the international level. date to no more than about 200,000 years ago and are confined to East Africa. But the discoveries reported this year — including fossils from northwestern Africa — point to an earlier evolutionary MTN IRANCELL Launches “IPv6” in Nationwide for first time phase when the human skeletal portrait was incomplete. Like As the country’s first and leading mobile phone operator, MTN Considering the development of application of services of It should be noted that Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6) one of Picasso’s fragmented Cubist portraits, Homo fossils from IRANCELL managed to commercialize IPv6 system in all parts the device and The Internet of things (IoT) can lead to the is the most recent version of the Internet Protocol (IP), the 300,000 years ago give a vague, provocative impression that of the country successfully, the Public Relations Dept. of the establishment of relations between many devices such as mobiles, communications protocol that provides an identification someone with a humanlike form is present but not in focus. company reported. cameras, digital photo frames and even home appliances on and location system for computers on networks and routes “Speciation is a process, not an event,” says paleoanthro- Equipped “IPv6” system can be used by all subscribers of the internet. IoT is the network of physical devices, vehicles, traffic across the Internet. IPv6 was developed by the Internet pologist Bernard Wood of George Washington University in G2, G3, G4 and G4.5 and G4 TD-LTE fixed internet system, home appliances and other items embedded with electronics, Engineering Task Force (IETF) to deal with the long-anticipated Washington, D.C. “When fossil skulls of, say, Neandertals and the report added. software, sensors, actuators, and network connectivity which problem of IPv4 address exhaustion. IPv6 is intended to replace Homo sapiens look convincingly different, we’re seeing the end To use latest version of IPv6 protocol, it is necessary that enables these objects to connect and exchange data. IPv4. of the speciation process.” mobile phone of subscribers should support Dual Stack (IPv4/ Billions of things would be connected to the internet in In the previous phase of commercial operation of this service, Fossils and stone artifacts unearthed at the archaeological IPv6) system. the coming years. As a leading operator in the field of Internet this possibility had been provided since Feb. 2017 for the subscribers site Jebel Irhoud display close links to later H. sapiens skeletons Moreover, it is necessary that APN Protocol should be set of Things (IoT) and intelligent city, IRANCELL has made a of IRANCELL in the provinces of Tehran, Alborz, Markazi and and tools. Digital reconstructions of a composite Jebel Irhoud on IPv4/IPv6 systems in Access Point Names especially in huge investment in launching the system as a main pillar of Qom in order to receive internet service on IPv6 system, the skull revealed a modern-looking face and teeth. Other H. sapiens android devices. communications. Public Relations Dept. of MTN IRANCELL ended. skull traits evolved later. (Source: Business Insider) I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y 12 SOCIETY JANUARY 1, 2018

Budget deficit impeding disaster Bill ensuring rights of persons reduction efforts: official SOCIETY TEHRAN — Shortage of budget has been with disabilities approved deskimpeding many projects needed to imple- ment disaster reduction plans, especially during earthquakes, More jobs, free education, and less working hours highlighted YJC quoted Ahmad Sadeqi, director of the Tehran Disaster Mitigation and Management Organization, as saying. SOCIETY TEHRAN — Majlis [the and public institutions must be allocated deskIranian parliament] ap- to physically challenged people. proved both general outlines and details of Housing loans a bill on rights of persons with disabilities Based on the bill Ministry of Transport which raises hope for improvement of their and Urban Development and related organ- living conditions. izations are required to allocate 10 percent As the former law on the rights of people of newly constructed houses to persons with with disability that had been approved in [the disabilities, and in this regard they should Iranian calendar] year 1383 (2004-2005) provide low-interest loans for buyers and didn’t live up to the expectations of the disabled adopt supportive measures for home-builders, and their families, so the newly adopted law the head of Welfare Organization said, add- is hoped to improve the current conditions, ing, “Couples with disabilities and families ISNA quoted the head of the Welfare Organ- who have more than one disabled member ization Anoushirvan Mohseni-Bandpey as are a priority.” saying on Sunday. Paying minimum wage He further provided details of some of One of the articles of the law requires the the articles of the newly adopted law on the administration to allocate the required budget rights of persons with disabilities. to pay a minimum wage to those persons Disability-friendly cities with multiple disabilities who are not able The budget bill for the next Iranian calendar year (March The articles aims to create an environment to work, he said, describing it as the most 2018-March 2019) has allocated roughly 110 billion rials in which people with disability can have an important article of the law. (nearly $2.75m) to the National Disaster Management equal chance of accessing social facilities as Less working hours normal people, Mohseni-Bandpey explained. Organization which shows a drastic decrease compared Also as per the bill working hours for As per the law all responsible organiza- to refine the insurance coverage of the disa- both at public and even Azad universities to 800-billion-rial (nearly $20m) allocated in 2005-2006, people with disability will be reduced by 10 tions are obligated to make buildings and bled individuals in such a way that it would (universities that charge students for educa- hours. Also the working hours of parents Mashreghnews reported. passages disable-friendly, and violators will cover psychiatric and physical rehabilitation tional services) and all other institutes that and spouses who take care of persons with As per the fifth five-year national development plan be punished with fine and face dismissal. services in addition to the current routine deliver higher education. disabilities in their homes, will have a marked (2010-2015), Tehran must have been equipped with 50 Free transportation healthcare services, he said. He went on to say that based on the law such reduction, he further added. seismometer stations, however, there are just 14 stations People with multiple disabilities can use pub- Also, to support the families who take care people can also use sport facilities at public People with disabilities have a wide active in the metropolis now, Sadeqi regretted. lic transportation– including buses and subway of their multiply-disabled members in home, organizations and municipalities for free. range of problems such as finding jobs “We have planned 50 different projects based on re- – free of charge, highlighted Mohseni-Bandpey, the ministry is obliged to pay the nursing More jobs or living in cities which have not been searches we have conducted to reduce the fatalities of a adding, the ticket price of trains, planes and costs to the head of families. The law also obliges state-run organizations developed to be accessible for disabled possible earthquake in Tehran by 90 percent,” Sadeqi ships – either public or private – will be offered Free education to allocate 3 percent of their job vacancies to people. If fully implemented, the new highlighted, adding, “15 projects have been prioritized, with 50 percent discount. As per another article of the law, Mo- the disabled people, he highlighted. In this bill can have appreciable effects on the among which some are already completed and some are Health insurance hseni-Bandpey said, people with disabilities regard, 30 percent of phone operating and living conditions of these rather neglected underway.” The law mandates the Ministry of Health eligible individuals can receive free education type-writing jobs in state-run companies group of the society. He also referred to earthquake early warning systems which can notify the citizens of a substantial earthquake 10 seconds before it strikes – provided that proper number The tangled web of air pollution in Tehran of them would be installed. By Maryam Qarehgozlou So vehicles which fail to conform to the safety and There is just one such system set up at Mosha fault emission regulations will be banned from the streets zone and based on the extent of Tehran’s fault lines, 56 of Air pollution, the recurring nightmare of Tehraners from until they are fixed. Also, being tracked down by the such devices are needed, mentioned the official, adding which there is no waking, is a complicated saga of the speed cameras installed on the streets drivers will face that the cost of each system and each related tower (for busy capital of Iran. $12 fine every time they use their cars. sending alarms) is $38,000 and $300,000 respectively Tehran, a city with some 9 million residents, is ex- However, the 4 year interval for newly produced cars which obviously cannot be done due to the budget limi- periencing its worst days with the lowest precipitation is proving the law inefficient. Moreover, the motorcycles, tations the organization is facing. amounts and subsequently most polluted days with no being considered as even