WWW.TEHRANTIMES.COM I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y

16 Pages Price 40,000 Rials 1.00 EURO 4.00 AED 39th year No.13552 Thursday DECEMBER 12, 2019 Azar 21, 1398 Rabi’ Al thani 15, 1441 Iran will surmount Iran foils AFC officials reminisce Tehran FICTS sanctions major foreign about 2019 ACL final in festival announces 2 cyberattack 3 Tehran, official says 15 documentary lineup 16

Exclusive exhibition of Iranian See page 2 products opens in Tashkent UN unable to TEHRAN — An exclusive exhibi- Iran International Exhibitions Com- tion of Iranian products opened in pany, as well as Uzbekistan’s deputy Uzbekistan capital city Tashkent on minister of investment and foreign Wednesday and will wrap up on Fri- trade. day, Shata reported. Zadboum and Hosseinzadeh have The inaugural ceremony of the ex- travelled to Uzbekistan accompanying verify arms hibit was attended by Hamid Zadboum, an Iranian trade delegation and are also the head of Iran’s Trade Promotion planned to take part in the 13th meeting Organization (TPO), and Bahman Hos- of Iran-Uzbekistan Joint Economic Com- used in Aramco seinzadeh, the managing director of mittee on Thursday and Friday. 4 Iran: PGCC statement on islands attack were insult to national sovereignty TEHRAN — The Iranian Foreign Minis- for unwise policies, should respond to the try on Wednesday deplored the anti-Iran public opinion that what have they done statement by the Persian Gulf Cooperation so far except creating and reinvigorating Council (PGCC) as baseless and a rep- the Takfiri terrorist groups in Iraq, Syria from Iran etition of old allegations, saying claims and Yemen as well as paving the ground of ownership over the Iranian islands for alien countries to enter the Persian in the Persian Gulf is insult to national Gulf?” Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas sovereignty. Mousavi asked in reaction to the statement “A few regional countries, which issued by the PGCC in its 40th meeting have thus far been providing supports in Riyadh on Wednesday. 2

UN: The third party is involved in killing Iraqi demonstrators UN mission in Iraq said in a report that ers and security forces in order to create the third party is involved in the premed- chaos and strife, it added. itated killing and kidnapping of some Also, leader of Iraq’s Asaib Ahl al- demonstrators. Haq group, which is part of the country’s Previously the Iraqi Defense Ministry Popular Mobilization Forces or Hashd

announced third party brought gas bombs al-Sha’abi, said Washington and Tel Aviv to kill protesters. are members of “a third party” that has A “third party” is responsible for the been behind many deaths during the recent Reuters horrific murder and targeting of protest- unrest. 13 EDITORIAL ARTICLE Mohammad Ghaderi U.S. halts military training for Saudi students after shooting Afshin Majlesi Tehran Times editor-in-chief U.S. bars former Saudi diplomat from entering country Tehran Times journalist @ghaderi62 Training of all Saudi Arabian military personnel intended to allow for a broader review of security Navy spokeswoman Lieutenant Andriana in the United States was stopped until further procedures that would eventually apply to all of some Genualdi said the safety stand-down and oper- Why the official notice after a Saudi airman shot and killed three 5,000 international military students in the U.S. ational pause began on Monday for Saudi Arabian Tribal tourism people last week at a base in Florida. The safety stand-down only applied to the aviation students. She said the grounding included death toll in recent The Pentagon’s decision will have far-reaching some 850 visiting students from Saudi Arabia. three different military facilities: Naval Air Station gives chance to effects on visiting Saudi personnel, including The FBI has said it believes Alshamrani acted Pensacola, Naval Air Station Whiting Field, and events has not been grounding more than 300 Saudi Arabian military alone before he was fatally shot by a deputy sheriff. Naval Air Station Mayport, all in Florida state. discover another aviation students as part of a “safety stand-down”. “I don’t have any evidence to suggest that there “Given the traumatic events, we feel it is best announced yet The Pentagon later on Tuesday said the move is a larger ring or larger conspiracy,” a military to keep the Royal Saudi Air Force students off the face of Iran would also affect infantry personnel and all other official said. flying schedule for a short time,” Genualdi said. he main question that has been Saudi military training, other than classroom Saudi-American alliance Alshamrani was on the base as part of a Navy or both domestic and foreign trav- raised in regard to the events of lessons. Such coursework, which includes Eng- The shootings have again raised questions training programme designed to foster links with elers, tribal tourism is all about Tthe past few weeks that followed lish-language classes, will continue. about the U.S. military relationship with Saudi foreign allies. He had started training in the U.S. in Fopening eyes to new places, tradi- the gasoline price reform is about the Mohammed Alshamrani, a 21-year-old lieu- Arabia, which has come under heightened scrutiny 2017 and had been in the Pensacola area for the past tions, cuisines, beliefs, and ways of life. number of the dead and why it has not tenant in the Saudi Royal Air Force, opened fire in Congress over the war in Yemen and Saudi 18 months. Also called ethno-tourism, ethnic been announced yet? in a classroom at Pensacola Naval Air Station in Arabia’s killing of Washington Post columnist A group that tracks online extremism has said tourism or tribe tourism, it lays the Opposition media, focusing on the Florida on Friday, killing three American sailors Jamal Khashoggi last year. Alshamrani appeared to have posted criticism of ground for you to feel indigenous people death toll, pursue a completely biased and wounding eight other people before being U.S. military leaders have sought to portray U.S. wars in predominantly Muslim countries and by living with a nomad or rural family or agenda to create mistrust in people and shot dead by police. the attack as an isolated incident that would not quoted slain al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden on enjoying an independent stay. However, incite international organizations to issue A senior Pentagon official said the move was affect the overall U.S.-Saudi relationship. Twitter hours before the shooting spree. 13 as the name implies, it’s a trip for recre- human rights resolutions against Iran. ational purposes rather than being an Intentionally announcing false fig- expedition for anthropological research! ures, such as 350, 500, or even thousands Terrorists, White Helmets transport chemicals to the Idlib There are many tourists from all over by Trump are just a few examples of the world who tend to observe the lifestyle rumors and propaganda campaign by In coordination with the so-called “White Helmets” cess was supervised by experts from Al-Nusra was carried out in conjunction with a local leader of these hardworking people and spend the opposition media. terrorist group and the supervision of Turkish terrorists who have French, Belgian and Turkish of the terrorist “Al-Nusra Front”. a few days watching activities such as Now the question is whether there are and European experts, the terrorists of Al-Nusra nationalities. Many documents, which were found by the milking, yogurt making, buttering, oil- no official statistics about the number Front organization transported a shipment of The sources added that the cylinders arrived Syrian Arab Army in the areas liberated from ing, woolen, carpeting and much more. of those killed, or if there is, why it takes chemicals packed in cylinders containing toxic last Wednesday at dawn to the city of Saraqib terrorism where the White Helmets operate, Many Iranian and foreign tourists are so long to be announced. chlorine gas towards the cities of Saraqib and and were stored in one of the headquarters of confirmed the organization’s engagement with interested in sleeping in the nomadic Our investigations show that the Maarat al-Numan, south of Idlib. the Takfiri organization south of the city of Idlib, terrorist organizations and its support for them black tents. exact number of the dead is available The mentioned cylinders reached the two while the other cylinders headed to the area of with preparing and promoting the use of chemical For some, it’s a great opportunity to the relevant organizations, but it has regions from outside Idlib governorate by two Maarat al-Numan. weapons against civilians, like what happened in to learning more about the world and taken some time to be announced, as it cars belonging to the “White Helmets” terrorist The sources quoted a member of the “White Eastern Ghouta in Damascus countryside several yourself. Some other may say, in our requires exact analysis of why and how group, the Russian Sputnik Agency quoted local Helmets” group as saying that the process of times and in areas in Aleppo where the Syrian globalized age, seeing indigenous cultures they were killed. sources as saying, adding that the transfer pro- transferring the “cylinders” to their new locations Arab Army was falsely accused. 13 with the naked eye yields more memo- In other words, the establishment not rable and authentic experience. And for only is not indifferent to this important others, tribal tourism may simply be a issue, but it is seriously seeking to clarify Mourners bid kind of nosy exercise to discover people the various aspects of the matter so that whose appearance and way of life look the rights of the dead and also their very different to their own. families are not disregarded. farewell to pop And finally, for indigenous commu- In this regard, we can mention the nities, it brings financial benefits and letter by the Supreme National Security singer Turaj cultural exchange. From another point Council to the Leader of the Islamic of view, tribal tourism has its own chal- Revolution. The content of the letter as Shabankhani lenges; it can cause immense damage well as the Leader’s response to the letter to the environment for intense. has been already published in the media. Varied natural setting of the country Given the importance of the issue, the TEHRAN – Pop singer Turaj Shabankhani, fa- never disappoints visitors when it comes letter has made detailed suggestions; if mous for his song “Bahar Bahar” (spring, spring), to tribal tourism as the culturally-diverse confirmed, based on which the decision was laid to rest in the Artists Section of Tehran’s country is home to many regional people will be made in accordance to the way Behesht Zahra Cemetery on Wednesday. including ones with Turk and Arab ele- they were killed. Shabankhani was suffering from a type of ments in addition to the Kurds, Baloch, In fact, if the government were to lung disease and passed away on Monday at Bakhtyari, Lurs, and other smaller mi- take no responsibility for the killings, the age of 69. norities such as Armenians, Assyrians, it could immediately announce the Ali Khara His funeral procession took place in the court- Jews and others. death toll. The Leader’s strict order yard of Tehran’s Vahdat Hall and was attended by Language, music, indigenous cuisine, for observing Islamic mercy and ac- large number of musicians and cultural officials. clothing, songs, anecdotes, crafts, live curately assessing the pros and cons Poet Mohamad-Ali Bahmani, the writer of performances, and local rituals such as of the issue have necessitated careful “Bahar Bahar”, made short speech at the fu- celebrations and wedding ceremonies examination. This obviously prolonged Tehran Times/ neral service, calling Turaj a very good and have always spurred many to experienc- kind person. the process. 3 16 ing life among the tribes. 10 I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y POLITICS DECEMBER 12, 2019

Zarif calls foreign Foreign Ministry to PGCC: Statement on interference in Afghan peace talks ‘unacceptable’ Iranian islands is insult to national sovereignty POLITICAL TEHRAN — Iranian Foreign Minister Moham- Mousavi calls PGCC remarks on Iran’s decision to reduce JCPOA commitments a ‘historic joke’ deskmad Javad Zarif has said foreign interference POLITICAL TEHRAN — The Irani- “Any claim on these three islands is con- in the Afghan peace talks is “unacceptable”. deskan Foreign Ministry on sidered by Iran as an act of interference in “Peace is for the Afghans and must be managed by the Af- Wednesday deplored the anti-Iran statement the country’s internal affairs and insult to ghan government, and Taliban must be part of this process,” by the Persian Gulf Cooperation Council our territorial sovereignty.” IRNA quoted him as saying in (PGCC) as baseless and a repetition of old He said, “Iran strongly condemns such an interview with an Afghan allegations, saying claims of ownership over statements.” TV channel aired on Tuesday. the Iranian islands in the Persian Gulf is “Historic joke” Zarif said on Monday that insult to national sovereignty. Mousavi also mocked the statement by Iran supports an Afghan-owned “A few regional countries, which have thus the PGCC in which it criticized Iran for scal- and Afghan-led peace process far been providing supports for unwise poli- ing down its undertakings under the Joint with the participation of all po- cies, should respond to the public opinion that Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), litical groups and factions. what have they done so far except creating and saying it is a “historic joke”. “We support an Af- reinvigorating the Takfiri terrorist groups in “The countries that applied their entire ghan-owned and Afghan-led Iraq, Syria and Yemen as well as paving the efforts and wealth against the JCPOA are peace process with the partic- ground for alien countries to enter the Persian now opposing Iran’s legitimate measures.” ipation of all political groups and Gulf?” Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Iran has started to reduce its commitments factions including the Taliban Mousavi asked in reaction to the statement to the JCPOA in response to the abrogation with the Afghan government issued by the PGCC in its 40th meeting in of the nuclear deal by the U.S. and the return in the center,” he said during Riyadh on Wednesday. of sanctions. a speech at the Ministerial Mousavi added, “What have they done In early May, Saudi Arabia, a longtime Conference of Heart of Asia so far for de-escalation of tensions in the U.S. ally, said it “supports and welcomes” Countries in Istanbul, Turkey. region?” U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to He added, “We believe the United Nations could become The Foreign Ministry spokesman indirectly opportunity created by Iran’s proposed Hor- has ended in widespread massacre of inno- withdraw from the 2015 nuclear deal. active to bring all domestic groups as well as international suggested that Saudi Arabia and the United muz Peace Endeavor whose aim is restoring cent civilians, women, children and the old “The kingdom supports and welcomes partners of the Afghan government under one umbrella to Arab Emirates are behind such statements security and stability in the region.” and has also spread insecurity and terrorism the steps announced by the U.S. president facilitate this process.” against Iran by the PGGC. The spokesman suggested that “other in the region, are now trying to external- towards withdrawing from the nuclear deal… In a meeting with Afghanistan’s Chief Executive Abdullah PGCC includes Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman, regional countries should not allow them ize their self-made problems to evade any and reinstating economic sanctions against Abdullah on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organiza- the UAE and Saudi Arabia. to do so.” international punishments for their open Iran,” the Saudi Foreign Ministry said at tion (SCO) meeting in Uzbekistan on November 1, Iranian First “Repeating baseless claims in the state- Pointing to policies by senior Iranian offi- violation of international law and committing the time. Vice President Es’haq Jahangiri said that people in Afghanistan ment are result of pressures exerted by a few cials to bolster regional security over the past war crimes,” Mousavi stated. Mousavi further condemned the coun- should decide their own fate, reaffirming Tehran’s support for member states of the Persian Gulf Cooper- long years, Mousavi said, “Offering non-ag- The Armed Conflict Location and Event tries that embarked on providing open Afghan-Afghan peace talks. ation Council which have used their entire gression treaty, regional dialogue assembly Data Project (ACLED) said in a report pub- support for the U.S. economic terrorism attempts in the last recent decades to prevent and ultimately the Hormuz Peace Endeavor lished in early November that the Saudi-led against Iran and said the PGCC’s stance expansion of multilateral cooperation in the are among Iran’s plans to materialize the war on Yemen has killed more than 100,000 in this regard contradicts the good-neigh- Iranian commander visits region,” Mousavi pointed out. idea of regional cooperation.” people since 2015. It said the figure in- borhood policy. The Foreign Ministry official also said The Iranian Foreign Ministry official also cluded 12,000 civilian deaths in directly On Tuesday, Saudi Arabia’s King Salman Pakistan Navy’s training, certain PGCC countries are responsible for held Saudi Arabia and its coalition partners targeted attacks. opened the PGCC summit by calling for re- creating mayhem in Syria and Yemen through responsible for the disaster in Yemen. The United States and the United Kingdom gional unity to confront Iran and secure energy research centers their rash approaches. The UN says over 24 million Yemenis are the main supporters of Saudi Arabia in supplies and maritime channels. “They, due to their narrow-minded opin- are in dire need of humanitarian aid, in- the war, providing the kingdom with billions “Our region today is passing through TEHRAN (Tasnim) — Commander of the Iranian Navy Rear ion, not only have been the cause of looting cluding 10 million suffering from extreme of dollars in arms sales, training, logistical circumstances and challenges that require Admiral Hossein Khanzadi paid visits to several training and their neighboring countries’ wealth but have levels of hunger. support and targeting assistance for airstrikes. concerted efforts to confront them as Iran research centers of the Pakistan Navy in the southern port paved the way for the alien countries’ inter- The war has also taken a heavy toll on the ‘Insult to territorial sovereignty’ continues its aggressive actions that threaten city of Karachi. ference in this vital and sensitive region.” country’s infrastructure, destroying hospitals, Mousavi also underscored Tehran’s posi- security and stability...,” he said. On the second day of his visit to Pakistan, Rear Admiral Khan- He further said, “A few number of the schools, and factories. tion that the three islands of Abu Musa and In a televised speech, he also urged the zadi and his accompanying delegation visited the PNS Qasim, a council’s members intend to continue their “Those countries whose irresponsible Lesser and Greater Tonbs are inseparable global community to address Iran’s nuclear major marines base, a shipyard and several naval training and own unwise policies to ruin the cooperation meddling in other countries’ internal affair parts of Iran. and ballistic missile programs. research centers in Karachi. Speaking on the sidelines of the visits, Khanzadi said train- ing is the best and most effective component of learning and Guterres says UN is unable to verify weapons used in Saudi oil attack were from Iran enhancing experience in peacetime. “During these training interactions and ties (between the POLITICAL TEHRAN — United Nations Secretary a larger game against Iran in line with Trump’s “maximum retaliated against Hodaideh in Yemen today—breaking a navies of Iran and Pakistan), all the capacities and capabilities deskGeneral Antonio Guterres said on Tuesday pressure” campaign against Tehran. UN ceasefire. It is clear that even the Saudis themselves of the two navies can be shared in all areas…,” he added. that the UN is “unable to independently corroborate” that Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said in don’t believe the fiction of Iranian involvement.” In an earlier meeting with his Pakistani counterpart Admiral missiles and drones used in attacks on Saudi oil facilities September that “even the Saudis themselves don’t believe In a letter to the UN Security Council, Iranian Ambas- Zafar Mahmood Abbasi, Rear Admiral Khanzadi called for efforts in September “are of Iranian origin”. the fiction of Iranian involvement” in the attacks on the sador to the United Nations Majid Takht Ravanchi said, to boost naval cooperation between the two Muslim neighbors. “At this time, it is unable to independently corroborate Aramco oil facilities, citing Saudi Arabia’s retaliation attack “It has become a standard practice of certain officials of Khanzadi pointed to Iran’s presidency of the Indian Ocean that the cruise missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles on Hodaideh in Yemen as a reason. the United States who, following any incident -- no matter Naval Symposium (IONS), saying Pakistan has played a construc- used in these attacks are of Iranian origin,” he wrote in In a post on his Twitter account, Zarif said it was “curious” where and by whom – without exception, immediately tive role in collective cooperation among the IONS members. the report, seen by Reuters. that the Saudis, who had blamed Iran for the September and without any investigation and evidence, declare Iran He added that Iran is looking forward to the Pakistani Navy’s Yemenis launched drone attacks on Saudi Arabia’s 14 air raids on two major Saudi oil facilities, had retaliated as the culprit.” participation in a joint maritime security exercise. oil installations on September 14, disrupting half of the against Hodaideh in violation of a UN-brokered ceasefire Takht Ravanchi added, “This ‘maximum deception’ Expressing Iran’s readiness to send warships to the ports of country’s oil supply. agreement signed in Stockholm in December 2018. campaign is in line with and a living example of the so- Pakistan for friendly visits, Khanzadi said the two nations have Washington and Riyadh claimed Iran was behind the “Since the Saudi regime has blamed Iran—baseless as called ‘maximum pressure’ policy of the United States great potential for growth in the shipping industry with their attacks. Tehran has said blaming Iran for the attack is part of that is—for the attacks on its oil facilities, curious that they against Iran.” strategic ports, such as the Gwadar Port and Chabahar. The Iranian commander also warned against hostile attempts to create division among regional nations, stressing that the re- gion would be much safer without the presence of foreign forces. Iran ready to send warships to Iran and Iraq are in the same front: For his part, the Pakistani admiral highlighted the cultural and religious commonalities between the two neighbors, saying Atlantic Ocean: military official Baghdad ambassador that a maritime corridor that links China to Pakistan provides a POLITICAL TEHRAN — Ha- POLITICAL TEHRAN — Saad country’s territorial integrity. perfect economic opportunity for the region and for Iran’s ports. deskbibollah Sayyari, the deskAbdul Wahab Jawad Protests in Iraq began on October 1 Iranian and Pakistani naval forces have in recent years pro- deputy army chief for coordination Qandil, the Iraqi ambassador to Tehran, over the failing economy and demand for moted cooperation and staged several joint drills in the Indian affairs, said on Wednesday that the said on Wednesday that Iran and Iraq are political and anti-corruption reforms. The Ocean and the Sea of Oman. Iranian Navy is capable of sending in the same front. rallies have, however, turned into violent its fleet of warships to the Atlantic According to Tasnim, he said in a con- confrontations on numerous occasions. Ocean. ference in Tehran that foreign plots are at According to the Iraqi parliament’s hu- Sayyari, in an interview with Tasnim work to cause chaos in the region. man rights commission, more than 300 Internet users shocked by in the port city of Konarak, said, “Our The United States has not hidden its people have been killed in the country. fleet enjoys full readiness for presence anger over the friendly ties between Teh- In an interview with the Mehr news new Google ban on Press TV in the Atlantic Ocean as we did it in the ran and Baghdad. Saudi Arabia and the agency published on Monday, Hassan past years when the hegemonic powers coast of Yemen. UAE have also made efforts to undermine Danaeefar, the former Iranian Ambassa- Internet users, including Press TV’s followers on social media drew a 12000-mile line and said that According to UN Security Council relations between Iran and Iraq. dor to Iraq, said that it is the Iraqi people platforms, have reacted with shock and dismay to Google’s most Iran is not allowed to cross that line. resolutions, different countries can Iran rushed to the support of Iraq when who should decide about the destiny of recent attack against the Iranian news network. We entered and sailed round Africa send their warships to the Gulf of Aden ISIS (Daesh) launched a sudden and rapid their own country. “The Islamic Republic On Tuesday, the U.S. tech giant blocked access to Press TV’s to enter the Atlantic Ocean to prove and coastal waters of Somalia against attack against Iraq and captured large swathes of Iran has always wanted peace, welfare YouTube account for a fifth time since the network signed up that we can.” the pirates and even with prior notice of the Iraqi territory in the summer of 2014. and progress for Iraq and also peaceful with the video-sharing platform in 2009. “We are planning to have a similar to the Somali government enter the Mohammad Mehdi Boroumandi, deputy life for all Iraqi groups,” he said. Google also hit Hispan TV, another Iranian news network, presence to move along the Atlantic territorial waters of that country in chairman of the Majlis National Security and The former ambassador also noted that with a similar ban. Last time, Press TV and Hispan TV came Ocean altitude to go forward in the free pursuit of Somali pirates. Foreign Policy Committee, said on Monday despite what the enemies claim, Iran enjoys under attack by the company in April. seas as much as the international mar- The Gulf of Aden – which links that Iran spares no effort in helping the Iraqi “credibility” and not “influence” in Iraq. On no occasion, though, has Google served the networks with itime law permits,” he added. the Indian Ocean with the Suez people. “The Islamic Republic of Iran wants Hundreds of thousands of Iranians visit any notification before pulling the plug on their services. Nor The Iranian Navy has been conduct- Canal and the Mediterranean Sea Iraq, as a neighboring and friendly country, be Iraq during the Arbaeen rituals every year. has it provided any clear explanation. ing anti-piracy patrols in the Gulf of – is an important energy corridor, in peace. So, [Iran] will spare no effort in helping The Arbaeen ritual, which is considered the Soon after Press TV’s website carried the news on Google’s Aden since November 2008, when So- particularly because Persian Gulf the Iraqi people,” ISNA quoted him as saying. greatest gathering in the world, highlights new ban, users created lengthy comment streams in the feedback mali raiders hijacked the Iranian-char- oil is shipped to the West via the He also called on all Iraqi groups to cultural and religious affinities between section running below the story. tered cargo ship, MV Delight, off the Suez Canal. make efforts in line with protecting their the Iranian and Iraqi nations. “The ugliest shame in press freedom [is] to silence the voice for voiceless,” said a user going by the name of “The Truth Hurt For Arrogants,” repeating Press TV’s slogan. Rouhani says Iran will surmount sanctions Patricia, another user, regretted that “the truth is too much Press TV — Iranian President Hassan Rouhani says his and reimposed the sanctions that had been lifted under who have brought it under sanctions, but the country for Google to handle,” while Truth is bitter expressed hope that administration is determined to surmount the sanctions the deal, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive has, at the same time, left an opening for negotiation. “the truth shall prevail over falsehood.” against the country through different means but will Plan of Action (JCPOA). “We have no choice other than resistance and stead- Another user also asked, “What Google is going to achieve not compromise its red lines. In response, Iran has so far rowed back on its nuclear fastness in the face of those who impose sanctions, but by this move since Press TV has captured hearts and minds of “We should either bypass the sanctions or compel the commitments four times in compliance with Articles 26 have not shut the door to negotiation either,” Rouhani millions of people around the world?” enemy to repent, and the administration is determined and 36 of the JCPOA, but stressed that its retaliatory said during an address in Tehran on December 4. Another user said Google was not a “multinational company,” to frustrate this plot (sanctions) both through boosting measures will be reversible as soon as the European sig- “We believe that wrongful and oppressive sanctions adding, “It’s an extension of U.S. government and it should be domestic production and other different means like natories — France, Britain and Germany — find practical should be lifted first, and then the issue of negotiation treated as such.” negotiations,” Rouhani said at a weekly cabinet session ways to shield mutual trade from the U.S. sanctions. can be addressed,” he added. “The puppets, no wonder Russia and China have their own in Tehran on Wednesday. Since then, Trump has on various occasions indi- Resistance key to foiling U.S. plots against intranet,” a user identifying as Zea Mays ?commented on the “But in doing so, the administration will act in line cated his interest in starting renewed talks with Iran to Mideast Twitter post sharing the website’s report. with the establishment’s red lines and will not cross achieve a new deal over the country’s nuclear program, Elsewhere in his remarks, Rouhani said the U.S. “This is what Corporate Cannibalism is all about! They are them,” he added. but Tehran has rejected his calls saying any such talks plots against regional countries will fail through their the most savage form of Colonial Savages!” one user said in a Tensions have soared between Iran and the U.S. since could be only possible if Washington returned to the resistance. comment posted under the story. last year, when President Donald Trump pulled Wash- JCPOA, lifted all sanctions on the country and engaged “Undoubtedly, the Iraqi, Syrian, Lebanese and Ira- “Google will never censor anything pro-Israel,” Abdul noted ington out of the 2015 nuclear deal between Tehran and in talks only within the frame of the P5+1 group. nian nations can resist their (Americans’) plots, and in a comment on Press TV’s website, while Tony Gosling tweeted, the P5+1 group of countries consisting of the United President Rouhani said last week that Iran has been the Iranian nation has been and will be the forerunner “Pro-Zionist BBC still available.” States, the UK, France, Russia, and China plus Germany, left with no choice other than resistance against those in this regard,” he said. I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y DECEMBER 12, 2019 IRAN IN FOCUS 3

Russia, Iran discuss war on terror Iran foils major foreign POLITICAL TEHRAN — Russian ment after talks in Kazakhstan, pledging deskForeign Intelligence to coordinate actions aimed at eliminating cyberattack: minister Service (SVR) Director Sergei Naryshkin the militants. has exchanged views with top Iranian In- Commenting on the work of the Syrian POLITICAL TEHRAN — Communication and Informa- telligence Ministry officials about cooper- Constitutional Committee, the three na- desktion Technology Minister Mohammad Javad ation in fight against terrorism, says SVR tions said it should be governed by a sense Azari Jahromi announced on Wednesday that Iran has foiled a spokesman Sergei Ivanov. of “compromise and constructive engagement” very big organized cyberattack on its electronic infrastructure. “Russian Foreign Intelligence Service without foreign interference and externally Azari Jahromi said the cyberattack was launched by a foreign Director Sergei Naryshkin has concluded imposed timelines. government. his visit to Tehran. He discussed ways to In line with their security cooperation, boost cooperation in the fight against in- Iran, Turkey and Russia launched the Astana ternational terrorism and common security peace talks on the Syrian crisis. threats with senior officials at the Iranian The Astana peace talks were launched Intelligence Ministry,” Ivanov pointed out, on Jan. 23-24, 2017 with the aim of putting TASS reported on Wednesday. an end to the Syrian conflict. Naryshkin also held a meeting with Ira- Kazakhstan has hosted multiple rounds nian Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani. The of talks on Syria since January 2017, backed parties exchanged views on global and regional by the three power brokers, most of which security issues, as well as on cooperation involved delegations from the Syrian gov- between the two countries. ernment and opposition. Meanwhile, Iran, Russia and Turkey have The 14th round of talks kicked off in Nur- said they are concerned about the increased sultan (formerly called Astana) on Wednes- presence of terrorist groups in Syria’s Idlib to create “new realities on the ground, in- and transfer of Syrian oil revenues, Reuters day, with a focus on technical issues, in the province. cluding illegitimate self-rule initiatives” and reported on Wednesday. northern part of Syria, the area of Idlib, and The trio also said they rejected attempts that they were opposed to the illegal seizure They made the remarks in a joint state- the banks of the Euphrates.

