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16 Pages Price 40,000 Rials 1.00 EURO 4.00 AED 39th year No.13556 Tuesday DECEMBER 17, 2019 Azar 26, 1398 Rabi’ Al thani 20, 1441 Tehran criticizes Sanctions are a Maryam Toosi’s Olympic “Hava, Maryam, Ayesha”, Italy’s ban on modern alternate dream faces the U.S. product of Iran’s help: Mahan Air 2 to genocide: Iran 2 immigration hurdle 15 Afghan director 16
Amending constitution possible if See page 3 Article 59 fails to solve problems Armed democracy: TEHRAN — The spokesman for the request to appeal to public votes must Guardian Council said on Sunday that be approved by two-thirds of the entire reviewing and amending the constitution representatives of the Assembly. is possible provided that the constitution Addressing a meeting on constitution itself, including its Article 59, could not review on Sunday night, Abbas Ali Kad- NATO greatest help the country get rid of a probable khoda’ei said, “The review (of constitution) problem. is not an impossible issue but at first we Article 59 states: In considering vital must utilize the entire capacities of the economic, political, social, and cultural constitution, including the Article 59, and issues, it is possible that the legislative if the mentioned article could not solve achievement for Europe power be exercised through referendum the problem we would resort to amending or reference to direct public vote. The the constitution.” 3 EU chief diplomat: Iran has not violated JCPOA TEHRAN — Josep Borrell, the new EU cording to a translation of his remarks foreign policy chief, has said Iran is mov- He noted that the European Union ing within the framework of the JCPOA supports the JCPOA and seek to preserve it. and has not violated it, IRNA reported on “Definitely, preserving the JCPOA Monday. Borrell also said the 2015 nuclear has many benefits for us and it is a deal has benefits for Europe and efforts common foreign policy of the Europe- must be made to preserve it. an Union’s member states. Common “The JCPOA is still alive and we make foreign policy means that the majority efforts to keep it alive,” Borrell said ac- agree with that, 2 Iraq Abdul-Mahdi warns U.S. about weakening of the Iraqi government Iraqi Prime Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi military official warned last week that in a telephone conversation with the U.S. attacks by Iranian-backed groups on Secretary of Defense warned of weakening bases hosting U.S. forces in Iraq were of the Iraqi government. pushing all sides closer to an uncontrol- U.S. Secretary of Defense Mark Esper on lable escalation, NY Times reported.
Monday urged Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Rocket strikes targeting Iraqi bases Abdul Mahdi to take steps to prevent bases where members of the U.S.-led coalition housing U.S. troops from being shelled, a are also stationed have increased in past
File photo statement from the premier’s office said. weeks with no claim of responsibility from Esper’s call came after a senior U.S. any party. 13 ARTICLE ARTICLE Hana Saada Future Party will attract some voters of AKP: Logoglu Zahra Hadavand Mirzaei Journalist from Algeria By Payman Yazdani toglu’s resignation from the premiership, effective to Dr. Osman Faruk Logoglu, a senior member Journalist TEHRAN (MNA) — Referring to the launching from 22 May 2016. He opposed the latter’s moves of Turkey’s Republican People’s Party (CHP). of the new Future Party by Ahmet Davutoglu, to transform Turkey’s form of government from Here is the full text of our interview with him: a senior member of CHP says the new Future a parliamentary to a presidential system. What are the reasons behind their decision Iran eyes strong ties Party will have an impact on AKP as it will attract Davutoglu resigned from the AKP in Sep- to form this party? Sanders’s poll some voters from. tember, claiming it was failing to address the A: The broad reason for the formation of the with Algeria under Turkish former Prime Minister Ahmet Davu- country’s problems. Another former AKP cabinet new party is disaffection with the increasingly growing again toglu and former ally of Turkish President Recep member, Ali Babacan, quit two months earlier authoritarian direction, one-man rule of Presi- new president Tayyip Erdogan has launched a new political party and is expected to announce his own rival party dent Erdogan. Davutoglu calls for participatory anders ‘leading in the Democratic in a challenge to the 17-year rule of Erdogan’s within weeks. democracy and favors a parliamentary system of intra-party election is bad news Tebboune Justice and Development Party (AKP). The Future Party immediately published a government. A more specific reason is the earli- Sfor Donald Trump and Sanders’ Davutoglu, who served as prime minister and list of 154 founding members, which included er impromptu dismissal of Davutoglu as AKP’s opponents in the Democratic Party. The he Iranian Foreign Ministry expressed AKP chairman from 2014 to 2016, announced numerous former AKP officials and affiliates. It chair-person and as Prime Minister. Davutoglu results of recent Democratic camp polls congratulations on the successful on Friday that he was creating Gelecek Partisi or also published a manifesto in which it outlined and Erdogan have exchanged harsh words since have heightened the party’s concern over Tholding of the crucial presidential Future Party, a move dismissed as a non-threat its general political objectives, though without then and in a sense, this is Davutoglu’s answer to Bernie Sanders’ victory in the intra-party election in Algeria, voicing hope that the by the president’s supporters. defining its political ideology. what he regards as unfair treatment by President election race. According to a recent poll by newly-elected president would chart a His conflict with Erdogan culminated in Davu- To know more about this issue, we reached Erdogan. 11 US Berkeley, Bernie Sanders has outpaced new era for the Iranian-Algerian deep- other Democratic candidates in the key ly-rooted ties. state of California. Sanders has been able In a statement on Saturday, Iranian to garner 24 percent of the state’s Dem- Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Seyed Ab- Protests in Hudaydah to condemn continued violations of ceasefire ocratic voters in a recent poll, published bas Mousavi dubbed Algeria’s presidential Many districts of Al-Hudaydah province or- attitudes of the sons of the province in facing the by bombing civilians in the districts of Tuhaita, in the Los Angeles Times. After Sanders, election as an important step toward the ganized mass tribal stands to denounce the aggression, their steadfastness, and their sta- Duraihmi, Beit Al-Faqih, Al-Hali, Al-Hawk and Elizabeth Warren won with 22 percent realization of democracy, development continuation of the violations of the ceasefire bility, for nearly 5 years despite the continued kilo Seta’sh (16). of the vote. In September poll released and prosperity in a calm atmosphere. and their disavowal from the implementation aggression and the siege. The protesters denounced the United Nations’ by the institute about two months ago, He offered his congratulation to the of the Sweden Agreement and the continuation Protesters called on the United Nations, human collusion with the aggression and its silence re- Warren won with 29 percent of the vote. president-elect, wishing him every success of the siege on the city of Duraihmi for more rights and legal organizations to take human garding the crimes committed against the Yem- Joe Biden, with 14 percent, is the third- and further advancement and prosperity, than a year. and legal responsibility towards the aggression eni people, especially children and women, as choice for California’s Democrats. The reasserting keenness to promote and en- Sons of al-Meena district organized for a pro- and genocide that the Yemeni people have been well as the aggression forces’ denial of entry to results of the poll are a disaster for Biden hance bilateral relations binding the two test, to denounce the continuation of the viola- subjected to for nearly five years under suspicious ships of oil derivatives and foodstuffs, the ports and to some extent for Warren. Polls show brotherly countries in all fields. tions of the ceasefire, and its disavowal from the international and UN silence. of Al-Hudaydah, despite obtaining permits by that they have largely lost popularity with Iran and Algeria brotherly relations are implementation of the Stockholm Agreement, A statement issued at the vigil, protesters the United Nations. their respective party supporters over the deeply rooted and go back to the 1960s. continuing the siege of Duraihmi district, Yemen condemned the continued aggression in spilling Ansarullah slams Riyadh for past two months. Soon after Algeria’s independence from Press reported. the blood of civilians, destroying their homes, violating Stockholm Agreement Sanders is the first choice of students France in 1962, Iran was among the first In the protest, the acting governor, Mohamed blockading the Yemeni people, preventing the Meanwhile, on Sunday, Yemeni officials re- The story does not end there. According countries to recognize it as an independent Ayash Quhim, and the head of the provincial entry of food and medicine to starve them, and jected reports about secret talks between the to a report published by Newsweek, Bernie nation, opening the Iranian embassy in services committee, Suleiman Halisi, praised the continuing violations of the Stockholm Agreement Ansarullah movement and Saudi Arabia. 13 Sanders has become the first choice of autumn of 1964, in Algiers. American students. This is a danger for Following the victory of 1979 Islamic both Trump and other Democratic can- Revolution in Iran, bilateral ties between didates. The
Azam Dadashi from prehistorical times to the Islamic era. in different fields, to wit, inter alia, energy, percent of Democratic supporters across Organized in collaboration with the Ports industry, banking, agricultural industries, the United States. Biden is next to Sanders and Maritime Organization, the exhibit will be mining, energy, justice, education, tourism, ISNA/ at exactly the same rate, and Warren is running through February 14, 2020. culture and art.. 11 next in line. 6 I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y POLITICS DECEMBER 17, 2019
Rouhani felicitates Iranian, Japanese officials’ visits Kazakhstan’s Independence Day POLITICAL TEHRAN — In a message to his Kazakh coun- show strength of relations: Araghchi deskterpart on Monday, President Hassan Rouhani of Iran felicitated Kazakhstan’s Independence Day and called POLITICAL TEHRAN — Deputy For- cember 3 during which Abe said that Japan for promotion of cooperation between the two friendly nations. deskeign Minister for Political still supports the 2015 nuclear deal, formally In his message to Kass- Affairs Abbas Araghchi said on Monday that known as the JCPOA. ym-Jomart Tokayev, Rou- visits to Tehran and Tokyo by the officials Araqchi submitted a written message hani said “I intend to express from Iran and Japan show the strength of from Rouhani to Abe during the visit. my pleasure over promotion of relations between the two countries. The Japanese prime minister welcomed cooperation between the two During a conference at Tehran University, the continuation of political consultations nations in line with bilateral he said that President Hassan Rouhani is between the two countries. interests similar to the last 3 scheduled to pay a one-day visit to Japan Abe visited Iran in June as the first Jap- decades.” on December 20 in response to a Japanese anese leader since 1978. He was carrying a Kazakhstan’s Day of Inde- Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s trip to Iran message from U.S. President Donald Trump pendence is celebrated annually in June. to Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah on December 16. “Rouhani’s visit to Japan will be one-day Ali Khamenei for talks with Tehran. The Kazakhstan was the last and in continuation of the two countries’ Leader, while praising Japan’s sincerity, of the Soviet republics to de- national interests. We should not expect said Trump is not worthy of exchanging clare independence following something special to happen. Diplomatic messages with. the dissolution of the Soviet visits are constant and are not in a way that ‘Japanese companies are still Union in 1991. a special result achieve by just one move. in Iran’ In mid-November, Iranian Hundreds of meetings should be held to Japan’s Ambassador to Tehran Mitsugu Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and his Kazakh coun- reach a result,” he said. Saito said in a speech at the conference that terpart Mukhtar Tleuberdi explored avenues for broadening He noted that economic obstacles have the Japanese companies are still in Iran mutual cooperation. impeded expansion of ties. visit by an Iranian president since October Japan’s major oil suppliers. and are hopeful about the future of Iran. During their meeting in the Kazakh capital Nur Sultan, the “However, the basis of relations is in a way 2000. Araghchi added Iran wants to maintain Pointing to Rouhani’s visit to Japan, two sides discussed trade and economic cooperation, especially that the ties continue despite pressure and In an interview with NHK published on the same positive relationship with Japan Saito said that it is expected that the visit within the Caspian Sea legal regime, port and transport cooper- sanctions,” added Araqchi who was Iran’s December 7, Araghchi said that Japan is an and hinted at a possible resumption of oil will help expansion of ties. ation, and consular relations. ambassador to Tokyo….. economic partner and provider of technol- exports. He noted that Abe is making efforts to Rouhani’s visit to Japan will be the first ogy to Iran, which has always been one of Araghchi and Abe met in Tokyo on De- play a role in helping regional stability. Chinese envoy admires Iran’s stance against U.S. anti-Beijing measures EU chief diplomat: Iran has not violated JCPOA
POLITICAL TEHRAN — Chung Hua, the Chinese am- Borrell says nuclear deal has benefits for Europe deskbassador to Tehran, on Monday voiced his 1 however, there may be some different views,” the Britain, France, Germany, Russia, China, and Iran have country’s appreciation for Iran’s stance against the White EU chief diplomat said in an interview with France 24. been trying to salvage the pact. However, Europeans’ efforts House’s anti-Chinese measures. Borrell said on December 9 that the signatories to the to protect trade with Iran against the U.S. sanctions have nuclear deal should adopt a united stance to preserve the deal. yielded nothing concrete so far. He also said on December 7 that “collective responsibility” On May 8, exactly one year after the U.S. abandoned is needed to stop the JCPOA from breaking apart. the deal, Tehran announced that its “strategic patience” “We have a collective responsibility to preserve #IranDeal,” is over and began to partially reduce its commitments to Borrell tweeted. the agreement at bi-monthly intervals. Stefan Scholz, the Austrian ambassador to Tehran, said Iran’s moves are based on paragraph 36 of the JCPOA on Wednesday that Austria seeks to preserve the JCPOA. which “allows one side, under certain circumstances, to “The Austrian government is interested in preserving stop complying with the deal if the other side is out of the JCPOA and we believe that Europeans must fulfil their compliance.” promises and uphold Iran’s economic benefits,” he said In the first stage, Iran announced that it will not limit its during a meeting with members of Sanandaj’s city council. stockpile of the nuclear fuel to 300 kilograms allowed under In a meeting with Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman He noted that Austria, as a member of the European the deal. On that date (May 8) Iran’s Supreme National Again, as Europe missed the second 60-day deadline, Seyed Abbas Mousvai, the Chinese envoy also expressed hope Union, is making efforts to save the JCPOA. Security Council (SNSC) said if the remaining parties to Iran moved to take the third step, removing a ban on nuclear for expansion of relations between the two friendly nations. U.S. President Donald Trump quit the nuclear deal in the JCPOA, especially Europeans, devise a mechanism to research and development (R&D). In October, Mousavi categorically denounced the U.S. Con- May 2018 and introduced the harshest ever sanctions on protect Iran from the sanctions’ effect in the two-month In the latest step, which started on November 6, Iran gress legislation on Hong Kong as a “brazen” case of Washing- Iran as part of his administration’s “maximum pressure” deadline it will reverse its decision. began injecting uranium gas into 1,044 centrifuges at the ton’s interference in the domestic affairs of other countries. campaign against Iran. But since European parties missed the deadline, on July Fordow nuclear site. It was done at the presence of inspectors “International law categorically rejects meddling in other Under the JCPOA, Iran promised to put limits on its 7 Iran announced that it has started enriching uranium from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). countries’ internal affairs, and unfortunately the reoccurrence nuclear activities in exchange for termination of economic to a higher purity than the 3.67%, thereby starting the Iran has said it will reverse its decision if its economic of such a behavior by the U.S. regime has turned into a means and financial sanctions. second step. interests are guaranteed. to destabilize countries,” Mousavi said at the time. Intelligence minister vows Deputy foreign minister says Iran’s dealings with INSTEX entering its final stage to counter major drug POLITICAL TEHRAN – Iranian strument in Support of Trade Exchanges and cons of Palermo with the “country’s counter-measures and call on its members traffickers deskDeputy Foreign Minister (INSTEX), France, Germany and the Unit- expediency” has ended its study is actually and urge all jurisdictions to apply effective Abbas Araghchi said on Monday that trans- ed Kingdom warmly welcome the decision out of question. counter-measures, in line with recommen- POLITICAL TEHRAN — The Iranian Intelligence actions within INSTEX barter mechanism taken by the governments of Belgium, Den- Mesbahi-Moghadam added, “The deadline dation 19,” the FATF said in a statement, deskMinistry’s main strategy is countering major is entering its final phase. mark, Finland, the Netherlands, Norway and for the Expediency Council to study CFT has Reuters reported. sources of narcotics, Intelligence Minister Mahmoud Alawi INSTEX - the Instrument in Support of Sweden, to join INSTEX as shareholders,” not passed yet.” One of the actions Iran is required to take announced on Monday. Trade Exchanges - is designed to circumvent the statement said. The overall atmosphere in the Expediency to appease the FATF is to ratify the CFT, Addressing a meeting of the managers, secretaries and U.S. sanctions against trade with Iran by It added, “This step further strength- Council is against approving the FATF. The the convention combatting the financing officials of provincial anti-narcotic coordination councils, avoiding use of the dollar. It was introduced ens INSTEX and demonstrates European opposition to ratifying the FATF rose after of terrorism. Alawi said, “The Intelligence Ministry’s strategy is confronting by the European trio of France, Germany efforts to facilitate legitimate trade between the abrogation of the 2015 nuclear deal by Mesbahi-Moghadam, who served as parlia- the major sources of drug trafficking networks.” and Britain on January 31. Europe and Iran and is a clear expression the United States and the return of sanctions. ment representative for two four-year terms, He added, “We must seek the causes not the effects. We “Interaction between INSTEX and the of our continuing commitment to the Joint Mesbahi-Moghadam, a cleric trained in also told ISNA in an interview last month that must also seek what the cause are behind resorting to drug similar Iranian institution is at final phase,” Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).” economy, said, “In a situation in which the the council has set aside studies to approve trafficking. Paying attention to effects and ignoring the causes Araghchi told reporters on the sidelines of The statement also noted that full and country is under the most severe sanctions, bills related to the FATF. is meant that we have always to be engaged in the effects.” a conference at the University of Tehran. effective implementation of the JCPOA is joining such conventions is synonymous with “Palermo and CFT will help the United “With reviewing the root causes of terrorism we will reach He added, “Recently, the two institutions of utmost importance. self-inflicted sanctions. In the situation in States to identify the ways we circumvent to drug trafficking trade,” he went on to say. signed a memorandum of understanding and Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson which the United States seeks to limit the the sanctions. We will not tighten sanctions Iran is in the forefront of the fight against drug trafficking. we hope that the first interaction will take Hua Chunying said on December 3 that Chi- country’s financial relations, it is not beneficial by our own hands,” he remarked. About 4000 Iranian police forces have so far been martyred place in coming days.” na highly commends efforts to implement to join institutions like FATF.” However, the government is pushing for to protect the world from the menace of drugs. On March 20, Iran’s central bank gover- INSTEX. The parliament ratified the FATF in Oc- the approval of the FATF. The Iranian anti-narcotic police stage periodic operations nor Abdolnaser Hemmati announced that ‘We hope Expediency Council’s tober 2018, however the oversight Guardian Talking in a cabinet meeting October against drug traffickers and dealers, but reports - which among a mechanism similar to INSTEX has been decision on FATF will be based on Council rejected the bill. 23, President Hassan Rouhani called on the others indicate an improved and systematic dissemination registered in Iran, officially called the Special country’s expediency’ Whenever there is a dispute between the Expediency Council to approve the FATF of information - reveal that the world’s most forefront Trade and Finance Institute (STFI). Araghchi also said that the Expediency parliament and the Guardian Council on a related bills. and dedicated anti-narcotic force (as UN drug-campaign INSTEX was introduced long after the U.S. Council takes the final decision on the Finan- bill it is referred to the Expediency Council “It is our pride that we fight terrorists assessments put it) has embarked on a long-term countrywide imposed sanctions on Iran and threatened cial Action Task Force (FATF), expressing for final arbitration. and counter corruption, therefore we should plan to crack down on the drug trade since more than a to punish any country or company that does hope the decision would be in line with the The Paris-based Financial Action Task not allow allegations of money laundering decade ago. business with Iran. country’s “expediency”. Force (FATF) said on October 18 that it has against our banking system,” Rouhani stated. In May, Iranian Police Chief Brigadier General Hossein Belgium, Denmark, Finland, the Neth- Gholamreza Mesbahi-Moghadam, a mem- given Iran a final deadline of February 2020 He added, “This hurts our country.” Ashtari described Iran as a pioneering state in campaign erlands, Norway, and Sweden issued a joint ber of the Expediency Council, has said that to tighten its laws against money laundering Mahmoud Vaezi, the presidential chief against drug trafficking. statement on November 29 announcing be- the council has set aside studying the Palermo in compliance with the global watchdog’s of staff, said on October 30 that Iran should “We have declared our information and needs to the coming shareholders of INSTEX. bill, which its ratification along the CFT are financial standards. use the opportunity to join the FATF in order international organizations and I should say that we have France, Germany and the United King- needed for joining the FATF. “If before February 2020, Iran does not to avoid self-inflicted sanctions. not pinned hope on their aid,” he said. dom issued a statement on November 30 Talking to the Mehr news agency in an enact the Palermo and Terrorist Financing He said those who oppose joining the “We do not have hope that the international organizations welcoming the decision by the six countries. interview in November, he said since a one- Conventions in line with the FATF Standards, FATF should accept the responsibility for can seriously confront” the cultivation and production of “As founding shareholders of the In- year time by the council to assess the pros then the FATF will fully lift the suspension of their actions. narcotics in Afghanistan, General Ashtari said. Sanctions are a modern Impeachment motion against oil minister withdrawn: lawmaker alternate to genocide: Iran TEHRAN (Press TV) — The Iranian parliament has Iran’s oil industry at the international level, has sought withdrawn a motion to impeach Oil Minister Bijan to distance his department from the decision while POLITICAL TEHRAN – Iranian government spokesman Namdar Zanganeh a month after he was accused of trying to implement plans that could offset the impacts deskAli Rabiei said on Monday that sanctions ignoring the will of the lawmakers before announcing of the price hikes on the daily lives of the Iranians. are an alternate to war for the United States, describing a controversial fuel price hike. Mirzaei said the parliament had come to the conclu- sanctions as modern genocide. “Given negotiations (held between) lawmakers and sion that the general political situation in the country “In fact, sanctions are not just an alternate to war, it is a the current situation of the country, the impeachment of was not ripe for holding the impeachment against modern alternate to genocide, terrorism and is an example oil minister in no longer on the agenda,” Jalal Mirzaei, Zanganeh. of a silent war,” he said during a press conference. a member of the Majlis Energy Committee, said in an The upcoming parliamentary election in February He added, “However, they are making mistake. They have interview with the IRNA agency. was also a reason for the lawmakers to abandon the deceived the people of the United States and also the world.” The lawmaker said Zanganeh had attended two rounds impeachment motion against the oil minister, said The remarks by the government spokesman came two of inquiry in the energy committee to respond to ques- the lawmaker. days after U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin told the tions of the lawmakers regarding the fuel price hike. Reports over the past weeks had suggested that Doha Forum that sanctions are alternative to war. The government decision to abruptly increase the the parliament may introduce a similar impeachment The U.S. has slapped the harshest sanction in history price of gasoline on November 15 caused an unprec- Ministry for the crisis, saying authorities should have motion against Interior Minister Abdolreza Rahmani against Iran in line with the White House’s “maximum pres- edented wave of protests and rioting in certain cities. consulted the parliament before increasing the prices. Fazli over his failure to coordinate government efforts sure” strategy against Tehran. Some lawmakers in the parliament blamed the Oil Zanganeh, a long-serving minister and a face of during the fuel price crisis. I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y DECEMBER 17, 2019 IRAN IN FOCUS 3
Tehran criticizes Italy’s ‘Iran is fighting narcotics on behalf of the world’