greater sources of air pollution Preparing Tehran for a possible major earthquake rain or snow. by releasing pollutants four times more than the cars, should be the priority of the city’s management system, Schools are being closed from time to time, pollutant are except from vehicle inspection. industries are shut down temporarily and high-emis- Furthermore, while the average age of a car at scrap- Sadeqi underlined, concluding that global researches sion vehicles are banned from the streets, but for how page in 2015 reached 13.9 years some clunkers aging show each $1 spent on disaster prevention saves up to long we are going to take such band-aid measures to over 20 are still plying the streets. $15 in the long run. mitigate air pollution. the zone is from the city center the tax will be cheaper. The old trucks running on diesel engine are also caus- Recent earthquakes in Kermanshah, Kerman, Alborz Revising traffic schemes This way, as some officials believe, the new scheme ing great deal of pollution in metropolises. and Tehran provinces have aroused worries among peo- The 4-decade-old odd-even traffic scheme is a method will eliminate the discrimination that exits in favor of While there is a simple solution to resolve the problem ple and temporarily prompted authorities to think twice of rationing in which access to the streets for private a small group of people who can actually enter the zone of clunkers by enforcing the law to scrape one car in ex- about preparations and aftermaths of possible massive vehicles is granted on alternating days, according to all year round with paying small charges. change for the each one being domestically produced the quakes especially in Tehran. whether the last digit in their license plate is even or odd. However, many still think that the scheme needs law, though approved in at first, was repealed soon after. Criticized as being inefficient the scheme is going to more detailed and in-depth researches and that’s why But it seems that the substandard auto industry’s go through extensive changes for the next year. While Tehran city council have not approved the scheme yet. economic benefits outweighs the health of the people LEARN ENGLISH people could pay for monthly, weekly or daily permits While the details of the new scheme are not revealed who are inhaling the suffocating air. to enter traffic restricted zones only some 98,000 indi- yet, on the surface, it seems that the scheme would only While the situation seems to be complicated there Kitchen Appliances viduals could obtain a permit to enter the zone all year profit the musicality while it might fail to fulfill its main are available solutions to solve the issue, what we need round regardless of any restrictions. purpose which is to abate air pollution. is a body to make firm decisions, however hard that A: I have been looking at this online catalog for over an However, within the framework of the newly pro- Inefficient law, rising clunkers maybe, once and for all. hour and I still haven’t finished getting all the kitchen posed scheme everyone will be able to enter the traffic Vehicle inspection, a procedure mandated by the Conforming to world standards might prove to be appliances that we need! restricted areas with paying taxes depending on the governments to ensure that vehicles to conform to regula- expensive and time-consuming but currently we are B: What are you getting? zone they wish to enter. tions governing safety and emissions, are being executed risking the health of millions of people in exchange for A: Well, the first thing on my list is a new blender. Entering the city center, considered as the most polluted nationally and thanks to the newly set up systems the the benefit of a small group of people who are actually I decided to also get a juicer and a new coffee maker. and heavily congested area, is costlier and the further possibility of flouting the law is almost zero. taking advantage of the current conditions. B: Don’t forget to also get a new mixer. I lent the old one to my brother and he broke it. A: Yeah I know. I also decided to throw away the old Canadian zoo moves penguins indoors because of cold temperatures toaster and get a new one. I am also getting a rice cooker Temperatures have dropped so low in Can- other days, we do give them the option of However, the cold snap has not stopped his two children and told Global News: “You and steamer to make some nice steamed fish orveggies . ada that Calgary Zoo has had to move its coming in and out as they please.” people from going to the zoo. know if the penguins are inside, that’s a sign B: I’m actually thinking of completely refurnishing the penguins indoors. Ms. Mark explained that king penguins, “Calgarians are a hardy bunch. A cup of that it’s cold outside. As long as you’re dressed kitchen and getting a new stove, oven, dishwasher and As an extreme-cold warning was in effect like the ones at Calgary zoo, are not as ac- hot chocolate and a warm fire and they are for it, it’s a great time to be outside.” trash compacter. for the country – temperatures hit a frosty customed to sub-zero temperatures as their still coming out and enjoying Zoolights. Our Meanwhile in the U.S. extreme cold and A: That’s a good idea! The kitchen will look amazing! -25C late this week – zookeepers thought it cousins, the emperor penguins. attendance is doing well, it is on par with where hot temperatures are in effect. Key vocabulary safer to move the penguins to their indoor King penguins, characterized by the bright we were last year,” said Ms. Mark of the annual The west coast saw record high temper- appliance: a piece of equipment, especially electrical enclosure. orange spots on the sides of their heads and holiday-lights display event put on by the zoo. atures. In Sandberg, California reached up equipment, such as a cooker or washing machine, used Larissa Mark, manager of communica- feathers at the nape of their necks, are generally She noted though, that some of the asso- to 70F (21C). In Woodland Hills, a section in people’s homes tions at Calgary Zoo told Global News that: found in sub-Antarctic regions in Chile and ciated events have been moved indoors to of Los Angeles, the sun was out in full force blender: a machine used for cutting food and ice and mixing “On cold days like this, we have to make that Argentina and temperate places like the Falk- make them more comfortable. as residents experienced a high of 88F (31C). choice for them because it is so cold, but on lands, Macquarie and the Sandwich islands. One visitor, Bill Robinson, was there with (Source: Independent) juicer: a machine used for making juice mixer: a machine used for mixing things break: to damage a machine so that it does not work properly ENGLISH IN USE throw away: to get rid of something that you do not LEARN NEWS TRANSLATION want or need toaster: a machine used for toasting bread veggie: vegetable refurnish: furnish (a room or building) again or differently Leopard trapped in snare released پلنگ گرفتار در تله سیمی در زیستگاه خود رهاسازی شد trash compactor: a device that crushes waste so that back to wild it fits into less space بــه گــزارش پایــگاه خبــری دیــده بــان محیــط زیســت و حیــات وحــش ایــران پلنگــی Supplementary vocabulary A leopard which had been trapped in a snare and injured on May 12 microwave oven: an oven that uses waves to heat food in the Paband National Park, the northern Mazandaran province, کــه روز ۲۲ اردیبهشــت در حاشــیه پــارک ملــی پابنــد مازنــدران در تلــه ســیمی گرفتــار sandwich maker: small appliance used to press and was released back to wild last week, Iran Environment and Wildlife شــده بــود هفتــه ی گذشــته زیســتگاه خــود رهاســازی شــد. heat bread to make sandwiches Watch website reported. پلنــگ پلنــگ گرفتــار در تلــه کــه بــه لحــاظ جنســیت نــر و حــدودا پنــج ســاله بــود بعــد از fryer: machine that can heat up cooking oil to fry food slow cooker: a pot that uses low continuous heat to cook The five-year-old male leopard which was trapped and wounded was اینکــه توســط نیروهــای محیــط زیســت پیــدا شــد بــه پناهــگاه حیــات وحــش سمســکنده food soon spotted by the rangers, put under anesthesia and transferred to منتقــل شــد تــا بــه لحــاظ آســیب هــای وارده تحــت بررســی و درمــان قــرار گیــرد. .Source: irlanguage.com) Semeskandeh Wildlife Refuge in Sari for further treatment)

PREFIX/SUFFIX PHRASAL VERB IDIOM Without water, “-cle” Fathom out Wet blanket