“We recently faced a highly organized and state-sponsored attack on our e-government infrastructure which was...repelled Why the official death toll in recent events has not been announced yet by the country’s security shield,” Azari Jahromi told reporters after a cabinet meeting. 1 The letter divided those killed into several groups. It In the case of those who were killed in armed clashes upmost accuracy and precise analysis. The major attack was repelled by the security shield known suggested that based on current legal frameworks, ordinary with security forces, the situation and background of their Obviously, there must be a specific difference between as the Dejfa firewall, the minister added, according to Tasnim. citizens who were not involved in the riots but were killed families is going to be examined. The Leader of the Islamic the one who is supposed to be considered a martyr, the one “It was a very big attack,” Azari-Jahromi said, adding that are considered as “martyrs” and therefore their families Revolution has even ordered that the families of this group, who was killed in the riots, and the person who took arms details would be revealed later. will receive stipends by the Foundation of Martyrs and who were suspected of committing violent acts, be treated against security forces. U.S. officials told Reuters in October that the United States Veterans Affairs. with Islamic mercy. Needless to say, the opposition groups, which re- had carried out a secret cyber strike on Iran after the Sept. 14 It is also suggested that blood money be paid to those Classifying victims into each group will create different leased false reports about the death toll during the riot, attacks on Saudi oil facilities, which Washington and Riyadh who lost a family member and those who were killed during conditions for the families. Therefore, it is natural that the do not care about people and are trying to fish in the claimed Iran was responsible for. the protests. process of examining why and how they were killed requires troubled waters. In a post on his Twitter account back in June, Azari Jahromi said Iran had managed to thwart about 33 million cyber-attacks against its sensitive sites last year (March Google blocks Press TV, Hispan TV’s 14th round of Astana talks on Syria 2018-March 2019). YouTube accounts held in Kazakhstan “Last year, we neutralized not a single strike but 33 million attacks with the Dejfa firewall,” he wrote, stressing that the U.S. tries hard but has not carried out a successful attack. Back in October, head of the Civil Defense Organization Brigadier General Gholam Reza Jalali said Iran is taking legal action against the U.S. over repeated cyberattack attempts and threats, while it is putting in place robust security measures to protect its vital infrastructure. “The Americans have repeatedly threatened and mounted cyberattacks against us,” Jalali told Tasnim.

Austria seeks to preserve nuclear deal: diplomat

POLITICAL TEHRAN — Stefan Scholz, the Austrian deskambassador to Tehran, said on Wednesday that Austria seeks to preserve the 2015 nuclear deal, formally known as the JCPOA. “The Austrian government is interested in preserving the JCPOA and we believe that Europeans must fulfil their promises POLITICAL TEHRAN — Press with the U.S. government’s pressure on TEHRAN (MNA) – The 14th round of the of detainees and abductees. and uphold Iran’s economic benefits,” he said during a meeting deskTV says access to its Iran and an all-out propaganda campaign Astana talks on Syria was held on Wednes- Following the activities of this round of with members of Sanandaj’s city council. YouTube channel has been blocked for against the country, which includes tar- day in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan’s capital. Astana talks, first, the second meeting of He noted that Austria, as a member of the European Union, the fifth time by Google in its most recent geting Iranian media. This round of talks, hosted by the city of delegations of the three guarantor countries is making efforts to save the attack against the Iranian news network. Back in January, Press TV anchor Mar- Nur-Sultan, was attended by delegations was held in a bid to set the final document JCPOA. “On Tuesday, the U.S. tech giant blocked zieh Hashemi was detained by the Federal from the guarantor countries, namely Iran, of the 14th round, then, a quadripartite Austria and Geneva host- access to Press TV’s YouTube account for a Bureau of Investigation (FBI) at St. Louis Russia, Turkey, alongside the UN Special meeting was held with the participation ed the nuclear talks between fifth time since the network signed up with Lambert International Airport in Missouri. Envoy to Syria, as well as the Syrian gov- of the delegation of the guarantor coun- Iran, the 5+1 group, and the the video-sharing platform in 2009,” Press The journalist, a 59-year-old Ameri- ernment and the opposition, as well as tries plus UN Special Envoy to Syria Geir European Union, which led to TV’s website announced on Wednesday. can-born Muslim convert who has lived observers from Lebanon, Iraq, and Jordan. Pederson. the conclusion of the JCPOA It said Google has not provided any in Iran for years, was jailed in the U.S. for Following bilateral, tripartite and quar- At the end, the closing session of this in July 2015. clear explanation. days and later released on January 23 after tet meetings with delegates attending the round of Astana talks was held with the Josep Borrell, the new EU Google also hit Hispan TV, another some 10 days of detention without charge. 14th Astana talks, Iranian delegation head- participation of all delegations. foreign policy chief, said on Iranian news network, with a similar ban. A U.S. federal court failed to indict the ed by Senior Assistant to Iran’s Foreign The talks on Syria, known as the Astana Monday that the signatories to Back in April, Google blocked Press journalist, who was arrested as a material Minister Ali-Asghar Khaji held separate process, were launched by Russia, Tur- the nuclear deal should adopt TV and Hispan TV’s access to their offi- witness in an unspecified criminal pro- meetings with delegations from Syria and key, and Iran in January 2017 to bring all a united stance to preserve cial accounts on its platforms, including ceeding, of any crime. Lebanon on the latest issues. warring parties in Syria to the negotiating the deal. YouTube and Gmail, without prior notice, Hashemi’s detention prompted con- During bilateral meetings with Syrian table to complement the UN-sponsored He also said on Saturday citing “violation of policies”. demnation in the U.S. and abroad, sparking and Iraqi delegations, the sides discussed peace talks in Geneva. So far, 13 meetings that “collective responsibility” “Your Google Account was disabled rallies in several countries, including the the latest developments in Syria, especial- have been held. is needed to stop the JCPOA and can’t be restored because it was used United States. ly concerns about the return of ISIL and Cooperation between the guarantors from breaking apart. in a way that violates Google’s policies,” While in detention, she was forced to the need to fight against terrorism, the of peace in Syria has also been able to pre- “We have a collective responsibility to preserve #IranDeal,” Google told Press TV in a message. remove her hijab and was only offered latest situation in the Euphrates, Idlib, serve the territorial integrity and national Borrell tweeted. The Google ban seems to be in line non-halal food. Constitution Committee and extradition sovereignty and independence of Syria. A meeting of the JCPOA Joint Commission was held in Vienna on December 6. Borrell added, “Following the Joint Commission, as a coor- dinator, I support the call for full implementation & to reverse IRGC censures distortion of military official’s reaction to Israeli threats the recent negative trend.” POLITICAL TEHRAN — The spokesman for the Is- who had claimed on Sunday Israel would destroy Iran’s Iran, we will destroy Tel Aviv from Lebanon, and there is U.S. President Donald Trump quit the nuclear deal in May desklamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) nuclear missile program, if no one else does. no need for Iran to lift missiles and equipment.” 2018 and introduced the harshest ever sanctions on Iran as said on Wednesday that Second Brigadier General Morteza Also on Sunday, Israeli Defense Minister Naftali Ben- “With regard to conducted investigations, Qorbani’s speech part of his administration’s “maximum pressure” campaign Qorbani’s reaction to the Israeli foreign minister’s military nett had threatened to make Syria a Vietnam for Iran, had been distorted and later was misunderstood by media against Iran. threats against Iran have been distorted and misunderstood vowing to prevent the Iranian military’s permanent base outlets,” the IRGC spokesman pointed out. Under the JCPOA, Iran promised to put limits on its nu- by media outlets. inside Syria. Sharif also dismissed reports that Qorbani is currently clear activities in exchange for termination of economic and Ramezan Sharif was responding to distortion of Qorbani’s Some media outlets had claimed that Qorbani has said, serving as advisor to the IRGC chief, saying he is cooperating financial sanctions. remarks in reaction to Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz, “If the Zionist regime makes the slightest mistake against with the Armed Forces “in another field”. Britain, France, Germany, Russia, China, and Iran have been trying to salvage the pact. However, Europeans’ efforts to protect trade with Iran against the U.S. sanctions have Lawmaker says Iran to further reduce JCPOA commitments yielded nothing concrete so far. On May 8, exactly one year after the U.S. abandoned the ‘No hope for implementation of INSTEX’ deal, Tehran announced that its “strategic patience” is over and began to partially reduce its commitments to the agree- POLITICAL TEHRAN — A member of national court,” the veteran lawmaker added. under the “maximum pressure” policy. At ment at bi-monthly intervals. deskthe Majlis National Secu- Under the nuclear agreement Iran signed the time Iran announced that its “strategic In the first stage, Iran announced that it will not limit its rity and Foreign Policy Committee has said with the 5+1 nations in July 2015, Tehran patience” is over. stockpile of the nuclear fuel to 300 kilograms allowed under the Iran will continue to reduce its commitments agreed to put limits on its nuclear activities So far, Iran has taken four steps in that deal. On that date (May 8) Iran’s Supreme National Security under the 2015 nuclear pact, officially known in exchange for termination of economic and regard. Council (SNSC) said if the remaining parties to the JCPOA, as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action financial sanctions. The IAEA was tasked to However, Tehran has repeatedly said its especially Europeans, devise a mechanism to protect Iran from (JCPOA), without hesitation. monitor Iran’s compliance with the agreement. measures will be reversed as soon as Europe the sanctions’ effect in the two-month deadline it will reverse “Iran, despite all the threats, will take But in May 2018 U.S. President Donald finds practical ways to shield the Iranian its decision. the next step in reducing its commitments Trump pulled his country out of the JCPOA economy from sanctions. But since European parties missed the deadline, on July to Barjam (JCPOA),” ISNA on Wednesday and reinstituted sanctions on Iran. ‘No hope for implementation of 7 Iran announced that it has started enriching uranium quoted Alaeddin Boroujerdi as saying. Iran and the remaining parties launched INSTEX’ to a higher purity than the 3.67%, thereby starting the Boroujerdi also said the Supreme National talks to save the JCPOA after the U.S. with- Boroujerdi also said Iran has no hope second step. Security Council (SNSC) is responsible to drawal, but the three EU parties to the deal that INSTEX will be implemented by the Boroujderdi, who served as deputy foreign Again, as Europe missed the second 60-day deadline, Iran decide on the issue. (France, Britain, and Germany) have failed Europeans. minister in the 1980s and 1990s and chair- moved to take the third step, removing a ban on nuclear research The fact of the matter is that the other to ensure Iran’s economic interests. “We have no hope to implementation of man of the Parliament National Security and and development (R&D). side has violated the deal, he said. Iran started to partially reduce commit- INSTEX by Europeans.” Foreign Policy Committee for more than a In the latest step, which started on November 6, Iran began “Regardless of the U.S. withdrawal from ments under the nuclear deal exactly a year INSTEX is a barter mechanism devised decade, said “Europeans, through repeated injecting uranium gas into 1,044 centrifuges at the Fordow nu- Barjam, the Europeans have not fulfilled their after the U.S. abandoned the deal and imposed by the three European states party to the hollow promises, are avoiding their respon- clear site. It was done at the presence of inspectors from the commitments and are condemned in any inter- the harshest ever sanctions on the country JCPOA to circumvent U.S. sanctions on Iran. sibility to implement Barjam.” International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y 4 ECONOMY DECEMBER 12, 2019

STOCK MARKET Exclusive exhibition of Iranian TEDPIX 339386.6 IFX 4385.65 Sources: tse.ir, Ifb.ir products opens in Tashkent 1 As reported, 37 Iranian renowned During the meeting, the official referred companies are participating in the mentioned to the significance of investment making CURRENCIES exclusive exhibition. by the two countries’ traders and indus- USD 42,000 rials Addressing the inaugural ceremony of the trialists in the other country in line with the agreements between the two sides’ EUR 46,582 rials exhibit, TPO Head Hamid Zadboum said, “This exhibition is a valuable opportunity senior officials. GBP 55,197 rials for strengthening cooperation between the Back in August, Uzbekistan’s Prime Minis- two countries’ private sectors.” ter Abdulla Nigmatovich Aripov had said that AED 11,437 rials He also stressed that Iran and Uzbek- his country welcomes Iranian investors and Source: cbi.ir istan are seriously determined to expand private sector’s contribution to its economy. and strengthen their long-term economic Making the remarks in a meeting with and trade cooperation and also their joint Iran’s First Vice President Es’haq Jahangiri investment programs. and Iranian Transport Minister Moham- COMMODITIES Addressing the same ceremony, Bah- mad Eslami, the Uzbek prime minister also man Hosseinzadeh, the managing director said that the level of trade between the two Brent $63.87/b of Iran International Exhibitions Company, countries has increased in recent months WTI $58.90/b announced his country’s readiness to boost compared to the same period last year, how- cooperation with Uzbekistan for holding ever it is still not at the level it should be. OPEC Basket $65.57/b exhibitions. Jahangiri, for his part underlined the great He also invited Uzbek companies to attend economic capacities of Iran and Uzbekistan, Gold $1,467.70/oz Iran’s international exhibitions to showcase saying that the two countries should take Iran’s International Exhibitions Company Managing Director Bahman Hosseinzadeh their capabilities in the Iranian market and necessary measures to remove barriers to Silver $$16.70/oz (1st L) and TPO Head Hamid Zadboum (2nd L) cut the ribbon on an exclusive exhibition promote trade ties between the two countries. the trade development between the two of Iranian products in Tashkent on Wednesday. Platinium $925.65/oz The official further expressed hope that countries so that the two sides could reach Sources: oilprice.com, Moneymetals.com some fruitful agreements will be signed Hosseinzadeh said that it will definitely lead Reza Rahmani. a comprehensive agreement on trade coop- between Iranian and Uzbek sides through to more trade and tourism cooperation be- TPO Head Hamid Zadboum, who has eration as soon as possible. B2B meetings that the exhibition of Iranian tween Iran and Uzbekistan. already traveled to Tashkent for taking nec- “The two countries’ economies can comple- products in Tashkent is providing. The 13 meeting of Iran-Uzbekistan Joint essary measures prior to the meeting, visited ment each other and Iran is ready to expand Expressing satisfaction over launching a Economic Committee will be attended by Uzbekistan’s deputy minister of investment its relations with Uzbekistan in all areas,” ‘No need for red meat direct flight line between the two countries, Iranian Industry, Mining and Trade Minister and foreign trade on Tuesday. the official added. imports this year’

ECONOMY TEHRAN — Managing Director of Iran’s Chabahar-Muscat ferry line to resume CBI governor meets with Iranian deskCentral Union of Animal Farmers says there operation bankers is no need for imports of red meat this year (ends on March 19, 2020), due to surplus production, IRNA reported on Wednesday. ECONOMY TEHRAN — A direct ECONOMY TEHRAN — The deskferry line between deskGovernor of the Cen- Iran’s Chabahar port and Oman capital tral Bank of Iran (CBI) held talks with is planned to resume operation within a the managing directors of the country’s month, IRNA reported on Wednesday, banks in a CBI’s periodic meeting, IRIB quoting a deputy with the Ports and Mar- reported on Tuesday, citing CBI public itime Department of Sistan-Baluchestan relations office. Province (where Chabahar port lies). Headed by CBI Governor Abdolnasser Ferries with the capacity of trans- Hemmati, the meeting covered a variety of porting 240 people and 40 vehicles will issues including managing the country’s operate in the mentioned line which is cash flow, the need for acceleration of the going to be re-launched after a two-year both sides including the Iranian Minister completion and implementation of a one- controlling liquidity and supporting do- hiatus, according to Hassan Ebrahimi. of Transport and Urban Development time password (OTP) plan for all the bank mestic production. Pointing out that the country’s red meat output meets almost After launching services to Qeshm Mohammad Eslami and Oman’s Min- accounts, and the operationalization of a Speaking in the 30th edition of Islamic 90 percent of the domestic demand every year, Saeed Soltani Island and Bandar Abbas in Iran in 2016, ister of Commerce and Industry Ali bin productive credit certificate plan (Locally Banking Conference in Tehran, the official Sarvestani said: “This year, however, we don’t need to import any Oman’s National Ferries Company (NFC) Masoud al Sunaidy, and heads of the known as GAM). mentioned some of CBI’s major plans and red meat since our production has exceeded demand.” launched a direct ferry line from Mus- two countries’ ports and maritime or- Speaking in the meeting, Hemmati programs for the current Iranian calendar To support domestic production, importers and suppliers of cat to the port of Chabahar, located in ganizations. emphasized the central bank’s strong year (began on March 21). red meat in the country should purchase the mentioned surplus southeastern Iran in the Sea of Oman, Under the agreement, Iranian traders determination for controlling and man- The official underlined the significant livestock from producers rather than importing it, so that it could in November 2016. and businessmen interact constructive- aging the cash flow in the country, saying impact of the bank’s new policies on the benefit both producers and consumers in addition to protecting Iran and Oman have also launched ly with their Omani counterparts, and that as from Wednesday, the ceiling for country’s currency market and economy, national interests, Sarvestani said. four direct shipping lines between the regular shipping lines will be established every person’s money transactions in a noting that “reforming the country’s bank- The official further noted that due to ample supply of the men- two countries’ ports. between the two countries, while the two 24-hour period will be limited to 1 billion ing system is a long-term process which tioned commodity, the prices have also witnessed a significant Earlier this week, the two countries sides will also provide facilities for using rials (about $23,800). cannot be achieved overnight.” decrease in the past few weeks. signed a maritime cooperation agree- each other’s ports. He also called on all the attendees to Hemmati stated that CBI has neither He cited lower consumption and prevention of live livestock ment, aiming for boosting maritime Ali bin Masoud al Sunaidy traveled seriously pursue the implementation of overlooked nor postponed reformation of exports as the main reasons for the increase of live livestock in transportation between the two sides. to Iran on top of a trade delegation to the one-time password (OTP) plan. banking system and the bank has always the country. The agreement was signed in a cere- attend the 18th meeting of Iran-Oman Back in August, Hemmati said CBI’s had the modification of the banking system Last year, about 895,000 tons of red meat was produced in mony attended by senior officials from Joint Economic Committee in Tehran. current programs are mainly focused on on its agenda. the country and more than 160,000 tons of the commodity was also imported into the country. Iran is among the leading consumers of red meat in the Middle China strongly opposes U.S. unilateral sanctions against Iran: envoy East region with lamb being the most sought after. However, the consumption per person is around a third of ECONOMY TEHRAN — Chinese Ambassador to Iran currently negotiating to resolve the financial and banking desk what is normally seen in countries like the U.S. and Australia, Chang Hua voiced his country’s strong problems, on which I cannot elaborate at this time.” mainly due to the prohibition of pork in Islamic law. opposition with the U.S.’s unjust and unilateral sanctions He further noted that currently, there are more than 100 The major part of Iran’s red meat imports comes from countries against Iran in a meeting with the Head of Iran Chamber Chinese companies operating in Iran, however these com- like Brazil, where Iranian supervisors directly control culling of Commerce, Industries, Mines and Agriculture (ICCIMA) panies are facing some problems that requires the Iranian methods to ensure they comply with religious rules. Gholam-Hossein Shafeie. authorities to cooperate to resolve them. The ambassador who was accompanied by a trade dele- Emphasizing that economic cooperation between Iran gation in his visit to ICCIMA, said the Chinese government and China could be increased with the aim of entering the supports Iran’s efforts to safeguard its legitimate economic markets in the region, the envoy said the Chinese govern- India’s economic recovery interests, IRIB reported on Tuesday. ment is to take necessary measures so that banks of the two “This support is not only in words, it has been proven countries could be able to facilitate the financial exchanges critical for oil in 2020 in practice,” Chang Hua stressed. between Iran and China. He noted that in recent years the two countries have Shafeie for his part, stated that Iran-China bilateral relations India’s economy is suffering its worst cyclical downturn for more announced plans for increasing bilateral trade, saying: Chinese Ambassador to Iran Chang Hua (L) holds talks with are exceptional in all areas including economic and political than a decade, which is weighing heavily on global oil consump- “To achieve this goal, the two countries must benefit from Head of Iran Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines and aspects, adding that considering the existing capacities of the tion, and until the economy improves, prices are unlikely to see comprehensive and strategic assistance in the sense that Agriculture (ICCIMA) Gholam-Hossein Shafeie in Tehran two countries it is possible to increase the trade ties even more. a sustained increase. the two sides not only cooperate in politics and economy, on Tuesday. He pointed to banking and insurance issues as the major If the monetary and fiscal stimulus succeeds in pushing the but also increase their cooperation in the cultural, military problems facing Iranian businessmen in collaboration with economy out of its current trough, faster growth would play an and health spheres as well.” Hua said “We have to take necessary measures to find the China, and said “despite negotiations on the issue, there important role in rebalancing the oil market in 2020. Mentioning the banking issues between the two countries, right path for bilateral development,” adding, “So we are were still problems that had to be resolved.” Between 2008 and 2018, India’s oil consumption increased at an annual average rate of just over 5% or an extra 200,000 barrels per day each year. The South Asian giant accounted for 15% of all the growth in The EU needs a strong economy to claim its role on the world stage petroleum consumption worldwide over the last decade. Only The process of European unification shows that The political character of the customs Germany’s ponderous pragmatism, political and Chinese service sector, information and China was a more important source of incremental demand. its current leaders are neglecting the economic union logically followed from a common instability, ominous social divisions, and telecommunication technologies. The health of India’s economy is therefore crucial to the evolu- foundations of an essentially political project. regulatory framework to manage free trade strands of extremism, xenophobia and racism. The fact that the EU does not have its own tion of the production-consumption balance, and at the moment The long journey toward a united Europe and to coordinate economic policies, while Underlying all that are permanent cross- 5G technology is a case in point. But more the economy is very sick. began in the early 1950s when, with generous maintaining unified trade and economic re- currents of Paris-Berlin rivalry. A great traditional products also show the backward- Like most middle-income countries, measuring the size of help from Washington, the French and the lations with the outside world. deal of calm and wisdom will be required ness of EU industry: While the Germans India’s economy and its growth rate, accurately and in real time, Germans decided to renounce centuries-old Having no doubt about the political dimen- to overcome that dangerous obstacle to an keep tearing themselves up about hopelessly presents formidable challenges. enmities by putting together their coal and sion of the customs union, the British decided to apparent French-German determination to outdated diesel cars, the Dutch just bought But hard data on auto sales and electricity generation point steel resources. At that time, coal and steel stay out of a community of nations “determined work together. – after extensive testing – 259 electric buses to an economy currently experiencing a severe slowdown or were considered the ultimate instruments of to lay the foundations of an ever closer union But there are two things that France and from Chinese manufacturer BYD. outright recession. war, and their common management meant among the peoples of Europe” – the key state- Germany share in their analysis: (a) the Eu- The rest of Europe cannot be far behind Passenger vehicle sales have been falling this year at the fast- a guarantee of peace and reconciliation on ment in the preamble to the Treaty of Rome. ropean Union is totally sidelined on the world as a captive market for foreign-produced est rate for more than two decades, down by around 8% between a devastated and impoverished continent. Almost twenty years later, London changed stage, and (b) the recognition that the two electric cars and 5G industrial platforms, September and November compared with the same period a year A few years later, the success of the its mind and joined the booming customs countries – acting alone — cannot defend among other things. earlier, according to the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers. French-German coal and steel venture led union, thinking that “opt-outs” would limit their vital economic and political interests. Sadly, Germany won’t budge. It is sit- Plunging vehicles are both a symptom of economic stagnation to a truly epochal event: A customs union its membership to a free-trade area without A flourishing EU economy ting on huge surpluses in trade and public and contribute directly to slower growth in demand for road fuels. among France, Germany, Italy and the three large sovereignty transfers to European in- A French-German effort is needed to cre- finances, and steadfastly refusing to step up Electricity generation, another real-time proxy for economic Benelux countries, enshrined in the Treaty of stitutions. Ultimately, that miscalculation, ate a flourishing EU economy. That would investment spending to produce technologies growth, is also falling at the fastest rate for well over ten years, Rome in March 1957. Officially, that customs and more than four decades of British soul provide the best foundation for the union’s of the future. according to data from the Central Electricity Authority. union was known as the European Economic searching, have led to the decision to leave stronger political structure. France and Germany must lead the EU to Power consumption was down more than 7% in the three Community, but most people called it quite the European Union. Predictably, that objective is now beyond stronger economic growth and a more compet- months between September and November compared with the correctly the Common Market. The British will be leaving at a time when reach in a moribund EU economy, where itive global posture. That would strengthen the same period a year earlier. At a stroke of a pen, the Europeans created France and Germany are trying to forge a sluggish growth and high unemployment union’s political system, beat back Euroskep- The slump has been so severe it has forced an aggressive policy the world’s new political entity, exercising its strengthened European economic and po- are wasting human and (physical) capital tics and guarantee an EU place at the table response. The Reserve Bank of India cut its benchmark repo rate power through a quasi-free trading regime litical community. That is a difficult work in resources. Partly as a result of that, the Euro- where the big powers make decisions about five times this year by a total of 135 basis points. within the six countries, with a porous trade progress, where the French sense of urgency pean industries are manufacturing the prod- the emerging new world order. (Source: business.financialpost.com) wall toward the rest of the world. and its political (over)drive are hitting against ucts of yesteryear, and relying on American (Source: hellenicshippingnews.com) I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y DECEMBER 12, 2019 ENERGY 5