POLITICAL TEHRAN — Eskandar Momeni, chief of Iran’s ban on Mahan Air desk drug war commander, says the Islamic Re- POLITICAL TEHRAN — Foreign of being a spy. public of Iran has been fighting against illicit drugs on behalf desk Ministry spokesman The prisoner exchange happened of the world. Abbas Mousavi on Monday responded to through mediation efforts by Switzerland. Iran has seized over 12,000 tons of drugs within the past Italy’s ban on Iran’s Mahan Air, saying In recent days, Iran has voiced read- four decades, Iran Press quoted Momeni as saying on Monday. Tehran expects “friendly countries” not to iness for a full prisoner swap with the He said 3,800 anti-drug forces have been martyred when succumb to the United States’ “unilateral, United States, saying that the “ball is in illegal and baseless sanctions.” the U.S.’s court”. “Naturally, these countries are under “After getting our hostage back this week, pressure,” Mousavi said during a press fully ready for a comprehensive prisoner conference, responding to a question posed exchange,” Zarif said via Twitter last week. by the Tehran Times correspondent. “But Mousavi: Halt to Russia work we hope they reconsider their decision.” at Fordow came after ‘technical “We also invite other countries to ob- problem’ serve international laws and regulations Asked to explain Russia’s suspension and avoid the United States’ unilateral of work at Iran’s Fordow nuclear site, pressure and its unilateralism,” he added. Mousavi said it happened due to a “tech- Italy’s air authority ENAC announced nical problem”. last month that a ban on Mahan’s flights Russia has not ended cooperation with to Rome and Milan would take effect in the Islamic Republic, he said. mid-December. “Iranian and Russian technical experts The Association of Iranian Airlines (AIA) are examining the problem,” he added. fighting drug-trafficking. confirmed the news of the ban. Russian state nuclear company Ro- Iran, which has a 900-kilometer common border with Af- and Washington. their impact on the country’s compliance “Along with their pressure on our coun- satom said earlier this month that it had ghanistan, has been used as the main conduit for smuggling “We are independent countries and Iran with the nuclear pact, Mousavi said Britain try, the Americans have pressed Italy to suspended work on revamping a factory Afghan drugs to narcotics kingpins in Europe. has always wanted to expand its relations is a signatory of the JCPOA and a change stop Mahan Air flights to Rome and Milan,” at Fordow due to an issue with uranium Despite high economic and human costs, the Islamic Republic with friendly countries such as Japan,” the in its government must not affect its ob- Maqsoud Asadi Samani, secretary of the compatibility. has been actively fighting drug-trafficking over the past decades. spokesman said. ligations under the deal. AIA, said last month. “Uranium enrichment and the pro- The country has spent more than $700 million on sealing Abe visited Tehran on June 12.He met “People’s decision is important for us The United States has sought action duction of stable isotopes cannot be car- its borders and preventing the transit of narcotics destined for Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. but the issue is that they must fulfil their against the airline since it accused Mahan ried out in the same room,” Rosatom’s European, Arab and Central Asian countries. Air of transporting military equipment and During the meeting, Ayatollah Khamenei commitments,” he added. nuclear fuel cycle unit TVEL said in a personnel to Middle East war zones. described U.S. President Donald Trump ‘Iran ready for humanitarian statement, adding that it was “techno- Germany and France have both already as a person not worthy of exchanging prisoner swaps’ logically impossible” to implement the banned flights by the airline. messages with. Asked about the recent prisoner swap project at the time. Iran to U.S. Treasury: Sanctions The United States imposed sanctions Abe visited Iran after a meeting with between Iran and the U.S., Mousavi voiced On Iran’s next step in reducing its com- on Mahan in 2011, saying it provided fi- President Trump in Tokyo. He said he Iran’s readiness to continue such cooper- mitments under the JCPOA, Mousavi said are the war itself nancial and other support to the Islamic was carrying a message from Trump for ation for humanitarian reasons. Iran is still mulling the move. POLITICAL Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC). dialogue with Iran. He referred to Iranian nationals impris- “There’s still time,” he said. “I express deskTEHRAN — The Iranian Foreign Ministry The Tehran-based carrier, established However, Ayatollah Khamenei said Iran oned in America as “hostages” and said hope that in the remaining time, the Eu- spokesman, in a post on his official Twitter account on Monday, in 1992 as Iran’s first private airline, has has “no trust” in the U.S. and will not at all U.S. nationals imprisoned in Iran were ropeans seriously fulfil their obligations.” rejected U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin’s remarks that the country’s largest fleet of aircraft and “repeat the bitter experience” it gained from detained for security crimes. Iran started to partially reduce its com- sanctions are alternative to war, noting that sanctions are exactly routes to a number of European and Asian the negotiations that led to the conclusion The spokesman said if countries such mitments under the nuclear deal exactly economic war. countries. of the nuclear deal (officially called the as Switzerland step forward, it could lead a year after the U.S. abandoned the deal Seyed Abbas Mousavi’s tweet reads, “@stevenmnuchin1 stat- ‘Rouhani’s Japan visit aimed JCPOA), which Washington later ditched. to more prisoner exchanges without direct and implemented what it called the “max- ed, #sanctions are the alternative to war! Truth is: “Sanctions” to expand ties’ Since the U.S. withdrawal and its sub- talks between Iran and the U.S. imum pressure” policy against the Islamic are the war itself. It is indeed the economic war and worse than During his press conference, Mousa- sequent sanctions, the other signatories Tehran and Washington exchanged Republic. At the time Iran announced that that, the #EconomicTerrorism which unfairly targets civilians vi also said President Hassan Rouhani’s of the JCPOA – including Russia, China, prisoners on December 7, as a result of its “strategic patience” is over. especially children, the elderly & the sick.” upcoming visit to Japan is natural given France, Britain and Germany – vowed to which Masoud Soleimani, a 49-year-old So far, Iran has taken four steps in that CNBC quoted Mnuchin as saying on Saturday that “the rea- that Iran and Japan are two old friends remain committed to the deal and protect stem cell scientist, returned to Iran after regard. son why we’re using sanctions is because they are an important and Japanese Prime Minister Shizo Abe it from U.S. pressure. more than a year of captivity in the U.S., However, Tehran has repeatedly said alternative for world military conflicts.” recently visited Tehran. Britain must fulfil its JCPOA and Iran also freed an American graduate its measures will be reversed as soon as Talking at the Doha Forum, Mnuchin also claimed that the He was rejecting the notion of Japan commitments, says Mousavi student who had been imprisoned in Teh- Europe finds practical ways to shield the U.S. in not weaponizing the dollar. acting as an intermediate between Tehran On the recent elections in Britain and ran for more than three years on charges Iranian economy from sanctions. In an interview with CNN aired on September 24, Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said that sanctions were war. “Sanctions are war. Because in a war, usually military targets are chosen. In sanctions, civilians are the targets. So, it’s war. Rabiei rejects Rouhani resignation rumors It’s more than war,” he said. POLITICAL TEHRAN — Government spokesman might discuss a message from the U.S. government Trump as a person not worthy of exchanging messages. During a speech at the 42nd session of the UN Human Rights deskAli Rabiei has dismissed speculation in his upcoming trip to Japan. The Leader said Iran has “no trust” in the U.S. and Council in September, Esmaeil Baghaei Hamaneh, Tehran’s that President Hassan Rouhani is considering resign- “The trip will be made within the framework of will not at all “repeat the bitter experience” it gained ambassador and permanent representative to the UN office in ing as president. bilateral visits and meetings between the officials of from the negotiations that led to the conclusion of the Geneva, called the consequences of unilateral sanctions against Rabiei made the remarks during a press conference Tehran and Tokyo,” he added. 2015 nuclear deal, which Washington later ditched. Iran “crime against humanity”. on Monday, Tasnim reported. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe announced last “Iran engaged in talks with the U.S. and the Europeans He urged the United Nations to take action in stopping the Such an idea has been by no means raised in the Monday that Tokyo is in discussions about a possible for some five or six years, and achieved a result. The sanctions. administration, he said. Japan visit by President Rouhani later this month, an Americans, however, breached a done deal,” said the President Hassan Rouhani said in June that the U.S. sanctions Asked about Rouhani’s upcoming visit to Japan, attempt to try to resolve Iran’s nuclear impasse with Leader, emphasizing that “no wise man” would enter are examples of “crime against humanity and economic terrorism” Rabiei said the trip has nothing to do with the United the United States. talks with a country that has reneged on all agreements. because they have targeted ordinary people’s “lives and needs”. States’ push for talks with Iran. According to Financial Post, Abe also said Japan During a joint press conference with Rouhani on “It should not be said that the U.S. has imposed sanctions He explained that Iran’s “Japanese friends” some- wants to make every possible effort to promote Middle June 12, Abe said he will use his country’s “utmost on us because they are not sanctions. They are a crime against times put forward proposals, but reiterated that the East peace. effort” to deescalate tension in the Persian Gulf and humanity. They could be called sanctions if they targeted Islamic Republic has no plan in this regard. Abe was in Iran on a two-day visit on June 12. the wider Middle East region. some of our sensitive industries, but they are a crime against Last week, the Iranian president’s chief of staff, During a meeting with Abe on June 13, Leader of the “Japan will use its utmost effort to reduce tension humanity and economic terrorism when they target the peo- Mahmoud Vaezi, dismissed speculation that Rouhani Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Ali Khamenei dismissed in the region,” he said. ple’s lives and needs,” he stated. Trump withdrew Washington from the 2015 nuclear deal, known as the JCPOA, in May 2018 and restored the previous sanctions against Iran and ordered new ones. Trump has described Armed democracy: NATO greatest achievement for Europe his government’s sanctions against Iran as “economic war”. By Morteza Helali Constant security is the condition for killings in Srebrenica and Bosnia are only a Constant security, an achievement strategic partnership. Therefore, beside the small part of Europe’s history. of constant threat At the 30th NATO summit, following the U.S. Marshal Plan, only NATO-backed armed de- After WWII, Britain, France, Belgium, The serious threat to Europe’s constant and Russia’s withdrawal from the Intermedi- mocracy could guarantee constant security the Netherlands and Luxembourg signed the security is to be examined as European coun- Guardian Council: ate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty, NATO for long-term strategic partnership between Brussels Pact in 1984 and formed the Western tries have not played an important role in Reviewing, amending leaders, reiterating future threats, divided the U.S. and Europe. Union Defense Organization (WUDO) in re- maintaining and establishing durable security the world into East and West military poles. By dictating this kind of democracy to sponse to German threats and expansionism over the last half a century, but they reached constitution possible if Article NATO, while stating a security strategy, Europe in the form of preserving values and by the Soviet Union in eastern and central such level of security due to the security in- continued to regard Russia as a threat to the mutual interests, the U.S. has taught Euro- European countries. terests created by the U.S. and NATO. 59 fails to solve problems security of Atlantic and euro area, just like it pean leaders and nations to stop fighting The U.S. government, which had won the Since the Cold War, European countries was during the Cold War. The organization each other and join the U.S. to achieve global approval of the Congress to accept military have been the victims of possible nuclear also claimed that cyber operations, terrorist goals and counter communism. commitments outside its borders in response conflict between the U.S. and Russia. There- 1 “Sometimes, some of the words are used in a way which acts and those effective state and non-state By its policy, the U.S. strategic goal was to the Soviet intervention in the Czech coup, fore, given the U.S. and Russian withdraw- shows a deadlock. Sometime, we feel fear from the mentioned actors that are not aligned, should be con- to promote public knowledge in Europe. It joined the Brussels Pact along with Canada al from the INF Treaty and stationing new words,” he said, adding, “We must not consider evolution and fronted as factors that have challenged the also sought to support those policies and on April 4, 1949. Finally, the U.S. and 11 Eu- nuclear missiles by these countries in the improvement as impossible principles.” world order. organizations that, on the one hand, could ropean countries founded the North Atlantic green continent, Western Europe will be “Some say that the constitution’s articles lack the capabili- NATO’s strategy has shifted from the guarantee peace and security in Europe, and Treaty Organization in Washington against once again the first victim and target in a ty of being changed, and it is level of security concerns over Russia and on the other persuade European nations to Russia and Germany. possible U.S.-Russian conflict. an agreeable issue. In fact, we global challenges to the level of preparedness cooperate with the U.S. at international and Following France’s defeat in the Battle In other words, the security of European agree, based on the current for possible military confrontation. NATO trans-national level, in the context of a new of Dien Bien Phu in Vietnam, the Soviet countries is provided and guaranteed in the constitution, to say some of seeks to provide the ground and facilities order after the World War II. Union, which considered Germany as its absence of the U.S.-Russian conflict, which the articles lack capability of for further deterrence, faster defense and In the process of reinforcing NATO, enemy, seized the opportunity and offered is a constant threat at the same time of being change. In my idea even such increased capacities of the rapid reaction democracy expanded alongside NATO’s Collective Security Treaty to the U.S., Britain a constant security. articles can go under review if forces to counter possible attacks, especially military goals in leftist Europe. European and France in 1954, and requested NATO In the wake of widespread commitments to the society is in need of such in the field of terrorism and cyber-terrorism. people slowly became familiar with ballot membership, which was rejected by all NATO, coupled with transatlantic relations, change,” Kadkhoda’ei added. Although NATO, at a recent meeting, referred boxes, and, by benefiting from common three countries. without NATO’s support, most European states “In France, it is said that the to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization as a interests in the economic system of capi- A few months after NATO’s negative re- are vulnerable in the face of Russian military republicanism can’t be changed defensive coalition that does not threaten any talism and neo-liberalism, they agreed with sponse, due to its hostility with Russia, NATO power due to the lack of professional army. according to the principle the country, its field of activity indicates that the the arms race with the Soviet communist accepted Italy’s membership on April 4, 1949, In case European countries distance them- people once agreed on and are nature of the treaty is tied to war. system. Therefore, a great miracle happened and Germany’s on May 9, 1955, in order to selves from the U.S., even if they spend a now obeying that agreement. NATO achievement and threats in transatlantic relations and developments, prevent Moscow from taking advantage of sum more than their defense expenditures We, in Iran, had some religious principles that are stipulated in to Europe and yesterday’s enemies became today’s European political and security conflicts. within NATO, they will not be able to form the constitution which are mentioned as unchangeable principles. NATO plays a key role in creating armed friends and strategic partners. With Germany joining NATO, the Soviet an army with deterrence capability. Of course, it is possible to change them in other time. Now, within democracy in Europe, and is also a serious In fact, armed democracy was NATO Union established the Warsaw Pact five days In fact, European states have strategic part- the framework of the constitution, the mentioned principles are threat to the continent’s security. achievement for European countries. The later, using the military facilities of Eastern nership in the context of governments and inter- unchangeable,” Kadkhoda’ei explained. After the end of WWII, when capitalism and democracy has so far worked out very well, to European countries, which practically trig- dependencies. According to history, European In May the ILNA news agency quoted President Hassan communism were two dominant ideologies the point that the cruel and criminal European gered the Cold War. nations certainly will not be friends, if not enemies. Rouhani as saying that a referendum on the country’s nuclear in international relations, the U.S., with a countries now present themselves a great Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, It is nearly for five decades that Europe has program “could offer a breakthrough”. greed for Europe’s scientific and industrial supporters of human rights and environment! during the presidency of Boris Yeltsin, Moscow been trying to form an independent army to The Iranian president in a meeting with media managers in resources, entered the green continent that was Leninism and Stalinism, racism, fascism, sent a letter to NATO secretary general on defend itself, but political disputes between Tehran was answering a question when he said that Article 59 tired of devastating wars. With the Marshal apartheid, genocide, crematoria and cruel December 21, 1991 asking for membership in European countries have prevented it from could “unblock” difficult situations. He added, “The question Plan, the U.S. chose Europe as its strategic killings during Africa and India’s colonization, the military bloc, which once again rejected being realized. This is a pain that Europe of when we should utilize this Article or when in the past we ally to confront the Soviet Union. appalling events in WWI and WWII, brutal by NATO. always suffers from. should have used it, is a different matter”. I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y 4 ECONOMY DECEMBER 17, 2019
STOCK MARKET IRICA taking more steps to TEDPIX 344487.4 IFX 4483.63 Sources: tse.ir, Ifb.ir facilitate imports, combat sanctions
By Mahnaz Abdi been providing new facilities for importers CURRENCIES of basic goods which makes them able to TEHRAN — Since the U.S. re-imposition clear their commodities in less than an hour. USD 42,000 rials of sanctions against Iran’s economy, Islamic And now a new bylaw announced by IRICA EUR 46,752 rials Republic of Iran Customs Administration Deputy Head Mehrdad Jamal Orounaqi on (IRICA) has been taking various measures Monday is to facilitate imports more in line GBP 56,227 rials to facilitate customs process both for exports with combatting the sanctions. and imports of the commodities to reduce The new instructions declared to the AED 11,437 rials the effect of sanctions. country’s customs departments require the Source: cbi.ir IRICA Head Mehdi Mir-Ashrafi says that representatives of the related organizations this round of sanctions is tougher than the to act under the supervision of IRICA previous round; so more strategic actions for conducting necessary controls and are needed to nullify them. inspections. COMMODITIES As the sanctions may make the country Controls like medical inspections and face shortage of basic goods, the government those related to quality and standards should Brent $65.37/b and IRICA have taken various measures to be done under the supervision of IRICA, WTI $60.07/b avoid such condition. according to the new bylaw. One major action is facilitating condition It says that the related organizations OPEC Basket $65.81/b for the importers of the basic commodities, should submit the result of their controls for example providing them with required Gold $1,479.15/oz and investigations to IRICA through the foreign currency through NIMA (Iran’s Forex electronic system and based on the procedures Silver $$17.11/oz Management Integrated System). defined by IRICA. Also in August, Iran’s Finance and And it is emphasized that the new Platinium $937.45/oz Economic Affairs Minister Farhad Dejpasand, obliged the customs administration to take Meanwhile, following a previous directive regulations are to protect the economy Sources: oilprice.com, Moneymetals.com in a directive addressing the IRICA head, measures for facilitating customs processes. by President Hassan Rouhani, IRICA has against the sanctions.
ETFs valued at $4.5b in Iran Capacity of Iran’s rail freight transport Iran’s metals exports to China surge by %150 y/y in March-October ECONOMY TEHRAN — The value of exchange-traded to rise 5m tons deskfunds (ETFs) in Iranian stock market has ECONOMY TEHRAN – Head of TEHRAN — A new report shows that Iran’s reached 190.6 trillion rials (about $4.53 billion) at the end of deskIslamic Republic of Iran export of various metals and mining products the previous Iranian calendar month (November 23), IRIB Railways (known as RAI) says the country’s to China have significantly increased this reported on Monday citing the data released by Iranian Cen- rail freight transportation capacity is going year amid government efforts to broaden tral Securities Depository and Settlement Funds Company to increase by five million tons in near its access to new sources of hard currency (known as SAMAT). future, IRIB reported. at a time of increased American pressure Speaking on the sidelines of the 4th on the oil industry. edition of Iran’s Logistics, Transportation, Iran’s Ministry of Industry, Mining and and Related Industries Exhibition (IRAN Trade said in a report published on Sunday TRANS EXPO 2019) on Monday, Saeed that exports to China of major metals had Rasouli said “By connecting Jalalabad mine reached a total of $1.568 billion in value terms and Zarand Steel Complex, in Kerman calendar year. between late March and late October this The value of shipments to Indonesia Province, to the national rail network He mentioned linking the cargo hubs year, a surge of 150 percent compared to and Pakistan saw significant increases of more than five million tons of new capacity to the railway network as one of the main the same period in 2018. 135 and 396 percent, respectively, while will be added to the country’s rail freight priorities of RAI in the current year. It said the top items on the list of exports to Turkey imported 13 percent more metals transportation.” The official had previously named China included iron ore and concentrates on from Iran over the period, said the report. According to the official, in the first six boosting efficiency of railway fleet and $673 million, copper cathode on $408 million, The data are the latest to come from months of the current Iranian calendar year network through benefitting from the most steel ingot on $207 million, copper ore and a series of reports suggesting that Iran’s (March 21-August 22), 432 new freight available capacities and supporting domestic concentrates on $127 million and zinc ingot trade of metals is thriving despite a series wagons, locomotives and passenger wagons production in developing passenger and on $57 million. of American sanctions that have specifically were added to the nation’s rail fleet, all of cargo fleet as two other major priorities The report said that the total value of targeted the metals and mining sector since which were manufactured by domestic of his organization this year. exports of metals and mining products from earlier this year. factories. According to Rasouli, in this year, Iran to various countries in the seven-month The bans on Iran’s trade of metals were As reported, 42 ETFs are currently operating in the coun- The figure shows a 97-percent increase which is named as the year of “Pickup period ending on October 22, 2019 had stood enacted in May, exactly a year after the United try’s capital market. The value of the largest EFT in Iran compared to the same period last year, and in Production” by the Supreme Leader at $4.631 billion, an increase of 6.16 percent States withdrew from a major international stood at 45 trillion rials (about $1.07 billion) at the end of by the end of the year (March 19, 2020), Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei, all efforts of year-on-year. agreement on Iran’s nuclear program and the previous Iranian month. more domestically-made locomotives RAI are for renovating the railway fleet of the Iraq trailed China in the list of Iran’s major began imposing various economic sanctions An exchange-traded fund (ETF) is an investment fund trad- and wagons will join the country’s rail country by relying on domestic producers. export destinations followed by Indonesia, on the country. ed on stock exchanges, much like stocks. An ETF holds as- fleet, he said. Opened by Transport Minister Thailand and Turkey, said the ministry, adding Experts believe the sanctions have largely sets such as stocks, commodities, or bonds and generally Back in July, Rasouli said that 59 Mohammad Eslami on Sunday, the 4th that countries like Afghanistan, the United failed to halt Iran’s lucrative business of metals operates with an arbitrage mechanism designed to keep it kilometers of railroads are planned to International Exhibition of Transportation, Arab Emirates, Oman, Pakistan and Ghana as it has become increasingly difficult for the trading close to its net asset value, although deviations can be built for connecting the major cargo Logistics, and Related Industries is being had imported more than $100 million worth U.S. to identify and target the shipments that occasionally occur. hubs in the country to the national railway held in Tehran and will be wrapped up of Iranian metals and mining products over are mostly exported via the third countries. network by the end of current Iranian on Tuesday. the seven-month period. (Source: Press TV) Iran denies being on FATF blacklist CAO authorizes 16 domestic companies to build plane parts ECONOMY TEHRAN — Head of Financial Information ECONOMY desk TEHRAN — Iran Civil Aviation out by Iranian experts and the country is self-sufficient Department at Iran’s Ministry of Finance and deskOrganization (CAO) has authorized 16 in this regard. Economic Affairs rejected the reports that Iran has been put on domestic companies for designing and manufacturing the “Despite the U.S. withdrawal from the nuclear deals Financial Action Task Force (FATF)’s blacklist, IRIB reported. aviation fleet’s required equipment and items, IRNA reported and re-imposition of the sanctions which ended Iran Air’s “This is only a rumor spread by some foreign currency on Monday, quoting CAO head as saying. cooperation with foreign partners, the Airline will go on traders aiming to create bubbles in the market, it is not true Speaking in a press conference on the sidelines of the providing its services and reaches new achievements,” at all,” Meisam Amiri told IRIB on Sunday. 4th Logistics, Transportation, and Related Industries Dehqani said. Exhibition (IRAN TRANS EXPO 2019), Ali Abedzadeh said On January 28, 2016, Iran Air signed a deal with the “according to the plan for countering the sanctions and for French giant plane maker Airbus for the purchase of 118 the development of the country’s aviation industry, the civil Airbus jets worth $27 billion and it also inked a deal with aviation authority has granted 16 companies licenses to Boeing on December 11, 2016 to buy 80 aircrafts valued at design aircraft components over the past year.” $16.6 billion. It was Iran’s biggest deal with an American Abedzadeh further noted that since the re-imposition of company since the 1979 revolution. the U.S. sanctions Iran has been denied access to aircraft “Aircraft parts have been manufactured domestically for And in April 2017, Iran Air signed a contract to buy 20 parts and any information and data in this regard, so the about a year, and the civil aviation organization has been planes from Franco-Italian turboprop maker ATR. country is taking necessary measures to meet its needs by supporting companies active in this field,” Abedzadeh added. However, just a few of the ordered planes (three Airbuses relying on domestic capabilities. Back in July, Managing Director of Iran’s national airline and 13 ATRs) were delivered before Donald Trump pulled By designing and manufacturing aircraft parts, the (Iran Air) had said that the U.S. sanctions have not stopped the U.S. out of the nuclear deal and imposed new sanctions mentioned companies are trying to keep the aviation industry Iran’s aviation industry’s continuous development. on Iran. moving forward; they also operate in the field of aviation According to Touraj Dehqani Zanganeh, since the Now under the new U.S. sanctions, international plane information, which is a major development for the country U.S. re-imposed sanctions on the country all the technical manufacturers that use at least 10 percent U.S.-made parts in the sanctions era, he said. checking and maintenance operations are being carried in their products have decided to avoid the Iranian market.