everything Meaning: small Meaning: to understand what something means Explanation: someone who spoils other people’s For example: Dust particles are one of the major after thinking about it carefully; work out fun, or makes an event less enjoyable than it could withers causes of air pollution in big cities. For example: I still can’t fathom out what she have been meant. For example: Come on Mike! Don’t be such a wet blanket. You’re spoiling the party! I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y JANUARY 1, 2018 WORLD IN FOCUS 13 Israelis protest against Netanyahu, 81 reporters died, threats soared in 2017 regime’s corruption for 5th week The world’s biggest journalists’ organization says that at least 81 reporters have been killed on the job this year 1 Similar demonstrations took place in the cities and that violence and harassment against media staff have of al-Quds (Jerusalem), Haifa and Afula on Saturday. skyrocketed. The weekly protests began in early December in the In its annual “Kill Report,” seen by The Associated Press, the wake of heated debates about a controversial bill that International Federation of Journalists says the reporters lost bars police from recommending indictment in corruption their lives in targeted killings, car bomb attacks and crossfire investigations against officials. incidents around the world. Israel’s parliament (Knesset) passed the measure into More than 250 journalists were in prison in 2017. law earlier this week despite criticisms that it was aimed The number of deaths as of Dec. 29 was the lowest in a decade, at softening scrutiny against Netanyahu. down from 93 in 2016. Most were killed in Mexico, but many also The Israeli premier is suspected of being involved in in conflict zones in Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria. bribery, fraud and breach of trust. IFJ President Philippe Leruth said that while the drop in He has been questioned in two separate cases, involv- deaths “represents a downward trend, the levels of violence in ing allegations that he received lavish gifts from wealthy journalism remain unacceptably high.” businessmen and negotiated a deal with a newspaper (Source: AP) owner for more favorable coverage. He has denied any wrongdoing. Another scandal, called the “submarine affair,” also involves Netanyahu associates. The scandal revolves Challenge over popularity around the allegations of bribery in a deal between Israel and Germany worth over a billion dollars. of Trump (Source: al Alam) 7 The survey’s footnote states that the poll is “paid for by the Trump Make America Great Again Committee, a joint fundraising committee authorized by and composed of Donald J Aina Gamzatova: The Muslim woman challenging Putin Trump for President, Inc. and the Republican National Committee.” Aina Gamzatova, a 46-year-old woman from Dagestan, has chance of winning, even if every one of Russia’s 20 A similar poll was released months ago, asking respondents made it official. She wants to run against Russian President million Muslims votes for her in a country of more to rate Trump’s “First 50 days.” That survey included the abili- Vladimir Putin in the March 2018 election. than 140 million people. ty to “disapprove” of the president’s performance in the White Hundreds of her supporters gathered around her to cel- But, she may receive a high number of votes in Dagestan House. This time, it’s impossible to “disapprove.” And who can ebrate in Makhachkala, Dagestan’s capital, on Saturday, and the Northern Caucasus - something that will ruin Pu- argue with that? two days after she confirmed her bid in a Facebook post. tin’s image in the unemployment-addled region that heavily Also CNN reported that the truth, across almost every repu- Gamzatova heads Russia’s largest Muslim media holding depends on federal subsidies and where – according to table poll, is that Trump›s approval ratings have lagged behind - Islam.ru - comprising television, radio and print outlets, election monitors - officials routinely resort to vote rigging those of nearly all of his predecessors, including Obama, since writes books on Islam, and runs a charity. and coercion of voters. day one of his presidency. Her husband, Akhmad Abdulaev, is the Mufti of Dagestan, Gamzatova, who did not respond to Al Jazeera’s request The cleanest comparison between the approval ratings of Russia’s troubled province where a confrontation between for interview, is by far the most surprising hopeful in the the two presidents is Gallup›s daily tracking polls, which are fighters, clans and federal forces has killed thousands. presidential race among a string of nominal rivals and a couple released as both three-day rolling averages and weekly averages. She belongs to a Sufi order that has tens of thousands of opposition figures whose ratings trail far behind Putin’s. The three-day averages released on December 28, 2009 -- the of followers and whose leader, Said-Afandi Chirkavi, was A house divided day Trump cited in his tweet -- showed 51% approval for Oba- killed by a female suicide bomber in the Caucasus in 2012. So far, Gamzatova’s statements are limited to catchy but ma with 43% disapproval. On December 28 of this year, Gallup Muslim leader Said Muhammad Abubakarov, Gamza- Russia’s Muslim community. unsubstantial declarations. released a three-day average showing 38% approval for Trump tova’s first husband, was blown up in his car back in 1998. While some say she should not step outside her husband’s But one part of her election campaign is loud and clear: with 56% disapproval. His killers have never been found, but he publicly lambasted shadow, others applaud her determination. she wants the Kremlin to get tougher on fighters who want The weekly numbers tell a similar story: For the week ending “Wahhabis” - a term Gamzatova often uses to describe the Some see her campaign - irrespective of its results - as a to establish a separate state in the Northern Caucasus under December 27, 2009, 51% approved of Obama, and for the week fighters she wants to get tough on. way to boost the image of Muslim women in Russia and to Islamic law. ending December 24, 2017, 37% approved of Trump. They are “duplicitous” and “blood-thirsty”, she has said attract attention to the needs of impoverished, overpopu- The rise of armed groups in Russia dates back to the early That gap is mirrored in other polls with long-term trends and in books and speeches, despite death threats and the killings lated and multi-ethnic Dagestan. 1990s, when hundreds of fighters from the Muslim world similar methodologies now as they had in 2009. In CNN›s polling of other Sufi-affiliated figures in Dagestan. Not winning, but taking part joined separatists in neighboring Chechnya. among all adults, 35% approved of Trump in mid-December 2017, Gamzatova’s candidacy has become a hot topic among It is something of a given that Gamzatova has no (Source: Al Jazeera) while Obama held a 54% approval rating in December 2009. CBS News finds a 14-point gap between Obama›s approval then (50%) and Trump›s approval now (36%). NBC News and The Wall Street Journal show a smaller 6-point gap on approval, but Iraqi warplanes kill nearly dozen ISIL terrorists near Iran border Trump›s disapproval number (56%) tops Obama›s by 10 points A high-ranking Iraqi military official says ISIL attack leaves 4 civilians (46%). And the Quinnipiac University poll finds a 9-point gap nearly a dozen Islamic State in Iraq and dead, 9 others injured between Trump›s approval (37%) and Obama›s positive rating the Levant (ISIL/Daesh) Takfiri terrorists Separately, four people lost their lives (46%) among registered voters. were killed when Iraqi Air Force fighter jets and nine others sustained injuries late on Trump›s tweeted claim rests on the findings of a daily track- bombarded their positions in the country’s Saturday when ISIL terrorists launched an ing poll conducted by Rasmussen Reports. Those findings come eastern province of Diyala near the border attack in Iraq’s northern Salahuddin province from a poll conducted using a mix of online interviews and those with Iran. (Saladin Governorate). conducted via calls to landline telephones by a recorded voice Commander of Tigris Operations, Lieuten- The media bureau of PMU stated that interviewer rather than a live person. They claim to interview ant General Mizher al-Azzawi, said on Sunday ISIL Takfiris used heavy weapons and blew likely voters, without specifying in what election those people are that 11 ISIL terrorists were killed as Iraqi up bombs in al-Farhatiyah region, before likely to cast ballots, nor how they are identified. Polls conducted military aircraft launched precision strikes escaping from the area. this way do not meet CNN›s standards for reporting, because against their camp north of al-Muqdadiyah According to the United Nations Assis- they can under-represent certain segments of the population. city, located about 80 kilometers northeast of tance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI), a total of Rasmussen›s polling received a C+ rating in Five Thirty the capital Baghdad, Arabic-language al-Su- 117 Iraqi civilians lost their lives last month, Eight›s most recent pollster rankings, and it has been found maria television network reported. and 264 others were injured as a result of to lean toward the GOP when compared with other pollsters, Azzawi added that ISIL terrorists have acts of terrorism and violence across Iraq which means it typically understated support for Obama and incurred heavy losses over the past few months in November. has a tendency to overstate support for Trump when compared as government forces, supported by allied A large number of the fatalities were recorded with other polls. fighters from Popular Mobilization Units in the capital province of Baghdad, where 51 (PMU/Hashd al-Sha’abi), have shelled their civilians were killed and 150 others wounded. hideouts in several areas of Diyala province. day a self-proclaimed ISIL governor, whose vincial capital city of Baqubah. Twenty-four people were killed and 60 ISIL governor slain northeast identity was not immediately known, had The head of the committee, Sadiq al-Hus- others injured in Salahuddin province. The History of the world at year 1 of Baqubah been killed as Iraqi military aircraft struck seini, said a number of ISIL positions had northern oil-rich province of Kirkuk saw a after Trump Meanwhile, the security committee in militant outposts in Hoz Naft Khaneh area, been destroyed in airstrikes on Wadi Thalab dozen civilians killed and 28 others injured. (Source: Press TV) Diyala provincial council announced on Sun- situated 90 kilometers northeast of the pro- and Hawi al-Azim areas. 