Chinese buyers offer to resell ‘Plan for development of Iran’s LNG cargoes as they struggle with weak demand southern oil fields underway’ Chinese companies are offering to resell liquefied natural gas (LNG) cargoes in the spot market as they grapple with high inventory ENERGY TEHRAN — National the use of domestic work force, domestic amid weak demand due to a slowing economy and a milder than deskIranian South Oil Com- technology and Iran-made equipment has usual winter, several trade sources said on Monday. pany (NISOC) has started implementing a been a priority for NISOC. The world’s second-largest buyer of LNG is currently facing program for maintaining and enhancing oil Earlier in August, NISOC finalized three high inventory of the super-chilled fuel in some areas, several production in 28 reserves operated by the new development packages worth 39 trillion sources familiar with the Chinese market told Reuters. company, ISNA reported on Wednesday, rials (about $928.5 million) for maintaining “It’s quite warm in China and the demand is very bad,” one quoting NISOC managing director as saying. and developing southern oil reservoirs. of the sources with a state-owned company said, declining to be “The program which is comprised of According to NISOC Director of Technical named as he was not authorized to speak with media. 27 investment packages for oil produc- Affairs Sadeq Fatholahi, Iranian Oil Ministry tion maintenance and enhancement in has prepared 34 development packages for the 28 reserves NISOC operates will be the country’s oil reservoirs, 27 of which worth completed within 24-30 months,” Ahmad $4.3 billion are aimed for southern regions. Mohammadi said. The reservoir engineer noted that of the He emphasized the maintenance and en- total 27 development packages considered for hancement of production in the said oil fields, the southern regions, six projects worth 44 as well as employment, promoting domestic trillion rials (nearly $1.1 billion) were being production and social responsibility as the carried out by Iranian companies. most important goals of the implementation “Developing the region’s 28 reservoirs will of this important national program. add 250,000 barrels of new capacity to the “About 70 percent of the program is imple- region’s oil output while the same amount mented in Khuzestan province [southwestern [250,000 barrels] is also saved through pre- Iran] and 30 percent in other neighboring nian South Oil Company’s territory,” he said. tion and implementation of this program, venting production decline and enhancing He added that about 5 to 7 LNG cargoes are being offered for provinces in the vicinity of the National Ira- According to the official, in the prepara- promoting domestic production through recovery rate,” Fatholahi said. resale in a month, though this could not be independently verified. Further details were also not immediately available but sources say the main company to offer cargoes for re-sale has been China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC). 3000MW to be added to Iran’s power generation capacity by March 2020 CNOOC did not immediately reply to Reuters request for com- ENERGY TEHRAN — Iranian Energy Minister their timelines. ment but the sources added that CNOOC has so far sold at least deskReza Ardakanian says the country’s pow- Elsewhere in his remarks, Ardakanian said 227 major one cargo to a Japanese buyer. er generation capacity is going to be increased by 3000 water and electricity projects worth 330 trillion rials (about A second source added that buyers in northeast China may be megawatts (MW) by the end of the current calendar year $7.8 billion) are expected to be inaugurated based on the facing ‘tank-tops’ which refers to storage tanks being full. (March 19, 2020). A B Iran scheme, adding that we have requested Russia for China does not release any official information on its LNG Speaking on the sidelines of a cabinet meeting on a $5 billion loan, of which so far $2.2 billion has been paid storage volumes but shipping data by Refinitiv Eikon shows that Wednesday, Ardakanian noted that in the remaining and used to fund such projects. the country imported the second highest monthly volumes of three months of the current Iranian calendar year nine He further noted that the new $2.8 billion will be allocated LNG for the year in November. major projects are planned to be inaugurated in different for funding four major projects including manufacturing of The import volumes, however, likely comprise mainly term provinces across the country. 2,000 passenger wagons for the country’s subways and also volumes, which had already been committed for purchase by buyers, According to the official, the mentioned projects will be construction of a railway between the southeastern prov- or spot volumes purchased earlier in the year, the sources said. inaugurated as a part of a major program called “A B Iran” [the inces of Sistan-Baluchestan and eastern province of South Temperature forecasts for Beijing and Shanghai are expected acronyms A and B stand for water, electricity in Persian”, in Khorasan, renovation of Ahvaz power plant in southwestern to be warmer than usual until mid-January, according to Refin- which 10 trillion rials (over $238 million) of projects will be Province of Khuzestan and construction of a hydro-electric itiv’s weather data. inaugurated in each of the country’s provinces, on average. power plant in western Iran. China’s natural gas demand is expected to expand at half the Based on the “A B Iran” program, Energy Ministry plans Back in November, Ardakanian headed a delegation to rate this winter compared to a year earlier, as Beijing slows its to inaugurate some water, electricity projects across the visit Moscow in order to follow up on the issue of Russia’s gasification push due to a weaker economy and competition from country every week. increase in the water sector. allocation of $5 billion of loan for implementation of de- cheaper coal, state oil officials said last month. Ardakanian further mentioned the ministry’s allocated The official noted that the ministry is mostly relying on velopment projects in Iran. State-owned companies are also facing additional pressure as budget for the next calendar year, saying that 90 trillion rials its internal incomes (water and electricity revenues) and He met with his Russian counterpart Alexander Novak their typical customers such as Guangzhou Gas and Guangdong (about $2.14 billion) has been provisioned for the energy expressed hope that most of the ministry’s projects sched- in Moscow on November 21 and stressed expansion of ties Energy Group are now importing spot cargoes directly from the ministry in the next year’s budget bill, which indicates an uled for the next two years will become operational within in all areas. international market, the sources added. (Source: reuters.com) Oil prices wilt on surprise build-up in U.S. crude stocks Oil prices fell on Wednesday after indus- distillate inventories also rose, data from Also adding to global supply, U.S. produc- Latin America and the try data showed an unexpected build in industry group the American Petroleum ers Exxon Mobil Corp (XOM.N) and Hess Caribbean announce ambitious crude inventory in the United States and Institute shows. Corp (HES.N) plan to export the first-ever as investors waited for news on whether Crude inventories rose by 1.4 million shipments of crude oil from Guyana between new renewables target a fresh round of U.S. tariffs on Chinese barrels in the week to Dec. 6 to 447 million, January and February, a milestone for Latin goods would take effect on Sunday. while analysts were expecting a fall of 2.8 America’s newest oil producer, sources with Brent futures LCOc1 fell by 44 cents, or million barrels. knowledge of the plans said. Latin America and the Caribbean hold tremendous renewable 0.7%, to $63.90 per barrel by 0342 GMT. U.S.-China trade tensions continue to Elsewhere, Venezuela’s crude output in energy promise. IRENA’s recent ‘Future of Solar Photovoltaic’ U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude CLc1 cloud the outlook for demand, with a Dec. November jumped more than 20% from the report highlighted that the region’s solar energy capacity alone slipped by 33 cents, or 0.6%, to $58.91 a 15 deadline for the next round of U.S. tar- prior month to the highest level since the could grow by a factor of 40 by 2050 to more than 280 gigawatts barrel, down from a more than two-month iffs on Chinese imports approaching fast. United States tightened sanctions on state (GW) thanks to an abundant resource endowment and strong high reached on Tuesday. With the market expected to be over-sup- a lot of it seems to be coming from the oil company PDVSA in August, two people enabling policies. Today, during UN Climate Conference COP25 “At this time, everyone was expecting we plied next year on growing shale oil output (U.S.-China) trade war. If tariffs go into with knowledge of PDVSA data said this week. in Madrid, it took a giant leap towards realizing that potential. would have strong draws in the inventory, and new projects coming on stream, any effect, sentiments will turn bearish again.” Investors are also eyeing other major A new regional initiative coordinated by the Latin American but it was a build,” said Tony Nunan, oil additional tariffs will dent demand and, The U.S. is on track to become a net export- events this week including Energy Organization (OLADE) and announced to the global com- risk manager at Japanese trading house in turn, prices, said Mitsubishi’s Nunan. er of crude and fuel for the first time on record the British election on Thursday and munity during the Chile Energy Day, sets a regional goal of reaching Mitsubishi Corp. The “big question is how will the demand on an annual basis in 2020, the EIA said, due U.S. and European Central Bank meetings at least 70 percent of renewable energy in electricity in by 2030. U.S. crude stocks clocked a surprise rise hold up?” he said. to a production surge that has dramatically for further trading cues. The target involves reaching a total installed capacity of 312 GW in the most recent week while gasoline and The “demand slowdown in growth, reduced its dependence on foreign oil. (Source: reuters.com) of renewables capacity by that time – a significant proportion of which should come from non-conventional renewable energy. The move demonstrates Latin America and the Caribbean’s strong desire to capitalize on the opportunities presented by a Europe’s solar PV sector reports 104% growth in 2019 transition to low-carbon technologies, and to adopt a position of global leadership in the pursuit of climate mitigation and sus- The steep growth in solar installation is primarily explained rope is on the right track,” said Walburga Hemetsberger, CEO a deadline approaching for EU countries to meet their legal- tainable development. by the spectacular decline in cost of solar PV modules, as of SolarPower Europe. “We have entered a new era of solar ly-binding renewable energy targets for 2020, Beauvais added. Speaking at the event and in response to the announcement of well as policy measures, according to SolarPower Europe. growth, with more new solar capacity installed than any other Spain was the largest market in 2019, adding 4.7 GW, the new initiative, IRENA Director-General Francesco La Camera With a growth rate of 104%, Europe’s solar photovoltaic power generation technology in 2019,” she said in a statement. followed by Germany (4 GW), the Netherlands (2.5 GW), said that several Latin American countries were already in the top industry is experiencing a “boom in installations,” according Portugal’s huge auction of solar energy broke a world France (1.1 GW), and Poland, which nearly quadrupled its ten global renewable energy investment list demonstrating the to statistics published on Tuesday by SolarPower Europe, record, with one of the 24 licenses on offer selling for 14.76 installation capacity to 784 megawatts (MW). energy transformation momentum that already exists in the region. an industry association. euros per megawatt hour (Mwh), the secretary of state for By the end of 2019, SolarPower Europe said the EU will “This initiative encompasses the type of sizable commitment 2019 is one of the best years on record for the solar PV industry, energy Joao Galamba said on Tuesday. enjoy a total of 131.9 GW, a 14% increase over the 115.2 GW needed in order to keep global climate efforts on track and help according to the first EU Market Outlook published Tuesday. Growth in solar installation operating in 2018. achieve the Paris Agreement goals,” he said. “More than 230 With 16.7 gigawatts (GW) of installations added in the The steep growth in solar installation is primarily explained by The most powerful floating solar PV plant in Europe was gigawatts of its power already comes from renewable sources region, growth reached 104% in 2019, more than doubling the spectacular decline in the cost of solar PV modules, according inaugurated in southern France on 18 October, marking and several countries make the top-ten in the global renewable the 8.2 GW that were added the year before, the group said. to Aurélie Beauvais, policy director of SolarPower Europe. another milestone in the development of solar energy. energy investment list.” “This boom in installations demonstrates that solar in Eu- But the good figures are also driven by policy measures, with (Source: euractiv.com) The driving force Mr. La Camera went on to commend Colombia for its driving force behind the establishment of this new goal, which now has the support of Chile, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guatemala, Haiti, Hon- Creating the OPEC of natural gas duras, Paraguay, Peru, and Dominican Republic while Panama By Irina Slav international gas market. term commitments. Why a buyers’ market? Yet there is one important factor that and Brazil are in discussion. He said Colombia’s successful re- Energy policy researcher Rauf Mummadov Because of the surge in LNG production and is likely to discourage this OPEC behav- newable energy auctions which have resulted in the procurement With global gas supplies growing faster from the Middle East Institute wrote in a export capacity across the world that caused ior for the time being. Two of the largest of more than 2 GW are an ‘inspiring example for other countries than demand and forecasters warning of recent article on GECF that this is the most the oversupply. LNG exporters in the world are not GECF in the region’. Colombia has proposed a goal of at least 4 GW by a deepening glut, it was only a matter of fundamental difference between OPEC and This, according to some analysts, is the members, and they are highly unlikely to 2030 from Non-Conventional Renewable Energies domestically, time before analysts began talking about the gas organization. ripe time to go full OPEC for GECF. become members. These are, of course, the reaching 74 percent of renewable energy nationwide in the power a gas version of OPEC with the power to Well-developed international In 2006, five years after GECF was set up, United States and Australia, both of which generation grid. control international prices. But is an OGEC market Hadi Hallouche from the Oxford Institute have been busy boosting their LNG export Countries that have already exceeded a 70 percent of energy even possible? While there is a well-developed interna- for Energy Studies wrote in a paper dedi- capacity in the past few years. Today, the U.S. from renewables at national level, are still encouraged to join There is already an organization of gas tional market for crude oil with price bench- cated to GECF that the forum was far from is the fourth-largest gas exporter globally, this regional initiative. Partners are encouraged to favor the use exporters. It’s called the Gas Exporting Coun- marks and baskets, the market for natural a cartel organization, but added that this after Russia, Qatar, and Norway. Norway, of non-conventional renewable energy characterized by their tries Forum and involves a dozen countries, gas is far from international in this sense could change, “particularly in a situation of by the way, is as unlikely as the other two minimal social and environmental impact. Small hydro, solar, led by Russia, Qatar, and Iran. The list of of the word. Natural gas is certainly traded over-supply in the future.” to join GECF. wind and organic waste all fit within this framework. members also includes Nigeria — Africa’s top internationally, but a lot of it is shipped by A situation of oversupply So, the time may be ripe for GECF to Caribbean islands, together with other small island develop- LNG producer — Egypt, which has recently pipelines, which limits the destinations, and We are now in a situation of oversupply, go into cartel mode, but it’s anyone guess ment states (SIDS), are already suffering the impact of extreme staked a claim in the international gas market hence, the internationalization potential of and this oversupply is only set to deepen. if it will go down this road. Its chances of weather events, despite their negligible carbon footprint. with a number of discoveries, and Libya. the commodity. There is, however, LNG, and The conditions seem to be perfect for a gas successfully adjusting production levels in From the frontlines of climate change, they also find themselves Of the top 10 natural gas exporters in the LNG is changing things. OPEC, as energy researcher Nikos Tsafos from a way that would lead to higher prices are at the vanguard of global climate mitigation and resilience action world, four are members of GECF, led by As much as a third of all LNG is trad- the Center for Strategic and International questionable because of the distribution through bold commitments to increasing short term action and Russia, which is the largest exporter of the ed on the spot market, Mummadov notes, Studies wrote in a recent commentary. Like of LNG capacity geographically, but also long-term energy transition strategies if supported with robust commodity in the world. That could poten- and on this market, prices are not linked to Mummadov, Tsafos also notes the increase because many GECF members are also and predictable international finance and other means of im- tially give the organization enough clout to oil benchmarks, which is not the case with in spot market-traded LNG, the expansion OPEC members. They may have just had plementation. Several islands including those in the Caribbean influence the international gas market the long-term gas contracts. This portion of LNG in LNG capacity, and the already present enough of being restrained in their fossil plan to go 100 percent renewables including Aruba, Dominica, way OPEC does with the oil market. There trade could grow: in a buyers’ market spot overhang in supply, all of which are factors fuel production already. Grenada and Montserrat. is only one catch: first, there has to be an prices are a lot more attractive than long- favoring “OPEC behavior.” (Source: oilprice.com) (Source: evwind.es) I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y 6 INTERNATIONAL DECEMBER 12, 2019