According to the official, FATF hasn’t had any meetings Why Latin America could pass the rest of the world using cryptocurrency recently and the task force holds meetings three times a year and its next gathering will be in February 2020. First-world actors are largely the drivers rapid growth. The demand for digital decen- to scramble for an alternative money. Contrast “In their upcoming summit the international body is going of the cryptocurrency industry narratives, tralized money is simply higher than in many this with the developed world where currency to discuss the actions taken by various countries as well as with speculative gains-seeking as the typical other countries. devaluation occurs at a much more relaxed the demands of the task force from them. No new action has order of the day. Many times when you hear What this means is potentially a significant and controlled pace, giving no urgent need been taken to put Iran’s name on the financial blacklist,” he about applications for digital currency in the prosperity upset in the future. If decentralized to search for something else. This means that explained. developing world, it will be from someone in digital assets are the wealth of future gener- Latin Americans may be more incentivized Amiri further noted that the legal process of Iran joining FATF the developed world trying to hype their project ations, then countries which have adopted to seek out and adopt cryptocurrencies than is being reviewed by the Joint Commission of the Expediency in front of other speculators. However, the them early on will have a proportionally much most of the rest of the world. Council (EC). real and under-hyped cryptocurrency revo- higher stake in global wealth than they had Finally, people actually use cryptocurren- Earlier on Monday, IRNA quoted Majid Ansari, a member of lution may be happening in Latin America, previously. This means a strong seat at the cies in Latin America. Whether it be remit- Iran’s Expediency Council, on approving or rejecting the bills and that many wealthy countries may end table of the new global economy for Latin tances or regular payments, there appears to with high fees and long confirmation times. of the two conventions of CFT (convention for combatting the up coming in second in the new global digital America. be consistent usage of digital currencies in For any major platform to do the same in the financing of terrorism) and Palermo (United Nations convention money economy. It’s no secret that several national currencies the region, particularly in Venezuela where developed world would be insanity. against transnational organized crime), as saying that the Quite simply, a lot more people are catching in Latin America, from those of Argentina to quite a few major commercial chains accept Mass adoption takes time and effort. Ev- two bills are being reviewed by the joint commission of the on to cryptocurrency in Latin America than Venezuela, have struggled with inflation-re- crypto payments and active Dash wallets are idence that cryptocurrencies are being used Expediency Council. in most of the rest of the world. lated issues. While these conditions are in up 410% annually. for non-speculative purposes in Latin Amer- He said he has no specific predictions whether the CFT and A Statista global consumer survey showed no way unique to the region, quite a few cur- The contrast with other regions of the world ica indicates that the region will be working Palermo conventions are approved or rejected. that of the seven countries with the highest rencies experiencing devaluation versus the can’t be overstated. Early last year, during peak on real usage far before most of the world, He added that the Joint Commission on EC has had meetings percentage of the population claiming to own U.S. dollar means a recipe for a change, and Bitcoin mania where consumers in the U.S. launching a new and efficient economy while in the past months and will have meetings in the coming days. or use cryptocurrencies, five of them were in some of the more dramatic cases this need and other countries were buying at a frenetic many competitors are scrambling to figure According to IRNA, the FATF has so far given Iran six times located in Latin America. is all the more urgent. pace, prominent Latin American exchange out how to actually use the stuff. If you bet the opportunity to fully join the FATF and announced a last- Paxful and LocalBitcoins charts frequently The currency devaluation Cryptobuyer actually dropped Bitcoin support on crypto, bet on Latin America. time four-month deadline to finalize and approve the bills. feature countries in this region as experiencing Hyperinflation can and does push people because of the resulting poor user experience (Source: dashnews.org) I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y DECEMBER 17, 2019 ENERGY 5
Oil prices near three-month Iranians welcome dual-fuel highs on U.S.-China trade deal
Oil prices on Monday held near three-month highs, supported by last week’s announcement that an initial trade deal had been cars as gasoline prices rise reached between the United States and China. Brent crude oil futures LCOc1 rose 17 cents or 0.3% to $65.39 a barrel by 0940 GMT, while West Texas Intermediate crude CLc1 ENERGY TEHRAN – Head of Na- on a daily basis, and given the increase in the desk was up 10 cents or 0.2% to $60.17 a barrel. tional Iranian Oil Products number of CNG stations in recent years, it is The United States and China announced on Friday a “phase Distribution Company (NIOPDC) says since possible to double this capacity up to more one” agreement that will reduce some U.S. tariffs in exchange for implementation of the gasoline rationing than 45 million cubic, he said. what U.S. officials said would be a big jump in Chinese purchases scheme and the increase in the prices, peo- In late November, the head of NIOPDC’s of U.S. farm products and other goods. ple are leaning more toward dual-fuel cars. CNG promotion program said CNG consump- “What the market needs now, though, is clarity around exactly “The demand for converting single-fuel tion in the country increased by 10 percent what the deal entails,” analysts from ING Economics said. The cars into dual-fuel ones has also grown due since the implementation of the gasoline “longer we have to wait for this detail, the more likely market to the rationing and rising gas prices,” Amir rationing scheme. participants will start to question how good a deal it actually is.” Vakilzadeh said in an interview with the state Speaking in a press conference, Hassan The Friday agreement averted additional tariffs on Chinese TV on Sunday night. Gholipour put the average consumption of goods totaling $160 billion that the United States was set to im- According to the official, since the im- CNG in the month prior to the gasoline ra- pose over the weekend. plementation of the rationing program in tioning implementation at 19.3 million cubic U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer said on Sunday mid-November, over 70,000 people have meters per day (mcm/d), and said the figure the deal would nearly double U.S. exports to China over the next registered their cars for dual-fuel conversion. has now risen to about 22 mcm/d. two years and was “totally done” despite the need for translation “Fortunately, in the past two years we have The Iranian government started, On No- and revisions to its text. been preparing the infrastructure needed to vember 13, rationing of subsidized gasoline China’s State Council’s customs tariff commission said on implement such a program and, using our and increased fuel prices as it plans to use Sunday it had suspended additional tariffs on some U.S. goods previous experiences, we have designed a the revenue for supporting underprivileged that were meant to be implemented on December 15. system for this purpose,” Vakilzadeh said. families. Data from China on Monday showing industrial output and In the conversion program, we determine Mohammad Baqer Nobakht, head of the retail sales growth accelerating more than expected in November which vehicles are allowed to register so that Planning and Budget Organization, said on offered some support for oil prices. they could obtain a certificate and get the November 12 that proceeds from the price Investors remained cautious as growth in China was expected to traffic police approval for conversion into hikes would be used to fund additional subsi- slow further next year, with the government likely to set its growth dual-fuel cars, he explained. for promotion of using gas-fuel vehicles, Va- cubic meters of compressed natural gas (CNG) dies for 18 million underprivileged families, target at about 6% in 2020 compared with 6%-6.5% this year. Mentioning the country’s great capacity kilzadeh said currently, about 21.2 million is supplied to gas-fuel and dual-fuel vehicles or about 60 million people. “It seems the market has now fully priced (in) the phase one trade agreement, so we are going to need further news if we are going to push through the important (technical) resistance that is just ahead,” said Michael McCarthy, chief market strategist at CMC Markets. CBI to pay over $4.7b of facilities for Siraf refineries complex Amid rising U.S. oil output, energy firms added rigs for the ENERGY TEHRAN – Central Bank of Iran (CBI) clear examples of the oil ministry’s efforts in this regard. first time in eight weeks, although total U.S. oil rig count remains deskis going to pay 200 trillion rials (over “However, we should not look for the solution for the on track to fall for the first year since 2016. $4.7 billion) of facilities for construction of a series of country’s fuel problems in refineries, the solution lays (Source: reuters.com) refineries in Siraf Port in southern Iran, Shana report- in the new car-making technologies,” he said. ed, quoting the Oil Minister Bijan Namdar Zanganeh Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) should be support- as saying. ed as a national fuel, although it does not reduce the Energy Management Market Speaking in the opening ceremony of the country’s thermal residues and consumption, but it reduces fuel to witness astonishing first innovation event in the oil industry called “Petro- prices which is important to our national economy, leum Take-Off” on Monday, Zanganeh said the com- Zanganeh added. growth by 2025 prehensive Siraf refineries project (which includes six The Siraf refineries complex is being constructed refineries each with a daily refining capacity of 60,000 at the Siraf region of Bushehr province on the coast A new Profession Intelligence Report released by Stats and Reports barrels of gas condensate) is being implemented, and of the Persian Gulf, between 13th and 19th phases of with the title Global Energy Management Market “can grow into the according to the agreements, the central bank will fi- the South Pars gas field over an area of approximately most important market in the world that has played an important nance the project. 300 hectares. role in making progressive impacts on the global economy. Global Emphasizing the importance of the oil ministry’s plans The project was first introduced in 2014, when the Energy Management Market Report presented a dynamic vision to for construction of new refineries across the country, oil ministry announced plans for development of a of Assaluyeh). conclude and research market size, market hope and competitive Zanganeh said Persian Gulf Star Refinery, as well as complex known as “Siraf Refining Park” to be located The refineries’ gas condensate feed is going to be environment. Tabriz, Isfahan, Bandar Abbas, and Abadan refineries are on the Persian Gulf in the Tombak region (50 km West supplied from the South Pars field. The study is derived from primary and secondary statistical data and consists of qualitative and numerical analysis. The main company in this survey is GE, Honeywell, Johnson Controls, Sch- neider Electric, Siemens, ABB Group, Cisco Systems, IBM, Eaton Corporation, Emerson Electric, Rockwell Automation, Delta Elec- Renewables a ‘$13b boon for economy by 2040’ tronics, Inc., DEXMA, Yokogawa Electric Corporation, GridPoint. By Elouise Fowler “Economically, there is a clear offset between fuel and capital This report clearly shows that the Energy Management industry costs as we move from thermal to renewable generation.” has achieved significant growth since 2018. It is based on an in- Investing in renewable energy projects and upgrading the Pete Adams, the global solutions director, power and depth assessment of the industry. The analysis provided in this national power grid to better cope with wind, solar and hy- energy, at Jacobs, said the scenarios helped inform “this report shows the leading segments to gain a strong presence in dro electricity transmission would add $13 billion over two important debate by showing clear economic benefits to the industry and the insights that help determine new strategies. decades to Australia’s gross domestic product. setting a positive direction for energy policy for the nation.” In conclusion, analysts who However, propping up Australia’s coal-fired electricity The report recommended a roadmap, including build- value unbiased information about plants would add less than half to GDP, according to a report ing a consensus over the next 24 months on the shape of stakeholders, investors, product by consulting firm PwC and U.S. multinational engineering Australia’s future energy market to create the conditions for managers, marketing executives, company Jacobs. investor certainty, and developing an industry transition and supply, demand, and future The report recommended a roadmap, including building plan to deal with major regional shifts in employment away predictions value the report. a consensus on the shape of Australia’s future energy market from coalmining. Get raw market data and to create the conditions for investor certainty. “Australia’s energy debate is often dominated by ideo- contrast from wide front. Data The Future of Energy: Australia’s Energy Choice report PwC chief economist Jeremy Thorpe said earlier modelling logical views,” said Mark Coughlin, PwC Australia energy, is constantly filtered so that only modelled four energy options for Australia over 20 years showed investment in renewables led to lower economic utilities and resources leader. validated and authenticated to 2040. It found the renewables case was marginally more benefits. “We wanted to provide impartial, fact-based economic sources are considered. expensive, less than 1 percent, than the status quo case of Renewables to replace generators analysis on how we solve Australia’s energy trilemma – af- The data is also collected from Australia’s thermal coal-fired power plants retiring, as planned “But our analysis shows this has changed, with the cost of fordability, reliability and sustainability.” many reputable paid databases by the energy companies, by 2040. renewables continuing to come down as technologies have Investing in renewables and ensuring the right back-up and many reports in our repos- The accelerated renewables case, while the most costly, matured and scale has been achieved, and with renewables technologies were in place would aid Australia’s transition itory. replaced a higher amount of coal-fired power before 2040, continuing to replace coal-fired generators as they come to to an almost 80 percent renewable power system by 2040, A comprehensive understand- which in the other cases still needed to be replaced between the end of their economic lives,” he said. Mr. Coughlin said. ing of the market is essential to 2040-2050, the report found. “While the total system costs for the two renewable cases The report found the switch to renewable electricity understanding and facilitating the complete value chain. We collect Either of the modelled renewable energy options would are marginally more expensive, this must be considered generation would cut Australia’s emissions from power data from raw material suppliers, distributors, and buyers. give Australia the best chance of “solving the energy trilem- within the broader context of the positive effect on GDP generation by 68 percent on 2005 levels. Evaluating the entire market ma - affordability, reliability and sustainability.” and consumption of these energy options. (Source: afr.com) The market engineering process uses a top-down and bottom-up approach and several data triangulation methods to evaluate and validate the size of the entire market and other dependent sub-mar- kets listed in this report. Numerous qualitative and quantitative analyzes have been The two countries dictating oil prices in 2020 conducted in the market engineering process to list key informa- By Irina Slav to U.S. oil imports. As per the latest EIA tion/insights. report, the U.S. imported 6.9 million bpd The major players in the market were identified through the It’s the end of the year and authorities of in the first week of December. This is more second survey and the market rankings were determined through various caliber and standing are making than a quarter of domestic consumption and the first and second surveys. oil price forecasts for next year. This also more than India’s total consumption. During the first survey, we interviewed various key sources of wealth of information can be confusing Yet, U.S. oil import numbers are not a supply and demand to obtain qualitative and quantitative infor- because of its sheer quantity, but here’s popular gauge for oil prices. The reason mation related to this report. a twist: it’s enough to focus on trends in is most likely the demand growth trend, Key supply sources include key industry participants, subject just two countries to catch a glimpse of unlike developments in China and India. matter specialists from key companies, and consultants from the immediate future of oil. Still, despite its somewhat declining several major companies and organizations active in the digital The two countries, of course, are China importance for prices as a consumer, the signage market. and India. They are among the world’s U.S. has become a factor to reckon with on The second study was conducted to obtain key information on top oil consumers, together accounting the oil supply side. the supply chain of the industry, the market’s currency chain, pools for almost a fifth of global oil consumption, In just a few years the world’s top consumer of major companies, and market segmentation, with the lowest as Reuters’ John Kemp noted in a recent oil demand has only been climbing by 0.5 It would be going too far to say that also became one of the world’s top producers. level, geographical market, and technology-oriented perspectives. column that tackled the issue of oil price percent over the last decade. China and India are the only oil consumers The shale revolution has made the U.S. a Secondary data was collected and analyzed to reach the total market forecast complexity. Where oil prices are going that matter as far as price forecasts are lot more self-sufficient in its energy needs size, which was verified by the first survey. According to Kemp, it’s worth keeping There is also another reason China concerned. and turned it into a direct challenger to the This research many focuses on future market segments or re- tabs on the world’s ten largest consumers and India are the countries to watch for The United States, despite its modest oil market dominance -- especially in Asia gions or countries to channel efforts and investments to maximize of the most traded commodity, since they those who want to know where oil prices demand growth, is still the world’s largest -- of partner Saudi Arabia. growth and profitability. The report presented an in-depth analysis account for over 50 percent of global are going at any particular point in time. oil consumer, guzzling around 20 million So, in supply, one has to watch the U.S., of key vendors or key players in the market competitive landscape consumption and demand growth, Both countries are overwhelmingly reliant barrels of crude daily. OPEC, and Russia. In demand, however, it and market. respectively. However, China and India on imported oil. It is this size of consumption that makes is enough to keep tabs on China and India. All percent shares, breaks, and classifications were determined have been consistently trumping the United In China, the percentage of imported the Energy Information Administration’s Anything that happens in those two economies using the secondary sources and confirmed through the primary States in importance when it comes to oil oil in its total consumption is almost 70 weekly petroleum status report so popular immediately affects oil prices regardless of sources. price trends in recent years. percent. In India, this percentage is even among oil traders, despite the fact it is anything else that happens in the meantime. All parameters that may affect the market covered in this study The reason for this is that demand for oil higher, at more than 80 percent. based on estimates rather than on hard Just look at all the news coverage citing the have been extensively reviewed, researched through basic investiga- has been growing a lot faster in both China China’s daily consumption of oil averaged data -- and the figures are often revised U.S.-China trade war as the main factor for tions, and analyzed to obtain final quantitative and qualitative data. and India. In China, oil demand has been 13.5 million bpd in 2018. India’s stood at later, when the hard data from the oil oil price depression. The depression persists This has been the study of key quantitative and qualitative insights growing at an average annual rate of 5.5 5.1 million bpd. No wonder then, that any companies comes in. despite OPEC+ agreeing to cut deeper. That through interviews with industry experts, including CEOs, vice percent, according to BP data cited by Kemp. economic news from China and, to a lesser The India’s total consumption should say enough about what moves oil presidents, directors and marketing executives, as well as annual In India, it has been growing by some extent, India, moves prices as soon as it What’s more interesting, however, is markets. and financial reports from top market participants. 5.1 percent since 2008. Meanwhile, U.S. is released. that nobody seems to be paying attention (Source: oilprice.com) (Source: techilabs.com) I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y 6 INTERNATIONAL DECEMBER 17, 2019
By William D. Hartung and Tom Engelhardt of his 2003 invasion of Iraq. You won’t be surprised to learn that they ANTIWAR — The other day, after a three-year were joined at PNAC by Lockheed Martin’s legal struggle, the Washington Post broke a story ubiquitous Bruce Jackson. Nor, at this late Lessons from battling the date, will you be shocked that those merger about a secret Afghan War project of the Office of the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan subsidies, NATO expansion, and the return to a Reconstruction. Its focus was hundreds of more interventionist policy helped get military interviews with American figures – from top spending back on a steady growth path until officials and generals to lesser actors of every the 9/11 attacks opened the spigots, launched pentagon for four decades the Global War on Terror, and sent a flood of sort – involved in that misbegotten conflict. The overwhelming conclusion reached in private new money pouring into the Pentagon and by the very people who prosecuted that never- the national security state. The budget of the ending war: that the American people were Department of Defense would only increase eternally lied to and kept out of the loop when for the first 10 years of this century, a record it came to the “progress” being made there at not previously matched in US history. any moment since 2002. As the Post put it, “In New World Challenges: Prospects news conferences and other public appearances, for Shrinking the Pentagon Budget those in charge of the war have followed the Why has it been so hard to reduce the same talking points for 18 years. No matter Pentagon budget, regardless of the global how the war is going – and especially when it security environment? The power of the arms is going badly – they emphasize how they are lobby, strengthened by the merger boom of making progress.” the 1990s, was certainly one factor. Fear of I already hear the gasps of TomDispatch terrorism generated by the 9/11 attacks, which readers. Okay, I’m kidding (in a grim sort of set the stage for 18 years of ill-advised military way). While it’s significant that the Post is doing adventures, including the never-ending (and a six-part series based on those previously hidden disastrous) war in Afghanistan, is certainly interviews, the story is being presented as a another. The political fear of losing elections kind of Pentagon Papers of the twenty-first by being seen as either “soft” on defense or century. After all, it features admissions that unconcerned about the fate of military-industrial the U.S. dumped untold amounts of money into jobs in one’s home state or district made many Afghanistan over 18 years to no positive effect Democrats view taking on the Pentagon as the whatsoever, creating a staggering kleptocracy and true “third rail” of American politics. And the corruption on a titanic scale, while essentially military itself has blindly adhered to a strategy building nothing of value or ever achieving of global dominance that’s essentially been on actual “progress” in the war against the Taliban. autopilot, no matter the damaging consequences It was, in a word, all lies (sometimes backed of near-endless war and preparations for more by fake or manipulated statistics), constantly of it. promoted by key government officials and US Still, even decades later, hope is not entirely military commanders one after another after lost. It remains possible that all of this might another after another. change in the years to come as a war-weary public TomDispatch is proof, however, that this – from progressives to large parts of Donald set of revelations, though interesting, adds the Cold War average. who wrote a classic book on the subject, The given the implosion of the other superpower Trump’s base – has tired of the country’s forever up to anything but a Pentagon Papers. If you Yes, in those four decades, there were dips Permanent War Economy of the United States. on the planet, the Soviet Union. Still, those wars, which have minimally cost something happened to be reading this site or others like it at key inflection points, including the ends of (I took an undergraduate course with Melman reductions hit hard enough that the weapons