8 Trump a diabolical buffoon What Donald Trump has staged is first and foremost the moral Turkey tightens security ahead of New Year attack anniversary and political crisis that «Western democracy», in general, and Turkey Sunday is to see in the New Year with muted cele- banning heavy goods vehicles from access to the city center American democracy, in particular, face today. All the way from brations and amid the tightest security, under the shadow of from Sunday morning to Monday. Plato and Aristotle to Thomas Jefferson and Alexis de Tocqueville, the terror attack one year ago on an elite Istanbul nightclub “We are having very serious security measures to ensure the world has been force-fed, lectured at and politically held that left 39 dead. that our citizens, God willing, see in the New Year in peace hostage to overdoses of highfalutin treatises about «Western An Uzbek gunman, just 45 minutes into 2017, ran amok and security,” Sahin said. liberal democracy» - the crowning achievement of which is this with a Kalashnikov at the Reina nightclub on the Bosphorus, In the capital Ankara, similar measures have been tak- clinically diabolical buffoon. killing indiscriminately and later slipping away in a taxi. en with 9,700 police deployed and New Year celebrations Trump is no isolationist or nationalist. He is a neo-globalist The attack, which was claimed by the Daesh (ISIL) banned in the central Kizilay Square. of fear and fanaticism, of thievery for the rich and destitution extremist group, was another body blow to Turkey under Hundreds of suspected Daesh members, many of them for the rest. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan after a year of terror attacks foreigners, have also been arrested in swoops across the A year into the Trump presidency, the global perception of by extremists and Kurdish rebels as well as the failed coup. country in the past days, with some suspected of planning common American decency has been seriously diminished, the However there has been no major attack in Turkey since attacks over the New Year. fear of its vulgar and violent militarism increased, the brutish the Reina murders, and security forces this year appear to The local authorities are planning a small ceremony at impact of U.S. disregard for planetary environmental calamity be taking every possible precaution to ensure that this New 1300 GMT Sunday to remember the victims of the Reina intensified, nefarious U.S. allies like Saudi Arabia and Israel Year passes without incident. attack at the scene, attended by foreign consuls and Besiktas given free hands to slaughter people in Yemen and Palestine A total of 37,000 police will be deployed in Istanbul alone mayor Murat Hazinedar. with impunity, the poorest and most vulnerable segments of on New Year’s night, more than double the number last year, The Reina nightclub - once the haunt of Turkish football Taksim Square but seeing the high security switched his American society targeted for even more impoverishment, its according to Istanbul governor Vasip Sahin. stars and even foreign celebrities - meanwhile is no more. target to the Reina club. richest pockets made even deeper and more obscenely rich. Some 4,000 members of the gendarmerie and coastguard It never reopened after the massacre and the authorities Masharipov and more than 50 other suspects went on The world, including the majority of Americans, stand today are also being put on duty. later bulldozed it on May 22, saying its owner had violated trial in Istanbul on Dec. 11, with the Uzbek facing 40 life on one side, and Donald Trump and his richest and most dan- Meanwhile, authorities have either scrapped or banned planning regulations. sentences for each of the victims and the crime itself. gerous beneficiaries from Washington to Tel Aviv to Riyadh on any New Year celebrations in some of the most popular areas Gunman Abdulkadir Masharipov was arrested after a 17 Facing similar charges is his wife Zarina Nurullayeva, the other. They are wreaking havoc across the globe and we are for revelers, including the major hub of Taksim Square, the day manhunt hunkering down in a humdrum residential who denied any involvement in the plot. Masharipov has bracing for even worse to come. buzzing area of Besiktas and upscale shopping district of Sisli. district of Istanbul, in a major triumph for the Turkish po- refused to testify in the trial, which is now due to resume A shining truth emerges from this calamitous condition of All road access to these areas will be cut off from the lice that gave access to a potential goldmine of intelligence on March 26. humanity at year 1 AT of our world history. The world is forever afternoon. Turkish state news agency Anadolu said that about Daesh activities. Of the 39 people killed in the Reina attack, 27 were for- freed from all its dangerous delusions: from the nativist Amer- police disguised as lottery ticket and hot chestnut sellers He confessed to have taken his orders to carry out the eigners, including citizens from Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, ican democracy to European liberal globalism, from the corrupt would be deployed around Taksim to ensure security. attack from a Syria-based Russian jihadist with the code- Israel, Iraq and Morocco. Russian oligarchy to the globalized Chinese communism, from In an unusual move, the Istanbul authorities are also name Abu Jihad. Masharipov had first intended to attack (Source: AFP) xenophobic Zionism to megalomaniac Islamism, from homicidal Hindu fundamentalism to genocidal Buddhist nationalism. Free at last, as the moral voice of Martin Luther King Jr, declared, thank God Almighty we are free at last from all the Blast at funeral in eastern Afghanistan kills 15 false god terms of our history - just a year into the presidency of 1 On Dec. 18 militants from the group stormed on security installations and the country’s Shiite minority. nine months of this year, according to data compiled by the our very own Roman Emperor Mr. Donald Trump, Real Estate an intelligence training compound in Kabul, triggering an The latest news comes at the end of a particularly deadly United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan. Developer, Inc. We are freed from all delusional fantasies East intense gunfight with police, two of whom were wounded. year for Afghans, with the number of civilian casualties on Last year’s civilian casualty toll of 11,418 was the highest and West and walk through this valley of despair with our eyes The Middle Eastern extremist outfit has gained ground in track to be one of the highest on record since the United for a single year since the UN began systematically docu- and hearts wide open, our minds and intellect clear and caring Afghanistan since it first appeared in the region in 2015, and States invasion in 2001. More than 8,000 civilians were menting civilian deaths and injuries in 2009. - the modest prophets of our own uncharted destinies. has scaled up its attacks in Kabul and elsewhere, including killed or wounded in conflict-related violence in the first (Source: AFP) (Source: Aljazeera) I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y 14 WORLD SPORTS JANUARY 1, 2018

Manchester United’s Young Milivojevic misses late penalty as charged with violent conduct - FA City´s winning run ends Luka Milivojevic had a stoppage-time penalty saved as Crystal Palace missed the chance to halt Manchester City’s unbeaten start to the season, although the Premier League leaders’ winning run has been stopped at 18 matches following the goalless draw at Selhurst Park. Pep Guardiola’s men went into the match one win away from equaling the record for successive wins in Europe’s top five leagues - set by the Catalan’s Bayern Munich side - but they were ultimately frustrated by a well-drilled Palace side who were only denied all three points by Ederson’s heroics at the end. City showed two sides to their game in the first half, as they created a few good chances Manchester United’s Ashley Young was charged with violent with some expansive football - Bernardo Silva conduct by the English Football Association (FA) on Sunday and Sergio Aguero going particularly close, after his altercation with Southampton midfielder Dusan Tadic with the latter introduced midway through in the Premier League the previous day. Young appeared to strike the half for the injured Gabriel Jesus. Tadic with an elbow during Saturday’s 0-0 draw at Old Trafford. But there was also palpable frustration “Young’s charge follows an incident during Saturday’s game on show, with Kevin De Bruyne and Leroy against Southampton which was not seen by the match officials Sane, who was booked for petulantly kick- but caught on video,” the FA said in a statement. ing the ball away at the end of a poor first Southampton manager Mauricio Pellegrino said after the half, involved in a verbal disagreement at match: “I haven’t seen the replay but it is difficult for the referee one point. to see in one second what happened in all different places -- but City appeared more switched on again I have to respect the decision.” after Raheem Sterling’s introduction from Swansea defender Kyle Naughton has also been charged with the bench in the 57th minute, adding a little The visitors nearly gifted Palace an opener City team the longer the first half remained back post and Wayne Hennessey denied the violent conduct by the FA for allegedly stamping on Watford’s extra spark to their attacks and setting Sane shortly after, though, when Ederson dropped goalless, with Sane and De Bruyne arguing German from point-blank range. Stefano Okaka during the Welsh