Multilateral forums need to be Who spied on Julian relevant again GLOBALTIMES — Unilateralism is on a global upsurge. As the United Nations (UN) embodies international society’s Assange? pursuit of multilateralism, what solution can it provide to UNZ — The Julian Assange drama drags on. payments to Morales. As one former Agency deal with unilateralism? How can China and the UN coop- Though he continues to sit in a top security field officer commented, “This is not the way erate to maintain multilateralism worldwide? Global Times British prison awaiting developments in his the C.I.A. constructs an operation, too many (GT) reporter Li Qingqing talked to UN Resident Coordinator expected extradition to the United States, moving parts.” in China Nicholas Rosellini (Rosellini) about the issues on the Spanish High Court has been given per- If he were indeed a C.I.A. asset, Morales December 4. mission to interview him. Assange is claim- could have used a dead drop or passed his Since its founding, the UN has contributed greatly to ing that the Spanish company contracted material directly to an Agency officer under world peace and stability. But given the rise of populism and with by the Ecuadorean government to do cover in Spain before being paid directly for unilateralism now, how would you describe the situation of embassy security in London spied on him his services. The C.I.A. officer would also multilateral cooperation globally? Is it facing a temporary using both audio and video devices. The re- be able to monitor and direct the operation setback or could it be in retreat for a long run? cordings apparently included conversations through the meetings as is usually the case, A: I think all of us have to accept the fact that at the mo- with Assange’s lawyers outlining his defense which would not be possible if the connection ment, multilateralism is under a lot of pressure. But at the strategies, which is an illegal activity under were through Las Vegas Sands security.One same time, we see an increasing need for multilateralism. We Spanish law. The prosecution has also in- might also add that using a trip to Las Vegas as see the challenge of climate change, inequality in the world, dicted the company director, former military a cut out to conceal espionage activity makes unbalanced development between different countries and officer David Morales, on associated criminal no sense at all, particularly as Morales would within countries, and the challenge of achieving The 2030 charges of bribing a government official and have to be crossing international borders Agenda for Sustainable Development and the 17 Sustainable money laundering. Morales has said that carrying on him highly sensitive information Development Goals (SDGs). On one hand, the 2030 Agenda he is innocent. that could come to the attention of security needs a global approach. On the other, there is pressure on Aware that he might be monitored by the concerned about the frequency of his trips. multilateralism. British government as well as by other inter- Morales might indeed have believed that he We have to recreate the coalitions which accept that the ested parties, Assange would often meet his was working for C.I.A. because that is what global challenges need global solutions. We also need mul- legal team using a white noise machine or he was told by Adelson, but that could easily tilateral platforms to deliver these solutions. Indeed, multi- in women’s bathrooms with the water run- have been a lie. lateralism is under pressure, but if we reexamine where the ning, but the firm, UC Global, anticipated that It is also unimaginable that C.I.A. would demand for these global solutions is, and how to update the ecution contends that Mr. Morales passed It is equally or possibly even more likely that and planted devices capable of defeating the use Adelson as he is recognized by the U.S. multilateral platforms to make them relevant again, I think information about Mr. Assange to security the Ecuadorean government would want to countermeasures. It planted microphones in intelligence services as an Israeli government we can make sure that multilateral approaches can continue officials at the company, saying it acted as know what Assange was up to since it was the embassy fire extinguishing system as well asset. His loyalty to the U.S. is questionable. to be the choice of countries around the world. a go-between with the C.I.A.” taking considerable heat from Washington as in numerous other places in the building. He is famous for having said that he regret- UN Secretary-General António Guterres said, “The Sheldon Adelson is, of course, the single and London to terminate his asylum so he The recordings were reportedly streamed, ted serving in the U.S. Army and wishes he world is fracturing, but no country can repair the cracks in largest source of funding for the Republican could be arrested and extradited. The fact undoubtedly encrypted, to another nearby had served in the Israeli army instead. He isolation.” As unilateralism raises its head, what is the UN’s Party and is also widely regarded to be a that Morales did not want the Ecuadoreans location, referred to in the trade as a listen- wants his son to grow up to “be a sniper for solution to cope with it? confidant of the Israeli government and of to know about his travels suggests that they ing post. The streamed material was also the Israel Defense Force (IDF).” A: We have to redemonstrate that multilateral platforms can Benjamin Netanyahu personally. UC Global already knew about the surveillance. What reportedly transcribed and copied at the UC That means that anything going through still deliver durable global solutions to some of the challenges subsequently worked for Adelson, including they did not know was that Morales was Global offices in Andalusia, but hard copies Adelson will wind up in Israel, which sug- we are facing. That means we have to be willing to reform, and managing the security of his yacht whenever sharing the take with someone else. of the material were made as well on CDs and gests that if Adelson is actually involved the we have to be willing to listen to the citizenry of the world. The it was in the Mediterranean. And then there are the British themselves DVDs to be turned over directly to the client. whole exercise just might be an Israeli false year 2020 sees the 75th anniversary of the founding of the According to employees of UC Global, as possible initiators of the surveillance The Spanish newspaper El Pais, which has flag operation pretending to be the C.I.A. UN, and Guterres is launching a major worldwide campaign details of the Ecuadorean Embassy operation through some kind of arrangement with seen much of the evidence in the case, also Israel does not hate Assange with the fer- to encourage people to participate in the global conversation were tightly held inside the company. Mo- Morales. They would most definitely would mentioned how UC Global fixed the windows vor of the U.S. government but it certainly about the future of multilateralism, the future of the UN and rales would make secret trips to the United like to know what was being planned in in the rooms actually being used by Assange would consider him an enemy as he has had how we need to change to be relevant in the future.We know States once or twice every month and it was Assange’s defense and going through UC so they would not vibrate, making it possible a tendency to expose sensitive material that there are questions that we need to address as a global com- assumed that he was carrying material relating Global would be the easiest way to obtain to use laser microphones from a nearby line of governments would not like to make public. munity, and we know the UN can contribute to addressing to the recordings, but UC Global staff were the needed information.One might point sight building to record what was being said. Israel would be particularly vulnerable to some of those challenges. We just have to make sure that we advised never to mention his travels to the out that there is another obstacle to the Presumably the listening post also served as having its war crimes exposed, as was the are relevant to address the challenges. Ecuadorean staff in the embassy. C.I.A. “dunnit” speculation, which is that the line-of-sight surveillance point. case when WikiLeaks published the material Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said during his meeting The obvious candidate for spying on As- as a general rule Washington does not spy The British government willingness to let revealing American crimes in Iraq provided with Guterres in November that China will continue to up- sange would be, as both the Spanish govern- on London and London does not spy on the interview take place is apparently due in by Chelsea Manning. hold multilateralism in the context of complex international ment and the New York Times speculate, Washington. As the two countries have been part to the Spanish judiciary’s claims that So, there is a choice when it comes to situations. How can China and the UN cooperate to maintain the Central Intelligence Agency (C.I.A.), as for decades major intelligence partners, it has obtained an overwhelming amount considering who might have commissioned multilateralism worldwide? Washington intends to try Assange prior it is a guideline that is, believe it or not, of documentary and other evidence that the spying on Julian Assange, or it might even A: China has already become a very important member to locking him away for the rest of his life. generally observed. The British would have demonstrates that Assange is basically have been a combination of players. The sad of the UN. China is a permanent member of the UN Security Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, while di- noticed any attempt to set up an American telling the truth. part of the story is that even if David Morales Council, the second-largest contributor to the UN regular budget rector of C.I.A., once referred to Assange and listening post within line-of-sight of the And there is inevitably more to the story. is convicted in a Spanish court, sources in and the leading contributor to peacekeeping both in terms of WikiLeaks as a “hostile intelligence service,” Ecuadorean Embassy and it would have David Morales, who managed the project, Britain believe the violation of Assange’s rights money and personnel. So, China really has an important role so one should have no illusions about what created a major rift between C.I.A. and MI6, reportedly returned from a trip to the United will have no impact on the move to extradite in the UN. Looking ahead, we want to see that role continue to will be done to him if he ever arrives in the which suggests that the British, Americans States and told colleagues that the UC Global him to the United States. That will be decided grow, and we see the importance of collaboration with China. U.S.In one instance cited by El Pais, the U.S. and Ecuadoreans might all have been spying would henceforth be doing some work “for narrowly based on the charge against him, China, as the second-largest economy in the world, has an Embassy in London clearly knew what was on Assange and possibly even sharing the the dark side” at “another league” level. Ac- which is exposing classified information, a important development impact on the rest of the world. We discussed at a private meeting that had taken information. cording to the New York Times, which has violation of the Espionage Act of 1917. As want to explore the opportunities in terms of China’s South- place in the Ecuadorean Embassy the day And then there is the Adelson angle, which examined the documents obtained by El Pais the Espionage Act is infinitely elastic and South Cooperation as well as its investment in developing before. And if Washington truly wanted in- brings the Israelis into the mix. It appears to and accepted that they are authentic, “In as the preferred U.S. Court for the Eastern countries to see how we can support their alignment with side information it would have made sense be true that Adelson’s casinos in China were the court filing, the prosecution asserts that District of Virginia has a very high conviction the SDGs. from an espionage point of view to employ venues used for targeting corrupt Chinese Mr. Morales returned from a security fair in rate, there is little doubt that Julian Assange If we look at China’s engagement with the world, some of it the very firm doing security for the embassy officials by the C.I.A. as far back as 2010, Las Vegas in 2015… He signed a contract will soon be on his way to the United States is through the UN, and some of it is with countries bilaterally. as one’s mechanism for doing the spying. but it is not imaginable that today’s Agency with Las Vegas Sands, the casino and resort where he will undoubtedly be sentenced to It is important that we see how to support both China and the But the rest of the story as elaborated on would use the Las Vegas billionaire as a con- company of Sheldon Adelson, and the pros- life in prison. partner countries in terms of using the available resources by the New York Times doesn’t make sense. duit for passing information and arranging in a way that supports the implementation of the SDGs. The recent Belt and Road Forum, for example, is a very strong commitment to align the Belt and Road investments with environmental, economic and social sustainability. China plays More China-S.Korea coordination needed to break U.S.-N.Korea deadlock an important role in politics and peacekeeping in the world. GLOBALTIMES — Amid thawing Chi- into full play in realizing denuclearization the Trump administration is asking for — a Even if no solution is reached during the I think it will also play an important role in development. na-South Korea relations, simmering Ja- of the Korean Peninsula. Last but not least, fivefold increase in Seoul’s sharing of the cost upcoming summit, the two countries will The 2019 UN Climate Change Conference, known as pan-South Korea tensions and a US-North Washington has been luring Seoul to join of the upkeep of American troops stationed continue to explore ways to make a break- COP25, kicked off in Spain on December 2. It discussed Korea deadlock over the Korean Peninsula its Indo-Pacific Strategy and the Moon in South Korea, obviously has gone beyond through in mending ties. whether the promises of the Paris Agreement would be denuclearization, how will the dynamics of government is under pressure by domestic the framework. Seoul’s share cannot be raised Can China play a mediating role in the fully implemented. The US has quit the Paris Agreement, Northeast Asia develop? How can China and conservatives who are urging it to become to such a level within the SMA framework. Japan-South Korea spat? to what extent will this affect the global fight against cli- South Korea work together to explore new part of the strategy. In such a context, it’s This has surpassed the bottom line that South A: As China insists on the principle of mate change? ways to break the denuclearization stalemate? necessary for China to ensure South Korea Korea’s Defense Ministry can accept. The gov- non-interference in other countries’ inter- A: There is no doubt that we need a big push in ac- Global Times (GT) reporter Yu Jincui talked doesn’t totally tilt toward the US. ernment under the leadership of progressive nal affairs, it’s unlikely that it would play an celerating the global effort against climate change. We to Lee Chang-hyung (Lee), senior research It was reported that the US plans to President Moon will not easily accept the US active mediating role. really need to understand and take actions in terms of fellow, Center for Security and Strategy, Korea deploy intermediate-range conventional demand. I think the fivefold increase proposal From China’s perspective, it hopes to pre- the extent of the climate emergency we are facing, and it Institute for Defense Analyses, during the missiles in Asia after its withdrawal from is a kind of negotiation tactic used by the vent Japan and South Korea totally siding with really needs the contribution of all countries. The level Fifth South Korea-China Peace Diplomacy the Intermediate Range Nuclear Forces Trump administration and a compromise the US and it values South Korea-Japan-China of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is well above the Forum held in Seoul on December 4. The (INF) treaty and South Korea is a designed will be reached at an appropriate juncture. trilateral cooperation to construct a China-cen- limits we are trying to set, which hasn’t been seen in 2 or forum was co-hosted by Uijeongbu municipal destination. Will South Korea agree to host South Korea-Japan relations have be- tered regional security architecture. China 3 million years. Emissions continue to rise year on year. government and the Beijing-based Charhar the weapons? come strained by rows over trade and history. hopes to link the three countries together We are not meeting the Paris Agreement commitments, Institute. A: Speculation has been swirling about Where are bilateral relations headed? How will through cultural and economic cooperation and we are far away from being able to increase those Chinese State Councilor and Foreign the deployment of US intermediate-range it affect the US alliance system in East Asia? to check US influence. However, South Korea commitments. The prospect of reaching a global warming Minister Wang Yi visited South Korea on conventional missiles in Japan or South Ko- A: Both South Korea and Japan have and Japan could hardly act as China expects. stabilization level is quite remote at the moment. This is December 4-5, his first official visit to your rea after the US withdrawal from the INF taken a hard-line approach toward each Japan has already played an important role in really worrying for the future of the planet and humanity. country since May 2014, five and a half years treaty. But as far as I know, the US hasn’t other in the past four to five months, but the Indo-Pacific Strategy of the US. Although As we look ahead, it is important that we do see how we ago. How do you see the significance of this raised a deployment requirement to South now public opinion in both countries has South Korea hasn’t become part of it, it has can increase commitments from all countries, in or out visit? Korea, nor are there discussions between shifted to support the extension of the military not participated in the China-proposed Belt of the Paris Agreement. A: First of all, Wang’s visit is of great the two countries. Even if the US demands intelligence-sharing pact between the two and Road Initiative either. But of course, we have to recognize these differentiated importance to restore China-South Korea to deploy the weapons on South Korean soil, countries. Main opposition Liberty Korea How to break the current stalemate in responsibilities, and we have to take into account the relative relations frozen by the deployment of the South Korea would refuse it. The THAAD Party Chairman Hwang Kyo-ahn even started denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula? economic strength of different countries and the historical THAAD system in South Korea. Because of the system was deployed to counter North Korea’s a hunger strike demanding Moon extend the A: North Korean leader Kim Jong-un once level of emissions, so that we can have equity in how the reduc- THAAD deployment, bilateral relations had missile threats. But if intermediate-range pact. In addition to US pressure, both South said Pyongyang would “be compelled to find tions are applied. We hope that we can bring all countries in. for quite a long time been in a stalemate. As a conventional missiles are deployed, the target Korea and Japan have realized the necessi- a new way” if the US persists in imposing You said in October that China’s vast experience in dealing matter of fact, China in the past three to four is not North Korea, but China. Seoul cannot ty of defense cooperation in Northeast Asia sanctions and pressure. What’s the “new way?” with agricultural development challenges, increasing income years has built up its military capabilities to deny this. Should it agree to host the weapon, in the wake of uncertainties on the Korean I believe it doesn’t mean North Korea would and avoiding environmental damage is a great resource for cope with the THAAD. So it’s time to restore China-South Korea relations would break Peninsula. In a reversal of its earlier deci- return to create tension and confrontation the whole world. How can China’s experience align with UN relations battered by the deployment of the down entirely. There is no reason for South sion, South Korea decided to continue the by nuclear threat. North Korea now regards 2030 Agenda? system. The visit is also expected to pave Korea to accept the deployment as it’s not intelligence-sharing agreement with Japan. itself a nuclear weapon state. It will strive A: China has experience in developing the agricultural the way for Chinese President Xi Jinping’s intended to defend South Korea. Besides, as the Japanese economy has to shun international sanctions and seek sector, agro-industry and the whole agriculture value chain, anticipated visit to South Korea next year. The latest round of negotiations on been hit by a sharp decline in the number of economic development under this status. particularly since the country’s reform and opening-up. In the Xi visited Pyongyang in June. If he doesn’t sharing the cost of maintaining US troops South Korean visitors, rising voices within The best way to solve the peninsula nuclear UN 2030 Agenda, there are SDGs about eliminating poverty, pay a visit to South Korea during President on the Korean Peninsula failed to produce Japan have demanded that Japanese Prime issue is to keep North Korea and the US to hunger and ensuring food security for all. China has already Moon Jae-in’s term, China-South Korea may concrete results due to huge differences be- Minister Shinzo Abe’s government change sit on the negotiating table, though it’s not made great contributions in these areas. When we look ahead further drift apart, which would damage the tween Washington and Seoul. Will South its tough stance against South Korea. If Ja- easy. In the process of reducing differences to the next 10 years, we can see how these experiences can interests of both countries. Besides, Wang’s Korea accept to pay the sharp rise? Is the pan stubbornly sticks to its tough line, it’s a and establishing mutual trust between the help other countries achieve the elimination of rural poverty two-day trip is an opportunity for China to 66-year-old alliance in deep trouble? hard nut to crack. However, Japan recently US and North Korea as well as moving to and food security. expand its influence on issues such as the A: Cost-sharing negotiations should be proposed to hold a meeting between Presi- realize the denuclearization goal, South Korea The question is how can China’s experience be customized Korean Peninsula denuclearization and the conducted within the framework of the mutu- dent Moon and Prime Minister Abe on the and China play very important roles. A US- to be relevant to other countries? China is a vast country. If establishment of a peace mechanism on the ally acceptable Special Measures Agreement sidelines at the China-Japan-South Korea North Korea deadlock can only be resolved things in China are scaled up, they need to be brought down peninsula. China needs the cooperation from (SMA) that has been agreed upon by South summit to be held in Chengdu, China. This by South Korea acting as a promoter and to scale in other smaller countries, with different systems of South Korea if it wants to bring its influence Korea and the US for the past 28 years. What can be regarded as a sign of a turnaround. China the mediator. governance and culture. I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y DECEMBER 12, 2019 ANALYSIS & INTERVIEW 7 East Asia At the glance Asia’s 2020 outlook depends on China, India GLOBALTIMES — Is the Indian economy heading will be reached without compromises.It seems that tions. During my father’s life, he often said that for a hard landing? The answer to the question, Democratic politicians have begun to show greater the US-China relationship is the most important to some extent, will determine the trend of the interest in competing with Republicans over being bilateral relationship in the world. broad Asian economy in the coming year.China, tough on China. A group of senators, including In fact, over these past 40 years, the US and India and Japan together generate a consider- Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer, in a China have both gained tremendously from close able part of Asia’s economic activity. Although signed letter to Trump in late November, urged the business, education, political, and cultural ties. Japan’s economy expanded in the third quarter US Department of Commerce to suspend issuing The US economy has achieved steady growth and at a faster-than-estimated rate of 1.8 percent, it is licenses to US firms that conduct business with full employment and American consumers are en- too early to say the economy will recover strongly Chinese tech giant Huawei. joying affordable, high quality Chinese goods. At in the coming year. Japan’s economy is still strug- Republican lawmakers play a more negative the same time, hundreds of millions of Chinese gling with stubborn deflation and slow growth. role in China-US relations, many of whom are more have escaped poverty and China has grown from a It’s hard to expect Japan to become an engine of ideology-driven than their Democratic counterparts. low-income country to the world’s second-largest Asian economic growth in the coming year.India In November, Republican Senator Rick Scott said economy. Like any bilateral relations, there have has emerged as an Asian economic superpower in an interview with CNBC that a phase one trade been ups and downs over the years. But overall we in the past few years. China and India will be the deal isn’t going to solve the long-standing bilateral have enjoyed a classic win-win result.The US-Chi- key drivers of growth for the Asian economy in issues. “Communist China wants to control the na relationship has entered a challenging period. 2020. However, unfortunately, both economies entire world, including Americans. They’re not Problems such as trade issues, intellectual property face downward pressure. our partner. They’re never going to be our partner theft, and market access are serious and need to Some observers forecast China’s GDP growth under these existing leadership teams,” he said. be addressed. But they ought to be addressed with may fall below 6 percent next year. Even if this Republican Senator Marco Rubio is pushing respectful and deep dialogue. scenario becomes a reality, the country will still be a cold war against China in the financial sector, Sadly, a growing number of Americans regard the top contributor to Asian GDP growth in the near asking for delisting Chinese companies from US China’s rise as a threat to our economy and national term. The 6-percent figure is just a psychological stock exchanges. US financial insiders are wor- security. The White House erroneously believes mark that’s of little practical significance. Growth ried that if the US begins to restrict global capital that running a trade deficit with China means that of 6.1 percent or 5.9 percent in China makes no flows, other countries will follow suit. Once the the US is losing and China is winning. This kind big difference for the Asian economy. trade war escalates into a financial war, the glob- of zero-sum thinking is wrong. The major uncertainty for the Asian economy al financial system will be severely jeopardized, The truth is that there is far more that we share in will come from India. The economy is at risk of a which will deal a body blow to the global market. common than what divides us. Our deep friendship hard landing. India’s annual GDP growth fell to a US lawmakers have continuously taken steps to has been established over a long history and it is shocking 4.5 percent in the third quarter. What’s deal with the perceived “China threats.” As US my fervent hope that the US-China relationship next? The country’s economy is facing the toughest previous rounds of deflation. PPI trends from the country will eventually carry out its promise and China policy adjustments have been intertwined will return on to the right track in the near future. times since Narendra Modi became prime minister fourth to the second quarter next year will need to its leverage against the US would be medium- and with the country’s domestic political fights, “being We need our relationship to become more stable in 2014.If the Indian economy continues to slow, be watched closely. Meanwhile, monetary policy long-range missile tests and nuclear tests. tough on China” has become Washington’s new so that together we can address growing global market confidence in Modi’s management will be needs to remain prudent. It is hoped that Washington won’t make light of political correctness. This is definitely not good challenges such as terrorism, infectious diseases, tested. The most urgent task for his administration Fifth, China should be wary of the risks that come the year-end deadline set by Kim and will work hard to the formulation of US policy on China and the and promoting peace and stability in the region is curbing the downturn and restoring confidence in with a structural rise in food prices - including pork to formulate a pragmatic policy toward Pyongyang effective management of relations between Beijing and the world. the market.Union minister Dharmendra Pradhan - and weak overall demand. The prices of pork and within a limited time. US Special Representative and Washington. US disgraceful to undermine WTO said recently the current economic slowdown is other foods will continue to rise next year, leading for North Korea Stephen Biegun will possibly visit Amazed to witness China’s rise first Due to US obstruction, the Appellate Body of “temporary” and a result of the ongoing trade war to negative expectations in the market. Meanwhile, South Korea later in December to “discuss joint hand the World Trade Organization (WTOAB) will likely between the US and China, according to Indian overall domestic demand will remain weak. These efforts toward progress in the negotiations before This year marks the 70th anniversary of the be unable to function on Wednesday. Normally news agency PTI. two factors are expected to have short-term impacts the deadline,” South Korea’s Yonhap News Agency founding of the People’ s Republic of China. It was consisting of seven judges, the WTOAB has been The trade war may indeed be taking a toll on on the economy, causing severe problems for its reported on December 4. It is hoped Biegun could an honor to attend the October 1st celebration in operating with only three judges, the bare minimum, India’s economy, but India needs to look inward macro-management in 2020. bring positive signals from Trump. Beijing and to see the proud nation celebrate an since January 2018, and two of those judges will at its deep-rooted problems, instead of blaming Sixth, mitigated financial risks may recur in 2020. If Pyongyang and Washington can hold high-lev- amazing rise. My first trip to China was in 1975. I’ve retire Tuesday. The WTOAB is the most essential the trade dispute between China and the US.The Although the financial sector is clearly moving to el negotiations before the former makes major been back over 140 times over the past 44 years and tool used to ensure fair trade, and now Washington pro-reform Modi administration did a good job in provide more support for the real economy, pressure decisions and even figure out the possibility for witnessing China’s rise has had a huge impact on has successfully upended it.The appellate body was recent years in propping up the economy. Hope- from a poor monetary transmission mechanism a new Kim-Trump summit, it will help mitigate my life. To put it simply, China’s transformation created when the WTO was founded in 1995. Its fully, the Modi economic miracle can continue in still exists. And though financial risks have been North Korea’s hard-line stance and prevent the has been amazing to witness. prominent feature lies in its independence as it’s the coming years - otherwise, the Asian economy mitigated this year, defaults will persist in the fu- situation on the Korean Peninsula from getting In 1974, my father, George Herbert Walker free from political interference. WTO members, may be in for a bumpy road next year. ture. Particularly alongside the continued economic worse. In the meantime, it is also hoped that North Bush, served as the chief of the US Liaison Office regardless of size, are entitled to equal rights of China’s economy to face 6 key chal- downturn, financial risks may appear repeatedly. Korea won’t recklessly cross the redline, otherwise in China. My siblings and I visited our parents in petition and defense. As the US lost many appeals lenges Financial-risk mitigation and prevention will be it will push its relations with the US to a danger- Beijing in the summer of 1975, toward the end of at the appellate level, their dissatisfaction with The Chinese economy continues to slow down the core focuses of macro-management next year. ous precipice and probably trigger a new round the Cultural Revolution. At that time, almost all the legal body increased. Dissolving this court as it faces multiple pressures in 2019, but it is also Action needed as North Korea of international sanctions. Chinese people were poor and the country was has been a conspicuous goal since US President showing resilience with the support of a complex deadline looms Domestic political infighting takes isolated from the Western world. Donald Trump took office. set of stabilizing policies. Economic growth has There are only three weeks left for the year-end a toll on Washington’s foreign policy Since the reform and opening-up in the late The looming demise of the WTOAB will inevi- remained in a rational and controllable range this deadline set by North Korean leader Kim Jong-un Nancy Pelosi, US House of Representatives 1970s, Chinese people have enjoyed incredible tably cause smaller economies to suffer, as the law year. 2020 will be a crucial year for China to se- for negotiations with the US to resolve the Kore- speaker, said Thursday the House was proceeding benefits. More than 850 million people in China of the jungle will return. Although members can cure a decisive victory in building a moderately an Peninsula nuclear standoff. If the US cannot with articles of impeachment against President have been lifted out of poverty, and the size of the negotiate disputes in accordance with WTO rules, prosperous society in all respects, but the country offer a plan satisfactory to both sides, North Korea Donald Trump as he leaves US lawmakers “no middle class is growing every day. With the growing without a presiding authorized appellate body, it will face greater challenges, particularly in the fol- has warned it will take an unspecified “new path” choice but to act.” House Democrats are reportedly wealth, every day freedoms have been constantly will be easier for powerful countries to gain the lowing six aspects. next year. considering articles of impeachment against Trump expanding as well: the freedom to travel abroad, upper hand during such disputes. First, external challenges will be more demand- Although the US has repeatedly said that this that include obstruction and bribery. Obviously, the freedom to receive the best education anywhere The US continues to advance its hegemony at the ing. The global economic downturn and great-power is a unilateral deadline set by North Korea, Pyong- impeachment of Trump will become a key topic in the world, and the freedom to enjoy a higher global level. Previous US moves were more about competition have entered new phases, bringing yang is bound to fulfill its promises considering that dominates US politics in the coming days. quality of life. These freedoms were unimaginable compelling specific countries and some US-led about unprecedented uncertainty to global economic the country’s system and Kim’s authority. The Drafting the impeachment clauses is of key 44 years ago. groups to make concessions. Now the US is bla- policies. This will not only directly impact China world has no idea what the “new path” is, but it significance. It’s the fourth time in US history As part of my personal commitment to im- tantly forcing the WTO, a supposed international through trade, but it will also negatively influence the will highly likely not be beneficial to the Korean that Congress has tried to remove a president. proving closer ties between the US and China, organization, to focus on its national interests. open economy by undermining market confidence. Peninsula denuclearization. Thus, the US should The House’s decision announced by Pelosi, to a I give speeches as Chairman of the George H.W. When WTO members reveal an unwillingness In 2020, external demand is expected to continue treat North Korea’s deadline seriously and consider great extent, is based on a report newly released Bush Foundation for US-China Relations. In the to cooperate, the US stops key WTO sections. If weakening, the global manufacturing industry is restarting talks within the remaining time frame. by the House Intelligence Committee. According beginning of September this year, I participated in China was a superpower and behaved the same set to slump, China-US strategic competition will After talks between North Korea and the US broke to the report, Democrats obtained phone records the “2019 China Development High-Level Forum way - undercutting the UN Climate Action, with- enter a new stage, and the 2020 US election will down in Stockholm, Sweden, in October, North of several major players in the Ukraine scandal, Symposium” where I shared with the audience drawing from UNESCO, tearing up the Iran nuclear bring further uncertainty to the prolonged trade Korea has been sending signals to the US through including Trump’s lawyer Rudy Giuliani and Devin how impressed I am with the ability of the Chinese deal, launching large-scale trade wars, retreating war between the two countries. Kim’s different inspection tours, short-range mis- Nunes, the intelligence committee’s top Republi- government to quickly and effectively address prob- from the most significant arms control treaty and Second, domestic demand is expected to remain sile tests and statements by senior state officials. can, showing how they coordinated in the case. It lems. One great example is the issue of air quality. undermining the WTOAB, how would Western weak and may accelerate the economic slowdown. However, the US did not respond or have direct also accused Trump of obstructing the impeach- With industrialization and with more cars on the public opinion slam China? China’s net exports have seen rapid growth this year, contact with North Korea. Instead, the US conveyed ment investigation by preventing witnesses from roads, Beijing’s air quality was getting worse and There are also complaints about Washington’s but domestic demand has experienced a significant its intention to restart talks through Sweden. The testifying and refusing to turn over documents worse. The Chinese central government working moves among Western public opinion, which are decline. The economy is therefore more vulnera- US move shows that it lacks enough enthusiasm requested by Congress. with local authorities has made big changes and barely heard however. Be it London, Paris, Berlin, ble and reliant on external demand, particularly for further negotiations. The impeachment is not only about wrangling the air quality has improved significantly. or Tokyo, Seoul, Ottawa, everyone has remained when enterprises don’t expand their investment According to media reports, North Korea may between Democrats and Republicans, but also about Likewise, I have been impressed with how the silent, indulging the US wanton actions of under- in production and residents don’t increase their have tested a new high-thrust engine or even a how the latter would treat Trump. This has made government, all levels, is able to focus resources mining world order and transforming it to serve consumption of durable goods. In the short term, long-range missile at the Sohae satellite launching US domestic political struggle more complicated. and change policies to respond to bigger concerns its “America first” policy. China needs to stabilize foreign trade. The global station. But instead of trying to take measures to The 2020 US presidential election campaign is in of the people including food safety, housing, trans- Nobody can check the US, but the country will economic slowdown will make it harder for China calm North Korea, the US flew reconnaissance full swing. Although a number of candidates have portation, and education.A critical factor in Chi- eventually be punished by the rules. US national to maintain the rapid growth of net exports in aircrafts over the Korean Peninsula in recent days. thrown their hats into the ring for Democratic na’s success has been the stability of the central interests have extended worldwide. An orderly 2020, and China must implement more targeted At the NATO summit in London on December 3, nomination, the policies they propose are either government and a reliable policy framework that world is more in line with its interests, a highly measures to boost domestic demand. More im- US President Donald Trump even called Kim a bland or controversial. has developed successive five year plans which internationalized country, than a world full of un- portantly, the decline in production investment “rocket man” again and threatened to use military So far, it’s hard for Democrats to charge Trump have brought unprecedented economic growth certainties. The US actions will increase the expense does not just concern numbers, but also efficiency. force against Pyongyang. with treason. The Republican-controlled Senate and attracted large amounts of foreign investment. of realizing its national interests in the long term. Third, the slowdown of economic growth may However, Trump still stressed that he had a good would not easily approve the impeachment. Such Being a witness to China’s peaceful rise has The US political system determines the outside aggravate the current conditions of weak sectors personal relationship with Kim. Trump also made a being the case, Democrats’ current strategy is to shaped my views on many things. One core be- world cannot expect the country to quickly over- and regions. As pressures mount for small and phone call to South Korean President Moon Jae-in label Trump as “impeached president” before the lief is that every country has different national come political irrationality. Facing US disruption, medium-sized enterprises, local financial risks may on Saturday. In addition to the Korean Peninsula 2020 general election. But it remains to be seen conditions and is at different stages of economic the international community needs to consider worsen. Changing economic structures in some nuclear issue, there may also be other reasons how much the Democratic Party would benefit development and, as such, there is no single system realistic approaches to uphold multilateralism and regions may cause unemployment risks. In 2020, for which Trump made the call. But this at least from such a practice in the run-up to the election. of government that works for every country. The reduce losses. Other major countries have never enterprises in eastern regions will find it difficult shows that the US has to some extent realized the A study released in late November found 40 Chinese system is working well for China and the truly united when the US has acted unreasona- to turn a profit, and those in central regions should severity of the Korean Peninsula issue. Nonetheless, percent of registered voters in Wisconsin, an im- US system has worked well for the US. To say this bly, nor have they joined hands to make the US expect to see a further slowdown in the growth Pyongyang still wishes that Washington change its portant swing state, support impeaching Trump, in other words, the US system would not work pay for its unilateral actions. The main reason is of revenue. Thus, employment will be at risk in policies toward Pyongyang. It is important for both down from 44 percent in October while 53 percent for China, and the Chinese system would not be that powers like the EU and Japan are too afraid certain regions and sectors. The automobile and sides to translate their expectations into tangible oppose the impeachment, up from 51 percent. It effective for the US.The US-China relationship of the US. They don’t even dare to condemn US mobile phone industries are still in steep decline. actions, while there isn’t much time left. seems that the impeachment inquiry will hardly has hit a low point. I have advised that Chinese unilateralism through public opinion. The real-estate, construction and information ser- North Korea’s ruling Workers’ Party of Korea stop Republican voters from voting for Trump. officials directly address concerns that are raised WTO is a multilateral infrastructure platform vices industries have also contracted significantly. (WPK) will hold its fifth plenary meeting of the Intensified domestic political squabbling has by its critics globally. affecting many countries’ interests. Once the appel- Downward sales and production in these industries seventh Central Committee of WPK later Decem- overshadowed China-US relations. The Trump President Xi Jinping proposed the Belt and late body ceases, can major countries bypass the US mean that they face greater pressure when it comes ber, according to North Korean media reports. administration plans to hit China-made prod- Road Initiative (BRI) in 2013. Many in the US to form some alternative arbitration mechanism, to employment. And Kim is set to deliver the New Year speech ucts with a new round of tariffs on December 15. allege that the BRI forces smaller countries that allowing the WTO’s main framework and functions Fourth, the risk of a new round of deflation on January 1, 2020. The two important political There is still a lot of uncertainty about wheth- receive Chinese investments to become beholden to continue and allowing most disputes to be re- in the Chinese economy will increase in 2020, agenda will determine Pyongyang’s domestic and er Beijing and Washington could reach a phase to China in some nefarious way. My impression solved in a fair and reasonable manner? When the which deserves attention and requires prepara- foreign policies in 2020, particularly those about one deal before the date. From the perspective is that the BRI is a multinational collaboration US bullies weaker countries, major WTO members tion. Although the price of food - represented by denuclearization and how to deal with the US. Given of electoral politics, Democrats have reasons to aimed at helping countries by upgrading their should at least provide moral support.The US is pork - has risen sharply since the third quarter, the importance of these two scenarios, a specific hinder the Trump administration from reaching infrastructure including roads, schools, utilities, the most powerful country in the world and yet it driving the consumer price index (CPI) higher, group ought to have already been established to any agreement with China that can be touted as rail systems, and ports. If true, this is an important is the number one destroyer of order. This is the this doesn’t mean that deflation will not occur next draft relevant documents. This means North Korea a “victory.” They want the US public to focus on message that needs to be shared more widely to misfortune of the 21st century. The international year. Instead, the continued falls of the non-food and the US would have less time to close their the impeachment, and would pour scorn on any offset the anti-China propaganda. community cannot change US attitudes. Thus, the CPI, producer price index (PPI) and GDP deflator deal. As North Koreans have been aware of Kim’s compromise the Trump government could make This year also marks the 40th anniversary of real challenge for the future of globalization is to are highly similar to the initial performances of year-end deadline through state media outlets, the in trade negotiations with China. However, no deal the establishment of US-China diplomatic rela- strengthen coordination and mitigate US influence. I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y 8 ADVERTISEMENTS DECEMBER 12, 2019

Penthouse in Zafaranieh Villa in Ajudaniye Whole building in Darous Apt in Motahari St. 350 sq.m, 4 Bdrs., furn 2 floors, 315 sq.m & 300 sq.m ,administrative office license 4th floor, 99 sq.m, 2 Bdrs. spj, mountain & city view furn, equipped kitchen, swimming brand new, 6 floors, 6 offices furn, renovated, parking elevator, parking pool, sauna, gym 400 sq.m land, each office $1000 Price: negotiable parking, $4000 183 sq.m, parking Ms.Sara: 09128103207 Ms.Sara: 09128103207 Mr.Shayan: 09128440156 $15000 Ms.Sara: 09128103207 Office in Sheykh Bahayi Apt in Fereshteh Triplex Villa in Zafaranieh brand new, 5th floor, 98 sq.m several brand new apts in different 1700 sq.m land, 600 sq.m Whole Building in Jamshidieh 3 Bdrs., elevator floors, 125 sq.m with 2 Bdrs. & 270 built up, 10 Bdrs., furn / unfurn brand new, 1600 sq.m land, 2 parking spots, $850 sq.m with outdoor swimming pool, 8 units 508 sq.m with 4 Bdrs. Ms.Sara: 09128103207 3 Bdrs., unfurn, spj, parking 2-side entrances, $13000 2 duplex unit 330 sq.m $2000 & $3000 Ms.Sara: 09128103207 unfurn, spj, elevator Apt in Fereshteh Mr.Shayan: 09128440156 42 parking spots ground floor, 70 sq.m, 1 Bdr. Villa in Farmanieh Price: negotiable semi furn, spj, lobby, parking Apt in Elahieh triplex, 3th floor, 350 sq.m, furn Mr.Shayan: 09128440156 $800 2th floor, 200 sq.m, 3 Bdrs. fire place, terrace, renovated Mr.Shayan: 09128440156 furn swimming pool, sauna 15 parking spots, $10000 Whole building in Jordan elevator, lobby, lobby man Mr.Shayan: 09128440156 ,administrative office license Apt in Andarzgoo blvd green view, parking Holder of 5 floors, units between 500 sq.m 3th floor, 140 sq.m, 3 Bdrs. $3500 Villa in Tajrish & 700 sq.m, elevator, lobby fully furn, parking, $600 Ms.Sara: 09128103207 2 floors, each floor 270 sq.m ISO 9001:2008 lots of parking Ms.Sara: 09128103207 3 Bdrs., 70 sq.m suite, unfurn ISO 10004:2012 Price: negotiable Apt in Mahmoodieh terrace, outdoor swimming pool Ms.Sara: 09128103207 Apt in Dezashib brand new, different floors completely renovated, parking ISO 10002:2014 3th floor, 100 sq.m, 2 Bdrs. 400 sq.m, 4 Bdrs., furn & unfurn $4000 Whole Building furn, balcony, storage, parking spj, gathering room, yard, elevator Ms.Sara: 09128103207 From Oxford Cert Universal in South Kamranieh good access to subway parking 20 apts, 216 sq.m to 204 sq.m $1300 $10000 Triplex Villa in Jordan 70 Bdrs. totally, spj, gym Mr.Shayan: 09128440156 Ms.Sara: 09128103207 1380 sq.m land, 2000 sq.m built industrial kitchen, restaurant up, furn, outdoor swimming pool driver’s room, security system Apt in Vanak Apt in Kamranieh yard, parking, 20 parking spots 9th floor, 80 sq.m, 2 Bdrs. almost new, 1th floor, 192 sq.m 4-side entrances Mr.Shayan: 09128440156 spj, furn, parking 3 Bdrs., unfurn, spj, parking Price: Negotiable $1000 $2600 Mr.Shayan: 09128440156 Office in North Shirazi Ms.Sara: 09128103207 Mr.Shayan: 09128440156 ,administrative office license Villa in Shariti - Tajrish brand new, 6 floors, 6 units Apt in Jordan Apt in Jordan 170 sq.m, 2 Bdrs., furn, spj each unit 120 sq.m 2th floor, 100 sq.m, 2 Bdrs. 3th floor, 151 sq.m, 3 Bdrs. completely renovated, parking 5 parking spots furn, equipped kitchen, fully furn, spj, parking, $2000 $1800 $12000 elevator, parking, $1300 Ms.Sara: 09128103207 Ms.Sara: 09128103207 Ms.Sara: 09128103207 Mr.Shayan: 09128440156

TEHRAN TIMES Modern Stadium of Iran’s Leading Martyrs of Khuzestan International Daily Football Club (KSC)

Advertising Dept

Tel: 021 - 430 51 450

Advertising Dept: [email protected]

+9821 430 51 450 www.tehrantimes.com I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y DECEMBER 12, 2019 SCIENCE 9