like $6.4 trillion, while resulting in hundreds instead of the Washington Post in these years, the Vietnam War and the Cold War, but the which sparked what would become my own industry was forced to reorganize via a series of of thousands of deaths, according to the latest just about all of this would already have been underlying trend has been ever onward and abiding interest in documenting the costs and mega-mergers encouraged by the administration analyses by Brown University’s Costs of War obvious to you, a set of commonplace conclusions, upward. Just why that’s been the case is a subject consequences of the military-industrial complex.) of President Bill Clinton. Lockheed and Martin project. discussed repeatedly. Take, for instance, Ann that almost never comes up here. So let me My work at CEP mostly involved researching Marietta formed Lockheed Martin; Northrop As even Donald Trump has acknowledged, Jones, first a humanitarian worker and then try to explain it in the most personal terms by subjects like how dependent local and state and Grumman became Northrop Grumman; those trillions could have gone far in repairing a reporter in Afghanistan, who wrote this for tracing my own history of working on Pentagon economies were – and, of course, still are – Boeing bought McDonnell Douglas; and dozens America’s infrastructure and doing so much else TomDispatch way back in 2006: “The story of spending and what I’ve learned from it. on Pentagon spending. But I also got to write of other firms, large and small, were scooped in this country. In truth, as Lindsay Koshgarian success in Afghanistan was always more fairy From the Anti-Apartheid Movement newsletters and reports on the top 100 US defense up by the giant defense contractors until only of the National Priorities Project has pointed tale than fact – one scam used to sell another… to Battling the Military-Industrial Complex contractors, the top 25 US arms-exporting five major firms were left standing: Lockheed out, that sort of money could have underwritten a threefold failure: no peace, no democracy, and I first began analyzing this country’s weapons- corporations, and the companies advocating for Martin, Northrup Grumman, Boeing, Raytheon, significant parts of major initiatives like the no reconstruction.” In 2015, I typically wrote: making corporations in the mid-1970s while still and, of course, benefiting from President Ronald and General Dynamics. Where dozens of firms Green New Deal or Medicare for All that would “In 2010, Army General David Petraeus offered a student at Columbia University and deeply Reagan’s Star Wars missile defense initiative. had once stood, only the big five now split change the nature of this society rather than his unique assessment of the war. ‘We’re making involved in the anti-apartheid movement of (That vast program was meant to turn space roughly $100 billion in Pentagon contracts destroying other ones. progress, and progress is winning, if you will,’ that moment. As one of my topics of research, into a new “frontier” of war, a subject that has annually. But that money’s gone. The question is: he insisted. This summer, another five years I spent a fair amount of time tracing how some recently lit the mind of one Donald Trump.) In The theory behind this surge in mergers What will the nation’s budget priorities be having passed, Army General John Campbell of those outfits were circumventing the then- each case, CEP’s goal was to push public interest was that the new firms would eliminate excess going forward? Both Elizabeth Warren and weighed in: ‘We have done a great job, both existing arms embargo on (white) South Africa and indignation to levels that might someday capacity and pass on the savings in lower prices Bernie Sanders have called for reductions in from a conventional perspective and our special by using shadow companies, shipping weapons bring an end to the most costly and destructive for weapons systems sold to the US government. Pentagon spending, with Warren singling out the operating forces, and from the Afghan security through third countries, and similar deceptions. aspects of the military-industrial complex. So That, of course, would prove a fantasy of the first Pentagon’s war budget, the so-called Overseas forces… I see [the Afghans] continue to progress One of the outlets I wrote for then was many years later, the results have at best been order, as Lawrence Korb, then at the Brookings Contingency Operations account, or OCO, in and continue to be very resilient.’ There have Southern Africa magazine, a collectively mixed and, at worst, well… you already know, Institution, made clear. As I’ve also pointed particular for elimination. OCO has been used been so many claims of ‘progress’ these last 14 produced, independent journal that supported given the sky-high 2020 Pentagon budget. out, the Clinton administration ended up as a slush fund not only to pay for those wars, years… and yet each announcement of further the liberation movements in that part of the During my years at CEP and after, work essentially subsidizing those mergers, providing but also to fund tens of billions of dollars in success seems to signal the very opposite.” And world. The antiapartheid struggle was ultimately on economic conversion was pursued at the billions of taxpayer dollars to cover the costs Pentagon pet projects that have nothing to that, of course, is just to start down a long list successful, thanks to the efforts of the global national level by groups like the National of closing factories and moving equipment, do with our current conflicts. Eliminating it of such writings at TomDispatch on the war solidarity movement of which I was a small Commission on Economic Conversion and while actually picking up part of the tab for alone could save up to $800 billion over the that never ends. part, but primarily to the courageous acts of Disarmament and, when it came to projects in the golden parachutes given to executives and next decade for other uses. I mention these last 17 years covering the South African individuals and organizations defense-dependent states, by local outfits from board members displaced by them. There has recently been a surge of proposals realities of the Afghan War while it went on like the African National Congress and the Black Connecticut to California. Yet all of that work Meanwhile, the companies laid off tens of aimed at cutting the soaring Pentagon budget and on and on amid fake announcements of Consciousness Movement.As it happens, there has been stymied for decades by a seemingly thousands of workers. Congressman Bernie in significant ways. My own organization, the “progress” out of sympathy for TomDispatch has been no such luck when it comes to reining never-ending pattern of rising Pentagon budgets. Sanders (I-VT) dubbed this process of subsidizing Center for International Policy, for example, regular William Hartung. He writes today of in the Pentagon. The post-Vietnam dip in such spending briefly mergers while abandoning workers to their has created a Sustainable Defense Task Force what it’s felt like to cover (and oppose) the I started working on Pentagon spending in made the notion of conversion planning more fate “payoffs for layoffs” and pushed through made up of ex-White House and congressional outrageous sums of money being poured into earnest in 1979 when I landed a job at the New appealing to politicians, unions, and even some legislation that prevented some, but not all, budget experts, former Pentagon officials and the Pentagon, the US military, and the national York-based Council on Economic Priorities corporations, but the military buildup in the of the merger subsidies from being paid out. military officers, and analysts from think tanks security state for the last 40 years, another (CEP), an organization founded on the notion early 1980s under President Ronald Reagan Meanwhile, those defense mega-firms began across the political spectrum. Our group has kind of war without end. Isn’t it time that the that corporations could be shamed into being promptly reduced interest again. With that looking to foreign arms sales to bolster their already outlined a plan that would save $1.25 Washington Post “broke” a story on this, too? more socially responsible. Armed with a BA in gravy train back on track, why even plan for bottom lines. An obliging Clinton administration trillion from current Pentagon projections over ~ Tom Philosophy – much to the chagrin of my father a downturn? promptly stepped up arms sales to the Middle the next decade. The Stubborn Persistence of the who was convinced I would be unemployable President George H.W. Bush’s 1991 East, making deals at a rate of roughly $1 billion Meanwhile, a group of more than Military-Industrial State as a result – I was lucky to get the position. intervention in Kuwait to drive out Iraqi forces a month in 1993 and 1994. Meanwhile, despite 20 progressive organizations called I’ve been writing critiques of the Pentagon, Even then I had my doubts about whether would provide the template for that new strategy, promises made at the time of the Soviet Union’s #PeopleOverPentagon has proposed $2 trillion the national security state, and America’s never- encouraging social responsibility would ever be while seeming to presage a veritable new way collapse, Washington oversaw the expansion in cuts over that decade and the Poor People’s ending military overreach since at least 1979 – in adequate to tame profit-hungry multinational of war. After all, that conflict lasted almost no of NATO to the Russian border, including the Campaign, working from an analysis done by other words, virtually my entire working life. corporations, but the areas of research pursued time at all, seemed like a techno-wonder, and addition of Hungary, Poland, and the Czech the Institute for Policy Studies, would up that In those decades, there were moments when by CEP were too important to pass up. One succeeded in its primary objective. As an added Republic to the alliance. As Tom Collina of the to $3.5 trillion, while investing the savings in positive changes did occur. They ranged from of their most significant studies at the time bonus, most of it was funded by Washington’s Ploughshares Fund has written, that helped urgent domestic needs. ending the apartheid regime in South Africa was a report identifying the manufacturers of allies, not American taxpayers. scuttle the prospects for the kind of U.S.-Russian Whether any of this succeeds in breaking in 1994 and halting US military support for anti-personnel weaponry used to grim effect in But those successes couldn’t have proved rapprochement that could have delivered a true the pattern of ever-rising budgets remains an the murderous regimes, death squads, and the war in Vietnam. And Gordon Adams, who more illusory. After all, the 1991 War set the “peace dividend” (the phrase of that moment) open question. The most urgent threats to the outlaws who ruled Central America in the went on to be the top defense budget official in stage for nearly four decades of never-ending and accelerated reductions in global nuclear safety of the planet today are climate change, 1970s and 1980s to sharp reductions in the US the Clinton White House in the 1990s, wrote a war (and operations just short of it) by US forces arsenals. nuclear weapons, epidemics, the rise of extreme and Russian nuclear arsenals as the Cold War seminal study, The Iron Triangle, while I was at across the greater Middle East and parts of For companies like Lockheed Martin, right-wing nationalism, poverty, and grotesque wound down. Each of those victories, however CEP. That book laid out in a memorable fashion Africa. That short-term victory against Saddam however, such new NATO memberships looked levels of inequality. As a recent report from the complex, seemed like a signal that sustained the symbiotic relationships among congressional Hussein’s Iraq, in fact, prompted a resurgence like manna from heaven in the form of more organization Win Without War noted, none resistance and global solidarity mattered and representatives, the arms industry, and the of imperial hubris that would have disastrous markets for US arms. Norman Augustine, of these challenges can be addressed through could make a difference when it came to peace Pentagon that elevated special interests above consequences for the greater Middle East that company’s CEO at the time, even took a military means. The rationale for spending more and security. the national interest and kept weapons budgets and global security more broadly. Militarists marketing tour of nascent NATO members, than $700 billion a year on the Pentagon – and Here’s a striking exception, though, one artificially high. cheered the end of what they had called the while company Vice President Bruce Jackson well over $1.2 trillion for national security writ thing that decidedly hasn’t changed for the My initial assignment was as a researcher “Vietnam Syndrome” – a perfectly sensible found time in his busy schedule to head up an large – simply does not exist. better in all these years: the staggering number for CEP’s Conversion Information Center – public aversion to bloody, ill-advised wars in advocacy group with a self-explanatory name: There are, of course, no guarantees that the of tax dollars that persistently go into what not religious conversion, mind you, but the distant lands. Had that “syndrome” persisted, the US Committee to Expand NATO. Pentagon budget will finally be downsized, passes for national security in this country. In conversion of the US economy from its deep the world would undoubtedly be a safer, more The 1990s also saw the beginnings of but 40 years after beginning my own work our case, of course, the definition of “national dependence on Pentagon spending to something prosperous place today. movement towards a second war with Iraq, on this issue, I’m not giving up and neither security” is subsidizing the US military-industrial better. The concept of conversion dated back The Merger Boom, Iraq War II, and pushed in those years by the Project for the is the growing network of organizations and complex, year in, year out, at levels that should at least to the Vietnam War era when it was the Global War on Terror New American Century (PNAC), an advocacy individuals working to demilitarize foreign be (but aren’t) beyond belief. In 2019, Pentagon championed by figures like Walter Reuther, the The end of the Cold War resulted, however, group whose luminaries, including Dick Cheney, policy and impose budget discipline on the spending is actually higher than it was at the influential head of the United Auto Workers in that rarest of all things: real cuts in the Donald Rumsfeld, and Paul Wolfowitz, would Pentagon. Unfortunately, neither are the giant peak of either the Korean or Vietnam conflicts union, and Seymour Melman, an industrial Pentagon budget. They were, however, not all too soon become part of the administration defense contractors and those who run the and may soon be – adjusted for inflation – twice engineering professor at Columbia University faintly as deep as might have been expected, of President George W. Bush and the architects national security state.
1 Bernie Sanders has emphasized that his “Medicare for Sanders’ defeat and the victory of former Secretary of for all” plan would be more comprehensive and applica- State Hillary Clinton. ble than other similar proposals mentioned by Democrats. Sanders’ fierce battle with Democratic and Re- Sanders also emphasizes supporting workers’ rights against Sanders’s poll growing again publican rivals employers and adjusting the taxes to the benefit of the poor. In his remarks, Trump has repeatedly accused Bernie Sanders Trump and Biden worry about Sanders’ lead tion for Sanders’ benefit. However, Sanders has repeatedly fails in these early and crucial races against his rivals, the of old age, inability to handle US domestic and foreign affairs It is undoubtedly bad news for Donald Trump and Sanders’ stated that he will have a tough route to win the Democratic wave of public and state support may be subsiding. Moreover, and even called him a “crazy old man.” However, Sanders’ opponents in the Democratic Party. Meanwhile, Trump’s main intra-party election. Sanders’ primary concern now is winning it must be remembered that, in addition to Donald Trump, growth has shown that he has succeeded in persuading a concern comes from a recent poll by the Axios Institute. The the Democratic primary competition. the Democratic party will take any action to confront him. significant portion of American voters (mostly Democrats President of the United States is well aware that students If he can beat Iowa and New Hampshire over rivals such as This was also evident during the 2016 presidential election: or independents). Bernie Sanders will undoubtedly have play a key role in the campaigns of the 2020 Presidential Biden, Jeb Bush and Warren, his path to eventual victory in Where Democratic Party leaders clashed (part of which came a tough fight within his own party in the coming months Elections. This issue could change the process of competi- next year’s presidential race will be clear. However, if Sanders in the Hillary Clinton’s e-mail disclosure) and set the stage (both with the party leaders and with the intra-party rivals). I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y DECEMBER 17, 2019 ANALYSIS & INTERVIEW 7 Afghanistan: Graveyard of empires By Morteza Helali author most recently of The Dragons and the Snakes: How the Rest Learned to Fight the West, due for publication in March. TEHRAN — Afghanistan has become a major puzzle in US Ironically, since few people have a more granular sense of foreign policy and the Trump administration. Many analysts the problems faced in Afghanistan and their causes, Kilcullen believe that Trump, like George W. Bush and Obama, will was not among those interviewed for the U.S. government’s become a symbol of Washington’s defeat in Afghanistan. We “lessons learned” project that is the basis for the Post series. will have analyzes on Afghanistan: For my part, I have been of the GTFO school regarding Af- As UNZ reported,This week, the venerable Washington Post ghanistan for about 17 of the 18 years since the U.S. invaded. newspaper revealed a bombshell, 2,000 page, secret Pentagon But in phone conversations over the last few days, Kilcullen report detailing the astounding failure of US war strategy in and Crocker offered several potentially useful insights to the Afghanistan, America’s longest war.Americans have been current situation that I think deserve consideration. fed a steady stream of lies about the Afghan War, concluded They talked about not only what went wrong, but what the Post. So asserted this writer in ‘American Conservative’ could still go right—or at least right enough—to support a magazine in 2003 when the US invaded Afghanistan. peace settlement without leaving Afghanistan entirely to the `We didn’t have the foggiest notion of what we were undertak- wolves, whether the Taliban or terrorists with global ambitions. ing,’ admitted three star General Douglas Lute who commanded “For us to do a complete withdrawal would be idiotic.” US forces in Afghanistan under Presidents George Bush and — Former U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan Ryan Crocker Barack Obama.Arrogance and ignorance, backed by mammoth Separately, Kilcullen and Crocker said the current level brute force, led US policy in the remote Asian nation. Attacking of commitment by the U.S., with 12,000 to 13,000 troops on Afghanistan was revenge for the 9/11 attacks against the US. As the ground, possibly being drawn down to 8,000 to 9,000, this writer saw first hand in Afghanistan, all the claims about is about right. So is the greatly reduced American spending. Osama bin Laden’s ‘terrorist training camps’ in Afghanistan (“There is less to steal,” says Crocker.) were lies. 9/11 was not planned in Afghanistan. Is Trump Getting Ready to Sell Out South Korea? Taliban were not ‘terrorists.’ They were lightly armed tribal Kilcullen notes that while each American soldier’s death warriors fighting bandits and the US-backed Afghan intelli- is a tragedy, the numbers are nothing close to the levels of gence services run by the Communist Party. Taliban’s fathers, 2011 when there were some 100,000 troops in the country, the mujahidin, were hailed as ‘freedom fighters’ by Ronald and hundreds of them were killed. Since 2016, American Reagan. In 2003, the US did a total volte-face to support combat deaths in Afghanistan have numbered fewer than the Afghan Communists who promised to allow US-owned 20 a year. The troops in place are there mainly in advisory pipeline routes south from Central Asia’s oil rich Caspian and support roles. Basin to Pakistan’s coast. After Taliban refused the chintzy two years without visiting troops overseas, Trump had hinted well — Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani, who met with The U.S. presence is “an insurance policy” that is sus- US pipelines offer, this nationalist, anti-drug movement that for weeks that he would take a trip soon — “I’m going to a war Trump on the base earlier as the U.S. president announced tainable, said Crocker, speaking before reports of the latest battled the rape of Afghanistan was branded ‘terrorists’. zone,” he bristled when asked whether he was afraid to visit. the resumption of peace negotiations with the Taliban. drawdown. Trump, he said, “is a minimalist in terms of over- The US-installed Kabul regime was a bunch of off-the-shelf No one was particularly surprised when an amateur British Ghani, before a sea of troops, complimented his counter- seas involvements. ... That is not a bad thing,[but] minimal CIA assets: warlords, major drug dealers, and communists. aircraft watcher tracked a Boeing VC-25A, one of the modified part for taking out leadership of the region’s major terrorist is good. Zero is bad.” Billions upon billions of US dollars were flown in to hire Boeing 747s serve as Air Force One, flying over Europe.This groups. “President Trump, people talked a lot about [Osa- “For us to do a complete withdrawal would be idiotic given mercenaries and pay off warlords and criminals. The biggest year, Trump said nothing publicly before leaving his family, ma] bin Laden — but what you did to eliminate [Abu Bakr] the low costs we have now,” said Crocker. “Do we think the war criminals in Afghanistan became key US allies. including first lady Melania Trump, at Mar-a-Lago for his al-Baghdadi, who was an organizer and not a talker — is a Taliban and al Qaeda have become kinder and gentler during When Taliban was in power, it eliminated 90% of Afghan- secret visit to Afghanistan. much greater accomplishment,” he said.“Please thank your their years in the wilderness?” istan’s extensive trade of high-grade morphine and heroin. Cellphones, hot spots and any other devices emitting a signal families for agreeing to miss you at this special occasion and for From a Washington policy point of view, defeating de- Once the US seized Kabul and installed its own puppet re- were confiscated from everyone on Air Force One — yes, even being here defending United States security and our freedom,” featism was always going to be tough to do. gime, drug production surged to all-time highs. US forces from the president himself. But his staff ensured tweets would said the Afghan president, who learned of Trump’s trip just Blander histories of more recent events are full of lessons and their allies became deeply involved in the drug trade that be sent from Trump’s Twitter account so Trump-watchers hours before his arrival. “Together, we will succeed. We will learned too late about the intractability of Afghanistan’s ter- sustained the nation’s economy. Today, US-run Afghanistan wouldn’t get suspicious because the Twitter-obsessed pres- never forget what 9/11 brought us and we will never permit rain and tribes. In the 1980s the Soviets broke their empire is the world’s biggest drug dealer. ident wasn’t tweeting — as they did last year. the repetition of 9/11 again.” trying to hammer the country into a “modern” socialist mold. Those journalists like this one who insisted on telling the And this time, 12 of the 13 journalists who traveled with Trump told the troops stationed at Bagram that the war Americans gloated that it became Moscow’s Vietnam. truth about Afghanistan were fired or ignored. I was booted Trump — representing news wires, print and broadcast out- in Afghanistan “will not be decided on the battlefield” but by The United States, having supported the jihad against off CNN for denying their false claims that Iraq had weapons lets — were picked up on the roof of a public parking garage the people of the region with a political solution. Moscow, walked away and watched as the Taliban, the of mass destruction. And that the US was ‘winning’ the Afghan near Joint Base Andrews, just outside Washington, and were “And we will continue to work tirelessly for the day when “students” of radically retrograde Islam, rose to power in War. I was banned from certain radio and public TV networks not even told where they were traveling until just before they we can bring each and every one of you home and safe to your the 1990s. Then the U.S. government professed shock and for asserting that ISIS was a western invention, backed by arrived in Afghanistan.Trump secretly slipped out of Mar-a- family. And that day is coming … very soon,” Trump said. horror when the Taliban sheltered Osama bin Laden, one Turkey, the US, France, Britain and Israel. I was branded a Lago earlier that evening and departed from an undisclosed After a 13-hour journey, and a brief period on the ground, of many Arabs who had volunteered in the U.S.-backed ‘radical’ for trying to tell the truth. airport on a flight a little after 7. The 13th journalist on the Trump also wistfully told the troops that his Thanksgiving Afghan jihad. I mention these examples to affirm charges, made by the Afghanistan trip — a television correspondent — was aboard meal had been cut short. “I sat down, I had a gorgeous piece After the 9/11 attacks in 2001, if the Taliban had surren- Washington Post, that the entire Afghan conflict was a farrago that flight and described it in a pool report as “bare-bones, of turkey and I was all set to go. … I had a bite of mashed dered Bin Laden and his minions their Afghan regime might of lies and half-truths cooked up by the US government to except for four blue leather chairs and a moderately fancy potatoes and I never got to the turkey because Gen. [Mark] have been allowed to survive, no matter the cost to the Afghan justify a brutal war of aggression against a weak, medieval port-a-potty that had been brought in for the occasion.” Milley said come on over, sir, let’s take some pictures. I never people. When the Taliban refused, it took only a few weeks nation that dared to block our demands for strategic pipeline Trump greeted the crew of that plane and even stayed in got to my turkey. It’s the first time at Thanksgiving that I’ve of war at the end of 2001 and beginning of 2002 to end their routes.The Washington Post played a key role in promoting the cockpit for takeoff, the pool report said.The presidential never had anything called turkey.