side’s 2-1 victory at Vicarage up for a great chance. the ball on the edge of the area and needed just before the break after the two were on A similarly brilliant opportunity fell to Road on Saturday. Young and Naughton have until 1700 GMT But it was Palace who came closest to Eliaquim Mangala to make a vital block to different wave lengths in the final third. Andros Townsend 12 minutes from time, but on Sunday to respond to the charges. clinching the win following a Sterling foul deny Christian Benteke a first home Premier Chances remained at a premium after the the winger sliced over from 10 yards when (Source: Reuters) on Wilfried Zaha, but Ederson was equal to League goal since May. break, with Ilkay Gundogan’s curling effort assisted by the lively Zaha. Milivojevic’s effort from the spot, leaving City then suffered the blow of losing a that went just wide in the 56th minute - a few Palace should have then finished City off City 14 points clear of Chelsea. tearful Jesus to injury in the 23rd minute moments before his withdrawal for Sterling right at the end when Zaha was sent tum- City were quick out of the blocks at Sel- after overstretching. - the only opportunity in the quarter-of-an- bling by Sterling inside the penalty area, but hurst Park and almost took the lead after But his replacement, Sergio Aguero, went hour that followed half-time. Ederson saved Milivojevic’s spot-kick with Nike advertises Philippe just two minutes, as De Bruyne found Silva close shortly after coming on, seeing a shot Sterling did make a difference, though, ease to preserve the visitors’ unbeaten run at the back post and the playmaker sliced deflect off a defender and strike the post. and almost set up Sane for the opener just and spare their blushes. Coutinho’s name on an effort just wide of the bottom-left corner. Hints of frustration started to show in the after the hour when he played a cross to the (Source: Soccerway) Barcelona shirts Guardiola expects up to two months Andy Murray will be happy to be Barcelona kit manufacturers Nike advertised the club’s shirts with Liverpool playmaker Philippe Coutinho’s name on the back. out for Jesus playing at ‘30 in the world level’ Coutinho was the subject of failed bids by Barcelona in the summer and has been linked with joining them in January. A listing, which has since been deleted, on the Nike website read: “Philippe Coutinho is ready to light up Camp Nou.” The Brazilian, 25, is sponsored by Nike and wears their boots. Coutinho, who signed a five-year deal at the start of 2017, started the 2-1 win over Leicester City on Saturday and has six goals in his past seven games for Liverpool. The Anfield club rejected bids of £72m, £90m and one in the region of £114m prior to the summer transfer deadline in Spain, which closed a day later than in England. “I do not know how the future is going to be,” said Coutinho in early December. “What will happen in January, we will know it in January. I do not know if there will be an offer.” (Source: BBC)

Serena says good to be back, despite loss to Ostapenko in Gabriel Jesus may miss up to two months coming days, but we’re lucky.” Former world number one Andy Murray for the Australian Open, which begins after picking up an injury in Manchester It proved to be a frustrating day for City, says he doesn’t mind if he is playing at on 15 January. Abu Dhabi City’s 0-0 draw with Crystal Palace, Pep though it could have been a lot worse when “30 in the world level” as he prepares to Many of the leading men’s players Guardiola has said. Luka Milivojevic stepped up to take a pen- return from six months out. have been affected by injuries recently, Serena Williams was pleased to get back on court despite losing The Brazil international went over alty after Raheem Sterling was adjudged The 30-year-old Briton’s ranking has with Rafael Nadal, 31, missing the Bris- what was her first match in almost a year, against Jelena Ostap- awkwardly early on at Selhurst Park, over- to have fouled Wilfried Zaha in the box. dropped to 16th in the world having been bane tournament with a knee issue while enko, at the Mubadala World Tennis Championship in Abu Dhabi stretching as he inadvertently did the splits. Ederson ultimately saved the spot-kick out since July with a hip injury. Novak Djokovic, 30, withdrew from the on Saturday. It was Williams’ first outing since winning her 23rd He had to be withdrawn shortly after to preserve City’s unbeaten run and, while Murray is set to make his return at the Qatar Open because of the elbow problem grand slam singles title at the Australian Open in January, while for Sergio Aguero, with Jesus limping off some have accused the Palace winger of Brisbane International as he prepares for that has kept him out since Wimbledon. pregnant, before taking time out to have the baby. the pitch in tears. going down too easily, Guardiola was con- the Australian Open in January. Murray says he intends to take more But she failed to fully rediscover her rhythm and quickly Kevin De Bruyne added to their injury tent to take the word of referee Jon Moss. “Right now the hip is the only thing breaks from the ATP Tour as he gets older dropped the first set 6-2 to the Latvian Ostapenko, the French worries late on when he was clattered by “Maybe I didn’t see the penalty very that is any concern. The rest of my body in a bid to avoid further injury. Open champion. Jason Puncheon and taken off on a stretcher well,” Guardiola added. “But if the referee feels really good,” he said. “Certainly, when you miss a period, you The 36-year-old American roared back to win the second set 6-3 with his leg in a brace. decides it was, then that’s okay.” “I just want to enjoy playing again. I’ve realize how lucky you are to be doing this before losing the decisive tiebreak 10-5 in the exhibition match. The Belgian was later seen hobbling City’s frustration seemed at its highest really missed it the last six months or so.” as a job,” he added. Williams admitted her mind wandered to her child, Alexis without the brace and Guardiola believes towards the end of the first half when Leroy Murray lost a one-set exhibition match “Giving yourself breaks, especially as Olympia Ohanian Jr., during the match. De Bruyne has escaped a potentially serious Sane and De Bruyne were seen arguing against Spain’s Roberto Bautista Agut in you start to get older, I think, is very im- “Motherhood is phenomenal. I was a little worried out there injury, but he feels Jesus might be facing after appearing to be on different wave Abu Dhabi on Friday prior to heading to portant and something that I’ll certainly and I looked at my camp and I was like ‘Is Olympia ok?’. But it’s a couple of months out. lengths in the final third, but Guardiola Australia. be looking to do for however long I keep really good,” she said in her on-court interview. “Hopefully it will not be tough, maybe believes such disagreements are normal. He has a first-round bye at the Bris- playing. ”I‘m excited, it’s good to be back on the court. This was such one month or two months out,” Guardiola He said: “Football is emotional. You bane International and has been drawn “For tennis as a sport, it’s not good when a good time for me. “It’s my first time playing in Abu Dhabi so told BT Sport when asked of Jesus’ injury. have to have arguments sometimes to [help to play Ryan Harrison or Leonardo Mayer so many of the top players are injured and thank you guys for the support. First matches back are always “With Kevin we’re lucky. I don’t know you] be together and find best solution.” in the second round at a tournament for extended periods. super incredibly hard, especially after having a baby but it was what will happen with him, maybe in the (Source: Daily Mail) intended to act as part of his warm-up (Source: BBC) great, I’m glad I could do it here.” Williams has registered for the Australian Open, which begins on Jan. 15 at Melbourne Park. (Source: Reuters) Atletico pin their hopes on Costa’s second coming Diego Costa is eager to begin his second spell at Atletico It may not take the 29-year-old Costa long to catch up Madrid after spending the last three months confined to with his new team mates. Antoine Griezmann is Atletico’s the club’s training ground, shackled by the club’s ban on leading marksman with five league goals but Costa will Ibrahimovic sidelined for a registering new players, the striker said on Sunday. have to prove his fitness as his last competitive game was “I’ve waited a long time for this day, I’ve been working for Spain in a World Cup qualifier against Macedonia month with knee injury hard and training hard but there’s nothing else to do, I on June 11. need to play, I‘m tired of training,” Costa told a news Since Costa departed for London in 2014, Atletico have Manchester United striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic will be sidelined conference. spent 144.5 million euros trying to replace him. for a month with a knee injury, manager Jose Mourinho said. Costa, who fired Atletico to a first league title in 18 years However, Mario Mandzukic, Griezmann, Jackson Mar- The former Sweden international was not in Saturday’s squad as in 2014, agreed a return to the club from Chelsea in Sep- tinez, Luciano Vietto, Kevin Gameiro, Angel Correa and Mourinho’s men were held to a 0-0 stalemate by Southampton tember for 57 million pounds ($77 million), nearly double Fernando Torres have all failed to top his 27 league goals at Old Trafford -- United’s third successive draw. the price he left for more than three years ago. in 2013/14 which helped Atletico to break Barca’s