Blue Origin resets timing for Physicists see hints of X17 Everything in our Universe is held together or pushed apart by four fundamental forces: gravity, electromagnetism, and two nuclear interactions. Physicists think they’ve spotted the actions suborbital test flight to space of a fifth physical force emerging from a helium atom. Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin space and an experiment from NASA’s Kennedy It’s not the first time researchers claim to have caught a glimpse venture says it’s now targeting Wednesday Space Center that will test a technology for of it, either. A few years ago, they saw it in the decay of an isotope for the next uncrewed flight test of its New converting trash and human waste into of beryllium. Now the same team has seen a second example Shepard suborbital spaceship, with a cargo a mixture of gases that could be used for of the mysterious force at play - and the particle they think is manifest that should warm kids’ hearts for propulsion or life support. carrying it, which they’re calling X17. the holidays. The main objective of the upcoming flight If the discovery is confirmed, not only could learning more The company plans to fly thousands of is to test New Shepard’s reusable propulsion about X17 let us better understand the forces that govern our postcards that have been gathered through module and crew capsule in advance of flights Universe, it could also help scientists solve the dark matter its educational program, known as the Club with people on board. The most recent problem once and for all. for the Future. It’ll also send up two student- uncrewed trip took place in May. Attila Krasznahorkay and his colleagues from the Institute built art projects inspired by OK Go’s geeky New Shepard is expected to start carrying for Nuclear Research in Hungary suspected something weird music videos. people to heights beyond 100 kilometers (62 was going on back in 2016, after analyzing the way an excited This will be the 12th New Shepard test miles) sometime next year. The first to fly beryllium-8 emits light as it decays. mission, and it will mark the flight of Blue are likely to be Blue Origin staffers. Paying Origin’s 100th commercial payload to passengers would follow, but the company space and back. hasn’t yet started taking reservations. Ticket Launch from Blue Origin’s West Texas prices are still up in the air, but Blue Origin spaceport was originally set for Tuesday, but CEO Bob Smith recently said they’d be in in a tweet, the company said it was postponing the range of hundreds of thousands of liftoff “due to weather conditions.” dollars to start. Blue Origin plans to provide video coverage In addition to the New Shepard suborbital via its website and YouTube. space program and the Blue Moon lunar Bezos kicked off the Club for the and inspiring,” he said on Instagram. mimicking the process of primordial lander program, Blue Origin is working on Future program in May, when he unveiled The postcards will go up to space and come planetary accretion. The other project, an orbital-class New Glenn rocket that could Blue Origin’s Blue Moon lunar lander in back down on New Shepard. Then they’ll be proposed by students from Utah, aims start flying in 2021. Washington, D.C. Ever since then, Blue Origin mailed back to their original senders. to translate cosmic radiation readings The hardware for New Shepard and for has been collecting “Space Mail” postcards, Another kid-friendly payload consists recorded during New Shepard’s flight New Glenn’s BE-4 rocket engine are currently on which kids can draw or write up their of two experiments that emerged as the into a musical composition. built at Blue Origin’s headquarters in Kent, vision for having millions of people living winners of an “Art in Space” contest Blue Origin took note of two other Wash., which is being dramatically expanded. and working in space. sponsored by OK Go. One project, devised payloads: a science experiment focusing on Eventually, BE-4 production will shift to In August, Bezos reported that postcards by a trio of New York City students, aims zero-G’s impact on cell biology, developed Alabama, and New Glenn will be assembled If that light is energetic enough, it transforms into an electron have been received from 22 countries. “I’ve to have bits of material rise up in zero-G at Columbia University with guidance from in and launched from Florida. and a positron, which push away from one another at a predictable seen the messages, and they are so hopeful and cover a magnetized wire-art sculpture, former NASA astronaut Mike Massimino; (Source: msn) angle before zooming off. Based on the law of conservation of energy, as the energy of the light producing the two particles increases, the angle between The first mission to remove space junk from orbit has just been commissioned them should decrease. Statistically speaking, at least. Oddly, this isn’t quite what Krasznahorkay and his team Wherever we humans go, we leave behind a mess. That that’s exactly what the ESA is working on. and allowed to burn up in the atmosphere. saw. Among their tally of angles there was an unexpected goes for space, too. By 2025, the agency plans on launching the world’s first Unfortunately, this will also destroy the collector, but in rise in the number of electrons and positrons separating at Today, our species is responsible for more than 500,000 orbiting junk collector, a four-armed robot that tracks down the future, the agency hopes to create a way for the robot an angle of 140 degrees. pieces of junk hurtling around Earth at phenomenal speeds, space waste like Pac-Man in a maze. to safely eject the rubbish and continue capturing and de- The study seemed robust enough, and soon attracted the and if we don’t start actively removing the largest pieces, The first-of-its-kind mission, known as ClearSpace-1, orbiting other pieces. attention of other researchers around the globe who suggested the risk of collisions will only grow worse. will start out small, collecting only a single piece of space The ultimate goal is to create a spacecraft that can propel that a whole new particle could be responsible for the anomaly. “Imagine how dangerous sailing the high seas would be junk to prove the concept works. The target in this case is and direct itself in low orbit with a “high level of autonomy”, Not just any old particle; its characteristics suggested it had if all the ships ever lost in history were still drifting on top of called Vespa, a leftover remnant from ESA’s Vega rocket according to the Swiss startup, ClearSpace, which is in charge to be a completely new kind of fundamental boson. the water,” says Jan Wörner, European Space Agency (ESA) launch in 2013. of designing the machine. That’s no small claim. We currently know of four fundamental director general. “That is the current situation in orbit, and This piece of junk weighs roughly the same as a small “The space debris issue is more pressing than ever before. forces, and we know that three of them have bosons carrying it cannot be allowed to continue.” satellite and has a simple shape that should make it easy Today we have nearly 2,000 live satellites in space and more their messages of attraction and repulsion. It’s almost as if we need a tow truck to remove all the to grab with four robotic arms. Once it’s safely in the arms than 3,000 failed ones,” says ClearSpace CEO Luc Piguet. The force of gravity is carried by a hypothetical particle known thousands of failed satellites from our orbit; incidentally, of the garbage collector, it will then be dragged out of orbit (Source: msn) as a ‘graviton’, but sadly scientists have not yet detected it. This new boson couldn’t possibly be one of the particles carrying the four known forces, thanks to its distinctive mass of (17 megaelectronvolts, or about 33 times that of an electron), Stardust from red giants NASA gears up to test fire new SLS Moon and tiny life span (of about 10 to the minus 14 seconds … but hey, rocket in Mississippi it’s long enough to smile for the camera). So all signs point to the boson being the carrier of some new, fifth force. But physics isn’t keen on celebrating prematurely. Finding a new particle is always big news in physics, and warrants a lot of scrutiny. Not to mention repeated experiment. Fortunately, Krasznahorkay’s team haven’t exactly been sitting on their laurels over the past few years. They’ve since changed focus from looking at the decay of beryllium-8 to a change in the state of an excited helium nucleus. Similar to their previous discovery, the researchers found pairs of electrons and positrons separating at an angle that didn’t match currently accepted models. This time, the number was closer to 115 degrees. Working backwards, the team calculated the helium’s nucleus could also have produced a short-lived boson with a mass just under 17 megaelectronvolts. To keep it simple, they’re calling it X17. It’s a long way from Around 4.5 billion years ago, an interstellar contained far smaller palladium anomalies By Paul Brinkmann to cool the rocket stand during the SLS test. being an official particle we can add to any models of matter. molecular cloud collapsed. At its center, the than expected,” says Mattias Ek, postdoc Eight minutes represents the length of While 2016’s experiment was accepted into the respectable Sun was formed; around that, a disc of gas at the University of Bristol who made the NASA is preparing to test fire the time SLS rockets will burn to lift off the journal, Physical Review Letters, this latest study is yet to be peer and dust appeared, out of which the earth isotope measurements during his doctoral largest rocket since the Apollo era at ground and reach 100 miles high, consuming reviewed. You can read the findings yourself on arXiv, where and the other planets would form. This research at ETH. the sprawling Stennis Space Center in 200,000 gallons of liquid oxygen and they’ve been uploaded to be scrutinised by others in the field. thoroughly mixed interstellar material Now the researchers have come up with southern Mississippi, where the new 500,000 of liquid hydrogen — which are But if this strange boson isn’t just an illusion caused by some included exotic grains of dust: “Stardust that a new model to explain these results, as they Space Launch System core is expected highly reactive and explosive when mixed. experimental blip, the fact it interacts with neutrons hints at a had formed around other suns,” explains report in the journal Nature Astronomy. to arrive in a matter of weeks. The propellants are mixed in the four force that acts nothing like the traditional four. Maria Schoenbaechler, a professor at the They argue that stardust consisted mainly On Tuesday, work crews were putting main engines, which are the same RS-25 (Source: sciencealert.com) Institute of Geochemistry and Petrology at of material that was produced in red giant finishing touches on gigantic steel flame engines built by Aerojet Rocketdyne that ETH Zurich. These dust grains only made up stars. These are aging stars that expand buckets that will catch and redirect exhaust were used on the space shuttle orbiter. a small percentage of the entire dust mass and because they have exhausted the fuel in as the rocket engines are fired for more than Sixteen of the engines were left over after were distributed unevenly throughout the their core. Our Sun, too, will become a red eight minutes. The preparation reminds many the shuttle program ended, two of which New insect species that fed disc. “The stardust was like salt and pepper,” giant four or five billion years from now. of the excitement that preceded Apollo. have not been used. the geochemist says. As the planets formed, In these stars heavy elements such as “I was a test engineer for 20 years and In a real flight, the SLS rocket exhaust on dinosaur blood found each one ended up with its own mix. molybdenum and palladium were produced always wondered what it would be like would only hit the launch pad for a few preserved in amber Thanks to extremely precise by what is known at the slow neutron to do something like what we did in the moments before lifting off. But the rocket measurement techniques, researchers capture process. “Palladium is slightly ‘60s,” said Maury Vander, now director will be held in place during the test fire, are nowadays able to detect the stardust more volatile than the other elements of operations at Stennis. “Many people meaning the superheated flames could warp A previously unknown species of parasitic insect which dined on that was present at the birth of our solar measured. As a result, less of it condensed told me it will never happen again. Well the test stand if not cooled. So NASA has the blood of dinosaurs 100 million years ago has been discovered system. They examine specific chemical into dust around these stars, and therefore now I’ll be able to say they were wrong.” completely renovated the stand’s high- preserved in prehistoric amber. elements and measure the abundance of there is less palladium from stardust in the The rocket’s core stage is about 212 feet pressure water system. The wingless bugs, found clinging to dinosaur feathers sealed different isotopes — the different atomic meteorites we studied” Ek says. high — like a 21-story building. It will be Once NASA is satisfied the rocket is safe, inside two pieces of fossilised tree resin, provide new clues about flavors of a given element, which all share The ETH researchers also have a shipped from the Michoud Assembly Facility it will be lifted back onto the Pegasus barge the origins of lice which feast on modern-day birds. the same number of protons in their nuclei plausible explanation for another stardust in New Orleans on NASA’s Pegasus barge. and shipped to Kennedy Space Center in The 10 insect nymphs were studied by Chinese and American but vary in the number of neutrons. “The puzzle: the higher abundance of material The core is to spend about eight months Florida for launch. biologists after being discovered in northern Myanmar’s variable proportions of these isotopes act from red giants on Earth compared to Mars at Stennis, where it will be set on Test Stand The first SLS rocket is to be launched Kachin province. like a fingerprint,” Schönbächler says: or Vesta or other asteroids further out in B-2, bolted down and eventually tested in without a crew sometime in 2020. Only Researchers said the new species, Mesophthirus “Stardust has really extreme, unique the solar system. This outer region saw an what’s called a green run. Tests are run this first Artemis-era rocket will be test engeli, had similar bodies to modern lice and latched onto fingerprints — and because it was spread accumulation of material from supernova cooperatively between NASA, Boeing fired at Stennis, said Boeing’s Mark Nappi, feathered dinosaurs with powerful jaws in the way present- unevenly through the protoplanetary disc, explosions. and Aerojet Rocketdyne, which makes director of SLS core stage testing. After day parasites bite into birds. each planet and each asteroid got its own “When the planets formed, temperatures the engines. that, SLS rockets will be tested in limited Creatures that feed on blood have previously been identified fingerprint when it was formed.” closer to the Sun were very high,” Although Stennis has been busy over fashion at Michoud and again at Kennedy from both the Jurassic period – 201 million to 145 million years Over the past ten years, researchers Schoenbaechler explains. This caused the years, Vander said quiet periods have Space Center. ago – and Cretaceous era, 145 million to 66 million years ago. studying rocks from the Earth and unstable grains of dust, for instance existed, too, especially after the space shuttle Software models now enable NASA to But despite the prevalence of feathered dinosaurs at this time, meteorites have been able to demonstrate those with an icy crust, to evaporate. The program ended in 2011. Now, however, run virtual tests to determine if anything insects that fed on their feathers have not been reported until now. these so-called isotopic anomalies for more interstellar material contained more of this the space agency and private industry are is wrong. “We will validate all the systems Researchers from Beijing’s Capital Normal University and the and more elements. Schoenbaechler and kind of dust that was destroyed close to gearing up to bring in 200 to 300 more — avionics, hydraulics, propulsion and so Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of Natural History her group have been looking at meteorites the Sun, whereas stardust from red giants people for the SLS test. on,” Nappi said. in Washington DC said their findings suggested feather-feeding that were originally part of asteroid cores was less prone to destruction and hence Facilities that were built in the 1950s for After the stress and pressure of a green parasites evolved around the same time as the diversification of that were destroyed a long time ago, with concentrated there. It is conceivable that Apollo and refurbished in the 1980s for the run, the rocket will need some two months birds and feathered dinosaurs. a focus on the element palladium. dust originating in supernova explosions shuttle are being upgraded. The 13,800-acre of refurbishing for the actual launch, Writing in the journal Nature Communications, they said: Other teams had already investigated also evaporates more easily, since it is facility is surrounded by a 125,828-acre Nappi said. “Most significantly, these insects are preserved with partially neighboring elements in the periodic table, somewhat smaller. “This allows us to buffer zone of limited development because “We will fix any damage that occurred. damaged dinosaur feathers, the damage of which was probably such as molybdenum and ruthenium, so explain why the Earth has the largest of the loud and destructive shock waves We suspect we know where some of the made by these insects’ integument-feeding behaviors. Schoenbaechler’s team could predict what enrichment of stardust from red giant that rocket test fires can create. damage will be, but we can’t expect all of “This finding demonstrates that feather-feeding behaviours their palladium results would show. But stars compared to other bodies in the solar On Tuesday, crews worked to add a few it,” he said. “Some of the work will be done of insects originated at least in mid-Cretaceous, accompanying their laboratory measurements did not system” Schoenbaechler says. more holes in the flame buckets to allow a here and some will be done at Kennedy the radiation of feathered dinosaurs including early birds.” confirm the predictions. “The meteorites (Source: Science Daily) water flow of 335,000 gallons per minute Space Center.” (Source: The Independent) I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y 10 HERITAGE & TOURISM DECEMBER 12, 2019

Iran warns against travel to U.S., citing risk of arrest, detention Tribal tourism gives chance

TOURISM TEHRAN — The Iranian Foreign Ministry deskon Tuesday issued a travel advisory for citi- zens, particularly scientists, not to visit the United States, saying to discover another face of Iran Iranians may be faced with arbitrary arrest or lengthy detention 1 Over the past couple of years, the trend has gained in inhuman conditions. a lot of support and attention in the country by both the “Iranian citizens, particularly elites and scientists, are request- government and the private sectors, as well as sightseers and ed to seriously avoid traveling to America, even to take part in local communities. Each month, several tribal festivals are scientific conferences and even having an invitation,” a post on held across the country. Moreover, tens of collective tours the Foreign Ministry’s website reads. brings visitors to experience life among the tribespeople. For instance, a number of foreign ambassadors, diplo- mats, as well as cultural and economic attaches were invited to attend a regional nomadic festival, which was held in northern Golestan province back in November. The festival, however, showcased wide range of regional arts, handicrafts, workshops, souvenirs, culinary traditions and tourist-at- traction exhibits and live performances to attendees from China, Greece, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Belarus, the Philippines, Senegal, Bolivia and Mauritania, amongst others. Experts say that tribal tourism has untapped capacity to attract more and more foreign tourists. Mohammad Javad Azimi, a tourism expert in Kermanshah province, believes that the nomadic livelihoods certifies a kind of functional authenticity that well reflects human interaction with nature. Many tour operators believe that tribal regions could be deemed as the legacy of human authenticity in its novel Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov (not pictured) and his cultural and human aspects. In the Iranian culture, litera- Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif attend a news ture and public opinion, nomads have always been a proud conference in Moscow, Russia May 8, 2019. (REUTERS/Evgenia part of the nation. Novozhenina/File Photo) Iran’s tourism ministry believes that construction of eco-lodges in rural areas could cater to the trend as it last There are many tourists from all over the world who tend to observe nomadic lifestyle, watching activities such It cited, “America’s cruel and one-sided laws toward Iranians, year set a target to help build 2,000 eco-lodges by 2021. as milking, yogurt making, buttering, oiling, woolen, carpeting and much more. especially Iranian elites, and arbitrary and lengthy detention in “Each eco-lodge unit averagely generates jobs for seven to completely inhuman conditions” as reasons for the travel advisory. eight people so that the scheme could create 160,000 jobs,” to figure out which places may be their priority, but here’s a Historical Hydraulic System; Bridges of Isfahan; Kashan’s Tensions have heightened between Iran and the United tourism minister Ali-Asghar Mounesan says. list 20 favorite attractions that you can’t miss on your trip historical homes; Sheikh Safi al-din Khanegah and Shrine; States since U.S. President Donald Trump last year pulled Steeped in history, culture, and nature, the country is a to Iran: Persepolis; the Valley of the Stars; Chogha Zanbil Pigeon Towers; Zoroastrian temple of Chak Chak; Rudkhan Washington out of the nuclear deal and reimposed sanctions well-known destination for fans of Persian arts, culture and (Tchogha Zanbil); Babak Castle; Nasir ol-Molk Mosque; An- Castle; Katale-khor Cave; Hafez Tomb; Hurmuz Island; the on Iran’s economy. Iran has responded by gradually scaling architecture. For mainstream travelers it might be difficult zali Lagoon; Chalus Road; Naqsh-e Jahan Square; Shushtar Lut Desert and historical sites of Bisotun and Taq-e Bostan. back its commitments under the agreement. The Foreign Ministry issued another warning on Tuesday for Iranian nationals to postpone traveling to France amid Austrian ambassador visits tourist sites in western Iran ongoing protests and civil unrest in the European country. TOURISM TEHRAN — Vienna’s ambassador province’s attractions could motivate more international deskto Tehran Stefan Scholz on Tuesday arrivals in the region. visited several travel attractions in Kermanshah prov- Scholz said in October that he believes U.S. sanctions Miyajima, Japan to impose a ince, western Iran. against Iran will be no obstacle in the path of Austrian tourists Scholz, who was accompanied by his family and some to travel to the Islamic Republic. tourist tax embassy staff, toured the UNESCO-registered Bisotun and “Austrian arrivals in Iran is not affected by the sanctions Taq-e Bostan amongst other sites, CHTN reported. and threats,” the envoy told ISNA. Visiting a bucket list destination is getting slightly more Inscribed into the base of a towering cliff, Taq-e Bostan In an interview with the Tehran Times in September, expensive as the Japanese island of Miyajima has voted to comprises extraordinary Sassanian bas-reliefs of ancient the ambassador remained commonalities and the history charge tourists more money to visit. victorious kings divide opinions, while Bisotun is a patch- of relations between the two nations, saying “Austria and The island, also known as Itsukushima, is a short ferry ride work of immense yet impressive life-size carvings depicting Iran have a long history in common. It’s an incredible away from Hiroshima and a popular day trip site for visitors the king Darius I and several other figures. It was the first special profile that distinguishes us from many other to the area. cuneiform writing that was deciphered in the 19th century. countries. We have 700 years of documented contacts, It is known for its orange torii gate, a popular photo spot due On the sidelines of this visit, the Austrian envoy ex- 500 years of partnership and about 60 years of full dip- to the fact that it appears semi-sunken at high tide, and for the pressed his satisfaction over sightseeing in the province, lomatic relations.” 12th-century Itsukushima Shrine. the report said. In November 2018, the Trump administration reinstated Taro Matsumoto is the newly elected mayor of Hatsukaichi Regarding the visits, a local tourism official noted that sanctions on Iran, mainly the ones that had been lifted under city, which is in Hiroshima prefecture. He ran on a successful visits by foreign diplomats and authorities to Kermanshah the 2015 nuclear deal, in order to batter Iran’s economy. campaign issue of a tourist tax. At a press conference, Matsumoto told reporters that “it is necessary to secure new financial resources in order to contin- uously maintain quality of the Island as a tourist spot,” and that Fukushima’s tourism comeback: despite disaster, this Japanese he hopes the tax will be implemented by spring of 2021. About 4.31 million people visited Miyajima in 2018. The current proposal is for $1 admission fee to the island. destination is ready for tourists again There are three possible methods for imposing and collecting FUKUSHIMA (CNN) — It’s a brisk au- South of Fukushima City is the castle town the tax: charging each visitors traveling by ferry, increasing the tumn morning, and the Mishima overlook Nihonmatsu, where Daishichi Sake Brewery tax for the ferry operators or charging tax directly to the visitors in Fukushima prefecture is crowded with stands out for devoting more time to sake when they use facilities on the island. photographers, mostly from Taiwan, eager production than pretty much anywhere else (Source: MSN) to capture the scenic Tadami Line railway in Japan. as it crosses the arched Dai-ichi Tadami- Founded in 1752 and under the helm of gawa Bridge. 10th-generation owner Hidehara Ohta, Daishi- ROUND THE GLOBE Among them is local photographer Ken chi uses only the time-consuming traditional Hoshi, who has photographed the region more kimoto method for brewing sake, developed City of Verona than anyone else and has singlehandedly around 1700 but now mostly abandoned in pioneered grassroots tourism in the area. favor of quicker modern practices. A world Heritage, the city of Verona is situated in north- After discovering the hilltop viewpoint It also developed an innovative super-flat ern Italy at the foot of the Lessini Mountains on the overlooking the Tadami River, he convinced rice polishing technique that assures a River Adige. local authorities to construct stairs for easier high-quality taste. It dates from prehistoric times: a small built-up area access; he’s now lobbying for an elevator The result is sake that’s resistant to ox- that developed between the 4th and 3rd century BC be- for the elderly. idation and grows and matures over time, came a Roman municipium in the 1st century BC after As the train chugs into view at 9:05am, making it comparable to wine. which it rose rapidly in importance. there’s a whir of clicking cameras as though Guided tours with tastings are available. During the 5th century, Verona was occupied by the for a celebrity. “Minowamon, named after a gate of Ni- Ostrogoth Theodoric I, later by the Lombards, and in “New industry is difficult to attract, so honmatsu Castle, is our biggest seller be- 774 by Charlemagne. In the early 12th century, it became tourism is the best way to bring develop- cause of its excellent flavor and rich, umami an independent commune. ment,” Hoshi said through an interpreter. The next Kyoto: For return visitors to Japan who have already been to Kyoto, or for taste,” said Ohta. “It pairs well with buttery, Knowing that most tourists to Fukush- those wishing to escape the crowds, Fukushima is an off-the-beaten-track alternative. creamy dishes.” ima are Taiwanese wishing to experience Or at least it will be until word gets out. Fukushima Prefecture’s most famous autumn and winter seasons they don’t have castle town is Aizuwakamatsu, which dubs back home, Hoshi promoted Mishima by visitors stayed overnight in 2018, despite Olympics torch relay, at J-Village, the nation’s itself Samurai City and is located in Aizu, organizing competitions in Taiwan of pho- the fact that the contaminated evacuation top soccer training facility. the westernmost region of the prefecture. tographs taken of the Tadami Line from zone now comprises just 2.8% of Fukush- Because of J-Village’s location just 12.4 After the Tokugawa shogunate, which the overlook. ima Prefecture. miles from the nuclear meltdown but saved had ruled over Japan for more than 250 He launched Mugenkyo no Watashi tours For repeat visitors who have seen des- from the tsunami due to higher ground, it years, was overthrown and the emperor on the Tadami River, which, using flat-bottom tinations like Kyoto or for those wishing was the operational base for 1,000 people resumed power, the Boshin War broke out boats similar to those that ferried him across to escape the crowds, Fukushima is an dealing with the disaster and is now consid- between samurai loyal to the shogun and the river as a boy, take in the haunting place off-the-beaten-track alternative, at least ered a symbol of revitalization. Imperial forces. where his village once stood, abandoned after until word gets out. From there, the torch will journey north It was here, in Tsurugajo Castle, that the a 1964 landslide. Japan’s third-largest prefecture but with through coastal towns that have steadily re- mighty Aizu clan fought and lost the last Hoshi is passionate about Fukushima, fewer than 2 million inhabitants, Fukushima covered since 2011, including Soma, southern samurai battle. which, if you stay long enough, seems to is mostly rural, with winding mountain roads, terminus of Japan’s newest and longest hiking Thousands died, including female samu- be the defining trait of most everyone who forests, rushing rivers, waterfalls, marshlands trail, the 620-mile Michinoku Coastal Trail rai warriors and the Byakkotai (White Tiger It prospered under the rule of the Scaliger family lives there. and highlands. that passes through four prefectures and Force), a contingent of samurai teenagers who and particularly under Cangrande I, falling to Venice in Many businesses have been passed down Among Japanese, Fukushima is famous was created to promote healing and attract saw what they thought were flames engulfing 1405. From 1797, it became part of the Austrian Empire for generations. for changing autumn leaves, heavy snowfall, international visitors. Tsurugajo Castle and committed suicide. and joined the Kingdom of Italy in 1866. Luring visitors, however, hasn’t been historic sites in Aizuwakamatsu that embody Turning inland, the relay will pass through Today, Tsurugajo Castle contains a history The core of the city consists of the Roman town nes- easy. Fukushima is one of six prefectures the samurai spirit, peach and persimmon towns like Fukushima City, prefectural capital museum while on its grounds are a traditional tled in the loop of the river containing one of the richest comprising Tohoku, a vast, remote and trees, local cuisine you won’t find anywhere and famous for its onsen (hot-spring baths). garden, teahouse, and 1,000 cherry trees. collections of Roman remains in northern Italy. undeveloped region on the northeastern else, over 130 hot-spring resorts and more Just 92 minutes from Tokyo on the fastest Nearby is Aizu Bukeyashiki, where Surviving remains of this era include the city gate, end of Japan’s main Honshu island, which than 60 sake breweries. Shinkansen bullet train, it offers the Iizaka the chief retainer of the Aizu clan, Saigo Porta Borsari, the remains of the Porta Leoni, the Arco receives fewer than 2% of Japan’s inter- “It’s our fifth time to Japan, and after Onsen area, you can soak your cares away Tanomo, lived with his family, servants, dei Gavi, which was dismantled in the Napoleonic period national tourists. following posts on social media and You- at nine public baths and experience ryokan and soldiers. and rebuilt next to Castelvecchio in the 1930s, the Ponte Furthermore, although eight years have Tube, we decided to come to Fukushima,” (Japanese inns) like Nakamuraya, where The restored 38-room mansion illus- Pietra, the Roman theatre, and the Amphitheatre Arena. passed since the meltdown of the Fukushima said Natalie Meek from the United Kingdom. 7th-generation innkeeper Hiroshi Abe proudly trates a grand lifestyle, which ended trag- The Scaligers rebuilt the walls during the Middle Ages, nuclear power plant, caused by the massive “We’re renting a car and spending five days points out antiques and architectural details, ically during the final hours of the Boshin embracing a much larger territory in the west and another earthquake and tsunami that struck off To- around the Aizuwakamatsu area because from the lobby’s open-hearth fireplace to War when Saigo’s wife killed their three vast area on the east bank of the river. This remained hoku’s coast, concern over radiation is the there’s so much to see.” rooms once used by samurai. youngest children and then committed the size of the city until the 20th century. most common response you’ll receive if you Japan believes so strongly in Fukushi- Rates, like throughout Fukushima, are up suicide along with her teenage daughters, (Source: UNESCO) announce you’re heading for Fukushima. ma’s comeback, the prefecture was selected to 20% lower than what you’d pay in more sisters and other family members. Saigo, Maybe that’s why just 120,000 foreign for the commencement of the Tokyo 2020 touristy cities like Kyoto. off in battle, lived into his 70s. I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y DECEMBER 12, 2019 INTERNATIONAL 11