“ rule and smash al Qaeda’s infrastructure. That done, there the lies that opened the way to the US invasion of Iraq. Today, aircraft that Trump had flown to Florida a day earlier remained Around midnight on Thanksgiving, Trump boarded Air was little semblance of government left in Afghanistan, and it is doing penance by revealing all the lies that facilitated parked at Palm Beach International Airport, allowing trav- Force One to head back to Florida. He landed briefly at an the U.S. and its allies, faute de mieux, started trying to cobble the Afghan War – and the thousands of US soldiers killed or elers to see the modified blue-and-white 747 aircraft known Air Force base in Germany, where the plane often refuels. things together. wounded there, the vast destruction wrought on Afghanistan around the globe as Air Force One. But this time, instead of spending two hours refueling, the Again, Kipling’s poetry about frustration and failure among by US warplanes, wide scale torture, starvation, mass killing That was a decoy. Secretly, a twin plane also used as Air identical Air Force One — the decoy that had been parked those who try to “build” occupied nations seemed as prescient of civilians and all the other horrors of war. Force One was hidden inside a cavernous hangar at Joint at Palm Beach International Airport — was flown in to take as it was arrogant. In 1899 he had warned that “the savage According to the Pentagon report, the US has wasted at Base Andrews — instead of being lit up on the tarmac as Trump immediately home. wars of peace” may come to nothing because of “sloth and least one trillion dollars ($1 trillion) on its Afghanistan War usual — allowing the president to clandestinely hop on a Trump, Afghanistan, and ‘The Tweet of Damocles’ heathen folly.” And there certainly are echoes of that judgment to no discernible effect other than great numbers of dead flight without the public catching on. He departed just after As Dail Beast reported, The Washington Post’s vast in- 120 years later in the narrative developed from documents and wounded, destroyed villages, machine-gunned farm 10 p.m. for the nonstop flight to Bagram Airfield, the largest vestigative report about the delusions and lies of successive obtained by The Washington Post. But Kilcullen, for one, animals, and vast chemical pollution. If it moves, bomb it U.S. base in Afghanistan. American administrations in Afghanistan reads almost like takes issue with the notion that the war in Afghanistan was, is the American credo. Reporters traveling with the president learned their desti- a celebration of superpower humiliation. Drawing on hun- from the beginning, “unwinnable.” That’s why we see the shameful spectacle of US B-1 and nation from White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham dreds of internal U.S. government interviews about “lessons Over the phone from Norfolk, Virginia, where he had B-52 heavy bombers carpet bombing Afghan villages, and two hours before their arrival. A digital clock in Air Force One’s learned,” it would reinforce anyone’s belief the best lesson been talking at a NATO conference, Kilcullen spoke about swarms of helicopter and AC-130 gunships blasting apart press cabin usually shows times in Washington, the plane’s would be to get the fuck out. Like, yesterday already. Afghanistan with the kind of direct, unvarnished language medieval Afghan tribesmen and wedding parties. The Soviets location and its destination. The time for the destination was Certainly the documents dovetail with U.S. President Americans tend to appreciate from Australians. were just as ruthless; but we are more efficient. left blank until landing in Afghanistan. Donald J. Trump’s promise that he’ll be the one to end this From Kilcullen’s point of view, watching developments America’s media, with a few small exceptions, has pro- “It’s a dangerous area and he wants to support the troops,” “endless war.” Amb. Ryan Crocker, one of the diplomats quoted on the ground since the early days of the U.S. presence, there moted the Pentagon’s war against the Afghan people and Grisham said of the president. “He and Mrs. Trump recognize extensively in the articles, told me after the series came out, were plenty of mistakes, but there could have been much totally covered up its atrocities and egregious lies. This war that there’s a lot of people far away from their families during “the Post has just helped [Trump] immensely.” And sure better solutions. The problems lay with the U.S. and its al- has become a giant, money devouring killing machine that the holidays, and we thought it’d be a nice surprise.” enough, NBC and other media reported Saturday night that lies and their confused, often self-defeating approach to the boosts politicians and military contractors. The past presidents Asked how the president was feeling, Grisham responded: Trump is preparing a drawdown of 4,000 more troops, to a conflict.The Post’ Afghanistan Papers series, starting with who cheered on this disgraceful war against one of the world’s “He’s good. He’s excited.” level of 8,000 to 9,000 boots on the ground, with the aim of the headline “At War With The Truth,” makes the case that poorest, most backward nations deserve to be disgraced. Air Force One landed in the dark at 8:33 p.m. local time “ending” the war (for Americans) before the 2020 election. U.S. officials deceived the American public with false tales Meanwhile, we must stop and think about the Pashtun Thursday with the shades drawn and interior lights off for But is complete withdrawal—what the Taliban call a full of success on the battlefield. tribal fighters who held off the world’s mightiest military security reasons — just as it had taken off from the Washing- American “evacuation”— really the best option? In fact, the “I don’t think they were lying to the public, I think it’s ac- machine for the past 18 years with little more than old AK-47 ton area.Two surveillance blimps could be seen overhead. It president has vacillated on that score. His preferred option tually worse than that,” said Kilcullen. “We are like a gigantic rifles and indomitable courage. We owe them our sincerest was quiet and dark except for a smattering of lights. The base is negotiation, he says. He even invited Taliban leaders to dinosaur with 60 million brain cells that don’t talk to each apologies and a rebuilt country. As a former US soldier I smelled of burning wood and trash. Maryland for his own historic “Camp David accords” just other and every six months when a unit rotates out or every salute them, these bravest of the brave. The president moved through the sprawling base in a before the anniversary of 9/11, then rescinded the invite and two years when a policymaker changes we forget everything Behind Trump’s secret war-zone trip: A Mar-a- 15-vehicle motorcade that included tan Toyotas with soldiers canceled talks amid an uproar. that we learned and we go back to square one.” Lago escape, a twin Air Force One and a Twitter plan standing in the truck beds holding combat rifles. Trump was On Trump’s surprise Thanksgiving visit to U.S. troops at Taking issue with those who’ve written that the war in Afghanistan Donald Trump started his day like so many others at his followed into each location by teams of heavily armed combat Afghanistan’s Bagram Airfield, he announced talks with the was “unwinnable from the outset,” Kilcullen said. “Frankly, that’s South Florida resort: a relaxing round of golf, a few sharp troops in fatigues, helmets and night-vision goggles. Taliban would resume. “We’re going to stay until such time a cop-out. The war was not ‘unwinnable,’ it’s still not ‘unwinnable,’ tweets and then a White House announcement that he’d be Journalists were barred from reporting on the trip until as we have a deal [with the Taliban], or we have total victory.” we’re just not winning it. ... In fact, we just suck.” staying in for the evening. just before their departure from Afghanistan, after briefly To achieve that second option, he’s hinted at nukes: “If I It was generally understood by counter-insurgency mavens, But this particular Wednesday — the night before Thanks- getting internet access on the base to file. For three hours, wanted to win that war, Afghanistan would be wiped off the for instance, that the war would have to end with some kind giving — ended with Trump escaping Mar-a-Lago without the they watched the president — in a blue suit and a red striped face of the earth, it would be gone, it would be over literally of negotiations, but the “kinetic” action didn’t support the usual presidential motorcade spectacle, boarding a military tie — dish out turkey in a cafeteria, where troops were watch- in 10 days,” he proclaimed in July, then said, “I don’t want to diplomatic and political objective. transport to Washington and then embarking on a 13-hour ing the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade on television; pose go that route.” In September, he returned to the same theme: “We have focused on the military defeat of the Taliban Air Force One flight into the heart of America’s longest war. for photos; and deliver remarks in a hangar to 1,500 military “If we wanted to do a certain method of war, we would win and on disrupting Taliban networks, essentially. And then It was a journey shrouded in more secrecy than usual personnel. that very quickly, but many, many, really, tens of millions we say, okay now we want to negotiate with the Taliban. Well, even for a presidential trip into a war zone. And it merged For once, Trump made no mention of the troubles he’s of people would be killed, and we think it’s unnecessary.” we just spent 10 years disrupting their ability to control their the made-for-TV drama Trump savors with a military display facing at home. He didn’t discuss House Democrats pushing So, what is the madman’s plan?Trump being Trump, he own people,” said Kilcullen. he loves: the U.S. commander-in-chief on Thanksgiving, less to impeach him in the coming weeks for pressuring Ukraine has left the Pentagon, the commanders in the field, and the He worked closely with Gen. David Petraeus in Afghanistan than a year from the next election, surrounded by cheering to open politically advantageous investigations against a po- Afghan government wondering when he will pick up his cell in 2010 and 2011. “At one point when Petraeus was command- troops in Afghanistan.For a president who at times seems tential 2020 opponent. He also didn’t mention his rift with phone, punch in a declaration like the one that betrayed er, and it wasn’t him doing this, we reduced the average age to be at war with his military leaders, it was a celebration of military leaders, including a new one just days before this trip. U.S. Kurdish allies in Syria, and let the blade fall that cuts of Taliban commanders in the south of Afghanistan by a full America’s troops that a small circle of aides planned carefully He entered to the song that greets Trump at every rally all U.S. involvement in Afghanistan. As counterinsurgency decade,” Kilcullen said. “We took them from an average age of for weeks to prevent leaks that could scuttle the dangerous trip. — “God Bless the USA” — and was greeted with loud cheers expert David Kilcullen puts it, they all “sit under the tweet 29 in 2010 to an average age of 20 in 2011. So that means we “It’s a long flight,” Trump joked after serving turkey in a and chants of, “USA! USA!” About 50 troops in fatigues stood of Damocles.” Even if he then tries to reverse course, as he killed an entire generation of junior and middle level Taliban cafeteria in Afghanistan on Thanksgiving night. “But we love it.” behind him on a makeshift stage with a helicopter parked did with the Kurds, Trump will just amplify confusion, and guys. And then the year after that we were, like, let’s start a Trump’s surprise 3½-hour stop marked his second visit stage left. that is the last thing Afghan policy needs. negotiation process. And the senior Taliban said, ‘We can’t to a combat zone and his first trip to Afghanistan, dropping Trump heaped praise on the troops and bragged about his Kilcullen, an Australian “soldier-scholar” recognized in- deliver a peace deal because you killed the middle ranking into a region that cultivated the leaders of the Sept. 11 ter- accomplishments, specifically praising the work to destroy ternationally as an authority on asymmetric conflicts and guys. We don’t have a unified structure anymore.’ So, our rorist attacks. the Islamic State and al-Qaida. small wars, worked as an often contentious consultant with kinetic targeting approaches didn’t support our negotiating Last year, after facing criticism for being in office nearly And he had a supporting actor on hand to praise him as the George W. Bush and Obama administrations. He is the or political objectives for much of the war.” I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y 8 ADVERTISEMENTS DECEMBER 17, 2019
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Race against time to launch Our galaxy’s center could have a second supermassive black hole Europe’s troubled mission to Mars By Smadar Naoz Space engineers are racing against time “The entire sequence from atmospheric Do supermassive black holes have friends? The nature of galaxy to fix major faults in the robot probe they entry to landing will take only six minutes,” formation suggests that the answer is yes, and in fact, pairs of plan to send to Mars next year. The complex said Baglioni. “There is a great deal that can supermassive black holes should be common in the Universe. parachute system that should slow ExoMars go wrong in that time, however.” I am an astrophysicist and am interested in a wide range of – Europe’s largest ever planetary mission – Earlier this year, engineers tested ExoMars theoretical problems in astrophysics, from the formation of the as it plunges into the Martian atmosphere parachutes by dropping them from a balloon at very first galaxies to the gravitational interactions of black holes, failed catastrophically during recent tests. an altitude of 30 kms where the thin air mimics stars and even planets. As a result, the European Space Agency has the atmosphere at the surface of Mars. Both called for emergency help from NASA space the 15-metre and the 35-metre parachutes engineers to help them save their stricken tore as they were deployed. Engineers made mission. New parachutes are now being adjustments and tested the chutes again. This tested at the U.S. Jet Propulsion Laboratory time, they tore catastrophically. in Pasadena and will be subject to high-altitude The European Space Agency has since trials in two or three months. sought the help of NASA, which has most “It is going to be very, very tight getting expertise in landing spacecraft on Mars, the probe ready for next summer’s launch,” and design changes have been made to the said ExoMars’s manager Pietro Baglioni. “I parachutes. “Tests at JPL on the new chutes think we have only got a 50-50 chance we will this month have gone well,” said Baglioni. be able to go ahead as scheduled.” “However, the crunch will come when we Black holes are intriguing systems, and supermassive black ExoMars is to be launched on a Russian repeat the high-altitude tests in February. If holes and the dense stellar environments that surround them rocket from Baikonur in Kazakhstan, carrying the parachutes pass this test, we will have a represent one of the most extreme places in our Universe. a British-built robot rover – named after the a billion – has suffered major setbacks over been found with its parachutes. tight but plausible timetable to get them fitted The supermassive black hole that lurks at the center of our DNA pioneer Rosalind Franklin – that will the past two decades. In 2016, for example, ExoMars will first use a heat shield to to ExoMars. But if further tests or changes are galaxy, called Sgr A*, has a mass of about 4 million times that of trundle across the Martian landscapes. Using delays to key equipment delivery forced Esa to slow its approach to Mars from 21,000 to needed, then it will get very tricky. I think we our Sun. A black hole is a place in space where gravity is so strong a drill capable of burrowing two meters below delay ExoMars’s launch from 2018 to 2020. In 1,700kph. Then a 15-metre wide parachute will have a 50-50 chance of making our launch that neither particles nor light can escape from it. the surface, it will retrieve material that has addition, a separate test mission – to try out be deployed to slow it to around 400kph. This window between 26 July and 12 August.” Surrounding Sgr A* is a dense cluster of stars. Precise been shielded from the intense radiation that landing technology for ExoMars – crashed on will be jettisoned before a second 35-metre If Esa does not make that deadline, the measurements of the orbits of these stars allowed astronomers bombards Mars. This material may contain the planet because of a computer malfunction. chute opens up. After it is jettisoned – about next chance to launch ExoMars will not to confirm the existence of this supermassive black hole and to evidence of past life on the planet. Since then, engineers have struggled to rectify a kilometer above ground – a retro-rocket come until 2022, a delay that will further measure its mass. But the mission – whose costs have spiraled the mission’s problems, only to be assailed will ignite and take the two-ton craft gently increase costs. For more than 20 years, scientists have been monitoring the from a few hundred million euros to more than by new ones – in particular flaws that have on to the Martian surface. (Source: The Guardian) orbits of these stars around the supermassive black hole. Based on what we’ve seen, my colleagues and I show that if there is a friend there, it might be a second black hole nearby that is at least 100,000 times the mass of the Sun. Barrels of ancient Antarctic air aim to track history of rare gas Almost every galaxy, including our Milky Way, has a supermassive Ancient air samples from one of Antarctica’s snowiest ice appointments at the UW and at the University of Rochester. monoxide,” which is chemically destroyed by hydroxyl and black hole at its heart, with masses of millions to billions of times core sites may add a new molecule to the record of changes But the months the team spent camped on the ice at the so tracks hydroxyl’s concentrations. the mass of the Sun. Astronomers are still studying why the heart to Earth’s atmosphere over the past century and a half, since snowy Law Dome site paid off. Researchers get the carbon-14 monoxide gas from bubbles of galaxies often hosts a supermassive black hole. One popular idea the Industrial Revolution began burning fossil fuels on a “This is, to my knowledge, the largest air sample from in the ice that form when snow is compressed. connects to the possibility that supermassive holes have friends. massive scale. the 1870s that anyone’s ever gotten,” Neff said. His 10 weeks “The special thing about glacier ice is that it always has To understand this idea, we need to go back to when the While carbon dioxide and methane are well known, camped on the ice included minus-20 degrees Fahrenheit these air bubbles,” Neff said. “Any glacier in the world is Universe was about 100 million years old, to the era of the very researchers at the University of Washington and the University temperatures and several snowstorms, some of which he going to have that bubbly texture, because it started as a pile first galaxies. They were much smaller than today’s galaxies, of Rochester are part of a team working to trace a much shared from Antarctica via Twitter. of six-fingered snowflakes, and between those fingers is air.” about 10,000 or more times less massive than the Milky Way. rarer gas, present at less than one in a trillion molecules. Air from deeper ice cores drilled in Antarctica and Greenland One or several decades after hitting the ground, bubbles Within these early galaxies the very first stars that died created Though rare, the atmospheric detergent known as hydroxyl has provided a record of carbon dioxide and methane, two become completely sealed off from their surroundings black holes, of about tens to thousand the mass of the Sun. can scrub the atmosphere and determine the fate of more greenhouse gases, going back thousands of years. While carbon due to compression under layers of snow. The heavy snow These black holes sank to the center of gravity, the heart of their plentiful gases that affect Earth’s climate. dioxide has a lifetime of decades to centuries, an even more accumulation at Law Dome means plenty of air bubbles host galaxy. Since galaxies evolve by merging and colliding with An Antarctic field campaign last winter led by the U.S. potent gas, methane, has a lifetime of just nine or 10 years. per year, and provides a thick enough shield to protect the one another, collisions between galaxies will result in supermassive and Australia has successfully extracted some of the largest Pinpointing the exact lifetime of methane, and how it has carbon-14 monoxide from solar radiation. black hole pairs – the key part of this story. samples of air dating from the 1870s until today. These changed over the years, depends on the concentration of The international team extracted about two dozen 3-foot- The black holes then collide and grow in size as well. A black samples are a first step to learning the changes in hydroxyl hydroxyl. That number is important for the global climate long sections of ice per day, then put the tubes of ice in a snow hole that is more than a million times the mass of our son is concentration over the past 150 years. Early results from the models used to study past and future climate. cave to protect them from cosmic rays that are stronger near considered supermassive. fieldwork were shared this week at the American Geophysical To trace the history of hydroxyl, a fleeting molecule with a the poles. Those rays can zap other molecules and distort If indeed the supermassive black hole has a friend revolving Union’s annual fall meeting in San Francisco. lifetime of less than a millionth of a second, a field campaign in the historic record. around it in close orbit, the center of the galaxy is locked in a “It’s probably the most extreme atmospheric chemistry late 2018 and early 2019 drilled ice to study this very reactive “Once the samples are at the surface, they’re hot potatoes,” complex dance. The partners’ gravitational tugs will also exert you can do from ice core samples, and the logistics were also gas by examining its slightly more plentiful companion, carbon Neff said. its own pull on the nearby stars disturbing their orbits. extreme,” said Peter Neff, a postdoctoral researcher with dual with 14 neutrons bonded to an oxygen atom, or “carbon-14 (Source: Science Daily) The two supermassive black holes are orbiting each other, and at the same time, each is exerting its own pull on the stars around it. The Sun has been eerily quiet for 264 Scientists explain the mysterious stripes The gravitational forces from the black holes pull on these stars and make them change their orbit; in other words, after days in a row spotted on an alien moon one revolution around the supermassive black hole pair, a star will not go exactly back to the point at which it began. Using our understanding of the gravitational interaction between the possible supermassive black hole pair and the surrounding stars, astronomers can predict what will happen to stars. Astrophysicists like my colleagues and me can compare our predictions to observations, and then can determine the possible orbits of stars and figure out whether the supermassive black hole has a companion that is exerting gravitational influence. Using a well-studied star, called S0-2, which orbits the supermassive black hole that lies at the center of the galaxy every 16 years, we can already rule out the idea that there is a second supermassive black hole with mass above 100,000 times the mass of the Sun and farther than about 200 times the distance between the Sun and the Earth. If there was such a companion, then I and my colleagues would have detected its effects on the orbit of SO-2. But that doesn’t mean that a smaller companion black hole The Sun is unusually quiet and docile, ‘This is well below the average number Scientists have finally explained the these eruptions are emanating from cannot still hide there. Such an object may not alter the orbit of with no sunspots seen on its surface in of sunspots. “tiger stripes” that cover the surface regularly spaced cracks,” said Max SO-2 in a way we can easily measure. 