and Real Ibrahimovic was re-signed by United in the summer, hav- He was officially presented alongside fellow Spain team Cup on Wednesday, with his first league appearance set for Madrid’s nine-year stranglehold on the title. ing departed the club at the end of last season, and overcame mate Vitolo -- who signed from Sevilla in July for 40 mil- Saturday at home to Getafe. Costa also won two UEFA Super Cups with Atletico and meniscus and cruciate ligament damage to return to action in lion euros -- before an open training session at the Wanda Atletico are second in the league but Costa’s return cannot the 2013 King’s Cup. late November. However, Mourinho, who saw Romelu Lukaku Metropolitano stadium, which local media said 20,000 come soon enough for Diego Simeone’s side who are nine “I want to thank the club from the bottom of the carried off on a stretcher during Saturday’s Premier League supporters attended. points adrift of leaders Barcelona and had their confidence heart for the effort they made to bring me back here,” encounter against Southampton, said Ibrahimovic is set for “I‘m in much better shape than when I arrived, I’ve pre- rocked by elimination from the Champions League group said Costa. another injury layoff. pared well and worked hard and I‘m ready to help the team stage. “Today we present a footballer who doesn’t need any “We lost Ibrahimovic for a month, he stops his run to recov- and score goals,” Costa said. Their defence is as resolute as ever, conceding just eight introduction,” said Atletico president Enrique Cerezo. ery, he has been running for many months, what he needs is to Atletico’s ban on registering new players due to the ille- goals in 17 games, but they have had serious difficulties “This is his home and we’re going to give him the best play,” Mourinho said. gal transfer of minors expires on Monday, meaning Costa creating and converting chances, scoring fewer goals (25) welcome possible.” (Source: Reuters) could make his debut against Lleida Esportiu in the King’s than the other teams in the top four. (Source: Mirror) I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y JANUARY 1, 2017 SPORTS 15

Lopetegui: Iran, Portugal Yakhchali in Asia Region Team Future 2nd Team

Behnam Yakhchali from Iran has been mentioned among the and Morocco are all the same young players who have proven themselves worthy to be among the Asia region’s Team Future 2nd Team. SPORTS Spain national football team coach desk Yakhchali is one of the most productive young player who Julen Lopetegui says Iran, Portugal saw action for Team Melli at either the FIBA Asia Cup 2017 or and Morocco are all the same. the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 Asian Qualifiers. La Roja have been drawn with Iran, Portugal and Morocco in Group B of the 2018 World Cup. Spain will face Portugal in their opening match then face Team Melli five days later and meet Morocco on June 25. “For us, they are all the same. Of course, we know Portugal better but we also know that Iran are the Best Asian team and Morocco are the African best,” Lopetegui told AS. “Portugal are the European champions and take advantage of quality player like Cristiano Ronaldo. He is supported by a great generation of players from behind. Portugal are a country with great players and an excellent level of coaches. Its tactical culture is very rich,” he added. “Without a doubt, Ronaldo is one of the best players in history. His ambition pushes him To be considered for Team Future, a player has to be born no forward,” Lopetegui stated. earlier than in 1995, fiba.com wrote. Asked him if he is not worried about Iran and Morocco, The “young veteran” scored in double-figures in all but one the Spaniard coach said, “Iran have lost just two matches Asia Cup fixture for Iran, and he remains their best backcourt of their last 38 matches. The Iranian team are very scoring option. He should have a big impact in the coming win- well-organized and have Physical players. They are dows this year for Team Melli. heading under guidance a coach for six years. (Source: FIBA) “Morocco are also a difficult team, especially at this time. With the new coach they have recovered and have good players. We will respect the rivals because it’s World Cup. At the moment we have only won the Weightlifter Alihosseini right to play three games. Now, we have to earn the right to continue playing more. We have to go with undergoes knee surgery humility but with ambition,” he said. TASNIM — Iranian super heavyweight weightlifter Saeid Ali- hosseini underwent meniscus surgery on Sunday. Hojjatollah Dehkhodaei elected The weightlifter has undergone surgery for a tear in his knee. The surgery was performed by Dr. Mohammad Razi. Alihosseini is expected to be out for several weeks. Iran Polo Federation president He claimed a silver medal at the 2017 International SPORTS Hojjatollah Dehkhodaei has been Gilani told Iranian news agencies that she had not Weightlifting Federation (IWF) World Championships in deskelected as new president of polo received any letter in this regard but the sports au- early December. federation in Iran on Sunday. thorities had appointed Homeyra Asadi as temporary The 29-year-old lifter was originally banned for life but suc- He secured 19 votes out of 19 in the elections held president for the federation. cessfully appealed and has trained at his father’s gym since 2011 in Iran’s Olympic Academy, located in Tehran. Polo was invented and reportedly first played in when CAS reduced the suspension to eight years. The federation was without a president since Sep- 600 BC in ancient Persia. The original name of polo He intends to compete at the 2018 Asian Games and Tokyo tember after Golnar Vakil Gilani was dismissed from is “Chogan” and in Iran the game is still referred to 2020 Olympic Games. his post. as “Chogan”. Throughout history, the game has been Golnar Vakil Gilani was reportedly fired over leaked popular among warriors, generals, princes, and kings private photos. as a means of training cavalry for warfare. Iran to host Asian 7-a-side football tournament in FIFA claims attempt to contact doping Bayern Munich reportedly win the race December whistleblower for Schalke’s Leon Goretzka FIFA tried to contact Russian whistle- According to recent reports, Bayern Press TV — The Islamic Republic of Iran is set to host an in- blower Grigory Rodchenkov over accu- Munich have beaten other top Euro- ternational 7-a-side football tournament late next year, with sations of doping in Russian football pean clubs for the signature of Schalke national men’s teams from various Asian countries heading to and will do so again after samples have midfielder Leon Goretzka. the country for the event. been re-tested by the World Anti-Dop- Leon Goretzka has been heavily Vice President of the Islamic Republic of Iran Sports Fed- ing Agency (WADA), world football’s linked with Bayern Munich for some eration for the Disabled, Mohammad Reza Golshani, said on governing body told AFP. time now. As he enters into the final Saturday that the competition is scheduled to open next De- In an interview to the Associated six months of his current deal at FC cember in Kish Island in the Persian Gulf, and preparations Press, Rodchenkov’s lawyer said his Schalke, the German side has tried to are underway in order to put sports facilities in order and send client had information that could be make him the most paid player at the out the invitations,. of interest but claimed FIFA had not club, but Goretzka is not keen on signing He added that his federation plan to sign a new head coach for the made any attempt to contact the man a new deal. Iranian men’s national 7-a-side football team in order for the squad who was the source of revelations about With that, he’ll be able to sign for to have a remarkable performance throughput the tournament. state-sponsored doping in the host na- another club on a free transfer soon, The 7-a-side football is a form of association football for tion of the 2018 World Cup. and join them in ths summer. Barcelo- athletes with cerebral palsy and other neurological disorders, Contacted by AFP, FIFA said they na and Liverpool are among the clubs namely stroke and traumatic brain injury. had tried to get hold of Rodchenkov via showing interest in Goretzka. However, Matches consist of two 30-minute halves, with a 15-minute WADA before November 22 this year, Spanish news outlet Marca report that interval, and are played with modified FIFA rules. only to be told he was not available. Bayern Munich have sealed the deal Now FIFA are waiting for WADA’s for Goretzka. The German club already reanalysis of doping tests, which they have an agreement with the player and expect to begin in mid-January. Since then, Russian athletes have the player is keen to join the Bavarians ture. Vidal has significantly improved Iranian referees to officiate “The process is ongoing and FIFA will been banned from the Rio Olympics over any other club. in the past month after a poor start to at Karate 1 - Premier League contact Dr Rodchenkov via the agreed in 2016 and Russia has been barred ayern Munich are quite efficient in the season. However, his inconsistency channel when the time is right,” world from participating at February’s Winter getting free agents from other Bundesliga has reportedly forced Bayern Munich Paris 2018 football’s governing body said. Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, clubs. They signed Sebastian Rudy from to think about his departure. Rodchenkov is the former director though athletes who are deemed “clean” Hoffenheim in a similar deal just a year Goretzka admitted earlier this season of the Moscow anti-doping laboratory. can compete under the Olympic flag. ago. The Bavarians may even announce that he will make a decision about his IRNA — Head of the Referees Committee at the Islamic Republic He fled to the United States in 2016 The spotlight has turned to possible the Goretzka deal in January like they future in January. The midfielder has of Iran Karate Federation says eight Iranian referees will officiate saying he feared for his life after the cases of doping in football with Russia set did with Rudy. enjoyed a great spell at Schalke, and has at the Karate 1 - Premier League Paris 2018, which is scheduled sudden death of two senior officials to host the World Cup in June and July. It has been widely suggested by Ger- also enjoyed some good displays with to take place in France early next year. in the Russian Anti-Doping Agency However, FIFA president Gianni man media that Goretzka will probably the German national team. Bayern Mu- Javad Salimi said on Saturday that the competitions will kick (RUSADA). Infantino insisted earlier this month be a replacement for Arturo Vidal. The nich have always been wise while getting off on January 26 and will wrap up on January 28. He then provided information which that all tests carried out thus far had Chilean midfielder will be 31 in May young German talent and Goretzka will He added that he will join seven other referees, namely Reza led to an investigation of doping at the come back negative. and there is proper interest from both probably join this list soon. Khademian, Jamshid Zand, Akbar Dehghan, Mohammad Mo- Sochi Winter Games in 2014. (Source: sport24) Chelsea and Inter Milan for his signa- (Source: bayernstrikes) hammadkhani, Farshad Manafnejad, Hassan Kharaghani and Elmira Goulzadeh, who will represent the Islamic Republic of Iran during the high-status international event. Protecting the beautiful game - Aleksander Ceferin In his end-of-year message, UEFA President Aleksander against negative phenomena like doping and match-fixing European national associations. Haddadi among 2017 Asian 5 Ceferin looks back at 2017 – a year when UEFA continued – eradicating the latter is essential if we are to safeguard The year has seen a trio of former top players join our top centers to impressively fulfill its core mission to protect, promote football against a disease that endangers its very soul. Nor organization – Nadine Kessler and Dejan Stankovic in and develop European football. will we show any tolerance towards those who besmirch March, and Luís Figo in October. I feel that this is very The end of my first full year as UEFA President provides the sport with racist or discriminatory conduct. important for UEFA. Our new colleagues are ideally IRNA — Iranian basketball team captain Hamed Haddadi has a perfect opportunity to reflect on 12 months in which UEFA Football must continue to use its power and popularity placed, with their knowledge and experience, to play a been listed as Asian top players and also among 2017 top 5 centers. has moved forward with purpose and confidence at the as a force for social good, and UEFA’s social heart has been key decision-making role with us. Quincy Davis from Taipei, Haddadi from Iran, Wang Zhelin service of European football. beating more strongly than ever in 2017. There is much for us to do and look forward to next year. from China, Andray Blatche from Philippines and Alex Pledger Throughout 2017, we have steadfastly remained true to Our new #EqualGame campaign is proving to be an A new national team competition, the UEFA Nations League, from New Zealand from the 5 top centers. our core mission of protecting, promoting and developing excellent vehicle in transmitting core values of diversity gets under way. We are eagerly awaiting the kick-off of a “Like the previous weeks’ lists of top guards and forwards, the the game at all levels on this continent. and inclusion – and that football is a game for everyone, no competition that will reinforce the standing of European list of top centers here is based on production in actual games On the governance front, we have set the course for to- matter who they are, what they are and where they are from. national team football, such a crucial source of national played in either or both the FIBA Asia Cup 2017 and the FIBA morrow. Reform proposals approved at the UEFA Congress The drive to attract more women and girls to football pride and football identity. Basketball World Cup 2019 Asian Qualifiers first window. Those in Helsinki in April are reinforcing UEFA’s foundations has also gained fresh impetus this year with the launch Time never stands still in football, and we will be who did not see action in any of those competitions were not con- and creating the necessary calm and stability for us to of the Together #WePlayStrong campaign. Women’s courageous, decisive and forward-looking in meeting sidered,” International Basketball Federation (FIBA) reported. carry out our functions. football has considerable potential, and we must strive challenges and strengthening our credibility. Rest assured “The 2.18m man in the middle for Team Melli continued to The close bond with our member associations has endured to change perceptions of it. that football will always come first in all of our actions. be a force of nature in Asia this year. The former NBA center for more than six decades since UEFA’s birth, and remains a firm A great step in that direction came at the year’s major We must protect and cherish this beautiful game that exhibited well-rounded play for Iran at the Asia Cup, where he cornerstone of our activities. In addition, we have strengthened European tournament, Women’s EURO 2017 in the Neth- means so much to all of us. was pretty much a ‘point center’ as much as an inside scorer our dialogue and relations with key European stakeholders erlands, which took the elite women’s game to another With this in mind, I would like to close by sending and rim protector. Haddadi hurt Iran’s foes in so many ways in such as the clubs and leagues, and given them an enhanced level. A memorable three-week festival of football saw season’s greetings to you and your families, and wish that tournament, which was a huge reason they finished second role within our decision-making process. new teams and new stars emerge – highlighting the you a happy and prosperous New Year. behind Australia. It’s a pity he missed the first window of the We are continuing our work at the forefront of the fight excellent development work being undertaken by the (Source: UEFA) Asian Qualifiers, though,” according to FIBA. Prayer Times Noon:12:08 Evening: 17:22 Dawn: 5:45 (tomorrow) Sunrise: 7:14 (tomorrow) JANUARY 1, 2018 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 Fax: (+98 21) 88808214 — 88808895 Fajr Film Editorial Dept.: [email protected] Switchboard Operator: Tel: (+98 21) 43051000 Advertisements Dept.: Telefax: (+98 21) 43051450 Public Relations Office: Tel: (+98 21) 88805807 Festival Subscription & Distribution Dept.: Tel: (+98 21) 43051603 www.eshterak.ir Distributor: Padideh Novin Co. Tel: 88911433 Webmaster: [email protected] Printed at: Rooztab - ISSN: 1017-94 unveils No. 18, Bimeh Alley, Nejatollahi St., Tehran, Iran P.o. Box: 14155-4843 Zip Code: 1599814713 official lineup 1 Also included are “Bomb” by Peyman Moaadi, “Emperor of Hell” by Parviz Sheikh-Tadi, “Highlight” by Asghar Naimi, “Old Road” by Manijeh Hekmat and “Truck” by Kambozia Partovi. Five short stories competing “The Elephant King”, an animated film by Hadi Mohammadian is one the highlights of the lineup. in Jalal Literary Awards In addition, the documentary films “Iran’s Lady Qods” by Mostafa Razzaq-Karimi and “Women with Gunpowder CULTURE TEHRAN — Five short stories are competing desk Earrings” by Reza Farahmand will compete in the festival, Ebrahim Hatamikia directs a scene from “At Damascus Time”, which will be screened in the official competition of the in the 10th Jalal Al-e Ahmad Literary Awards, which is Iran’s major event in the motion picture industry. 36th Fajr Film Festival. the organizers announced on Sunday. “My Husband’s Name Is Tehran” by Zohreh Shabani, “Without Wind, Without Shovel” by Fariba Vafi and “Weightlessness” by Mohsen Abbasi are among the nominees. IRIB renames Ghazali Cinema Town ARTTEHRAN —The Ghazali Cinema Town, Busts of the five stars of “Hezar Dastan”, Ali Hatami’s deskwhich represents old Tehran in many his- popular TV series that was filmed in the town during the torical movies and TV series, has been renamed the Iran 1980s, are due to be set up in the town, he added. Cinema and Television Town by the Jamshid Mashayekhi, Ezzatollah Entezami, Moham- Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting. mad-Ali Keshavarz, Ali Nasirian and Davud Rashidi are The decision to rename the town was made by Abdol-Ali the five actors. Ali-Asgari, the director of Islamic Republic of Iran Broad- Sculptures of Hatami and actor Khosro Shakibai, make- casting (IRIB), which is the owner of the place, the director up artist Abdollah Eskandari and other film celebrities will of the town, Kamal Feizabadi, announced on Saturday. also be set up in the near future. A view the Iran Cinema and Television Town Turkish publisher buys rights to Farhad Hassanzadeh’s “Hasti” Front covers of five short stories competing in the 10th Jalal ARTTEHRAN — Timas (IIDCYA) announced on Saturday. Hasti dresses like boys, rides on motorbikes celebrate her birthday together. Al-e Ahmad Literary Awards deskPublications