I knew the war in Afghanistan was a lie Saudi murders in Pensacola By Maj. Danny Sjursen More ludicrous still, my senior command- revive 9/11’s unanswered ers decided that our stuck-in-the-Middle- ANTIWAR — Nightmares still haunt me. Ages district was ready for some third-wave questions Sometimes it’s the standard stuff associated feminism. In the Army way, they came up with classic post-traumatic stress disorder: with an acronym for a new unit: the Female USATODAY — America’s veiled relationship with Saudi flashbacks of horrible attacks and images of Engagement Team (FET). The idea was to Arabia took another dark turn Friday when a Saudi national my mutilated troopers. More often, though, pluck one of the handful of female staff of- opened fire in a Naval Air Station Pensacola classroom and peculiar as it may sound, I dream that my ficers in our male-dominated cavalry re- killed three student sailors.When an FBI official described sociopathic, career-obsessed colonel calls connaissance squadron and assign her to go the violence that also left the gunman dead and two deputies to give me another late-night order to do on combat patrols and “engage” with local wounded as “an act of terrorism,” it offered a reminder something unnecessary – usually dangerous, Afghan women, to assess their concerns, and that, when it comes to transparency, the House of Saud always absurd – the next day. … well, it was never clear what the squad- We never got along; the man distrusted me ron would actually do after that. In a bit of enjoys a significant exemption from traditional oversight. from the start. To him, my plainly ironclad particularly ironic slapstick, the young West Just ask the family of entrepreneur Esam Ghazzawi. No loyalty to my young soldiers was suspicious. Point-trained officer chosen was – wait for wait. They fled Sarasota, in a rush, before anyone had a Given his own deep-seated predilection to it! – a New York Jew. The whole charade chance to ask. climb the ranks on the backs of his exhausted dovetailed with the preposterous fiction that Details on what prompted 21-year-old Royal Saudi subordinates, he assumed I must have ulterior establishment elites have bandied about: that Air Force second lieutenant Mohammed Alshamrani to motives. I didn’t. Nonetheless, he kept me the original purpose of America’s post-9/11 start shooting are still being assembled. But between the around because I knew the region better than foray into Afghanistan had anything to do tragedy in Pensacola, the coordinated assassination and most and was capable of impressing visiting with women’s rights. generals with tactical briefings. And because, When I heard about the new FETs, I felt dismemberment of dissident Saudi journalist and Wash- in the main, he found me useful. tuse, knuckle-dragging colonel assuaged my I was on board; by then, all I cared about obliged to remind my colonel that after nine ington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018, and the It’s not that that lieutenant colonel admittedly arrogant and angry tendencies. was keeping my troops as safe as possible. months spent in the villages of the sector, I fact that 15 of the 19 9/11 hijackers were Saudis, questions believed in anything, even the mission in My evidentiary examples were so farcical The tasks the Afghans did for us weren’t hadn’t seen a grown woman, given that the about the monarchy’s ostensible Teflon coating refuse to Afghanistan. Deployment was a means to that they bordered on fiction. particularly useful. I had to manufacture much local men cloistered their wives as if the entire abate.Terror attack? Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis calls for an end for the guy. That said, nearly two I thought back on four such vignettes over of the work, telling them to clean out irriga- district were a Catholic convent. I remind- gun restrictions after Pensacola shooting decades as an unapologetic climber through Thanksgiving weekend, during lunch in a tion canals, paint yellow divider lines on the ed him of the maybe 12-year-old girl in the The FBI’s refusal to declassify the full extent of what it the officer ranks had imbued him, not with Middle Eastern restaurant on Staten Island district’s one paved road, and paint Afghan nearest village I’d taken a shine to months knew, or knows, about the 9/11 hijackers’ links to Sarasota any real competence – he could hardly spell before. She had piercing green eyes, a bois- shared with my former interpreter from Iraq flags on the hundreds of concrete barrier continues to fuel conspiracy theorists’ persistent contention “Kandahar” – but with an uncanny knack and two of his Arab friends. They loved my walls surrounding the hopelessly indefensible terous personality and had impressively held that the federal government is shielding powerful foreign for mind-melding with his bosses. If they stories about the mad, medieval nature of nearby police station. The absurdity of the her own while playing rough games with the fancied a particular mission, he loved it. So rural southern Afghanistan. I suppose they program was perhaps best illustrated by my village boys.For months, I’d given her candy, nationals from accountability.In August, U.S. District Court in 2011-2012, out in the sticks southwest of found some comfort in knowing their home troop’s favorite laborer-mascots: “backpack dolls and anything else I could scrounge up. Judge William Zloch ruled the FBI has, for the last seven the city of Kandahar, when his brigade com- country, for all its ongoing problems, is wildly man” and “the ride.” The former was a triple My mother started sending toys and snacks years, unlawfully withheld certain details of its investigation mander championed democracy-building in modern compared to my former stomping amputee with just one arm. The latter had specifically for this girl. Then one day, she into what went on at the home of Abdulaziz and Anoud the district, my colonel was all in. grounds in rural Kandahar. no arms but carried his one-armed friend on disappeared. I started asking around about al-Hiji, the son-in-law and daughter of Ghazzawi. A con- For the entirety of our unit’s year in coun- We had been discussing the prospects his back to work each day. Both had lost their her. Finally, one of the local elders told me sultant to the Royal Family, Ghazzawi bought the home try, the colonel and I battled over the efficacy what had happened. She’d had her period, he for democracy across the post-Arab Spring limbs by stepping on errant, ubiquitous IEDs. in Sarasota’s gated Prestancia neighborhood in 1995.U.S. of imposing democracy (at the tip of a bayonet, Greater Middle East. But a few beers deep, Despite their physical limitations, we paid explained, and, as per local tradition, she was Navy unites Pensacola’s past, present:After attack on Naval of course) in rural Afghanistan. Nevertheless, sensing that the table needed a bit of levi- them the same salaries as the other workers. immediately clothed in a full-length burka my repeated and often detailed assertions to ty, I started riffing about the buffoonery of “The ride” would carry “backpack man” to the and stashed indoors until her parents could Air Station, we all bleed. him that what the Army euphemistically titled bringing “democracy” to Afghanistan. The canal, where that one-armed go-getter would arrange a marriage with, inevitably, some The family abandoned their place at the end of August our “governance” operations was doomed to stories I told were the very ones I’d once used grab a pickax and start digging. The whole older man. I never saw her again. 2001, “quickly and suddenly,” according to an FBI analyst’s fail were always ignored. After all, the colonel to pointlessly advise my former boss about scene was a macabre inspiration for us all. Oh, and nothing useful ever transpired note. “They left behind valuable items, clothing, jewelry had a career to advance. In the prevailing ac- the hopelessness of our mission. Friday was payday for the cash-for-work- from the squadron’s FET experiment. (Who and food in a manner that indicated they fled unexpectedly quiescence-over-effectiveness Army culture, Like this one time: I was chatting over ers. The Army, bureaucratic beast that it says rural Afghanistan isn’t ready for de- without prior preparation or knowledge.” questioning the basis of his given mission some tea with an old man in a nearby, dusty, is, insisted that we adhere to regulations mocracy?) A 2002 memo from an FBI field agent with the South- wouldn’t play. Thus it was that this captain I can’t help but surmise that the original mud-hut village. I asked the elder his age. stipulating that each and every Afghan line west Florida Domestic Security Task Force noted “many would tirelessly toil to implement the boss’s He didn’t know; few did. I pressed, asking up each week and “sign” their names on a sin of America’s Afghan war, particular- connections” between the al-Hijjis and three of the pilot fruitless attempts at promoting democracy in if he had any sense of what year he’d been standardized form prior to cashing in. (This ly after the initial 2001 invasion, was the the very district where the Taliban had been born. His reply – “I was birthed during a full is despite the fact that it had no qualms about reflexive assumption that within this land- hijackers — Mohamed Atta, Ziad Jarrah and Marwan al birthed. It was a hell of a futile hoot of a year. moon in the year before the Emir Habibullah handing out a backpack full of cash.) No one locked Central Asian country, an imposed, Shehhi. The three learned to fly planes at flight schools in So, for the better part of a year, I pretended Khan was murdered” – wasn’t exactly what seemed to care when I reminded the bosses Western-style representative democracy nearby Venice. Records reportedly list them as frequent to promote “democracy” in rural Kandahar, I’d expected. I realized that the man didn’t that 95% of these guys were illiterate; they could take root. Seen from the relatively visitors to the al-Hijji household. my dense squadron commander pretended even know what year it was right then, nor had to sign, I was told. So, some Afghans cosmopolitan capital city of Kabul, where But none of this information made it into the “9/11 to know what that entailed, his commander did he likely adhere to our Western Grego- would scribble something random, others most American generals and diplomats Commission Report” released in 2004. Those records were resided, that might have seemed plausi- pretended the endeavor was possible in the rian calendar. would make a thumbprint in ink. One drew procured through Freedom of Information Act requests first place, and on and up it went – straight Still, being the history geek I am, I returned a marvelous little chicken next to his name ble. However, the “view from Kabul” was by Florida Bulldog, an online investigative journalism to the top, to the White House. Everyone up to base and googled the lineage of various each week. (And who says rural Afghanistan different from my perspective from the and down the chain of command put on a Afghan monarchs. I figured out, based on the isn’t ready for democracy?) Afghan version of Appalachian Kentucky. watchdog, years after the official books were closed.’Fed- show and presented the illusion of “progress.” information the elder had provided, that he Another time, the colonel informed me My vignettes are admittedly personal, eral loophole’:Pensacola gunman legally purchased Glock I knew this, viscerally, as a young captain. was probably born in 1918, making him, at that the time had come to update the local local, area-specific and, one might argue, 45 used in shooting, FBI says. Heck, I was complicit in a way. Thus, I found that point, around 94 years old. In a country Afghans’ farming techniques. The brigade the equivalent of viewing a complex war from With support from former Florida Gov. Bob Graham, the recent release by The Washington Post with an average life expectancy of about 46 sent me a nice fellow from the US Agency 30,000 feet through a soda straw. But humil- who co-chaired the Senate committee looking into 9/11, of what it titled The Afghanistan Papers years, this was profound. for International Development (USAID) ity be damned – I’m also a scholar, and I’m the Florida Bulldog continues to press for an end to equal parts astonishing and unsurprising. The next day, I returned to the village – an agriculture expert from Kansas – to confident in my widely shared assessment the records censorship.In 2012, Bulldog reporters Dan The documents – consider them the Pen- that on a macro level, Afghanistan as it stands to inform the old man of his actual age. He revitalize husbandry in rural Kandahar. I Christensen and Anthony Summers took the Justice tagon Papers of my generation – present seemed equal parts surprised and pleased. A asked my boss not to bother. Better for the today remains a mess. And now I’ve got The Department to court for access to redacted informa- proof-positive that the generals and various few minutes later, he demonstrated that he USAID guy to earn his bloated salary from Washington Post’s Afghanistan Papers in U.S. officials misled the public for decades still had the libido to flagrantly hit on, even the safety of headquarters than risk his life my evidentiary corner. Fact: Nineteen years tion. Four months ago, Judge Zloch ruled the FBI was about supposed progress in what they knew offer to buy, one of my handsome young male down in my sector, where soldiers got killed into America’s longest war, Afghanistan is within its rights to retain 80,266 pages sought by The was a failing, unwinnable war. The reports lieutenants as a sex slave of sorts. I politely on the regular. in a worse state than at any time since the Bulldog. But he also ruled that one heavily censored left me feeling partially vindicated, but mostly declined. (And who says rural Afghanistan The USAID expert’s plan was to introduce US military invasion.More of the country passage about the al-Hijjis “is highly relevant to the morose. Still, in the vein of the dark humor isn’t ready for democracy?) PVC pipe-based irrigation to the district. To is contested or controlled by the Taliban plaintiff’s request.” that helps soldiers survive absurd combat Then there’s this memory: My troop ran a that end, he built what he called a “model than ever before (to such an extent that the Last month, Christensen reported that an attorney rep- US military has decided to stop measuring tours, let me recall some true episodes seen program we called “cash for work,” through farm” outside my combat outpost as an ex- resenting families and survivors of the 9/11 attack stated from a micro level that substantiate the Post’s ample for the Afghans to follow. The local that inconvenient data). The Afghan gov- which we’d pay tens of thousands in US dollars Khashoggi may have been murdered because of what he macro scoop. per week to put some 1,500 local Afghans to farmers were going to ignore the new tech- ernment’s revenues can’t pay for its security There were times that the war in southern work on small public works projects. The idea nology, or steal the materials, I’d told my forces without foreign aid. Local police and knew about 9/11. Afghanistan, though horrifically bloody – a was that if we gave the chronically unemployed colonel. These people were content with their army casualties are unsustainable, and the James Kreindler said Khashoggi, who was killed at the 40% casualty rate for our troop of about 100 men jobs, they’d eschew the Taliban’s own 13th-century-era but fairly functional irriga- country’s opium crop has had another record Saudi embassy in Istanbul in 2018, had met with an in- kids – was incredibly funny. It was tragicomic, version of our program – call it “cash for tion methods, I’d emphasized.As expected, bumper crop of a year.None of this bodes vestigator with the 9/11 plaintiffs in 2017 and “knew a lot really. Though I knew my objections to the planting IEDs” – and thus violence would the colonel ignored me. When some locals well, yet American troops remain and still about the Saudi government’s involvement” in the terror colonel were destined to fail, I just couldn’t lessen. I knew the inherent limitations of the stripped the “model farm” of its materials die there. Worse, this year, no doubt, one attacks.“My belief,” Kreindler added, “is that Khashoggi resist pinging him with flippant pleas of why scheme. It was utterly temporal and unsus- one dark night, the colonel summoned the of the dead will be a young man or woman was killed not because he was a dissident, there are lots establishing a Jeffersonian-style represen- born after Sept. 11, 2001.To ask one final tainable, would distort the local economy and Kansan to headquarters. We never heard of dissidents, but because he was holding this ax over the tative democracy in the Arghandab Valley empower corrupt tribal leaders. I also knew from him again, the poor, well-meaning guy. time: Who says rural Afghanistan isn’t ready Saudis’ heads.” was an absurd crusade. Somehow, running that the Taliban would inevitably skim off the (And who says rural Afghanistan isn’t ready for democracy? sarcastic intellectual circles around the ob- top of the laborers’ salaries. Nevertheless, for democracy?) I do. Accused of ongoing genocide in Yemen and going after dissident exiles, the image-conscious Saudis have been on a charm offensive as they transition from an oil economy to a tourist economy. Earlier this year, at a Sarasota Institute of Lifetime Learning lecture in Sarasota, Taxpayers cough up for more F-35s the pentagon didn’t ask for former ambassador to the U.S. Turki al-Faisal reminded At a tick below $62,000, U.S. median house- Forces that the “Operational suitability would have been used better elsewhere. out to be large cost-drivers. The difference his audience that travel restrictions were being lifted. hold income is high and rising steadily. of the F-35 fleet remains below service Taxpayers are likely wondering how is that, if these initiatives stay the course, Al-Faisal, the youngest son of the late patriarch Faisal Yet this handsome sum is only enough to expectations. In particular, no F-35 things got this bad. The Joint Strike Fighter their companies will go out of business. bin Abdulaziz al Saud, failed to mention the Khashoggi keep one F-35 stealth fighter in the air for variant meets the specified reliability had promising origins back in the 1990s, and Instead of accountability, the Pentagon controversy in his speech. Backstage, he blamed the about an hour and a half. This (taxpayer) or maintainability metrics.” Meanwhile, when the project’s development contracts receives $680 billion in annual funding assassination on “rogue” elements in the government, dollar-guzzling hunk of metal has attracted the program failed to meet the 80 percent were signed in 1996, program “visionaries” with virtually no questions asked. Often, and said he had no additional insights into the al-Hijjis’ the ire of fiscal hawks for two decades, yet mission-capable rate goal set forth by genuinely seemed to believe that the F-35 lawmakers approve funds that Defense no one in government—and especially no- Pentagon leadership. would deliver cutting-edge technology at officials don’t even ask for (i.e. congressional presence in Sarasota. body at the Department of Defense—seems Service and operational standards re- low costs. Key to its affordability, and re- earmarks). An analysis of the fiscal year “I have no idea what Mr. Ghazzawi has to do with this or keen on shelving it.This is a huge problem. main low as costs continue to climb higher. placement of older aircraft, was the share- 2019 Defense Appropriations Bill by the that, or if he had anything to do with that, other than what Taxpayers deserve a cost-effective national At a lifetime cost of $1.5 trillion, the F-35 ability of spare parts between the Navy, Taxpayers Protection Alliance uncovered was published in all of the texts that I’ve seen published defense, not bureaucrats attached to shiny Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter is among Marines, and the Air Force. In contrast, that members of Congress had snuck in $740 in the paper,” al-Faisal said. boondoggles. the most expensive weapons ever devised. having niche aircraft and equipment for million for eight additional F-35s. These So far, the Royal Family and heir apparent Moham- Now we’re finding out that the astro- Indirect costs are even higher, since the different branches of the military drives are planes the Pentagon didn’t request. med bin Salman have faced no repercussions for their nomical costs are driven by problems F-35 requires the “cannibalization” of parts up costs by proliferating the number of It’s hard to have congressional account- perceived transgressions. Over the summer, the Senate with the F-35’s Autonomic Logistics from other systems. The Government Ac- boutique contracts with suppliers.Unfor- ability when it’s Congress that’s enabling failed to override President Donald Trump’s veto of a Information System (ALIS), which is countability Office notes, “According to tunately, the simple, seductive appeal of excessive and wasteful Pentagon spend- supposed to help military staff examine prime contractor data, to keep aircraft the F-35 did not live up to reality. Retired ing. At the very least, these practices must bill that would have blocked in $8 billion arms deal to technical information and plan military flying despite parts shortages, from May lieutenant colonel and contributor to The end immediately via a stronger ban on Saudi Arabia.Former U.S. Department of State Special operations. Air Force Magazine report- through November 2018 F-35 squadrons Nation William Astore recounts, “In 2014, earmarking than what’s already on the Representative to Muslim Communities Farah Pandith er Rachel Cohen writes, “DOD is still cannibalized (that is, took) parts from other the plane’s woeful record finally caught books. Lawmakers must also demand called “extremism Riyahd’s top export” in Foreign Pol- figuring out when a rearchitected ALIS aircraft at rates that were more than six the eye of CBS’s 60 Minutes, which docu- more accountability from the Depart- icy magazine this year, and accused the regime of tying could become available.” And this is just times greater than the services’ objective.” mented how the program was seven years ment of Defense and make funding levels roughly $100 billion in foreign aid over “recent decades” the tip of the iceberg. On November 13, By implication, monies devoted to oth- behind schedule and already $163 billion contingent on it kiboshing boondoggles to spreading Wahhabi religious fundamentalism.“To Robert Behler, director of the Pentagon’s er Pentagon operations are in fact being over budget. The Pentagon, however, simply such as the F-35. The country simply can’t that end,” wrote Pandith, “they are rewriting history, Operational Test and Evaluation Office, diverted to the F-35. The program, then, plunged ahead.” afford a profligate Pentagon that spends testified before the House Subcommittee is less of a money pit than a black hole, In the private sector, there are plenty way beyond its means to deliver a piece of erasing evidence of the past to favor their own narrative on Readiness and Tactical Air and Land sucking in dollars and manpower that of instances where cost-cutting ideas turn equipment that’s deeply flawed. – a move that ideologically aligned extremists in many parts of the world have since copied.” I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y 12 SOCIETY DECEMBER 12, 2019