264 days — just four days short of setting They also state that solar cycle 24 has of the mysterious moon Enceladus. Rudolph, assistant professor of earth Supermassive black holes have gotten a lot of attention lately. a new record. continued a trend of steadily declining Saturn’s icy moon is one of the most and planetary sciences at the University In particular, the recent image of such a giant at the center of the In 2008, no sunspots were observed activity in the sun, but predict this will interesting places in the solar system of California, Davis. galaxy M87 opened a new window to understanding the physics for a total of 268 days and if the current change with cycle 25. for scientists. It is not only one of the One of the breakthroughs was the behind black holes. period exceeds this it will become one of Solar minimum is a useful time for prime candidates for being home to realization that there was nothing special The proximity of the Milky Way’s galactic center – a mere 24,000 the deepest lulls of the modern era. studying the evolution of active regions extraterrestrial life – because of the about that south pole. The stripes could light-years away – provides a unique laboratory for addressing The sun typically follows an 11 year without the complication of overlapping ocean that hides beneath its surface – but have formed at either end of the moon, issues in the fundamental physics of supermassive black holes. cycle of activity, and scientists have and interacting regions. also because it remains so mysterious. but it was the south’s that opened up first. For example, astrophysicists like myself would like to understand recently confirmed we are in the midst Active regions can persist for days to One of those mysteries are the four The other major breakthrough was the their impact on the central regions of galaxies and their role of a ‘solar minimum’. months, and are observed to rotate across stripes that cover its south pole, which discovery that when the cracks formed in galaxy formation and evolution. The detection of a pair of Solar minimums mark a period of the Sun’s face many times. are like nothing else known in our solar in the surface, ocean water spewed out supermassive black holes in the galactic center would indicate reduced activity on the sun and sunspots Lack of sunspot activity in the sun is system. Now researchers have revealed of the gap that was left. That allowed that the Milky Way merged with another, possibly small, galaxy and solar flares are less frequent. due to a continuing period of inactivity in the physics behind the fissures that open three more cracks to form neatly across at some time in the past. At solar minimum, the sun’s otherwise the star’s magnetic field. up and spill ocean water out of the icy the surface. That’s not all that monitoring the surrounding stars can tell violent surface takes on a calmer and almost As the sun moves through its 11-year cycle, surface, and create those stripes. The discovery was made using us. Measurements of the star S0-2 allowed scientists to carry out idyllic appearance but this faux calm can it experiences active and quiet periods known Scientists did not even know that numerical modelling, which allowed a unique test of Einstein’s general theory of relativity. lead to magnetic storms which interfere as the solar maximum and solar minimum. Enceladus had the stripes until recently, scientists to understand the forces In May 2018, S0-2 zoomed past the supermassive black hole with satellites, affect air travel and can even This solar slowdown often causes when NASA’s Cassini mission flew past that act on the icy shell that encases at a distance of only about 130 times the Earth’s distance from knock out power grids. temporary cooling in Earth’s atmosphere. Saturn and took in Enceladus as it did. Enceladus. the Sun. According to Einstein’s theory, the wavelength of light At the cycle’s peak, solar maximum, the When the sun entered a solar minimum “First seen by the Cassini mission to The tiny moon is pulled by Saturn’s emitted by the star should stretch as it climbs from the deep sun is continually peppered with spots, between 1650 and 1710, NASA said the Saturn, these stripes are like nothing gravity, which exert tidal forces on gravitational well of the supermassive black hole. some as big as the planet Jupiter. Earth was plunged into a ‘deep freeze’. else known in our Solar System,” lead Enceladus. That in turn means it is The stretching wavelength that Einstein predicted – which As the sun reached solar minimum, it ‘1650 to 1710, temperatures across much author Hemingway explained. “They are heated and cooled, and the force is makes the star appear redder – was detected and proves that increases the likelihood that activity levels of the Northern Hemisphere plunged when parallel and evenly spaced, about 130 especially strong at the poles. the theory of general relativity accurately describes the physics will soon rebound with vigor. the sun entered a quiet phase now called kilometers long and 35 kilometers apart. As that happens, water solidifies in this extreme gravitational zone. A panel of experts from NASA and NOAA the Maunder Minimum. “What makes them especially into ice beneath the outer shell, the I am eagerly awaiting the second closest approach of S0-2, recently concluded that the current solar ‘During this period, very few sunspots interesting is that they are continually researchers think. That in turn means which will occur in about 16 years, because astrophysicists like cycle is nearing its end, and the next one appeared on the surface of the sun, and erupting with water ice, even as we it expands in volume, pushing up against myself will be able to test more of Einstein’s predictions about will begin when this streak ends. the overall brightness of the sun decreased speak. No other icy planets or moons the ie until it cracks. general relativity, including the change of the orientation of the If the solar minimum prediction is slightly. have anything quite like them.” Those cracks are kept open because stars’ elongated orbit. correct, it would make the current Solar ‘Already in the midst of a colder-than- Astronomers did not know why the the water underneath is continually But if the supermassive black hole has a partner, this could Cycle 24, the seventh longest on record average period called the Little Ice Age, stripes appeared to form only on the sloshed around and so can’t freeze shut. alter the expected result. at 11.4 years. Europe and North America went into a southern pole, as well as why they were As the water spills out of those cracks, Finally, if there are two massive black holes orbiting each Solar Cycle 25, the next period, is deep freeze: alpine glaciers extended over so evenly spaced across that surface. it drops back down as ice, which builds other at the galactic center, as my team suggests is possible, expected to peak in July 2025. valley farmland; sea ice crept south from “We want to know why the eruptions up at the edge of the fissure and weighs they will emit gravitational waves. Since 2015, the LIGO-Virgo ‘Solar Cycle 25 may have a slow start, but the Arctic; and the famous canals in the are located at the south pole as opposed it down. That means the ice sheet flexes, observatories have been detecting gravitational wave radiation is anticipated to peak with solar maximum Netherlands froze regularly—an event that to some other place on Enceladus, how and so led to the neat cracks about 20 from merging stellar-mass black holes and neutron stars. occurring between 2023 and 2026, and a is rare today. these eruptions can be sustained over miles away, the researchers say. These groundbreaking detections have opened a new way for sunspot range of 95 to 130,’ the experts said. (Source: msn) long periods of time and finally why (Source: The Independent) scientists to sense the Universe. I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y 10 HERITAGE & TOURISM DECEMBER 17, 2019
Tourism transport ‘to make Seljuks: Great up 5.3% of all emissions generated by 2030’ patrons of arts Transport-related emissions from tourism are expected to account for 5.3% of all man-made carbon dioxide emissions by 2030. That’s the verdict from a new report published by the World and architecture Tourism Organization (UNWTO) and the International Transport Forum (ITF), which shows this is up from 5% in 2016 – it notes progress towards low carbon travel means despite tourist numbers increasing, emissions per passenger kilometre are expected to fall. in Iran HERITAGE TEHRAN — Persia so-called Great Seljuks, maintained control deskgained a period of eco- over Iran. Under the Seljuk sultanate, Iran nomic and cultural prosperity under the enjoyed a period of material and cultural Seljuk rule (1037–1194). Seljuk art is widely prosperity, and the ingenuity in architecture regarded as a fusion of Persian, Islamic, and and the arts during this period had a notable Central Asian (Turkic) elements, and build- impact on later artistic developments. ing masonry is probably the most eminent The Seljuk cultural and artistic efflores- feature of the Seljuk contribution to Islamic cence continued well beyond the sultan- art and architecture. ate’s political influence. In fact, as there are Many experts believe that their tech- few surviving dated examples of Iranian niques and style in arts and architecture art from the Seljuk period proper, works It calls for enhanced cooperation between the transport and had also a strong influence on later artistic of art dating to the late twelfth and early tourism sectors to help drive down emissions and tackle climate developments. thirteenth centuries are frequently labeled change but notes under current ambitions, transport-related car- The Seljuks, a Turkic dynasty of Central “Seljuk” even though they might have been bon dioxide emissions from tourism are predicted to increase Asian nomadic origins, became the new rulers produced under the patronage of one of from 1,597 million tonnes to 1,998 million tonnes between 2016 of the eastern Islamic lands following their several local dynasties. and 2030 – this is an increase of around a quarter. Bowl with courtly and astrological motifs, attributed to central or northern Iran, late defeat of the powerful Ghaznavids at the Turkic Seljuk rulers adopted and sup- Over the same timeframes, international and domestic arrivals 12th–early 13th century Battle of Dandanakan (1040), according to ported local Perso-Islamic traditions, and are predicted to rise from 20 billion to 37 billion, mainly driven the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Seljuk art is recognized for weaving together The same shapes known in metalwork were support Orthodox Sunni education (1067), by domestic tourism. By 1055, the Seljuks had reached and Persian, Islamic, and Central Asian-Turkic also produced in contemporary pottery. These the Metropolitan Museum of Art says. The report highlights tourism-related transport emissions taken over Baghdad, which put an end to elements. During this period, the arts of ceramic wares demonstrate the advancement In mosque architecture, the courtyard represented more than a fifth of all transport emissions in 2016 Buyid rule, and established themselves as Iran gained distinction in the Islamic world. of new techniques or the further refinement with four vaulted halls (iwans) on each side and will continue to do so in 2030. the new protectors of the Abbasid caliphate Important developments and innova- of existing ones. Especially notable were the became prevalent. The transformed congre- Ovais Sarmad, Deputy Executive Secretary of the UN Framework and Sunni Islam. tions contributed to the renown of Seljuk art. works produced in Kashan, in the luster and gational mosque in Isfahan whose additions Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) said: “While tourism Within fifty years, the Seljuks created a Beginning in the second half of the twelfth mina’i techniques. Also significant, though were commissioned by Nizam al-Mulk and is mentioned in many Nationally Determined Contributions as vast though relatively short-lived empire, century, the art of inlaying bronze or brass little known today due to few surviving ex- Taj al-Mulk, two Seljuk administrators, for a big concern, not enough has yet been done. encompassing all of Iran, Iraq, and much of objects with precious metals such as copper, amples, were the arts of the book. Sultan Malikshah (r. 1073–92) and his wife “Industry must do more, but governments must align their Anatolia. By the close of the eleventh century, silver, and gold became prominent in the The Seljuks were also great patrons of Terkan Khatun, was the most celebrated policies, so that at the international level we can collectively as the Seljuk realm became troubled due eastern Iranian province of Khorasan. Such architecture. An unprecedented number of and influential Seljuk monument. Also im- work to increase ambition. The One Planet Sustainable Tourism to internal conflicts and the division of the objects were often decorated with Arabic madrasas (institutions of higher learning) portant during this period were funerary Programme is a vital ongoing mechanism to promote sustainable realm among heirs, the empire dissolved into inscriptions written in the “animated” script, were erected throughout the Seljuk realm. monuments, the most prominent being tourism around the world.” separate territories governed by different developed during this period, in which the Most notable, however, was the Madrasa the immense Mausoleum of Sultan San- (Source: energylivenews.com) branches of the dynasty. letters were transformed into human and Nizamiya, founded in Baghdad by the great jar in Merv (r. ca. 1096–1157), in modern The main branch of the Seljuk house, the animal figures. Seljuk vizier Nizam al-Mulk (r. 1063–92) to Turkmenistan. Tourism set to bloom in Angola’s desert region Iranian academia to attend tourism development conference in India TOURISM TEHRAN — A number to the World Travel and Tourism Council, deskof Iranian scholars and the total direct and indirect contribution of The south-west African country of Angola is waking up to academia along with fellows from several tourism to GDP was 10.2%, total employ- its tourism potential, offering opportunities for visitors and other counties have been invited to the ment was 9.6% in 2016, and is forecasted investors alike. 2nd Joint International Conference on to rise by 11.4% of GDP and 11.1 % of total One of the most unspoilt regions is the Namibe desert, which Tourism, Hospitality and Sustainable jobs in 2027. stretches 2,000 kilometers across three countries. Development Goals, which will be held International tourist arrivals have in- The desert runs all the way from the Iona National Park in in Hyderabad, India from February 8 to creased from 25 million globally in 1950 to Angola, through Namibia, to South Africa’s Kalahari Desert - 10, 2020. 1,235 million in 2016. Tourism growth and more than 80,000 square kilometers. You can drive for hours The campus of the National Institute development provides a range of diverse along the Corridor of the Tides, where the desert meets the ocean. of Tourism & Hospitality Management impacts. Tourism is considered to be a tool Namibe means ‘‘vast place’’ in the local language and it lives up (NITHM) in close collaboration with the to achieve several sustainable development to its name – a tourism wonderland with a spectacular coastline. Vidzeme University of Applied Science, goals and it has the potential to alleviating Andrea Martins runs an eco-tourism lodge perched above a Latvia, will host the conference to trace new poverty, providing employment, generat- grotto on the Atlantic Ocean. ways to achieve sustainable development ing revenue, creating peace, strengthening A view of the University of Birjand in northeast Iran Praia do Soba, meaning ‘Beach of the Chief’, offers magnificent in tourism and hospitality sectors. cultural relations, promoting biodiversity views of sandstone cliffs carved by nature. The event will bring together delegations on Monday. The event is aimed to outline approaches conservation, preserving the heritage and Martins says the location was discovered by her father and from the University of Africa, Nigeria; South Invitees also include policymakers, and practices of sustainable development fixing the climate change. the family decided to invest there. Valley University- Luxor Branch, Egypt; practitioners and tourism stakeholders goals in tourism and hospitality-related The NITHM was established in 2004 She compares her adventurous father to the movie character Takoradi Technical University, Ghana; The and entrepreneurs to debate the role, issues, fields and make it more responsible and as a sector-specific institute for education, Crocodile Dundee. Engineering and Pedagogical College of and challenges of achieving sustainable visible to the public. management, consultancy and training “This was the last lost paradise of Angola, because no one Dushanbe, Tajikistan and University of development goals through tourism and Tourism is often considered to be the in the field of tourism and hospitality found this place, because there was no road, no access, and my Birjand, Iran, Telangana Today reported hospitality, according to organizers. world’s biggest service industry. According management. Crocodile Dundee, my father, the Angolan Crocodile Dundee, arrived here, he made a road, and he found this amazing place.” The individual huts are beautifully decorated, and there are plans to build more. There are also plans to provide luxury camp- Six ways travel marketing will advance in 2020 sites for so-called glamping tourism. With more than $8.8 trillion dollars flow- ered purchase. Meeting potential customers lationships will evolve as well. ners, they will need to make a concerted ef- (Source: euronews) ing into the travel and tourism market throughout their journey is essential to en- More and more, customer acquisition fort to weed out fraudulent activity within every year, it’s no surprise that brands and suring long-term sales growth and driving through partnerships will be rewarded not this channel. That way they can ensure the agencies in this industry tend to be ahead brand loyalty. based on the sheer number of customers right partners are getting credit for every ROUND THE GLOBE of the curve when it comes to innovative Deepening content and influencer reached and acquired, but rather according legitimate transaction. marketing efforts. partnerships to the quality and ultimate lifetime value This is particularly critical for travel mar- Chongoni Rock-Art Area As among the first to embrace and capi- The emphasis on content partners and in- (LTV) of those customers. keters in China and Southeast Asia, where talize on new technologies and marketplace fluencers in travel will continue to rise in 2020. Within the world of affiliate and part- app and other fraud is among the highest Situated within a cluster of forested granite hills and covering shifts, travel marketers often lead the way After all, these are the publications and nerships in which I work, technology has in the world. an area of 126.4 km2, high up the plateau of central Malawi, for brand leaders in other industries each people to which travelers turn when they’re responded with commissioning systems that Making loyalty more experiential the 127 sites of this property feature the richest concentration year. 2020 will be no exception. considering a trip and looking for inspira- reward partners on LTV, gross margin, oc- Finally, just as travel marketers have al- of rock art in Central Africa. Here are some key areas where travel tion and advice on where and how to plan cupancy rates and more. ways been pioneers when it comes to boost- marketers will be leading the charge on their journey. Harnessing deeper mobile metrics ing customer lifetime value through loyalty strategic and tactical innovation. By aligning with respected publishers and Travel marketers will rethink how they’re programs, they will continue to lead the way Taking a full-funnel view personalities, travel brands can both garner tracking, measuring and attributing en- here by transitioning these programs for the At a strategic level, 2020 will be a pivotal high-level awareness for their brands at the gagement and conversions within their new customer reality, where experiences can year when it comes to shifting away from top of the funnel and be well-positioned to customer journeys. often trump discounts. transaction-focused media plans to ones execute on short-term campaigns by ampli- Now more than ever, that means getting Increasingly, travel loyalty programs that take a more holistic view of fueling fying their messages through these partners. a handle on the mobile component of the will shift from simple points-based, buy- the full funnel. Many travel brands have already em- journey on media and partner properties - five-get-one scenarios to more immersive, Travel marketing has been heavily fo- ployed influencer tactics within their mar- an area that has been sorely lacking in most customizable loyalty rewards programs that cused on closing the sale through retargeting keting mixes. brands’ attribution planning. speak to customers’ lifestyles rather than ads and other lower-funnel tactics over But as awareness and consideration be- But given the rise in mobile bookings, just their appetite for discounts. the past decade. come more highly prioritized among their combined with the shift to greater reliance on The rest of the marketing world will be However, as competition increases in KPIs, travel marketers will expand their cam- partner marketing channels, these connec- watching the travel space for signals as to these lower funnel channels, and promotional paigns to deeper, longer-term engagements tions will be essential for proper campaign what’s to come next in their industries, and They reflect the comparatively scarce tradition of farmer costs rise correspondingly, travel marketers that build relationships with publications’ optimization. travel marketers will not disappoint. rock art, as well as paintings by BaTwa hunter-gatherers who are going to focus more on diversifying their and influencers’ audiences over time. Cracking down on fraud In 2020, it will be about expanding ho- inhabited the area from the Late Stone Age. media mixes. Expect to see more travel dollars Connecting commissions to cus- While the success of digital travel market- rizons, building new partnerships, locking The Chewa agriculturalists, whose ancestors lived there spent in the earlier stages of the customer tomer quality ing including partnership is exciting, it also down cross-device attribution once and for from the Early Iron Age, practiced rock painting until well journey, as a way of growing demand and As partnerships deepen among travel attracts the attention of unsavory operators. all - and building deeper customer relation- into the 20th century. consideration. brands and content partners, the way in A travel brands look to understand true ships all the while. The symbols in the rock art, which are strongly associated After all, travel is a high-ticket, consid- which they prioritize and reward these re- ROI and reward their most profitable part- (Source: phocuswire.com) with women, still have cultural relevance amongst the Chewa, and the sites are actively associated with ceremonies and rituals. The rock art of the Chongoni sites records the cultural history and traditions of the peoples of the Malawi plateau: How to get ahead before going away the transition from a foraging lifestyle to food production, Consider doing these errands and chores before heading before heading out that can make coming home almost Service will hold your mail for up to 30 days. (You can the subsequent Ngoni invasion of the Chewa people, and the out for a holiday. They can make coming home almost as pleasant as the vacation itself. sign up for the service online.) Once you return, you can coming of the white man. as pleasant as the vacation itself. Tidy up arrange to pick it up or have your mail carrier deliver it. The paintings also depict symbols significant during initia- Travelers can spend a lot of time planning their Make a list of things you need to do the week, day and Go grocery shopping tion ceremonies and ritual practices. As a center of traditional vacations, from booking flights to making dining res- morning before you leave. The essential to-dos should If you are going away for more than a week, stocking up and religious ceremonies, the rock art area encapsulates living ervations and researching must-see sites. Rarely does include taking out the trash, going through the fridge on fresh food might not make sense. But having favorite cultural traditions. one spend a comparable amount of time prepping to and putting things away. It’s a great time for minor deep nonperishables around — snacks, coffee, a couple of easy- The area’s topography of rock overhangs amongst wooded come home, which could lead to returning to a mess, cleans, like throwing out sponges and getting rid of ex- to-cook meals — can help power the dreaded unpacking. slopes and grassy clearings provides a protective setting that is or if you leave the water on, perhaps an expensive dis- pired condiments. For cities that have grocery delivery services, ordering integral to the outstanding universal value of the rock art site. aster. At the very least, it can be a brutal wake-up call Put your mail on hold as you get off the plane means you could have the week’s (Source: UNESCO) that the fun is over. Instead of letting letters fill your mailbox or stack up, shopping waiting for you just as you get home. Here are some chores and errands to consider doing signaling your out-of-town status, the United States Postal (Source: The New York Times) I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y DECEMBER 17, 2019 INTERNATIONAL 11
Turkish expert talks of significance Iran eyes strong ties with Algeria under new president Tebboune