in Turkey “Hasti” is about a twelve-year-old girl and plays soccer with boys. Translated by Nezahat Basci into Turkish, “Our Little House” by Dariush Ahmadi and “Yahya Stone” by has recently bought the rights to Iranian from Abadan, who is unlike any other teenage Timas Publications has also published the book was introduced at the Istanbul Khosro Abbasi have also been nominated for the award. children’s writer Farhad Hassanzadeh’s girl in her city. While the conservative society Hassanzadeh’s another book “Call Me Ziba”, Book Fair in November. The winners of the Jalal Al-e Ahmad Literary Awards, Iran’s book “Hasti”, Iran’s Institute for Intellectual expects girls her age to play with dolls, do which is about a young girl who wants to help Both books were originally published most lucrative literary prize, will be announced during a ceremony Development of Children and Young Adults needlework and dream of their wedding days, her father escape from a mental hospital to by the IIDCYA. at Tehran’s Vahdat Hall on January 6. Movies from Iran selected to screen at intl. events International musicians to ARTTEHRAN – Eight Iranian “Release from Heaven”, an acclaimed by Reza Golchin and “Hypnotism” by Arshia perform at Fajr festival deskfilms will go on screen at animation by Ali Nuri Oskui, will be screened Zeinali will also go on screen in the short three international festivals in the United at the International Peace and Film Festival, film section of the festival. ARTTEHRAN – A number of musicians and bands States and Canada during January. which will run in the U.S. city of Orlando The Canada Independent Film Festival, deskfrom around the world are scheduled to perform Iranian-Armenian filmmaker Anahid from January 18 to 20. which is scheduled to be held in Montréal on at the 33rd Fajr International Music Festival, the organizers have Abad’s “Yeva”, Majid Majidi’s “Beyond the The film is about a female writer and January 26, will screen “Life without Life” recently announced. Clouds” and Vahid Jalilvand’s acclaimed film teacher who accompanies two of her students by Kaveh Moeinfar. “No Date, No Signature” will go on screen at on an inner spiritual journey in a war-torn The film is about Satyar, a music teacher the Palm Springs International Film Festival country. whose father is fighting cancer, but amid A poster for “Life without Life” by Kaveh in the U.S. city from January 2 to 15. “White Shadows” by Mehdi Amini, “Track” music and death, life goes on. Moeinfar Dan Talbot, Lincoln Plaza New technology aims to slow damage Cinemas co-founder, dies at 91 to Georgia O’Keeffe works

French drummer Manu Katché, Italian musicians Francesco Cafiso and Luca Ciarla, Portuguese singer Ricardo Ribeiro and Indian sitar player Shahid Parvez Khan are among the musicians. Klenke Quartet from Germany, Renaissance Ensemble from Serbia, Egschiglen from Mongolia, Trio Chausson from France and Wild Strings Trio from Slovenia will also attend the festival. The 33rd Fajr International Music Festival will run in Tehran from January 10 to 20.

“Mary Poppins Returns”: Lin-Manuel Miranda, Emily Blunt, kids take Joyride in new image Dan Talbot (Getty Images) Dale Kronkright, head of conservation at the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum, studies oil painting by Georgia O’Keeffe for signs of deterioration in Santa Fe, N.M., Dec. 29, LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) — Disney is hoping LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Properties, which owns the building in 2017. Kronkright looks at a painting titled Above the Clouds 1. (AP Photo/Morgan Lee) Reporter) —Dan Talbot, co-founder of which the theater is located. Mary Poppins fans will once again feel supercalifragilisticexpialido- SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Chemical reac- contained in pigments or drying agents. cious when they see the upcoming sequel, “Mary Poppins Returns”. Lincoln Plaza Cinemas and an influential The Talbots were influential figures in figure in the independent film world, has the independent film world. The couple tions are gradually darkening many of Georgia Tiny blisters emerge in the paint and turn And just less than a year away O’Keeffe’s famously vibrant paintings, and art into protrusions that resemble tiny grains of from the film’s Christmas 2018 died, general manager Ewnetu Admassu started in specialty film exhibition in the has confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter. 1960s when they opened the New Yorker conservation experts are hoping new digital sand and can appear translucent or white. release date, a new image from imaging tools can help them slow the damage. Thousands of the tiny blemishes can noticeably the movie has surfaced. Talbot was 91 and died of heart failure, Theater, which stayed in business until Admassu said. 1973. That was followed by the Manhattan Scientific experts in art conservation from darken a painting. The production still, posted Santa Fe, New Mexico, and the Chicago area “They’re a little bit bigger than human on Twitter, shows Hamilton’s “He was a fantastic man. A real movie Cinema Studio and Metro Theater in the man,” Admassu added. mid-’70s and early ‘80s. Dan Talbot also announced plans this week to develop ad- hair, and you can see them with the naked Lin-Manuel Miranda and Emily vanced 3-D imaging technology to detect eye,” Kronkright said. Blunt having fun while on a joy- Talbot’s death comes shortly after ran the indie film distributor New Yorker news broke that the long-running New Films from 1965 to 2009. destructive buildup in paintings by O’Keef- The creeping problem looms not only over ride with Georgie (Joel Dawson). fe and eventually other artists in museum O’Keeffe’s iconic paintings of enlarged flow- Blunt takes on Julie Andrews’ York art house theater on Manhattan’s In an introduction to Toby Talbot’s Upper West Side, is set to close its doors 2009 book, “The New Yorker Theater and collections around the world. ers and the New Mexico desert but also the renowned role as the magical Dale Kronkright, art conservationist at vast majority of 20th century oil paintings in nanny Poppins, with Miranda at the end of January. Other Scenes From a Life at the Movies”, “We lost our lease, and they are not Martin Scorsese wrote, “Anyone who lives the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum in Santa Fe, museums, in part because professional-grade playing Poppins’ lamplighter said the project builds on efforts that began canvases from the period were primed with friend, Jack. willing to extend it,” Admassu told THR in America and cares about cinema and earlier this month. “We’re not closing its history, no matter how old or young, in 2011 to monitor the preservation of O’Keef- nondrying fats or oils, Kronkright said. The sequel takes place 25 fe paintings using high-grade images from To develop imaging technology that can years after the events of the origi- because of lack of business.” owes something to The New Yorker and Dan and his wife, Toby Talbot, ran to Dan and Toby Talbot.” multiple sources of light. That prevented assess the growth of the protrusions, the nal Mary Poppins film, following taking physical samples that might damage National Endowment for the Humanities “Mary Poppins Returns” the now-grown children Michael and programmed the six-screen multiplex According to the Lincoln Plaza Cinemas (Courtesy of Disney) at 1886 Broadway between 62nd and Facebook page, a memorial for Dan Talbot the works. awarded $350,000 to the O’Keeffe museum (Ben Whishaw) and Jane Banks Destructive buildup of soap can emerge as and a collaborative art-conservation center (Emily Mortimer), who have endured their own personal loss and 63rd Streets. The theater, which opened took place at Riverside Memorial Chapel in 1981, is a joint venture between the at 180 West 76th Street in New York on paintings age. It happens as fats in the original run by Northwestern University and the Art need the help of their former nanny. Eager to help the children in oil paints combine with alkaline materials Institute of Chicago. any way they can, Blunt’s Poppins and Miranda’s Jack join forces. Talbots, France’s Gaumont and Millstein Sunday, Dec. 31. In March, Disney offered a first look at the anticipated musical, releasing a still of Blunt in character as Poppins standing outside the beloved Banks family home. Oscar-winning film editor Thomas Stanford dies at 93 Meryl Streep, Colin Firth and Angela Lansbury will also star in SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Thomas Stanford, who saying only that he had a “long and happy life.” and television movies. He received an Oscar in 1962 the sequel. Rob Marshall will direct the film, while Marc Platt and was known for his award-winning editing work on Born in Germany and educated in Switzerland for his work on “West Side Story.” John DeLuca will serve as producers. Marc Shaiman and Scott “West Side Story,” has died. He was 93. and England, he moved to Santa Fe, New Mexico, He is survived by his partner Sherry Bendickson; Wittman will join forces to pen and compose original songs and His family says in a newspaper announcement in 1987 following a decades-long career as a film daughter Nina Mullan and her husband Brendt and an original score for the musical sequel. published Friday that Stanford died Dec. 23. They editor in Hollywood. their children; and son Adam Stanford and his wife “Mary Poppins Returns” is set to hit theaters on Dec. 25, 2018. did not provide any details about the cause of death, He earned credits for more than two dozen films Lyn.