Iran, Spain to expand International Mountain Day: cooperation on environmental issues natural treasure must be protected By Faranak Bakhtiari even this has led to formation of human ENVIRONMENT TEHRAN — Iran’s Department of Envi- civilizations.” deskronment deputy chief, Masoud Tajrishi, and TEHRAN — Mountains have long been Most of the sites, resorts, waterfalls, Spanish Secretary of State for Environment, Hugo Alfonso Moran home to people and a source of freshwater, caves, monuments, as well as beautiful Fernandez, discussed ways to expand environmental cooperation. however, they are currently under threat wildflowers are abundant in the moun- The two officials met on Tuesday on the sidelines of the 25th due to climate change and overexploitation, tains, he stated, adding, the benefits of United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP25), which is so this is the time to take steps toward mountainous areas are not limited to a being held in Madrid on December 2-13. protecting the nature’s valuable treasure. specific public or private sector, so that the Launched in 1992 as part of the ac- whole people, private and public sectors tion plan Agenda 21 of the Conference must work together to protect it. on Environment and Development, the So many people make a living by work- International Mountain Day is celebrated ing daily in mountainous area, and now if annually on December 11. some poachers try to destroy the mountains The increasing attention to the im- for their own benefit must be pushed and portance of mountains led the UN to de- prevented, he highlighted. clare 2002 the UN International Year of Government can decide on sustaina- Mountains. The first international day was ble development of such areas, and locals celebrated for the first time the following must consider the national interests of year, 2003. the country and use the natural resources Mountains are home of 15 percent of in a proper way and hand it over to next the world´s population and a quarter of generations, he concluded. the world’s land animals and plants, in Iran’s mountainous areas addition to providing freshwater to half Iran’s Department of Environment deputy chief, Masoud Nearly, two-third of Iran is covered with of humanity, so their conservation is a Tajrishi (second R), and Spanish Secretary of State for mountains, the main mountain chain is the key factor for sustainable development. of ancient cultural traditions. over-exploitation has caused irreparable Environment, Hugo Alfonso Moran Fernandez (third R) Zagros Mountains that bisect the country Because all kinds of precious metals and Education and training, market access, damages, which requires a lot of fund to from northwest to southeast, many peaks Tajrishi explained Iran’s plans and actions toward environment stones, coal, and other raw materials are diverse employment opportunities and compensate, he lamented. in the Zagros exceed 3,000 meters above protection such as improving energy consumption patterns and hidden in the heart of the mountains, they good public services can ensure a brighter Referring to Iran’s mountains namely, sea level, and in the south-central region enhancing efficiency and productivity of industrial units, while have always been encroached by human; future for young people in the mountains. Alborz, Zagros, Alvand, Binaloud, Dama- of the country there are at least five peaks criticizing the U.S. sanctions on Iran’s access to green technologies. also due to agricultural lands which are Mountains require public, gov- vand, Sabalan, Sahand, Dena and Taftan, he that are over 4,000 meters. He called on Spanish official to cooperate in waste manage- used for forage production, herbs, livestock ernment participation noted that Iran is one of the few countries As the Zagros continue into southeastern ment in industrial and mining units, reducing air pollution and breeding, production of meat, dairy and Hossein Abiri-Golpayegani, direc- in the world that is mostly covered with Iran, the average elevation of the peaks tackling sand and dust storms. all kinds of food. tor of green mountain association said mountainous areas, and natural resources, declines dramatically to under 1,500 me- The Spanish official for his part welcomed Iran’s environment Unfortunately, mountains are under that for thousands of years, a significant while this multiplies our task of protecting ters. Rimming the Caspian Sea littoral is protection plans and announced his country’s readiness to co- threat from climate change and overex- portion of human communities are liv- this valuable ecosystem. another chain of mountains, the narrow operate with Iran’s public and private sector projects. ploitation, as mountain glaciers are melting ing in the mountains and make a living About 90 percent of the world’s drink- but high Alborz Mountains. Volcanic at unprecedented rates, affecting fresh- through the mountainous areas, but ing water originates from the mountains, Mount Damavand, 5,610 meters, located water supplies downstream for millions over the last few decades, human has which can be stored underground through in the center of the Alborz, is not only the of people, so there should be measures brought a wide range of mountainous springs, marshes, wells or through rivers country’s highest peak but also the highest FAO, ULRP train to take care of these natural treasures. areas under its control for exploitation, and streams or behind dams, he said. mountain on the Eurasian landmass west Iranian experts on This year, International Mountain which turned to a main concern for the He went on to add that “pristine for- of the Hindu Kush. Day held with a theme of “Mountains current generation. ests, rare plant and animal species in the The center of Iran consists of several evapotranspiration mapping Matter for Youth”, which was a chance Since humans have learned from expe- mountainous areas have made this precious closed basins that collectively are referred to highlight that for rural youth, living rience that mountainous areas are one of ecosystem more valuable. to as the Central Plateau. The average ele- in the mountains can be hard. Migration the lucrative resources, various types of The good weather in the mountainous vation of this plateau is about 900 meters, As part of the “Integrated Programme for Sustainable Water Resources from the mountains leads to abandoned development plans have begun in these areas attracts many tourists in different but several of the mountains that tower Management in the Urmia Lake Basin,” the Food and Agriculture agriculture, land degradation and a loss areas, and unfortunately sometimes seasons, especially during hot season, and over the plateau exceed 3,000 meters. Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and Urmia Lake Resto- ration Program (ULRP) held a 4-day workshop for Iranian experts, trained them on advanced methods to map evapotranspiration of agricultural areas using remote sensing satellite data. Iran’s two Asiatic cheetahs reach ‘the bitter end’ Led by an IHE Delft Institute for Water Education’s scientist, ENVIRONMENT TEHRAN — Two Asiatic cheetahs, kept in No one denies conservation in nature, but given the Sajid Pareeth, the workshop was held in Tehran on December 7-10. deskcaptivity at Tehran’s Pardisan Park, have situation the cheetah needs to have more serious plans According to Pareeth, the workshop “train the participants reached the bitter end because they have lost their ability to be conserved, we can even try artificial insemination to compute Actual Evapotranspiration (ETa) based on freely to regenerate and should be returned to nature. on cheetahs that are unable to survive in nature after an available satellite, meteorological and other secondary datasets.” Female Asiatic cheetah, Delbar, and the male one, Kushki accident, he explained. Underscoring the significance of the workshop for the country, have lived in the capital for the past few years. There are some successful patterns in the world that we Pareeth said that the method presented in the workshop “is very In 2015, the female Asiatic cheetah once became pregnant can use, for example South Africa has been successful to effective for Iran; this expertise is need of the hour to monitor naturally but sadly lost her cub. increase cheetahs’ population, he said. water use in water-scarce situations that we face all over the Last year (March 2018-March 2019), Delbar was phys- “We have an experienced team currently and can recognize world, especially in Iran.” ically prepared for mating with Kushki, however, possibly successful ways of cheetah breeding so that we should act “This method will enable Iranian experts to set up a monitoring due to Kushki’s old age, the two didn’t breed. urgently without a waste of time,” he concluded. system to monitor water use by different land-use types, espe- Delbar underwent artificial insemination earlier this Cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus) have long, slender bodies cially irrigated areas at the basin and national levels,” he added. year (starting on March 21), which turned out unsuccessful. covered with unique black spots scattered across their tan Sara Asadi, a senior researcher in ULRP also stressed that “this Natural mating and artificial insemination has been coats. The name cheetah comes from the Sanskrit word method is one of the most widely used worldwide with promising already tried for Asiatic cheetahs kept in captivity, which “chitraka,” which means “the spotted one,” according to results for applications like water accounting”, contributing to sadly failed. Now, fertilizing the female Asiatic cheetah is the World Wildlife Fund. capacity building among Iranian institutions. nearly impossible due to their old age. With aerodynamic bodies, long legs and blunt, semi-re- The outcome of this training “would be very useful for decision Baqer Nezami, conservation of Asiatic cheetah project tractable claws, cheetahs are formidable carnivores that can making at different scales,” Poolad Karimi, a senior researcher manager, told IRNA on Wednesday that Delbar and Kushki sprint at speeds of up to 60 to 70 mph (96 to 112 km/h), at IHE Delft Institute for Water Education said. are 9 and 11 years old respectively, so they have lost their according to the Smithsonian National Zoo & Conservation At the farmer’s level, the ability to measure evapotranspiration ability to regenerate. Responding to the question that is it necessary to transfer Biology Institute. will let the farmers know “whether the water is enough, are the Female cheetahs are first bred at an age of approximately them to nature, he said: “It depends on the plan, we have According to the International Union for Conservation crops suffering from water stress or not and when is the best 3 years, reaching maximum reproductive age at 6-8 years, had several meetings to make the final decision, but it no of Nature’s (IUCN’s) Red List of Threatened Species, most time for irrigation,” Karimi added. where after fertility declines. Males reach peak reproduction solution came up.” cheetah subspecies are considered vulnerable as all popu- He further said, “On a larger scale at basin level, this infor- at 6 and maintained this for up to 12 years of age. “Sometimes I wonder why these two animals have been lations of them are on the decline. mation can be helpful for the policymakers to track water use In the last few years, many attempts have been made to kept in captivity for so many years, and what to do now when Cheetahs are found across Africa especially in northern and plan interventions. They would know how much water was reproduce the cheetahs, but no success achieved, so it seems both have reached adulthood,” he lamented. part of it; and a scattered population of them can be found used in different areas and how water-saving strategies could be better for the two animals to return to where they belong, not Of course, keeping them in captivity was beneficial be- across eastern and southern Africa, once they had been found implemented to ensure higher water productivity.” to be released in nature as soon as they turn back, he said. cause the medical team took care of them and maintained in a wide range of Central Asia and the Indian subcontinent. (Source: FAO) He went on to add that they should be kept in a fenced their health, he said, adding, but what makes us sad is that The Iranian cheetah population seems to be in trouble; area in Touran National Park and Miandasht Wildlife Refuge, a genetic reserve will be lost. incidental killing of cheetahs by people or livestock guarding WORDS IN THE NEWS where they were born. Elsewhere in his remarks, he noted that “we plan to work dogs, habitat fragmentation and loss of biological corridors It is true that the two animals have lost their regenerative on the young cheetah named “Iran” which is three years old and prey base depletion, mining activity and road construc- ability, but they are valuable species, so if kept in those areas, and the pregnancy possibility is high, so we will use sperms tion were among the main factors that threatened the lives AIDS conference they may attract other cheetahs, he added. in the gene bank for artificial insemination.” of these valuable species. (July 08, 2002) The executive director of UNAIDS has told the BBC that political leaders who don’t take the fight against the disease seriously ENGLISH IN USE should be kicked out of office. Dr Peter Piot’s comments came at the start of the fourteenth international AIDS conference in LEARN NEWS TRANSLATION Barcelona. This report from Chris Hogg. Dr Piot has worked hard to ensure AIDS is seen as a political, and not just a health, problem. He points out that it’s now on the agenda at world summits, like the G8 gathering of the richest Child adoption process to speed up پروسه فرزندخواندگی تسریع میشود nations. But he warns that elsewhere there are countries in what he calls ’very serious denial’ about the scale of the problem they face. He said the key challenge for the coming months would be Child adoption process being piloted in Tehran will مدیــرکل بهزیســتی اســتان تهــران تاکیــد کــرد: پروســه فرزندخواندگــی to persuade the Russian and Chinese governments to tackle the تســریع می شــود. growing problem among their people. speed up, Darioush Bayatnejad, Tehran province He told the BBC that some political leaders should be rewarded for بــه گــزارش خبرگــزاری مهــر، داریــوش بیاتنــژاد اظهــار کــرد: در حــال .what they are doing on AIDS, but those who don’t do the job should welfare organization director has said be kicked out. The conference here in Barcelona this week will حاضــر بیــش از ۲۸۰۰ متقاضــی فرزندخواندگــی پشــت نوبتــی پذیــرش در hear calls for a greater commitment to fund HIV treatment Currently, some 2,800 applicants are awaiting in those countries worst affected by the epidemic. Without it, Dr بهزیســتی اســتان تهــران هســتند و خانوادههایــی کــه بــه دالیــل پزشــکی Piot warns, many will descend into chaos. adoption process, most of whom are parents not Words having children or intending to foster a child, he صاحــب فرزنــد نشــده و تمایــل دارنــد کــه فرزنــدی را بــه فرزندخواندگــی on the agenda: scheduled to be discussed بپذیرنــد، عمــده متقاضیــان ســازمان بهزیســتی در ایــن خصــوص هســتند. .in ... ‘very serious denial’: they are refusing to recognize the problem added scale: size challenge: a challenge is something new and difficult which will require great determination tackle: if you tackle a problem, you start dealing with it in a PREFIX/SUFFIX PHRASAL VERB IDIOM determined way kicked out: removed from office “alti-, alto-, alt-” Pal up Crying need calls: demands for something to be done commitment: if you give a commitment, you promise you will Meaning: high Meaning: to become someone’s friend Explanation: When there is a great lack of something do something For example: High altitude has its most pronounced For example: She paled up with Neil while travelling which is urgently needed, there is a crying need for it to fund: if you fund something you provide money for something effect on the rising time of bread. round Europe. For example: Hospitals claim that there is a crying descend into chaos: become affected by disorder need for nurses. (Source: BBC) I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y DECEMBER 12, 2019 WORLD IN FOCUS 13 EU to discuss recognition of state of UN: The third party is Palestine in January meeting involved in killing Iraqi European Union foreign ministers are was to create “a more equitable situation” demonstrators expected to exchange views next month between Israel and Palestine. Qais al-Khazali told Dijlah TV, an Amman-based Iraqi on whether the 28-nation bloc should “It is time to start a debate within the 1 satellite television channel, on Saturday that the committee set recognize Palestine as a sovereign state European Union on the opportunity of a up to investigate the violence is merely an administrative body, as the U.S. pushes ahead with pro-occu- recognition of the State of Palestine by all and thus cannot identify the “third party” responsible for the pation policies undermining the prospect its Member States,” Channel 13 cited the killing of demonstrators. of the so-called two-state solution to the letter. Such recognition “would neither be He stressed that “Israel and US have a great role in the third Israeli-Palestinian conflict. a favor, nor a blank check, but a simple party”. Ireland and Luxembourg are among the recognition of the right of the Palestinian Khazali further said the probe into the deaths in Iraq should EU member states seeking to raise the issue people to their own State.” not be restricted to the question of who killed the protesters, at the EU Foreign Affairs Council meeting Asselborn further said that hopes for the but also examine who “eased” the way for the killers and who in Brussels on January 20, 2020. two-state solution were “being dismantled gave them order. Speaking on Monday, EU foreign pol- piece by piece, day after day.” At the start of October, street protests erupted in several Iraqi icy chief Josep Borrell said the top diplo- “The policy of settlement and demolition cities over unemployment and a lack of basic services. mats will discuss whether the bloc should risks replacing the two-state solution with The rallies resumed on October 25 after a pause of about two modify its Middle East policy following a one-state reality, marked by perpetual weeks, but took a violent turn, with some participants vandaliz- Washington’s decision “on the legality of conflict, occupation and unequal rights,” ing public property and opening fire on demonstrators during the [Israeli] colonies and some fears that he pointed out. the mayhem. they (the Americans) can continue taking Palestinians are seeking to create an Over 300 people have been killed in the Iraq unrest since October decisions on this in this way.” independent state in the territories of the 1, according to the Iraqi parliament’s human rights commission. He was referring to U.S. Secretary of West Bank, the Gaza Strip and East Jeru- Earlier this month, Iraqi Defense Minister Najah al-Shammari State Mike Pompeo’s announcement last salem al-Quds, with the latter as its capital. told France 24’s Arabic-language channel that a “third party” is month that the establishment of settlements serious and credible negotiation. And this discuss the situation in Middle East and of In November 2012, the United Na- behind shooting at the Iraqi demonstrators. in the occupied West Bank “is not per se is not the case – really, it is not the case,” the Middle East Peace Process,” he added. tions General Assembly voted to upgrade “The Iraqi national security forces are not the ones who are inconsistent with international law.” Borrell said. He also noted that the recognition of the Palestine’s status from “non-member ob- killing the protesters,” Shammari said, adding, “There is a third “Certainly we are in a difficult period “Recognition is not an EU competence. Palestine is among the “very much dividing” server entity” to “non-member observer party killing the protesters to push protesters to clash with security in the Middle East Peace Process. We con- It is a responsibility of individual Member issues among EU countries. state” despite strong opposition from Israel. forces to spread instability in Iraq.” tinue holding our position, that is to say a States. But we continue, as European Union, On Sunday, Luxembourg Foreign Min- The Palestinian national flag was hoisted Protests have rocked primarily the capital city of Baghdad and negotiated two-state solution. But for sure supporting a two-state solution. And what ister Jean Asselborn sent a letter to his for the first time at the UN headquarters southern areas of Iraq for two months over the failing economy if we want a two-state solution we need to we have decided is that in January, we will EU counterparts and Borrell, saying the in New York in September 2015. and demand for political and anti-corruption reforms. help and encourage both parties to enter a devote one point of the agenda to deeply only way to save the so-called two-state bid (Source: Press TV) The rallies have, however, turned into violent confrontations on numerous occasions, with reports alleging that certain for- eign-backed elements have been seeking to wreak havoc on the France strikes see massive protests on sixth day as Macron refuses to drop pension reform plans country. Since October 1, more than 300 people have been killed in The French government plans to unveil details of contro- an end to the strikes. The reforms were a key election pledge of Mr. Macron, the country, according to the Iraqi parliament’s human rights versial pension reforms on Wednesday, despite six straight One of France’s biggest unions, the CGT, described who claims they are necessary to revitalize France’s econ- commission. days of strikes continuing to cause huge disruption across the proposed pension reforms as a “new blow to the most omy and ease pressure on the country’s heavily burdened Iraq’s parliament on December 1 formally accepted Prime the country. vulnerable”, who have already been hit by recent changes social-security system. Mr. Macron wants to introduce a Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi’s resignation. Public transport, schools, hospitals and postal services to unemployment insurance. universal pension scheme that will unify 42 different pub- (Source: agencies) have all been affected, with unions organizing a second “Given the depth of discontent, there is a need to get lic-sector pension schemes that are currently in place. Critics round of street protests on Tuesday. Early figures suggest more people on the streets,” said CGT’s secretary general, describe the reforms as an attack on workers’ rights and claim the turnout was about half as big as last week’s demon- Philippe Martinez. they will mean most people will have to work longer for less. strations, when an estimated 800,000 people took to In Bordeaux and Marseille, thousands of protesters “What’s at stake goes much beyond simply overhauling Terrorists, White Helmets the streets. waved union flags and held up banners reading, “We have the pension system,” said Christopher Dembik, an econ- transport chemicals to The French prime minister, Edouard Philippe, will to get rid of Macron”. Demonstrations were also taking omist at Saxo Bank in Paris. “For Emmanuel Macron, it’s reveal the full details of the pension changes on Wednesday place in Rennes, Lyon, Nantes and Paris. In the capital, riot about not losing face to the ‘old world’, to the institutions the Idlib morning, with the apparent drop-off in numbers likely police fanned out along the Champs Elysees boulevard in he vilified during his campaign, and to reassert his ability seen as a positive for the government. Mr. Philippe warned central Paris and barricaded streets leading to the offices to reform the country.” 1 The Russian Ministry of Defense has many times that there would be no “magic announcements” bringing of the president, Emmanuel Macron. (Source: Independent) provided information on the arrival of French and Belgian intel- ligence agents in Idlib Governorate to prepare for a provocation with the use of toxic chemicals and their meeting with field leaders from “ al-NusraFront” and “White Helmets” terrorist U.S. Army will fund rare earths plant for weapons development organizations in order to coordinate the implementation of a new chemical representation with the aim of accusing the The U.S. Army plans to fund construction the strategic minerals could hamper U.S. last month asked miners for proposals on potentially more. Applicants must pro- Syrian Arab Army and the Russian Air Force of using toxic of rare earths processing facilities, part of defenses. the cost of a pilot plant to produce so-called vide a detailed business plan and specify substances against civilians. an urgent push by Washington to secure China, which refines most of the world’s heavy rare earths, a less-common type of where they will source their ore, among (Source: Syria Times) domestic supply of the minerals used to rare earths, has threatened to stop export- the specialized minerals that are highly other factors. make military weapons and electronics, ing the specialized minerals to the United sought after for use in weaponry, according This latest move by the Army, a division according to a government document seen States, using its monopoly as a cudgel in to the document. of the Pentagon, comes after a military study by Reuters. the ongoing trade spat between the world’s Responses are due by Dec. 16. UCore, earlier this year on the state of the U.S. rare U.S. halts military training The move would mark the first finan- two largest economies. Texas Mineral Resources Corp (TMRC.PK) earths supply chain. cial investment by the U.S. military into “The U.S. rare earths industry needs and a joint venture between Lynas Corp The rare earths tension between the for Saudi students after commercial-scale rare earths production big help to compete against the Chinese,” (LYC.AX) and privately-held Blue Line Corp U.S. and China goes back to at least 2010, since World War Two’s Manhattan Project said Jim McKenzie, chief executive officer are among the expected respondents, ac- when China limited exports to Japan after shooting built the first atomic bomb. of UCore Rare Metals Inc (UCU.V), which is cording to company officials and sources a diplomatic dispute, sending prices for the 1 He is reported to have posted a manifesto denouncing It comes after President Donald Trump developing a rare earths project in Alaska. familiar with the matter. niche metals spiking and fueling concerns the U.S. as “a nation of evil”. earlier this year ordered the military to up- “It’s not just about the money, but also the The Army said it will fund up to across the U.S. military that China could White House National Security Advisor Robert O’Brien said date its supply chain for the niche materials, optics of broad support from Washington.” two-thirds of a refiner’s cost and that do the same to the United States. the FBI investigation was continuing but that, in his opinion, “it warning that reliance on other nations for The Army division overseeing munitions it would fund at least one project and (Source: Reuters) appears to be a terrorist attack”. Pilots grounded Deputy defence secretary David Norquist ordered a compre- hensive review to be completed within 10 days of policies for Ex-U.S. officials helped UAE build secret spy unit: Probe screening foreign students. A group of former U.S. National Security Agency (NSA) “The program’s evolution illustrates how Washington’s Pentagon officials said the security study was being done with operatives and other elite intelligence veterans helped the contractor culture benefits from a system of legal and the cooperation of the Saudi government. United Arab Emirates construct secret internet-surveillance regulatory loopholes that allows ex-spies and government Alshamrani was armed with a lawfully purchased 9mm apparatus, a Reuters investigation reveals. insiders to transfer their skills to foreign countries, even handgun. The FBI said on Tuesday he obtained the weap- According to the probe, whose findings were released ones reputed to have poor human rights track records,” on through an authorised gun seller in Florida in July, on Tuesday, the UAE’s Development Research Exploita- the Doha-based Al Jazeera broadcaster reported. through a loophole in federal gun laws that allows foreign tion and Analysis Department (DREAD), later known as In an interview in Washington, Clarke said that after nationals - usually unable to buy firearms - to have a Project Raven, spied on a wide range of targets -- from recommending that the UAE create a cyber-surveillance hunting license. suspected extremists to human rights activists, dissidents, agency, his company, Good Harbor Consulting, was hired The shooting struck a nerve in the U.S. with echoes of the diplomats and FIFA personnel. to help the Persian Gulf country build it. September 11, 2001, attacks, in which Saudi citizens accounted DREAD was set up in an unused airport facility in Abu The plan, he added, was approved by the U.S. State for 15 of the 19 hijackers that flew airliners into the World Trade Dhabi in 2008 by former American counterterrorism czar Department and the NSA, and that Good Harbor Con- Center and the Pentagon. Richard Clarke, along with ex-NSA officials-turned-con- sulting followed U.S. law. Saudi Arabia remains one of the closest U.S. allies in the Middle tractors. “The incentive was to help in the fight against al-Qaeda. East, and President Donald Trump has cultivated its controversial The program began as an arm of Abu Dhabi Crown The UAE is a very good counterterrorism partner. You should absolutely be on the table,” he said. de facto ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS). Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan’s royal need to remember the timing back then, post 9-11,” he Reuters examined over 10,000 DREAD program doc- Saudi Arabia’s King Salman bin Abdulaziz denounced Friday’s court and was initially managed by the prince’s son, Khalid. said. “The NSA wanted it to happen.” uments and interviewed more than a dozen contractors shooting as a “heinous crime” and said the gunman “does not The contractors trained Emirati staff in hacking tech- Mike Rogers, former chairman of the U.S. House In- in order to chart the UAE spying mission’s evolution. represent the Saudi people”. niques and created covert computer networks and Internet telligence Committee, raised concerns that former U.S. A former DREAD operative said the program hacked the Meanwhile, the United States has barred from entering the accounts the UAE could use for surveillance operations. intelligence officials are cashing in by working for for- emails of Saudi women’s rights activist Loujain al-Hath- country Mohammed al Otaibi, who was the Saudi consul general By 2012, DREAD operatives had targeted Google, Hot- eign countries, saying it is time for Washington to impose loul in 2017, after she tried to defy a female driving ban in Istanbul in October 2018 when dissident Saudi journalist Jamal mail and Yahoo email accounts to exploit information on tougher restrictions on foreign intelligence contracting. in the kingdom. Khashoggi was slaughtered there. targets despite prohibitions against targeting U.S. servers. “Outright eliminating those opportunities, I think, (Source: agencies) “The murder of Jamal Khashoggi was a heinous, unac- ceptable crime,” the State Department said in a statement on Tuesday. The department added that it continued to call on the Sau- di government to conduct a “full, fair and transparent” trial to Nobel-winning author Handke declared ‘persona non grata’ in Sarajevo hold accountable those responsible for the assassination, despite The Bosnian capital Sarajevo The Sarajevo cantonal assembly congratulated Handke and invited him The Swedish Academy’s choice of the fact that the Trump administration has played down the on Wednesday declared Nobel unanimously adopted a declaration to visit. Nationalist Serbs see Handke Handke drew widespread criticism as Khashoggi murder case. Prize-winning Austrian author Peter on Wednesday proclaiming Handke as a campaigner for their cause. the Austrian novelist and playwright “We will continue to seek all relevant facts, consult Congress, Handke “persona non grata” over his unwelcome after he said in a recent Sarajevo authorities could not pre- spoke at the funeral of Milosevic in and work with other nations to hold accountable those involved support for late Serbian President interview that he might visit post-war vent Handke visiting Serb Republic 2006 after the Serbian leader died in in the killing,” the department said. Slobodan Milosevic and denial of Bosnia’s autonomous Serb region next territory, though the declaration would detention in The Hague while facing Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi, who was a the 1995 genocide in the Bosnian year. allow them to bar him entry to Bosnia trial for war crimes. critic of bin Salman, was hacked to death and his body was dis- town of Srebrenica. “His possible visit to our homeland via the capital. Handke has dismissed questions membered at the kingdom’s consulate in Istanbul, Turkey, on Sarajevo endured a 43-month siege ... would prompt additional rage and Bosnian Muslims and especially about his support for Milosevic. October 2, 2018. by nationalist Bosnian Serb forces humiliation of all victims,” read the dec- relatives of the 8,000 Muslim men Hundreds of people protested on US President Donald Trump and other administration armed by Milosevic during a 1992- laration, which condemned awarding and boys massacred by Serb forces in Tuesday in Stockholm against Hand- officials had offered a weak and feckless response to the 95 war following Bosnia’s secession what it called a “genocide denier” this Srebrenica, Europe’s worst atrocity ke’s Nobel Prize. The ambassadors of murder of Khashoggi and its subsequent cover-up by the from Serbian-led Yugoslavia. About year’s Nobel Literature Prize. since World War Two, were outraged Albania, Bosnia, Croatia, Kosovo, North Saudi leadership. 11,000 people died in the siege, at least Reflecting enduring ethnic divisions at the news that the Nobel Committee Macedonia and Turkey boycotted the There is still no objective accounting – by Saudi or American 10 percent children, and more than in Bosnia, Igor Radojicic, mayor of the had honored Handke. Other Balkan award ceremony. officials -- of what happened in the consulate, let alone any real 100,000 overall in the war. Serb entity’s de facto capital Banja Luka, countries also criticized the decision. (Source: Daily Star) accountability. (Source: al Jazeera) I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y 14 WORLD SPORTS DECEMBER 12, 2019

Lyon’s Depay demands club Liverpool, Chelsea through take action after fan incident Olympique Lyon forward Memphis Depay says he was spat on to Champions League last by his own fans and has called on the club to take action in the wake of the incident at the end of Tuesday’s Champions League game against RB Leipzig. Deepay scored the equaliser in a 2-2 home draw that sent 16 as Ajax go out Lyon into the last 16 but tempers flared after the players went Holders Liverpool safely negotiated Tuesday’s strike taking the Spaniards through to the last towards the stands to celebrate with the fans. trip to Salzburg to take their place in the last 16 16 at the expense of last season’s semi-finalists, Seeing a banner telling club defender Marcelo to ‘go away’, of this season’s UEFA Champions League while and leaving their hosts stunned. Depay chased the fan carrying it. His team mates ran after him Chelsea are also through, but Ajax suffered a shock Ajax had again been impressive this season as other fans came down from the terracing. group-stage exit. but were left to rue their inability to win either “The management will have to take responsibility,” Depay Six clubs secured spots in the draw for the first of their two matches against Chelsea, as Frank was quoted as saying in French media on Wednesday. knockout round in their final group games, with Lampard’s team progressed in second place, a “You qualify and you leave the pitch in these conditions? Ajax and Inter Milan the big names to miss out. point ahead of the Dutch giants, thanks to a 2-1 Something is wrong. I chased the fan to tell him to drop the banner. Jurgen Klopp’s side just needed to draw in victory against Lille. “They spat on us. I’ve never seen that.” Austria to keep alive their bid to retain the European Tammy Abraham and Cesar Azpilicueta netted Lyon went through second in Group G with eight points, five Cup, and they duly beat Salzburg 2-0 thanks to first-half goals for Chelsea, who held on after Loic behind Leipzig. two goals in two second-half minutes, by Naby Remy pulled one back for Lille. (Source: Reuters) Keita and Mohamed Salah. Chelsea, the 2012 Champions League winners, Keita headed in Sadio Mane’s cross against finish level on points with Valencia but come second Borussia Dortmund needed his former club to put Liverpool ahead in the due to their inferior head-to-head record. to better Inter’s result and they Liverpool FC owner’s plane 57th minute, and Salah then rounded goalkeeper “The Champions League is where Chelsea did so, beating Slavia Prague 2-1 Cican Stankovic to score from an improbably belong. We knew it was a tough group. We had to progress in second. overshoots runway tight angle. to fight and recover after losing against Valencia at Julian Brandt got their winner after The result allowed Liverpool to progress as home in our first game,” Azpilicueta told BT Sport. Jadon Sancho’s opener was cancelled Group E winners, with Napoli going through in Fati makes history out by Tomas Soucek, with Dortmund Flights have been cancelled after a private plane came off the second place, while Salzburg are out and drop Ajax drop into the Europa League along with holding on after Julian Weigl was sent off. runway at Liverpool John Lennon Airport. into the Europa League instead. Inter, as Antonio Conte’s team contrived to lose Meanwhile, Lyon went through in dramatic The airport is expected to be closed for several hours and an “What a team,” Klopp told BT Sport. “What 2-1 at home to a makeshift Barcelona. fashion in Group G, coming from behind to draw inquiry has been launched into what happened when the plane an effort. It was a tough game.” A win would have taken Inter through, and 2-2 with RB Leipzig. landed at about 06:00 GMT. “We scored two wonderful goals. We could they were fancied to get the result they required The Germans were two goals ahead Four people were on board the plane but no-one was hurt, a have scored six or seven which is crazy. We won as Barcelona left out a host of senior players, at half-time thanks to two penalties, spokesman for the airport has confirmed. the group, we won the game, all good.” including Lionel Messi, with top spot in Group one scored by Emil Forsberg and A source at Liverpool Football Club confirmed the private jet Bitter blow for Ajax F already secured. the other by Timo Werner. was carrying one of the club’s owners, Mike Gordon. Napoli made sure of their progress by trouncing Carles Perez gave Barcelona the lead midway However, Houssem Aouar’s Mr Gordon, who is the president of Fenway Sports Group, was Genk 4-0 in Italy with Arkadisuz Milik scoring through the first half, but Romelu Lukaku fired curler gave Lyon hope just on a flight from Bedford, Massachusetts to Liverpool to attend a first-half hat-trick, the third goal coming from in the equaliser. after the break and Memphis a regular meeting at the club. the penalty spot. Inter then missed chances to score a second Depay levelled matters with eight “He was not injured but would like to pass on his appreciation Dries Mertens converted another spot-kick and Ansu Fati showed them the way, the substitute minutes left. to the staff at Liverpool John Lennon Airport and the emergency in the second half to seal the win, but the Italian netting an 86th-minute winner to stun the home Leipzig win the group, while the draw proved services for their amazing work,” the source said. side still sacked coach Carlo Ancelotti in the side and become the youngest ever goalscorer in enough for Lyon to finish second because A spokeswoman for VistaJet added: “We are fully co-operating wake of the game. the Champions League at 17 years and 40 days. Zenit Saint Petersburg lost 3-0 to Benfica with the airport and relevant authorities as they investigate further.” There was high drama in Group H as Valencia That record had been held since 1997 by Ghana’s in Lisbon. A specialist removal team are on site and will use cranes and beat Ajax 1-0 in Amsterdam, Rodrigo Moreno’s Peter Ofori-Quaye. (Source: Eurosport) airbags to remove the plane from the grass. The plane could not be removed until officials from the Air Accident Investigation Board deem it safe to do so, the BBC understands. Blatter ready to testify in France over Ancelotti sacked despite guiding Napoli Passengers due to fly this morning have been advised to contact 2022 World Cup to Champions League last 16 their airlines for further information. Some travellers reported four-hour delays while others have had their flights diverted to Manchester Airport. Eric Henderson, from Preston, was due to travel to Amsterdam for work. “Our flight was due to leave at 07:30. We noticed at ten to that the flight had been moved to 11:40,” he said. “There was no explanation until we looked out of the large windows on the concourse and saw all the blue flashing lights.” (Source: BBC)

Lost in translation: swimmer Sun Yang’s doping case hits interpretation snag

Chinese Olympic swimming champion Sun Yang’s anti-doping case, in which he is facing an eight-year ban for missing a drug Sepp Blatter, the former president of voted for Qatar anyway, especially for the Carlo Ancelotti has been sacked by The club has been in turmoil this season test, won’t be settled before mid-January because of translation FIFA, told AFP on Wednesday that he had development of football, it is not true,” Napoli despite taking the Serie A side to as club owner Aurelio De Laurentiis sank problems, the Court of Arbitration for Sport said. opposed awarding the 2022 World Cup to said Blatter. the last 16 of the Champions League on into a bitter row with his players following The Swiss-based court said “some concerns were raised” about Qatar, but that he has a “clear conscience.” “We had a consensus within the Executive Tuesday with a 4-0 win over Genk. a series of disappointing results. the translation of Sun’s testimony from Chinese into English at Blatter said he is willing to testify to Committee of FIFA, which planned to award “Napoli has decided to relieve Carlo The squad refused to bow to De the one-day hearing on November 15. French prosecutors about the 2010 vote the 2018 World Cup to Russia and the 2022 Ancelotti of his role as first team coach,” Laurentiis’ demand they be confined to a The triple Olympic gold medal-winner, who served a doping in favor of Qatar. World Cup to the United States. the Italian side said in a statement. week-long training camp in November, suspension in 2014, is accused of smashing a blood vial with a “If they ask me formally then I think I will “Everything went well until eight days Tuesday’s win over Genk, which saw reportedly receiving a collective deduction hammer following a visit by testers in September last year. go to France because I have a clear conscience,” before the election when there was this Napoli finish second in Group E, one point to their wages of 2.5 million euros ($2.7 “Although the organization and the schedule of the public said the 83-year-old who already testified in famous dinner at the Elysee. behind Liverpool, broke a nine-match million) for their disobedience. hearing was to the satisfaction of the arbitrators and parties’ Switzerland in April, 2017, at the request of “Platini phoned me immediately after. winless run that came amid dressing Union FIFPro said they would back counsels, some concerns were raised with respect to the quality of the French authorities. He told me: ‹Sepp, it’s not going to work, room unrest and friction between the the players against “further abuse and the interpretation of Mr. Yang’s testimony,” a CAS statement said. Qatar beat Australia, Japan, South we will have a problem for the election.’ club, Ancelotti and the players. intimidation”, calling De Laurentiis’ decision “The parties are currently preparing an agreed-upon written Korea and the United States to win the vote. President Sarkozy had asked him, suggested, Former AC Milan manager Gennaro to fine his squad “unjustified”. transcript of the proceedings, including a full translation of Mr. However, the result has been consistently to vote for Qatar,” said Blatter, who reported Gattuso is the favourite to take over at Ancelotti, who won three Champions Yang’s testimony, which the panel will work from when deliberating questioned. this telephone conversation to the Swiss Napoli, who finished second behind League titles as a coach, twice with AC and preparing the arbitral award,” CAS said, adding that the case A three-year-old French investigation, judge in April 2017. champions Juventus last season but are Milan and once with Real Madrid, replaced would not be decided before mid-January. was recently entrusted to a Paris “I said to Platini ‹Did he force you?’ He miles off the pace this year. Maurizio Sarri in July 2018. Sun’s CAS hearing, the first in 20 years that was open to investigative magistrate charged with said ‹Not at all, but when a head of state They sit seventh in the Italian top He guided the team to a runners-up the public, was beset by technical difficulties and interpreting looking specifically for “active and passive asks you to do something, you do it so I will flight on 21 points, a whopping 17 points finish in Serie A last season, when they errors between Chinese and English which frustrated lawyers corruption”. follow and I will take my friends with me’.” behind league leaders Inter Milan and more missed out on the Champions League last and held up proceedings. Six months ago, Michael Platini, who “His friends were the Cypriot Marios worryingly eight behind fourth-placed 16 on goal difference to eventual winners CAS said the private translation service was provided by Sun’s was vice-president of FIFA and UEFA Lefkaritis, the Belgian Michel D’Hooghe Cagliari, who hold the final spot for next Liverpool. camp and agreed by both parties, adding that it couldn’t hire its president at the time, was questioned who would have voted for Qatar anyway, season’s Champions League. “I can’t pretend, the team doesn’t own interpreters for reasons of “independence and neutrality”. about his decision to vote in favor of Qatar. his son having already had a post in Qatar, On Monday Ancelotti told reporters that give what it could give,” Ancelotti said on Swimming body FINA confirmed in January that Sun had used The investigators are particularly and the Spaniard Angel Maria Villar. So “a coach’s suitcase is always ready” ahead Monday. a hammer to smash a vial containing his own blood sample during interested in a meeting at the Elysee it made four voices that tipped the vote.” of Tuesday’s match, and as speculation “In Europe, we have seen another Napoli, the testing session, but acquitted him of anti-doping violations, Palace in Paris on November 23, 2010, Blatter, who was ousted from office in ramped up over the 60-year-old’s future the one I would like to see in the league as agreeing that testers had failed to produce adequate identification. just over a week before the vote, between 2015, is serving a six-year ban from FIFA at the southern club he ruled out stepping well. I am looking for solutions to get out But the ruling outraged the World Anti-Doping Agency which French President Nicolas Sarkozy, Qatari activities because of a separate payment of down after Tuesday’s win. of this difficult period,” he added. took the matter to CAS, demanding a ban of between two and prince Tamim ben Hamad al-Thani –- who 2 million Swiss francs (1.84 million euros) “Resignation? I have never resigned They are without a win in seven Serie eight years for missing the out-of-competition test. became Emir in 2013 –- and Platini who to Platini. in my life and I never will,” he said. “My A games since October 19 and next play (Source: AFP) subsequently voted for Qatar. (Source: France 24) future? The team management will make Parma on Saturday. “When Platini said that he would have its assessment. (Source: Mirror) Report: Ancelotti in Arsenal talks Anthony Joshua’s camp plans next steps, targets keeping ‘every belt’ Anthony Joshua owns three of the four major heavyweight Witherspoon in seven rounds in Chicago. If it’s Pulev who “I went to the ghettos of the ghettos, where it’s not all about Arsenal have reportedly opened talks with Carlo Ancelotti and titles and isn’t ready to let any of them go. gets the first crack at Joshua in 2020, Usyk will most likely egos and beef, it’s about people who are hungry to survive.” could reach an agreement with the former Napoli boss as early Joshua has mandatory defenses to fulfill for his IBF and face Dereck Chisora ‘’in early March, and then he fights the He added: “It was one of the best things I’ve done. Africa’s as this afternoon. WBO belts after evening up the score on Andy Ruiz this past winner of Joshua-Pulev,’’ Hearn said. rooting for me for sure, so I would definitely love to fight out there.” Despite guiding Napoli to the last 16 of the Champions League, weekend in Saudi Arabia. Currently, the IBF mandatory Joshua’s next fight will most likely take place in April. Hearn also mentioned that Joshua would like to return that was not enough for Ancelotti to keep his job at the San Paolo. challenger is Kubrat Pulev, while former undisputed “It’s a very tough decision because there’s six countries to the Madison Square Garden, where he was knocked out After moving into pole position to fill the Arsenal vacancy, cruiserweight champion, Oleksandr Usyk, is the WBO that are interested in staging his next fight,” said Hearn. by Ruiz in their first encounter back in June. Tuttomercatoweb claims the Gunners have now approached the mandatory challenger. Joshua promoter Eddie Hearn told “We’re at a stage where it’s very difficult to go backwards While Joshua has three of the major belts, the WBC 60-year-old, offering him a contract until 2021. ESPN on Monday that they are in the beginning stages of financially, in any job, especially for a fighter. The place title will be contested for on Feb. 22 when Deontay Wilder The website adds a final agreement between the two parties determining Joshua’s next steps. where he would earn the least amount of money is in the UK. faces Tyson Fury in a rematch of their disputed draw last could be found later today. “He certainly doesn’t want to let [go of the titles] in the “But it’s probably his preferential choice in terms of December. That fight should definitely factor into the future Carletto previously managed Arsenal’s local rivals Chelsea, ring, or out of the ring,” said Hearn. “The IBF seems to be all things being equal -- where would you rather go? 100 plans for Joshua, but Hearn is dubious. leading them to a domestic double in 2009-10. the one that was certainly ordered first. But I’ll need to percent, back to the UK.” “We can’t rely on any of these two because we’ve been there The North Londoners, for their part, are currently ninth in speak to Daryl Peoples (president of the IBF), I’ll need to Joshua, whose parents are both of Nigerian descent, revealed before with Deontay Wilder,” said Hearn of the current WBC the Premier League, seven points behind the top four. speak to ‘Paco’ (Francisco Valcarcel, the head of the WBO). on Monday that somewhere down the road, his goals would champion, of whom he said past attempts to make a bout with However, they seem all set for the Europa League knockout “(Joshua) certainly wants to make sure he can keep every also include defending one of his heavyweight belts in Nigeria. Joshua were fruitless. “It’s going to be really interesting to see stages and conclude the group stage against Standard Liege. belt. So that’s what we’ll be trying to do.” “People had been telling me I should go back for ages,” what Wilder says now, because when Joshua had the belts on Thursday Hearn also represents Usyk, who made his heavyweight he told reporters. “It was crazy because they don’t have and we were pushing for the fight, he never really said that he (Source: Football Italia debut on Oct. 12 by stopping late replacement Chazz 24-hour electricity, but they still know me and support me. wanted to fight Joshua. (Source: ESPN) I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y DECEMBER 12, 2019 SPORTS 15