1 Late in October, Iranian president held, on the side- of Iran, Turkey regional coop. lines of the 18th Summit of Heads of State and Governments of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) in Baku, a meeting with the interim President of Algeria Abdelkader Bensalah, during which they agreed By Payman Yazdani tion Iran and Turkey are deepening cooperation to introduce new mechanisms for developing relations. Forming in the field of security due to the dynamics of the economic commission of the two countries was on the agenda TEHRAN (MNA) – In an interview with the region that made it compulsory. During of the talks with a view to further contributing to the enhancement Mehr News agency Dr. Bilgahan Alagoz talked the Obama administration, the United States of this cooperation. of the necessity of Iran and Turkey region- did not want to use its own human resources During the meeting, the Iranian president said that Iran and al cooperation due to common threats and to limit Iran’s military power in Syria. For Algeria have cordial relations, adding that the two countries should interests. this reason, the US began to arm the YPG. further boost economic and trade cooperation. To touch upon the significance of Iran and However, this has turned into a national se- Bin Saleh, for his part, described the two countries as historic Turkey’s security and economic cooperation curity problem for Turkey. In Syria, Turkey and strategic. despite differences between the two countries, has had three military operations up until “I am happy that the two countries have common stances in most we reached out to Dr. Bilgehan Alagoz, an now. Following the Operation Peace Spring, of the fields, which should lead to promotion of economic cooperation international relations professor at Istanbul Turkey has made an agreement with Russia proportionate to the two countries’ capabilities and capacities,” he Marmara University. and the US, but there isn’t progress in these added. Here is the full text of the interview: agreements. The position of Russia and the It is worth recalling that the president-elect Tebboune represented What are the fields that Iran and Turkey US in northern Syria becomes closer which Algeria in Iran after his departure from the government. can cooperate with each other? seems contrary to the concerns of Iran and Algeria’s crucial presidential election A: Iran and Turkey can cooperate in many Turkey. Particularly, there is a possibility that According to official results announced by the election commission, fields. However, security and economy are the US will urge YPG forces to transfer to Iraq Tebboune, who served in a number of cabinet posts under Bouteflika always the two main issues in terms of relations and from there YPG will have the potential including two stints as housing minister, snatched a landslide victory, between Iran and Turkey. Due to the current to pose a threat to Iran. This is an area of after securing 58 percent of the vote, avoiding the need for a run-off sanctions, deepening economic relations with sensitivity for Turkey, too. Therefore, the against any of four other senior former officials sanctioned to stand. Iran has been complicated. However, security common attitude of Turkey and Iran on the He became the North African country’s 8th elected president cooperation is remarkable since the end of YPG issue is critical. since it gained independence from France in 1962, replacing the 2016. The security concerns of the two coun- What are the obstacles on the way of long-serving president Abdelaziz Bouteflika, pushed out by the fierce tries have become similar. This new period the two countries’ cooperation? pro-democracy popular protests, erupted in February. of cooperation, which started with the Iraqi A: Turkey and Iran’s foreign policy ap- president mentioned that he does not aim for and Greece is a concern for Turkey. On the His rivals included another former premier, two former minis- referendum, continues with the Astana pro- proaches are different. Therefore, it is not a regime change in Iran. This is noteworthy. other hand, the recent agreement between ters and a former member of the ruling party’s central committee. cess in Syria. Compared with the problems in possible for them to adopt a common attitude On the other hand, the Democrats and the Turkey and Libya has been a game-changer Thursday’s vote was opposed by Hirak, a nine-month-old pro- economics, Turkey and Iran seem to be more in every subject. But the latest situation in neocons both adopt an anti-Turkey and an- in terms of the balance of power in the region. test movement, calling for the sweeping away of the entire political susceptible to security cooperation. the region unites the security concerns of the ti-Iran rhetoric. In the same way, FDD, which As far as I can follow, there is a concern in Iran establishment before the organization of any ballot to guarantee On the other hand as a university pro- two countries. However, in both countries, previously supported Trump but now critical, about a probable Turkey-Israel relationship. the transparency. fessor, I would like to draw attention to the there are groups that are uncomfortable with is hostile against Turkey and Iran. Thus, the However, Turkey’s position in the Eastern Who is Tebboune? cultural and educational sectors that have cooperation in this area. Public opinion in US-Turkey relations are under the shade of Mediterranean is totally different from Israel. Abdelmejid Tebboune was born on 17 November 1945, in Mishriah the potentials to cooperate. Institutional both countries should not be affected by the these different groups. In addition, Israel’s stance on YPG is against (Naama province), southwest of the Algerian Republic. He graduated exchange programs are of great interest. For negative discourse produced by these groups. Turkey has always emphasized that the the interests of Turkey. At this point, Turkey’s from the National School of Administration (Algeria). example, in the classes that I teach, there are To me, the main obstacle is the manipulation sanction policy towards Iran is not beneficial. rapprochement with Israel is not possible. His entire career was in the public service and all the positions he students coming from Iran. Turkey enhanced of the aforementioned groups, which creates For this reason, Turkey will continue to en- How do you assess the current level of held were through appointments, from an employee in the admin- its scholarship programs, which enable Ira- misperception in both countries. courage Iran and the United States to start the cooperation between Iran and Turkey? Any istration to a secretary-general in several provinces (governorates), nian students to continue their education in Definitely, the US has put and will put negotiation process as soon as possible. For suggestions to improve it? to the governor of more than one region, then a minister and finally Turkey. Likewise, Turkish students can go to pressure on Turkey to reduce its economic ties Turkey, diplomacy is always a comprehensive A: Iran has recently begun to develop a a prime minister. Iran for research. The Iranian Embassy sup- with Iran in line with its maximum pressure way to solve the problems. critical discourse on two issues. One of them is He began his career in 1969 as a trainee administrator, then ad- ported many of our students in recent years. policy on Iran. Will Turkey follow up the US Despite Ankara’s anti-Israel stances, about the construction of the border wall and ministrator in 1972 in the province of Saoura. In this context, strengthening cooperation in policy? their relationship is going on as usual. Don’t the other is about the dams in eastern Turkey. As long as his political career is concerned, he occupied the post the field of education will be in the interests A: There are significant differences in US you think this can create somehow distrust These two issues should not turn into a conflict of as secretary general of the province of Djelfa in 1975, before being of both countries in the coming years. politics between President Trump and the between Iran and Turkey? area through the media. Turkey understands transferred in 1977 to the province of Adrar, then to the province of What is the importance of regional co- groups that oppose him. Trump and his team A: There have been significant develop- the concerns of Iran. I think such discourse Batna in 1979, and at the province of M’Sila in 1982. operation between the two countries? are aware of Turkey’s importance and open ments in the Eastern Mediterranean lately. between the two countries is an obstacle to From 1983 to 1989, Abdelmadjid Tebboune held the post of Gov- A: As I drew attention in the previous ques- negotiations with Iran. For the first time, a US The increasing cooperation between Israel cooperation. ernor in several provinces: Adrar, Tiaret and Tizi-Ouzou. The first ministry Tebboune headed was as the acting Minister of Local Communities (1991), as a deputy of the Minister of Interior General Larbi Belkhir. He didn’t leave this position until 19 July 1992, after Ali Kafi was appointed the head of the Supreme State Economic hardship ‘not bad’ for China Council, after the assassination of President Mohammed Boudiaf, on 29 June 1992. world’s two largest economies, the implica- By Zhang Yansheng The president-elect spent decades at the heart of successive gov- tions reverberated beyond Washington and ernments headed by President Chadli Bendjedid and the long-serving GLOBALTIMES — China is expected to Beijing. In Kenya, the news that Huawei was president Abdelaziz Bouteflika. maintain an economic growth rate of at least banned from using its license for Google’s He served as Bouteflika’s communications minister in 1999 and 6 percent in 2020. Still, the economy is pre- Android operating system threw users of minster of Housing from 2001 to 2002 and again from 2012 to 2017. paring for the winter to last through next the brand into panic, many taking to social The shortest-serving prime minister in Algerian history, served year. Economic hardship is anticipated, but media to express their fears. from May to August 2017 before being dismissed by the then-President the country’s core concern is strategic policy- It was the first time that the China-US Abdel Aziz Bouteflika and replaced by Ahmed Ouyahia, currently making: whether governments at both central trade war made sense to a majority of Ken- in prison. and local levels, businesses and individuals yans. The same situation was repeated in He represented Algeria in several missions abroad (in Iran, in opt for quality growth based on structural a number of African capitals including Syria) after his departure from the government. reforms or pursue fast, stimulus-driven Lagos and Johannesburg. While Huawei In his maiden speech, Mr Tebboune extanded his hand to the growth. A simultaneous slowdown in the is in the eye of the storm at the moment, protesters, stressing he was ready to meet with protest leaders to global economy will continue. If the Chinese another firm from South Korea, Japan, “listen to them (and) respond to their concerns.” He said that his economy outshines other economies next Finland, Turkey or India having interna- priority is to revise the constitution to establish a “new Algeria” that year, it will not necessarily be a good thing tional presence could face the same fate, corresponds to the aspirations of the movement, a project that would as the global economy will nonetheless be creating a whirlpool of setbacks that Kenya be put to a referendum. He promised to include “young men and a burden. A worsened Chinese economy and other African countries may struggle young women” in his new government. next year would not necessarily a bad thing to overcome for decades. Every Friday for almost a year, Algerians have taken to the streets either. In light of this, China’s efforts to build trial and chemical waste disposal should also breaks. Given this situation, a stable and Huawei, for instance, has been at the heart in the thousands, protesting at first against former president Abdelaziz the Belt and Road Initiative and push for be increased.This year has been a turbulent prudent monetary policy is very important, of technological reforms and modernization Bouteflika’s decision to stand as a candidate for a fifth consecutive consumption, services growth and quality one and there will be great uncertainty in as is maintaining a stable leveraging ratio. of Africa’s information technology sector term in elections that were due to take place in April. The –then development in the agricultural, industrial, 2020, which will be a very important year. The tight cash flow for the real economy is for nearly three decades. The company took president responded favorably to their claims and stepped down in and services sectors will create demand in The upcoming Central Economic Work still a major problem calling for attention. the risk and began investing in inaccessible April. He was replaced by the Speaker of the Council of the Nation the global economy in investment, imports Conference has begun early preparations China must take measures to bring about regions of the continent when others only Abdelkader Bensalah. and services. Such efforts are envisioned to in anticipation of the need for last-minute structural reform. More liquidity should be considered the continent’s value in terms of However, despite his announcement to withdraw from the political advance the transition of domestic businesses adjustments. A prelude to the conference offered through cooperative, preferential, rare earth minerals and other raw materi- life, the protesters did not give up. They are still taking into the streets, toward more sophisticated growth. has revealed one key opinion: the Chinese green and technological finance, as well as als. In the process, Huawei gained valuable calling for the overthrow of the opaque and unpopular old guard, Some have proposed a larger input into economy will continue its stable growth, long-term investment, rather than monetary lessons which enabled it to deliver customer including all the officials associated with Mr Bouteflika’s regime. infrastructure construction for the next year. and this trend will not change. policy changes and piling credit pressure specific technology solutions for a horde of It will be Mr Tebboune’s role to find a compromise that will appease I believe China will not commit flood-like But the Chinese economy will encoun- on commercial banks. governments and private entities, giving it his people and allow his country to chart a new era. His biggest chal- investment to infrastructure. Investment ter pressure and challenges. The China-US Fiscal policy should play a more signifi- an edge over contemporaries.Many Afri- lenge will be to rebuild trust between the protesters and the Algerian has lost steam in traditional industries such trade war is causing major external impact. cant role. The right way to use fiscal policy can governments and enterprises turned authorities. This later, faced by this movement, enacted some change as infrastructure, manufacturing and real Domestically, there will be challenges in the to promote the efficiency and convenience to Huawei for affordable and high-quality in an attempt to calm down public discontent by launching anti graft estate. More infrastructure can only yield a modernization of the governance system of macroeconomic policy - therefore better infrastructure, smart phones, computers investigations and cracking down high-level corruption. Influential diminishing marginal effect rather than being and its capabilities, the accommodation of allocating liquidity - is a problem that needs and even fiber optics. businessmen and politicians from Mr Bouteflika’s inner circle have useful for the entire country. If the annual a high-quality growth mode, and the up- to be studied. And countercyclical adjustment In Kenya, the revolutionary mobile money been detained. Some of them went on trial and were convicted and Central Economic Work Conference puts grading of efficiency and convenience for should be conducted under market-oriented services, M-PESA, runs on Huawei back- sentenced to heavy prison terms. infrastructure development on the agenda, administrative services. and international measures together with bone. The company is also set to assist Kenya A military court convicted the brother of ousted President it is likely to stress high-quality growth. Monetary policy in the short run will the rule of law. to build the Konza Data Center and Smart Bouteflika, Said Bouteflika, who had wielded enormous influence China has many shortages in terms of the focus on overall stability with countercyclical Chinese tech firms need to grow City. It’s estimated that the first phase of as gatekeeper to his ailing brother while in office. He was seen as the efficiency and convenience of its infrastruc- adjustment. In the medium term, it will freely in Africa the project will create over 17,000 jobs and linchpin of an opaque clique of politicians and business leaders who ture. More investment is needed to boost follow the established path of supply-side In May 2019, US President Donald Trump contribute $887.1 million to the economy. influenced decision-making at the top of the gas-exporting North more efficient and convenient infrastructure reform. In the long term, monetary policy issued an executive order, laying the ground- Huawei has been equally proactive in nur- African country. The advisor and key aide of the former President of connectivity and sustainable development. will have to drive up high-quality growth. work to block Chinese telecommunications turing young talent through its labs based the Republic Bouteflika, is incarcerated in Blida prison and sentenced Also, public-facilities infrastructure should Currently, global monetary policy is too companies such as Huawei from selling equip- in a group of African countries including to fifteen years in prison for conspiracy against the state alongside utilize more environmentally friendly and loose, which will likely create an asset bubble ment in the US. While the move signaled Kenya, besides providing employment to the other co-defendants - two former intelligence chiefs and the low-carbon materials. Investment for indus- and lead to a financial crisis if the bubble intensification of the trade spat between the some 2,500 Kenyans. head of a political party. Last week, Algiers court sentenced two former prime ministers to long jail terms, as part of the high-profile corruption trials. The verdict came just two days before Algeria’s presidential election. Former prime ministers Ahmed Ouyahia and Abdelmalek Sellal, who were Future Party will attract some voters of AKP: Logoglu both close to the ousted president, were sentenced to 15 years and 12 by the presumed formation of another new presidential election system of 50% is unlikely to offer much to the public in years respectively. It was the first time since Algeria’s independence new party by Ali Babacan, also a former plus one. terms of a new direction for the country. from France in 1962 that former prime ministers were put on trial. Minister in AKP governments. It is clear What circles and factions will form The symbol of the party is the leaf A bunch of ministers and prominent oligarchs were imprisoned, that for a whole array of reasons related to the social origin of the party? of a plane tree and its motto is being loyal during the same landmark trial, convicted of charges ranging from the economy, foreign relations and social A: It is not clear what the base of support to principles and origins. Why this motto “corruption to abuse of power, granting undue privileges in the vehicle policies, AKP is experiencing a potential for the Future Party will be but what is has been chosen? assembly industry, embezzlement, squandering of money and the meltdown, especially after the dramatic manifest is that it will be a center-right A: The symbol of the green plane leaf is misappropriation of public funds”. 1 Can this party endanger the losses it suffered in the last local elections. party. One of their lead slogans is “liber- a tribute to the deep historical roots and Algerian authorities are hoping the trials and presidential election status of AKP? Most analysts believe that AKP’s status tarian secularism”, hinting that the Party traditions of the nation and commitment to holding would bridge the trust gap between the Algerians and their A: The new Future Party will have an will not be significantly affected by the will emphasize religion under the rubric the defense of one’s principles. The plane government and help convince the public that they are serious about impact on AKP as it will attract some voters new parties, but they are quick to point of secularism. Founded mostly by disen- tree symbolizes endurance and strength fighting corruption and reforming themselves, since corruption is from it. The effect will be compounded out that every single vote counts in the chanted AKP supporters, the Future Party in Turkish culture. a key claim for Algeria’s peaceful 9-month-old protest movement. I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y 12 SOCIETY DECEMBER 17, 2019
Water transfer from Sea of WHO acknowledges Iran’s commitment Oman to be implemented soon
TEHRAN — Transferring water from Sea of to universal health coverage ENVIRONMENT deskOman to eastern drought-ridden provinces of the SOCIETY TEHRAN — Christoph eral sanctions – this offer has not yet been country will soon be implemented, Ahmad Ali Moohebati, governor deskHamelmann, World utilized to the extent possible. general of Sistan-Baluchestan province told ISNA on Monday. Health Organization (WHO) Represent- Before I close, I want to acknowledge ative in Iran, has acknowledged Iran’s the recent letter of HE Minister Dr Namaki efforts toward promotion of universal to the Director General of WHO alerting health coverage. about the impact of the sanctions on Uni- “We highly acknowledge the high-level versal Health Coverage and on the health commitment and the enormous achieve- of the people living in Iran. As the WHO ments Iran has made during the last 40 Representative in Iran I can assure you years towards universal health coverage that safeguarding health for all is THE (UHC),” he said in a ceremony held in PRIORITY of all our efforts, and we will Tehran on Sunday. continue to do all we can to work closely Celebrated annually on December 12, with you, Dr Namaki, and the Ministry of Universal Health Coverage Day is promoted Health and Medical Education on keeping by the WHO. December 12 is the anniversary our promises to the people living in Iran of the first unanimous United Nations res- towards universal health coverage and olution calling for all nations to provide for health for all.” Hamelmann concluded. A water transfer project has been proposed by the govern- their citizens affordable, quality health care. New system of health services ment which looked to Oman seawater quenching the thirst of the “It is my pleasure and honor to contribute to be implemented next year southeastern province of Sistan-Baluchestan, as well as eastern to today’s UHC Day ceremony under the Iranian Health Minister Saeed Namaki provinces of South Khorasan and Khorasan Razavi. A budget of theme of “Keep the Promise”. for his part announced that a new system of $400 million was allocated by the government in March 2016. Universal health coverage is the promise health services, called the universal health The project aims to boost production, industry, and agricul- for availability and accessibility of afforda- coverage system, will replace health reform ture, as well as provide potable water to residents in arid areas. ble and effective quality health services to in Iran, and in this function we facilitate on the health sector and the health of the plan in the next Iranian calendar year (to start Measures have been taken in recent years to implement water all those in need, at the highest attainable and coordinate the whole UN support to population is a threat to universal health March 20, 2020), as an upgraded program transfer to the eastern provinces of the country which will be imple- standard. the MoHME together with our partner UN coverage in Iran and the overall goal of of the primary care system. mented soon after studies and fund allocation, Moohebati stated. Whether building a strong PHC system, agencies such as UNICEF, UNDP, UNFPA health for all. The many projects of the “We live in conditions where the country Sea of Oman water desalination and transfer to arid prov- building health work force and infrastructure and others. Ministry to increase further the resilience is under outrageous sanctions, and we are inces of Sistan-Baluchestan, South Khorasan and Khorasan on best evidence such as detailed burden of Universal health coverage cannot be of the health system, be it through fur- hard-pressed to provide medicine and med- Razavi can provide water for agriculture, as well as for wa- disease data, making health financial protec- achieved without addressing the social, eco- ther strengthening the PHC ,for example ical facilities for the people,” he lamented. ter-intensive industries, he explained. tion one of the key pillars of the social safety nomic and environmental determinants of through the one household – one health In the first phase of health sector reform, Once an efficient permanent solution, water supply schemes net, having a clear focus on the poorest and health through a health in all policies approach. post initiative, or through accelerating the the Primary Health Care (PHC) system are now being considered as the main cause of environmental most vulnerable parts of the population: We are ready to increase further our efforts to process from innovation to production was deployed nationwide in the 1980s, depletion haunting many parts of the country leading to dried WHO is promoting many examples of best support you in providing living and working and scale up of health technologies, or and through which many communicable up lakes and rivers, and poor water resources management practice in other countries in the region and environments which allow people to live and through fighting inefficiencies and misuse diseases through vaccination and primary resulting in excessive water withdrawal is also a major threat beyond,” Hamelmann stated. stay healthy and productive in the first place. of resources and thereby strengthening the care was contained. to the country’s future. UHC cannot be achieved without Universal health coverage can also not be integrity and performance of the health Although some contagious diseases Experts believe that these projects entailing economic and addressing all determinants of health achieved without being prepared for emer- sector - these again are all areas in which such as HIV and common human-animal environmental burden are no solution to droughts, and demanded Hamelmann went on to note that “To- gencies and addressing essential health needs WHO is working closely with the Ministry. transmitted diseases are still challenging, the water transfer projects to be dismissed due to the irreparable day, much effort is needed to sustain these in a timely and comprehensive manner when However, no national health system can be the major challenge now is the increasing damages to the environment namely deforestation, wildlife hab- achievements and to adjust the health system emergencies happen. We have great respect completely self-sustainable – WHO and prevalence of non-communicable diseases itat destruction, biodiversity degradation, improper land change to become for more effective, efficient and for the capacities of the national emergency our partner UN agencies working together such as heart disease, diabetes, cancer and use, and contaminated seawater. resilient. In all of these aspects, WHO is medical services and are on stand-by when under the umbrella of the UN Procure- respiratory diseases, he also said. closely supporting the Ministry of Health you call on our support, together with the ment for Health (Pro-Health) group of “Of course, with the implementation of and Medical Education as evidenced also other UN agencies on the ground.” the UN country team have offered support the health reform plan, important steps have in our new joint programme framework for U.S. sanctions a threat to uni- to address procurement and supply chain been taken in this regard and we have come Bad taste in the moth: study 2020 and 2021. WHO holds also the Chair versal health coverage problems of the Ministry from the very closer to establishing a universal health cov- reveals insect’s chemical defence of the Health Pillar of the UN country team “The impact of the unilateral sanctions beginning of the introduction of unilat- erage system,” he concluded.