AFC officials reminisce about 2019 Stramaccioni ready to come back to Iran: agent ACL final in Tehran, official says Football Players Agent Federico Pastorello informed in a tweet that the Italian coach Andrea Stramaccioni is ready to SPORTS TEHRAN — Amirali go straight back to Iran to coach Esteghlal in case the made deskHosseini, director of commitments are fulfilled. Persepolis international affairs and rela- “The great affection shown by Esteghlal fans and their play- tions, says that the Asian Football Con- ers in the last few days has federation officials still remember the fi- been extraordinary and left nal match between Iran’s Persepolis and Andrea Stramaccioni deeply Kashima Antlers of Japan in the 2019 AFC touched,”Pastorello wrote. Champions League. “Andrea’s decision to leave Persepolis failed to win their first ever Tehran has been deeply con- ACL title after losing to Kashima 2-0 on sidered as well as very suffered, aggregate. and it has not been due by his Now, the Reds have been drawn in Group intention to sign for any another C along with Qatari giants, Al Duhail SC, Al club of course!!! Such decision Taawoun FC from Saudi Arabia and Sharjah has exclusively been dictated FC of the UAE. by the several, serious and con- Hosseini, who attended the draw cere- tinuous breaches of contract mony, says that so many AFC officials have committed by the Club during not forgotten the second leg in Tehran and these months, with reference to are being affected by the atmosphere of the which the Club has not given yet any concrete signal to comply Azadi Stadium. with,”he claimed. “We understood that the AFC officials are “Andrea is ready to go straight back to coach what has be- still thinking about the final in Tehran. We came his favorite team as long as the club proves with facts held meetings with AFC general secretary its will to respect its commitments and promised made,”the Windsor John and director of the Asian club agent announced. competitions Pavel Lozanov and they each Stramaccioni announced on Sunday that he and his staff are reminisced about what they experienced terminating the contract with the Esteghlal football team but the in Tehran,” he said. club’s managers are still trying to find a way to continue work “I also talked to the ceremony’s presenter with the successful Italian coach. and he said he was thrilled with the at- Under the guidance of Stramaccioni, Eteghlal could get back mosphere at the Azadi Stadium and the to the top of Iran Professional League’s table after some four supporters. He said he has always dreamed Persepolis will start the campaign with a stage divided into the East and West Zones. will present the champions, should they years. Almost all the experts inside the country praise the work of seeing packed Azadi Stadium and is very tough match against Al Duhail at the Abdul- The 2020 season kicks off with the pre- not qualify through their domestic league, of the Italian coach in creating a unified attacking team. happy to experience that. He said he has lah bin Khalifa Stadium in Doha on Feb. 11. liminary stage on January 14 with the two-leg with an added incentive of a guaranteed (Source: Gianlucadimarzio.com) experienced a wonderful day and likes to A total of 56 teams will be vying for the final scheduled for November 22 and 28. spot in the Preliminary/Play-off stage of try that once again,” Hosseini said. 2020 AFC Champions League, with the group Raising the stakes, the upcoming edition the 2021 season. Nikkhah Bahrami among Mourinho bans Spurs players from watching Bayern thrashing three popular players of Asia Tottenham Hotspur manager Jose Mourinho has banned “There is a certain way that we try to play football and IRNA — Nikkhah Bahrami, Captain of Iranian national team, his players from watching replays of their 7-2 Champions try to develop our principles of play and we’re totally has been selected among three most popular players of Asia, League home defeat by Bayern Munich earlier in the cam- focused on us.” the Asian Basketball Confederation (ABC) said citing a survey. paign as they prepare to face the Germans in the reverse Both teams are already through to the knockout rounds The Asian Basketball Confederation (ABC) selected three fixture later on Wednesday. and Mourinho, who has left Dele Alli, Serge Aurier, Harry popular continental basketball players in a poll and voted by Mauricio Pochettino was in charge for the demolition Kane and Jan Vertonghen at home, said he would use the basketball fans, including “Samad Nikkhah Bahrami” Iranian by the German champions on Oct. 1 and while Mourinho, game to assess several fringe players. star and national team captain. who replaced him last month, has watched video of the “I arrive in mid-season, without four, five, six weeks to According to Fiba Asia, Samad Nikkhah Bahrami from Iran, match he said he did not want the players reminded of it. work and know the players -- so we have to do everything Fadi al-Khattib and Wael Iraqchi from Lebanon have been named “I forbid any image of it,” Mourinho said at his prematch while we are running,” he added. three popular Asian basketball players. news conference. “I watched it a couple of times: me, my “It’s very important to me that the players are coachable Nikkhah Bahrami is still in the national team and has managed staff and analysts try to go through every single aspect of and open. I think the boys need me and my job is to help them.” to reach the Tokyo Olympics with the World Cup. that but not one single image for the boys. No. Not at all. (Source: ESPN) Exceptional 2019 whets Afif’s appetite for more success Iran boys double claim As Akram Afif gets set to cap a phenomenal 12 months this award - whether it was (head coach) Xavi or Jesualdo gold at ITF West Asia 13&U by spearheading Al Sadd SC’s challenge in the FIFA Club Ferreira (former head coach),” he said. “Also the head coach Dev. C’ship World Qatar, the 2019 AFC Player of the Year is already of the national team Felix Sanchez is like a father to me as targeting more success. we have been working together for 15 years.” The left winger started the year by playing an integral Afif became the third Qatari player to win the AFC Player TASNIM — Iran’s boys doubles took a gold medal at the West part in Qatar’s AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019 triumph, as his of the Year award after Khalfan Ibrahim in 2006 while Al Asia Cup 13& Under Developments Championships 2019. one goal and 10 assists helped power Felix Sanchez’s squad Sadd teammate Abdelkarim Hassan won the award last year. Iranian team Kasra Rahmani and Amir Ali Ghavami defeated to Continental glory with Afif’s partnership with Almoez “It’s a great honor for Qatari players to win the Best Player Anthony Moukarzel and William Jade from Lebanon 6-3 6-3 Ali a major highlight. of the Year award for the second consecutive year and I in the final match. Afif, 23 carried that form into the Qatar Stars League, hope that this success will continue in the future,” said Afif. Iranian girl Mandegar Farzami had already won the title after scoring 26 goals and making 15 assists, as Al Sadd won the “As Qatari players, we always give our best on the pitch beating her compatriot Hana Soltani 6-2 6-0. title for a record-extending 14th time with the player named and this is reflected with the great success that we had at In the boys single, Kasra Rahmani had also defeated his coun- Best Player of the Season. The Super Cup was also added the Continental stage.” tryman Amir Ali Ghavam 6-4 6-0 in the final match. to the Al Sadd trophy cabinet. Afif will be hoping for more success with Al Sadd in the The competition is being held in Dubai, the UAE from De- On the Continental front, the Doha-based sided reached FIFA Club World Cup 2019. cember 5 to 14 with participation of 13 countries. the 2019 AFC Champions League semi-finals and Afif’s con- “This is the second participation for Al Sadd in the FIFA sistency made him a deserving winner of the 2019 AFC Club World Cup but it will be the first for several players in Player of the Year. the team,” he said. “We are looking forward to playing in “I’m happy with what I have achieved in 2019, wheth- the competition at home in Qatar. Greece chasing back-to-back er with Qatar, Al Sadd or individually,” Afif told the-AFC. Al Sadd coaches for helping him improve. “We are ready for the competition although we know it com in an exclusive interview after receiving the 2019 AFC “This award goes to my parents and I want to thank will not be easy because things will get harder in each round. junior men’s world water Player of the Year from AFC President Shaikh Salman bin everyone who supported me,” said Afif. “I won the award We are looking forward to pleasing our fans and hopefully, polo crowns Ebrahim Al Khalifa in Doha on Tuesday. with the help of the officials, managers and teammates at we can be the surprise package of the competition. The left winger said the AFC Player of the Year award Al-Sadd and the national team along with the officials at “Personally, I want to continue improving and win- was won with the support of his teammates, dedicating it Aspire Academy. ning honors.” Greece will be chasing back-to-back FINA World Men’s Jun- to his parents for their support and the national team and “The coaches who trained me at Al Sadd helped me win (Source: the-afc) ior Water Polo crowns when action gets underway at the new Al-Nasar Sport Club Kuwait on Thursday. Who could forget the scintillating final with Croatia in Belgrade, Serbia two years ago when a penalty shootout was required for Moriyasu targets title in Thailand the gold medal? Kuala Lumpur: Japan coach Hajime paign when, also under Moriyasu, they were Greece secured the shootout with a center-forward goal in Moriyasu has set his sights on winning the eliminated at the quarter-finals after a 4-0 the last second of regular play for 7-7 and proceeded to a perfect AFC U23 Championship Thailand 2020 defeat to eventual champions Uzbekistan. record from five meters for the 12-10 victory. next month as the Samurai Blue get set to With the other 15 the sides in Thailand Serbia collected bronze and Hungary — minus head coach and embark on a historic year in which they will desperate for the chance to be part of the a player with red cards — was fourth after the 12-11 encounter. also play the Olympic Games on home soil. world’s most renowned sporting spectacle There are 20 teams gathered again for the 20th version of The tournament kicks off on January later in the year, the stakes couldn’t be this event, which started in Milan, Italy back in 1981 when the 8 and will act as the qualifying campaign higher ahead of the AFC’s opening tour- Soviet Union was victor. for the Tokyo Olympics, with the top three nament of the year. Greece is a two-time winner, claiming gold in Istanbul, Turkey sides to book their tickets to the Games this “I don’t see the difference but the tour- in 2001 when it again bested Croatia. Greece returns with three summer, which will be the first to be staged nament this time will definitely be tougher 2017 champions — Alexandros Papanastasiou, big centre forward in Asia since Beijing 2008. as all the teams will play to get the tick- Dimitrios Nikolaidis and Konstaninos Gkiouvetsis. But while Japan’s place is already secured et to the Olympics,” admitted Moriyasu Greece might call itself lucky with the draw; the only two teams as hosts, Moriyasu believes that the AFC U23 when about the difference between the from 2017 finishing in 11th (Australia) and 18th (New Zealand). Championship provides the perfect platform non-Olympic qualifying tournaments and Greece has retained the services of winning coach Theodoros for the future and one which could help fill the Olympic qualifiers. Lorantos, a long-time Greek international. his side with belief should they repeat their “Japan has already secured a spot at Croatia has Serbia is its group and Hungary tops Group B feat of 2016 by claiming the title. the Tokyo Olympics but we want to win with possession-based football key to their acteristics as much as possible [in Thailand], with Russia and Canada its main foils. “It’s a very important tournament for the championship.” identity, the hope is that success at U-23 understanding and showing the team concept Montenegro, fifth in Belgrade, tops Group C with Italy (7th) us because we want to develop the team Moriyasu is currently combining the level leads to a seamless transition into the at the same time.” Iran, and United States of America (8th) on 2017 form. by winning in Asia and proceed to the roles of Japan’s senior team head coach senior set-up. Drawn in Group B alongside West Asian There was some classic play in 2017, especially from the senior Tokyo Olympics with confidence,” said and that of the U-23 side as he also attempts “I consider both teams as one large group opposition in the form of Qatar, Saudi Arabia players who contested the Budapest FINA World Championships Moriyasu. to secure the East Asians’ place at both the of the senior national team. Based on this and Syria, Japan will kick off their campaign a few months earlier. Much could be said about those players “[A successful tournament would be] FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 and AFC Asian idea, the reinforcement of the teams is in against Saudi Arabia on January 9, before from Gwangju who will double up in Kuwait City — the host city becoming champions, because that shows Cup China 2023. good progress,” explained Moriyasu, whose taking on Syria (January 12) and Qatar three of the 1999 version, won by Italy over Australia. what we’ve being doing so far is right and While the two positions may result in side came through a qualifying group com- days later. Italy is the leading team at these championships, having won can add confidence to the team.” a hectic schedule for the former Sanfrecce prising Myanmar, Timor-Leste and Macau. Moriyasu expects tough challenges from five titles and taken home two silvers and two bronzes. Only Hun- Japan famously won the 2016 edition Hiroshima coach, it also allows him to see “When both teams have activities at the all three. gary has more medals — three golds, four silvers and six bronzes. in Qatar by coming from two goals down first-hand how the younger players are de- same time, Coach [Akinobo] Yokouchi takes “I believe that West Asian teams have In opening-day play, Spain-Hungary, Japan-China and against Korea Republic to seal a 3-2 victory veloping and whether they’re ready for the care of the U-23 team. I think the team as good counter attacks and they have a good Greece-Australia could be standout matches. as they also advanced to the Rio Olympics. step up to the senior side. well as the individuals are developing as transition from tight defense to attack,” The medal finals of the nine-day event will be played on De- Two years ago in China, though, the Sam- And as Japan’s footballing philosophy we share the same concept and same ideas. he added. cember 20. urai Blue delivered a disappointing cam- is almost identical across all age groups, “I hope each player expresses their char- (Source: the-afc) (Source: FINA.org) Prayer Times Noon:11:58 Evening: 17:11 Dawn: 5:34 (tomorrow) Sunrise: 7:04 (tomorrow) DECEMBER 12, 2019 ART&CULTURE I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y www.tehrantimes.com Managing Director: Mohammad Shojaeian Editor-in-Chief: Mohammad Ghaderi Editorial Dept.: Fax: (+98 21) 88808214 — 88808895 Tehran FICTS festival [email protected] Switchboard Operator: Tel: (+98 21) 43051000 Advertisements Dept.: Telefax: (+98 21) 43051450 Public Relations Office: Tel: (+98 21) 88805807 Subscription & Distribution Dept.: Tel: (+98 21) 43051603 announces documentary lineup www.eshterak.ir Distributor: Padideh Novin Co. Tel: 88911433 ARTTEHRAN — The 12th Webmaster: [email protected] deskTehran International Printed at: Jame Jam Bartar Borna - 44197737 FICTS Festival announced its lineup for Tehrantimes79 Tehrantimesdaily the documentary section on Wednesday. A lineup of 15 Iranian and foreign movies No. 18, Bimeh Alley, Nejatollahi St., Tehran, Iran will go on screen in this section of the festival, P.o. Box: 14155-4843 which will be held on the Persian Gulf island Zip Code: 1599814713 of Qeshm simultaneously. “The Dragon Spring” by Jaroslaw Wszedybyl from Poland about a young man who dreams of becoming a coach of Arsenal London, and “The Bull of Pallonetto” by Luigi Barletta from Italy about the life story of boxer Joe Esposito who fought to build himself a future, are among the films. The lineup also includes “Rigert” by Vladimir Eysner from Russia about GUIDE TO weightlifter David Rigert who won the SPIRITUAL AWAKENING Olympics, the World Championships and European Championships several times, and When someone say to another “How lucky you “Freddy” by German Bertasio from Argentina are”, time will at once bring him a black day. about disabled surfer Freddy who doesn’t Imam Ali (AS) have legs and one arm but is very successful in his field. Also included are “That 10 Seconds” by Adel Anisi, “Shahsavar” by Ali Shahmohammadi, “Waterfall” by Ali Writer Qobad Azaraiin Shahabinejad and “Serik” by Bahareh withdraws from Jalal Al-e Afshari, all from Iran. The Federation Internationale Cinema Ahmad nominations again Television Sportifs (FICTS) is the organizer of the sports film festival, which is a part of CULTURE TEHRAN — Iranian writer Qobad Azaraiin the World FICTS Challenge that runs in 16 A scene from “The Dragon Spring” by Jaroslaw Wszedybyl from Poland. deskonce again has announced that he wants his countries around the world. book “Eruption” to be withdrawn from among the nominations Winners of the festival are scheduled to held in collaboration with Iran’s National Organization. later time. for the Jalal Al-e Ahmad Literary Awards. be honored during a special ceremony on Olympic and Paralympic Committee, Iran’s The 12th Tehran International FICTS The lineup of the other sections of He announced his decision in a letter submitted to the Qeshm Island. Ministry of Sports and Youth, IRIB, Cinema Festival was scheduled to be held in late the festival and the jury members will be secretariat of the literary contest on Tuesday, the organizers The Iranian edition of the festival will be Organization of Iran and Qeshm Free Zone June but the organizers postponed it to a announced in the near future. have announced. Vocalist Alireza Qorbani to tour Iran Photo exhibit to raise funds for child laborers

Iranian writer Qobad Azaraiin in an undated photo.

“With great apology from the respected members of the awards and especially Mr. (Mehdi) Qezeli (the secretariat) and the respected jury members, I hereby announce my withdrawal from the nominations for the Jalal Al-e Ahmad Literary Awards,” the letter said. Azaraiin once in a news item published on November 22 had Iranian vocalist Alireza Qorbani in an undated photo. A poster for “Just Around Here” photo exhibit. announced his withdrawal from the contest for personal reasons, ARTTEHRAN — Iranian The historical city of Qazvin will be ARTTEHRAN — An exhibition will display 20 black and however, three days later, he announced that he has reinstated deskvocalist Alireza Qorbani hosting the ensemble on December 31 and deskexhibition of photos white portraits of the children, which his book as one of the nominees for Awards. and his ensemble will begin a concert tour the central city of Arak will be their last by Ali Sufi will open at Tehran’s have been taken over a period of five “Following calls from the organizers, I changed my mind and across Iran in late December. stop on January 3. Ariana Gallery on Friday to raise years. decided to remain among the nominees,” Azaraiin had told the The tour will begin with the Entitled “Sing with Me”, the concert funds for children living southeast The exhibit will be running until Persian service of ISNA. northwestern city of Tabriz on December was performed over 30 times in Tehran’s of Tehran and working in the brick December 23 at the gallery located at Published in autumn 2018, “Eruption” is about the oil 24 and will continue in Urmia, the capital of Sadabad Cultural-Historical Complex kilns there No. 9 Fereshteh St., off East Maryam eruption in Iran’s oil-rich region of Masjed Soleiman in 1908 West Azarbaijan province on December 27. during May and June. Entitled “Just Around Here”, the St., in the Elahieh neighborhood. when William Knox D’Arcy drilled an oil well in the Middle East for the first time. The story recounts how oil affected the lives of three generations in the region. “Hava, Maryam, Ayesha” on screen in Iranian theaters Other nominees are “Endlessness” by Mehdi Ebrahimi, ARTTEHRAN — “Hava, Maryam, Ayesha”, who collaborated in the project. “Turning on the One-Way Street” by Mohammadreza Marzuqi, desk “The Shamelessness Situation” by Hamed Jalali, “Days and a co-production between Iran and “I must also thank my fellow Iranian citizens. I was born Dreams” by Payam Yazdanju and “They’ve Written Us by Snow” Afghanistan by Afghan director Sahra Karimi, was screened and raised in Iran, Iran is my homeland and I am happy you by Nasim Tavassoli. at the Iranian Artists Forum on Tuesday with the producer are here to see my movie tonight,” she added. The winners of the 12th Jalal Al-e Ahmad Literary Awards Katayun Shahabi and director Karimi in attendance. “‘Hava, Maryam, Ayesha’ does not claim to be a good will be announced during a ceremony in Tehran around the Karimi’s debut movie is about three pregnant Afghan movie abut we are proud that we could make a feature in the second week of December. women from different social backgrounds living in Kabul, unsafe land of Afghanistan despite all the problems in the each of whom is facing a big challenge in her life and must country,” Karimi, who is the head of the state-run Afghan solve her problem by herself for the first time. Film Organization, added. Speaking at the ceremony, Shahabi expressed thanks to “We tried to introduce a new narration of Afghanistan to Have a Banksy Christmas: the participants, and said that cinema requires teamwork the world. The film was not possible without the assistance and that no one can do it on her/his own, the public relations of Iranian colleagues. This is film is the joint language of his Birmingham reindeer are team of the film announced in a press release on Wednesday. cooperation between Iran and Afghanistan. This shows “I must also thank the Art and Experience Cinema which that we can show our unity to the world through art and an artistic miracle provided an opportunity to screen this movie,” she added. cinema,” she concluded. Shahbi added that after screening the film at the Art and A scene from “Hava, Maryam, Ayesha” by Afghan director Government spokesman Ali Rabiei, the former BIRMINGHAM (The Guardian) — Is Banksy the new Charles Experience Cinema halls, the film will also be available on Sahra Karimi. director of the Research Institute of Cultural Heritage Dickens? The anonymous street artist’s Christmas creation com- Filimo, an online VOD service on which users can stream living in Afghanistan since 2012, also thanked Shahabi, and Tourism, Mohammad Beheshti, and Shafiq Sharq, bines jolly sentiment with genuine compassion in a way that videos online. who invested in her movie, Mastaneh Mohajer, who edited the Cultural Attaché of Afghanistan were among the would make the Victorian author of A Christmas Carol tingle all Karimi, a filmmaker born and raised in Tehran but the film, and the sound engineer, Mohamamdreza Delpak, participating guests. over. What’s more, his latest artwork is both imaginative and thumpingly true – a Christmas cracker with a bang of reality inside. Banksy’s team of reindeer painted on a wall in Birmingham’s Jewellery Quarter, pulling a bench that homeless people use as a bed, Mourners bid farewell to pop singer Turaj Shabankhani is rightly popular. In a video that underlines his message, Banksy 1 “He had a pleasing voice and when he sang my ‘Bahar spoke of his interest in the singer and his great he made eternal songs and always respected his art of music. shows a man called Ryan having a drink before positioning a bag as Bahar’, he made the song eternal,” Bahmani said. talent in singing. Music expert Abbas Sajjadi called him a man who had a pillow and lying on the bench – to be, in dreams, lifted in the air Poet and songwriter Abdoljababr Kakai also Singer Simin Ghanem, Shabankhani’s cousin, said that a vast knowledge of music. by those magic reindeer while the soundtrack plays I’ll Be Home for Christmas. It has so far had nearly three million views on Instagram. Once again Banksy reaches the parts other artists miss. This is a good painting – the reindeer are nicely three-dimensional “Marriage Story” leads mostly white, male Golden Globe nods, De Niro snubbed and solid enough to make the trompe l’oeil segue from street LOS ANGELES (Reuters) — Netflix De Niro, the star of “The Irishman”, was The films nominated for best comedy or Lopez, Charlize Theron and Cynthia Erivo bench to wonderland work. But the cleverest thing about this (NFLX.O) divorce drama “Marriage Story” left out of the best actor race, although his musical were Eddie Murphy’s comeback won acting nods. bighearted artwork is that it does not depict “the homeless”. on Monday led a Golden Globes nominations co-stars Al Pacino and Joe Pesci won nods “Dolemite is My Name”, Nazi-era satire “Jojo The director field was an all male affair By attaching his reindeer to an empty bench, it lets homeless list dominated by movie stories about white for their supporting roles and Scorsese will Rabbit”, murder mystery “Knives Out”, “Once dominated by veterans Tarantino, Scorsese, people represent themselves. Banksy not only named Ryan in men and marked by snubs for actor Robert compete for best director. Upon a Time in Hollywood” and Elton John Mendes, Todd Phillips for “Joker” and South the video but also thanked the locals who spontaneously brought De Niro and television shows “Game of “It means so much to all of us — to me, biopic “Rocketman”. Korea’s Bong Joon-Ho for social satire “Parasite”. him a hot drink, chocolates and lighter during the filming of the Thrones” and social justice drama “When Bob, Joe, Al, and the whole team — to be Apple Inc’s (AAPL.O) streaming service Netflix dominated the nominations across short video. Presumably not everyone who uses the bench is They See Us.” recognized with these nominations,” Scorsese landed its first major award nominations for both television and movies, scoring a leading destitute, so this work of art will be given other meanings – some “Marriage Story” scored six nods, said in a statement. “The Morning Show”, along with its stars 17 nods in movie fields and 17 in television. wag has already added Rudolf’s red nose. That’s street art and including best drama and for actors Adam The best movie drama category was Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon. HBO’s medieval fantasy “Game of Thrones” it’s kind of wonderful. But in allowing Ryan and others with no Driver, Scarlett Johansson and Laura Dern. rounded out with director Same Mendes’ Yet in the movie race, stories about and failed to make it into the best TV drama home to draw attention to their own reality, Banksy avoids the It was followed by Martin Scorsese’s epic immersive First World War drama “1917” by women like including “Harriet”, “Little series race, and upcoming movie musical depressing tendency of art to either abstract them and rob them gangster movie “The Irishman”, and Quentin from Universal Pictures (CMCSA.O), terrifying Women”, “Bombshell” and “Hustlers” were “Cats” scored just one nod, for Taylor Swift of identity, or indulge in triteness, or exploit a desperate reality Tarantino’s love letter to Hollywood “Once comic book villain “Joker” from Warner Bros omitted from the major races although some of and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s original song for aesthetic effect. Upon A Time in Hollywood,” with five apiece. (T.N) and papal story “The Two Popes.” their stars, including Saoirse Ronan, Jennifer “Beautiful Ghosts.”