It might seem like they are being lazy but some moths do not bother to flee from predators because they make themselves Converting coal plants to biomass could fuel climate crisis, scientists warn taste disgusting. Plans to shift Europe’s coal plants, including the giant Drax world’s first “carbon negative” company within 10 years by That is the case for a certain species of tiger moth, which re- complex in North Yorkshire, to burn wood pellets instead burning biomass in conjunction with technology which can searchers have found displays a nonchalant approach when faced could accelerate rather than combat climate crisis and lay carbon capture from its power plant flues. with potential predators, on account of its disgusting flavour. waste to forests equal to half the size of Germany’s Black Drax robustly defends the sustainability record of its Dr Nicolas Dowdy, of the Milwaukee Public Museum and Forest per year, according to campaigners. biomass supply chain. Its wood pellets, shipped from the Wake Forest University in the US, found certain members of Climate thinktank Sandbag said the heavily subsidised US, are made mostly from sawmill residue and forest over- the Tiger moth family do not duck and dive from predatory bats plans to cut carbon emissions will result in a “staggering” growth, which is carefully cleared to improve the quality with the same vigour as their counterparts. amount of tree cutting, potentially destroying forests faster of forests. Drax has pledged never to source biomass from A study published in the Frontiers in Ecology and Evolu- than they can regrow. farming practices that lead to deforestation. tion journal suggested this approach can pay dividends for Sandbag found that Europe’s 10 largest biomass conver- But Alex Mason, from WWF’s EU office, said burning winged insects, which have evolved a special chemical defence sion projects will alone require 36m tonnes of wood pellets forests is “literally the opposite of what we should be doing” that makes them less palatable. every year, equal to the entire current global wood pellet to help tackle the climate crisis. Dowdy came to this conclusion after an experiment in which production. This would require forests covering 2,700 sq “As 800 scientists pointed out last year, converting coal he released five species of tiger moth into an outdoor flight arena km to be cut down every year, the equivalent of half the plants to biomass will increase emissions for decades, if not at night, where wild bats would frequently swoop in to feed. Black Forest in Germany. centuries. This new report is yet more evidence that the EU must Using infrared cameras, he monitored interactions be- The majority of wood pellets to be used at Drax, and use the new EU Green Deal to fix EU bioenergy rules before this tween the bats and moths, and recorded how often different much of the plants in the rest of Europe are imported from ticking time-bomb of a policy does any more damage,” he said. species displayed evasive or nonchalant behaviour during the US and Canada, “meaning that there’s a huge added generation capacity built in Europe every year by wind and Prof Michael Norton, a director at the European Academies a bat attack. environmental cost in transporting the wood from the other solar farm developers. Science Advisory Council, said large-scale forest removal Dowdy said: “Strikingly, we observed that moths with weak side of the Atlantic,” said the report’s author, Charles Moore. “It’s impossible to believe coal companies when they to meet the demand for biomass would be “horrifying from or no chemical defences often dive away to escape bat attacks. The planned biomass conversions – with Finland, Germany argue that the switch burning forests could be good for the a climate perspective” and already risks overshooting the However, moths with more potent chemical defences are more and Netherlands leading the way – would emit 67m tonnes climate,” Moore said. Paris agreement targets. ‘nonchalant’, performing evasive manoeuvres less often.” of carbon into the atmosphere which would be unlikely to EU regulators consider biomass as a carbon neutral He said European countries are moving ahead with plans (Source: The Guardian) be reabsorbed by growing trees over the timescales relevant renewable alternative, saying that the growth of new trees for giant biomass plants despite reports showing “the coun- to meeting the Paris agreement, warned Sandbag. can absorb as much carbon as wood pellets release when ter-productive nature of biomass” and the urgent need to In return, the forest-hungry power plants would pro- they are burned to generate electricity. stop deforestation. WORDS IN THE NEWS duce less than 2% of the EU’s electricity needs, the same Drax has used this logic to underpin its plan to become the (Source: The Guardian) President Mugabe criticizes Western countries ENGLISH IN USE (July 24, 2002) Speaking at the state opening of the Zimbabwean parliament, LEARN NEWS TRANSLATION President Robert Mugabe again attacked Britain and praised his government›s widely criticised policy of seizing white-owned farm land. This report from Rageh Omaar: In his speech, President Mugabe again lambasted Western Motorcyclists responsible for 63% راکبان موتورسیکت در 63 درصد تصادفات countries, specifically Britain, which he accused of bullying tactics in constantly attacking his government. He was speaking of accidents in Tehran تهران مقصر بودند to the new session of the Zimbabwean parliament, the day after the European Union had decided to extend a series of targeted Motorcycle riders are the highest contributors to road fatality sanctions to more members and associates of his government, being responsible for 63 percent of the accidents happened in رئیــس اداره تصادفــات پلیــس راهــور تهــران بــزرگ گفــت: در ده ماهه نخســت including a travel ban on his wife Grace. However, he did not the Iranian capital in the first 10 months of the current [Iranian make any detailed mention of this in his speech. ســال 97 راکبــان موتورســیکلت در تهــران در ۶۳ درصــد تصادفــات بــه عنــوان Also missing were comments on widespread international calendar] year (starting on March 21, 2018), head of accidents مقصــر حادثــه شــناخته شــده اند. .criticism of his government’s policy towards independent journalists, department of Tehran Traffic Police has said and attempts to begin a dialogue with the opposition. In بــه گــزارش روز ســه شــنبه خبرگــزاری تســنیم؛ ســرهنگ احســان مؤمنــی fact, members of parliament from the Movement for Democratic Unfortunately, motorcycle users represent over 38 percent of the Change refused to attend his speech, saying that in the wake of total traffic fatalities happened in the aforementioned period, در تشــریح تصادفــات منجــر بــه فــوت شــهر تهــران گفــت: 38 درصــد کل the disputed presidential election in March this year in which Tasnim quoted Ehsan Momeni as saying on Tuesday. متوفیــان حــوادث رانندگــی مربــوط بــه موتورســیکلت ســواران بــوده اســت. President Mugabe was declared the winner, they did not regard him as the legitimate president. As per the figures revealed by forensics, young motorcyclists aged وی اظهــار کــرد: بــا توجــه بــه آمــار پزشــکی قانونــی 33 درصــد راکبــان Words 18-28 years constituted 33 percent of the fatal crashes resulted in lambasted: criticized very strongly موتورســیکلت فوتــی 18 تــا 28 ســال ســن داشــت هاند و در 63 درصــد تصادفات bullying tactics: the strong threatening the weak their deaths, while being blamed for over 63 percent of the total targeted sanctions: punishments that are very specific to people accidents, he lamented. بــه عنــوان مقصــر حادثــه شــناخته شــده اند. or places a travel ban: stopping someone from travelling detailed mention: if you make a detailed mention of something, then you talk clearly and in depth about it widespread international criticism: negative opinion from PREFIX/SUFFIX PHRASAL VERB IDIOM many foreign countries “galacto-, gala-, galact-” Have (got) something against Bucket list a dialogue with the opposition: talking with politicians from other political parties Meaning: milk somebody/something Explanation: a list of things a person would like to in the wake of: following, after For example: The Milky Way is the *galaxy* which do or achieve before a certain age or before dying disputed: if an election result is disputed, then there is disagreement is the home of our Solar System. Meaning: to dislike or be opposed to someone or For example: I have never visited the pyramids of as to whether the result is valid something for a particular reason: Egypt but they’re on my bucket list. legitimate: legal, acceptable in law For example: I can’t see what you’ve got against the idea. (Source: BBC) I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y DECEMBER 17, 2019 WORLD IN FOCUS 13
Assad says U.S. selling stolen Iraq Abdul-Mahdi warns U.S. about weakening of the Iraqi Syrian oil to Turkey government President Bashar al-Assad has ruled out for us in Syria. Striking the terrorists a future U.S. military presence in Syria, weakens the American presence one 1 However, the U.S. military official said intelligence warning of a popular resistance against way or another.” and forensic analyses of the rockets and launchers pointed to American troops. He added that the Syrian groups acting Iranian-backed Shi’ite Muslim militia groups. Speaking in an interview with the Chinese under the American command must be Esper “expressed his concerns over the shelling of some in- television channel Phoenix, Assad counted persuaded that “it is in all our interests in stallations and the necessity to take procedures to stop it,” a out the possibility that the American policy Syria that they embrace the homeland and statement from Abdul Mahdi’s office quoted the Pentagon chief towards Syria would change if President join the Syrian state’s efforts to liberate all as saying during a phone call. Donald Trump is not re-elected in the 2020 its territories,” in an apparent reference Abdul Mahdi warned Esper that unilateral action could have presidential election. to Kurdish militants. negative consequences that will be difficult to control and might “The American political system is not “At that point, it’s only natural that jeopardize Iraq’s sovereignty. a state system in the sense that we under- there will be no prospect for an American Previously Abdul-Mahdi has condemned a recent decision by stand. It is a system comprised of lobbies,” presence.” the United States to slap sanctions on leaders of the pro-govern- Assaid said. He warned the U.S. of a popular re- ment Popular Mobilization Forces (PMU) or Hashd al-Sha’abi. “All the presidents we have dealt with in sistance if its troops remained, stressing In a statement released by Iraq’s Shafaq News on Sunday, Syria, from Nixon in 1974 – when relations that “ultimately, the Americans will leave.” he said those targeted by the fresh American sanctions were the with America were restored, up to Trump ’Reconstruction of Syria has ones involved in operations against the Daesh terrorist group. “We reject and denounce the inclusion of Iraqi leaders and today are controlled by these lobbies,” he started’ figures known for their record and political role in combating added Elsewhere in his remarks, Assad noted Daesh on the list of sanctions and bans by the countries with Assad said no matter how much good that the reconstruction of Syria has already which we have relations and agreements,” he said. will any U.S. president has, he cannot act started. “We need more investments from On December 6, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo an- outside the policies of these lobbies. within and outside the country in order to nounced sanctions on Qais al-Khazali and his brother Laith, “Therefore, betting on the change of that they are in a state of war. When they say “The Turkish regime plays a direct part scale it up.” two leaders of the Asaib Ahl al-Haq, as well as Hussein Falil Aziz presidents is misplaced and unrealistic and hundreds they are addressing the people in selling the oil, previously with al-Nusra, “Reconstruction starts immediately after al-Lami of Kata’ib Hezbollah. I don’t think that this American policy will who oppose the war by saying that they later with ISIS [Daesh] and today with the the liberation of any area, whether it is big (Source: agencies) change in the next few years.” are only ‘a few hundred’. Americans.” or small, a village or a city,” Assad said. The Syrian government says the U.S., “In actual fact, both figures are incorrect Trump said in October that U.S. troops But he noted that the embargo imposed the Israeli regime and their Western and for a simple reason; even if these figures would remain in Syria to “secure” the oil- by Western countries on Syria is slowing regional allies are aiding Takfiri terror- were correct, they are based on the number fields there. Damascus as well as regional down the process. ist groups that are wreaking havoc in the of American soldiers and not the number movers and shakers voiced their strong Asked about China’s “One Belt, One Protests stand in Hudaydah country since March 2011. of individuals fighting with the American opposition to Trump’s decision to seize Road” initiative, the Syrian president said to condemn the continued Answering a question on the number of army,” he said Syrian oil fields. the plan “constitutes a worldwide trans- the remaining American troops on Syrian President Assad said the U.S. relies Trump’s decision came after he ini- formation, a transformation in the nature violations of aggression territories now, Assad said the announced significantly in its wars on private mili- tially ordered the withdrawal of all U.S. of international relations.” figures are “incorrect” as they do not take tary companies like Blackwater in Iraq troops from northeastern Syria, clearing The initiative, he said, relies on part- 1 Speaking to the press, senior Ansarullah official at the into account the number of civilians working and others, adding the real number “is the path for a Turkish incursion into nership and common interests instead of Supreme Political Council, Mohammed Ali al-Houthi said Riyadh for private military companies, which are certainly in the thousands”. the region. attempts of domination adopted by the has not taken any positive step towards resolving the Yemen fighting with the U.S. army. Referring to U.S. claims that its troops Answering a question on how the West, particularly the U.S. conflict and bringing peace to the war-torn country. “The funny thing in American politics are in northeastern Syria to “protect” the oil Syrian government is going to face the Damascus has “started this year a seri- He also blamed Saudi Arabia for the delay in the full imple- is that they announce the number between fields there, Assad said America is “stealing American presence in the oil fields east ous dialogue with the Chinese government mentation of the 2018 Stockholm Agreement which was brokered thousands and hundreds. When they say oil and selling it to Turkey”, accusing An- of the Euphrates, Assad said, “First, the on how Syria can become part of the Silk by the United Nations. thousands: it is to make the pro-war lobby kara of being Washington’s “accomplice” Americans rely on terrorists. The terror- Road,” Assad said. The Stockholm Agreement was reached last December follow- – particularly the arms companies, happy in selling the oil. ists must be attacked, this is a priority (Source: Press TV) ing a round of peace negotiations between Ansarullah delegates and Riyadh-sponsored loyalists to ex-president, Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi. The document set out three undertakings: a ceasefire along Turkey could shut down Incirlik Air Base used by U.S. if necessary: Erdogan the Hudaydah front and the redeployment of armed forces out of Ankara retains the option of shutting down the Incirlik targeted Kurdish militias allied with the U.S. Back then, the city and its port; an agreement on prisoner exchange; and a Air Base used by U.S./NATO forces, in retaliation to any Ankara was slapped with sanctions, but those were statement of understanding on the southern Yemeni city of Taiz. additional sanctions against Turkey, President Recep later rolled back when Trump decided that the crisis Yemeni forces have repeatedly accused Saudi Arabia of vio- Tayyip Erdogan has said. was resolved. lating the UN-backed agreement. They say such infringements As well the air base, which is located in Adana, the U.S. Senators on Wednesday backed a bill that would have led to the death and injury of hundreds of civilians. Kurecik Radar Station in the Malatya province may also enable the sanctioning of Turkey over its purchase of the In September, the Ansarullah movement said it stopped re- be closed, Erdogan said. The Kurecik base houses an ear- Russian-made S-400 air defense system, and over its mil- taliatory attacks against Saudi Arabia and withdrew forces from ly-warning radar installed by the U.S. Army, which plays a itary operation against Kurds in northern Syria. Ankara’s three strategic ports in Hudaydah as agreed under the Stockholm strategic role in NATO’s ballistic missile defense network. acquisition of the S-400 system has been a bone of con- agreement. “We will close down Incirlik if necessary,” Erdogan tention between the two NATO allies, in which Ankara Yemenis say they expected the Stockholm Agreement to lead told A Haber TV. has steadfastly refused to abandon the deal. to peace and the opening of humanitarian corridors. One year Erdogan made the threat, which had earlier been sug- Erdogan’s singling out of Incirlik is not the first on, civilians are still dying in Yemen due to the Saudi airstrikes gested by FM Mevlut Cavusoglu, while talking to the A time the NATO facility has been in the news in Turkey. and its blockade. Haber channel about the Armenian Genocide resolution Following the failed coup against Erdogan in July 2016, passed by the U.S. Senate. It formally recognizes as gen- local media reported that thousands of armed police in troops stationed at Incirlik to Jordan, after Turkish au- ocide the mass murder of some 1.5 million Armenians in armored vehicles surrounded the base, amid rumors of thorities refused to allow members of the Bundestaf to the early 20th century by the Ottoman Empire. a fresh coup attempt. The authorities later explained visit the base. Turkey blocked access to the Germans after Qatar FM: ‘Too early to talk While the resolution was actually opposed by U.S. the massive response by a routine security check ahead Berlin granted asylum to a number of Turkish nationals about real progress with President Donald Trump because it came amid a notable of a high-level U.S. military visit. In the wake of the it claims took part in the 2016 coup. low-point in American-Turkish relations, Trump himself coup, however, several top military officials at Incir- The base is one of six storage sites for American nuclear Saudi’ has not shied away from threatening Ankara with sanc- lik were arrested on treason charges, after authorities warheads in Europe, with an estimated 90 nukes stationed tions – even with the use of force. claimed an F-16 fighter jet taking part in the rebellion there. It was also used heavily by coalition forces in the Qatar’s foreign minister has said it was premature to talk about This war of words was triggered particularly by Tur- had refuelled there. U.S.-led bombing campaign in Syria and Iraq. real progress with Saudi Arabia over the blockade but opening key’s October military operation in northern Syria, which A year later, Germany’s parliament voted to move its (Source: RT) channels of communication between Doha and Riyadh was a step forward. In blow to Macron, France pensions reform chief resigns The French commissioner overseeing French President Emmanuel Macron’s during Monday’s morning rush hour, nearly the government must abandon planned controversial pension system reforms office said Delevoye would be replaced “as double the average levels, as most metro pension reforms that they say could that have resulted in a crippling transport soon as possible”. lines were again closed or operating just force millions of people to work longer strike resigned on Monday after failing In a statement to AFP news agency, a handful of trains. before retiring. to disclose a high-paying private-sector Delevoye said his credibility had been un- Across France, just one in three high- Mass walkouts are again expected by job while he was in government, the pres- dermined by “violent attacks” by unions speed TGV trains and one in four regional teachers, hospital workers and other public idency said. and opposition leaders seeking to discredit trains were running, though most cities employees as well as by lawyers protesting Jean-Paul Delevoye’s resignation came a pensions overhaul he said “is essential were not enduring the chaos seen in the against plans to introduce a single pension as French commuters endured a twelfth day for France”. capital. system that would do away with 42 sep- of misery on Monday as the government Some 630 kilometers (390 miles) of Unions plan a fresh day of mass arate regimes. and unions traded blame for the strike. traffic jams clogged Paris and its suburbs demonstrations on Tuesday and insist (Source: Reuters)
In an interview with Al Jazeera, Sheikh Mohammed bin Ab- Johnson’s Brexit bill to be put before MPs on Friday dulrahman Al Thani said it will take time to rebuild trust between The laws needed to enact Britain’s exit from the European Brexit done” as soon as possible and boost funding for withdrawal bill because it needs the agreement of the Qatar and its Gulf neighbors after the two-and-a-half-year air, Union will be put before Parliament on Friday, Prime the NHS, the state health service. House of Commons’ new Speaker. sea, and land blockade was imposed. Minister Boris Johnson’s spokesman said on Monday. Many of the new MPs come from parts of the country that The prime minister has proclaimed he will lead a “We are still at a very early stage,” he said. “There is some pro- “We plan to start the process before Christmas and were once the strongholds of the opposition Labor Party. “people’s government” and “repay the public’s trust by gress ... because we have [broken] the stalemate with the Saudis.” will do so in the proper constitutional way in discussion Observers have said the Conservatives’ commitment to getting Brexit done”. In June 2017, Saudi Arabia along with the United Arab Emir- with the speaker,” Johnson’s official spokesman told a Brexit led to their thumping victory, as pro-leave Britons Johnson is keen to hold on to voters who supported ates (UAE), Bahrain and Egypt severed diplomatic and trade ties Westminster briefing. Asked if the legislation would be grew frustrated with Labor’s pledge for a second referen- the Conservatives, many for the first time, and is likely with Qatar, accusing it of supporting “terrorism”. identical to that introduced in the last Parliament, the dum that would have included an option to remain in the to retool his government next year to deliver his election Doha has denied the allegations and accused its neighbors of PM’s spokesman said: “You will have to wait for it to be EU had they won the election. promises. For now, the prime minister is expected to seeking to curtail its sovereignty. published but it will reflect the agreement that we made Johnson must now ensure his withdrawal agreement appoint three new ministers to fill vacant positions and Sheikh Mohammed said the terrorism accusation has been with the EU on our withdrawal.” bill is passed in time for the UK to complete its historic keep any changes to a minimum before Britain leaves the proved to have “no basis at all” by the international community. He added that the government was confident it could departure from the EU by the current deadline of January 31. EU on January 31. The blockading nations have demanded that Qatar cease secure a long-term free trade agreement with the bloc. With such a large majority - the Conservatives made a Labor suffered its worst result since 1935 on December interactions with their rival Iran, shut down Al Jazeera Media Meanwhile, 109 new Conservative MPs headed to Par- net gain of 47 seats - he is expected to get the bill through 12, losing 59 seats. The opposition party is expected to Network, and close a Turkish military base. liament on Monday to be welcomed by Johnson, who has Parliament by that date. appoint a new leader by early next year. The foreign minister said Qatar will not offer any concessions promised to honor his election-winning pledges to “get It is not yet clear whether there will be a vote on the (Source: al Jazeera) that will “affect our sovereignty and interfere with our domestic or foreign policy”. “From our perspective, we want to understand the grievances Aoun postpones parliamentary consultations for more discussion on gov. formation and we want to study and assess them, and look for the solutions that can safeguard us in the future from any other potential crisis,” said Lebanon President Michel Aoun has post- widely expected to be designated during the Oct. 29 amid nationwide anti-government were pledged to Lebanon last year at the Sheikh Mohammed.In recent weeks, there have been signs pointing poned the parliamentary consultations for binding parliamentary consultations, which protests. Along with his Cabinet, he now CEDRE conference, but the government’s to a possible thaw in relations between Saudi Arabia and Qatar. a second time, a statement from his office were scheduled for Monday at Baabda Palace. acts in a caretaker capacity. failure to enact the necessary reforms has Last month, the Wall Street Journal reported that Sheikh said Monday. “President Aoun responded Hariri has insisted on forming a gov- The international community has called for led to a delay in the aid being delivered. Mohammed met senior Saudi officials in October in a bid to to the wish of [caretaker] Prime Minister ernment of independent experts, while the Lebanon to form a new, effective government UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon Jan end the rift. Saad Hariri to postpone parliamentary Free Patriotic Movement, Hezbollah and as quickly as possible to avoid a total economic Kubis tweeted Sunday calling on Lebanese In November, the three Persian Gulf blockading countries took consultations until Thursday, Dec. 19 for Amal Movement have been pushing for a and financial collapse, quell popular anger politicians to “act responsibly” and “help part in a regional football tournament in Qatar, reversing at the additional discussion of government for- political-technocratic government. and enact a series of key reforms. steer a peaceful way forward.” last minute an earlier decision to not participate. mation,” the statement read. Hariri was Hariri resigned as prime minister on Over $11 billion in soft loans and grants (Source: Daily Star) (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 17, 2019
Floundering PSV dismiss Van Bommel over poor results Backdrop of protest awaits
PSV Eindhoven axed former Dutch international Mark van Bommel as manager Monday following a string of disappointing results which came to a head after a 3-1 loss against arch-rivals Feyenoord. rescheduled El Clasico The move comes after the southern Dutch club won just two of their last 12 games and with PSV 10 points adrift of Ajax and Two months after Spain’s biggest soccer said the club, which had condemned the AZ Alkmaar in the Eredivisie title race. match was postponed due to political unrest, jailing of separatist leaders, will make no “PSV’s board decided this morning to end its cooperation Barcelona host Real Madrid on Wednesday effort to quell dissenting voices but added with chief coach Mark van Bommel,” the club said in a statement. in a La Liga fixture that could have a huge he was certain the game would go ahead “The decision is based on the continual series of negative impact on the title race and will take place without major incident. results,” the club said, with general manager Toon Gerbrands amid fresh protests. “Whoever wants to protest peacefully adding “it’s a large decline and unworthy of PSV.” Champions Barca lead the standings after can do so, the Camp Nou is a space for free- Van Bommel, one of the stars of the Dutch team that ended 16 games but are locked on 35 points with dom of expression,” he told reporters on as runners-up in the 2010 World Cup, was in his second season second-placed Real ahead of the eagerly Thursday. “The game will not be postponed as manager of PSV. anticipated match at the Camp Nou, known again, it’s everyone’s responsibility to ensure Last season PSV finished second in the Eredivisie, trailing as “El Clasico”. it goes ahead.” three points behind Amsterdam powerhouse Ajax. The Catalan city is far calmer than in Former Real and Barca striker Alfonso Van Bommel was still upbeat after Sunday’s loss in Rotterdam, the aftermath of long jail sentencing to Perez added: “There is a big security issue saying “even though I have to fight the whole world I won’t give up.” nine separatist leaders in October which but it doesn’t change the fact it’s a huge “I’ve seen one of PSV’s best matches of the season. It’s only unleashed waves of sometimes violent pro- match that millions will watch. It has to the result that’s been bad,” the 42-year-old former Barcelona tests and saw the Oct. 26 game called off at be played by any means possible, for the and Bayern Munich midfielder said. the request of the league’s organizing body good of everyone.” Van Bommel’s team however was knocked out in the Europa over security concerns. Real goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, League group phase after being eliminated from the Champions But secretive Catalan protest group meanwhile, was not concerned about his League in the preliminary qualifying rounds in July. Democratic Tsunami has called supporters side’s safety. The club’s management finally drew the line on Monday. of the northeastern region’s independence “We’re only focusing on football,” the “PSV is a club where we try to help and support each other. to gather in several areas surrounding the Belgian said after Sunday’s 1-1 draw at Va- That’s been the case in the last few months,” Gerbrands said. stadium four hours ahead of the game’s lencia. “We’re not worried about security, (Source: France 24) kickoff. Wednesday’s protests. Authorities have assembled a we wouldn’t be travelling to the match if The group, which organized mass pro- It said it does not wish to blockade or 3,000-strong force of public and private it wasn’t safe.” tests at Barcelona’s airport in October and suspend the match, though, stressing that security officers to guarantee the match will Democratic Tsunami also said it has given Arsenal and Arteta meet to blocked a major highway, said on its social the protests are part of its effort to call for not be disrupted, but declined to say how instructions to supporters inside the stadium media accounts that more than 25,000 peo- dialogue between Spanish and Catalan au- that compared to other “El Clasico” games. for yet unspecified actions. discuss managerial vacancy ple have confirmed they would take part in thorities on the region’s independence drive. Barca president Josep Maria Bartomeu (Source: Reuters) Arsenal have held a meeting with Manchester City coach Mikel Arteta to discuss their managerial vacancy. Gunners chief executive Vinai Venkatesham is thought to have Real Madrid to face Man City, Liverpool meet Spanish match abandoned over fans’ met the Spaniard in the north-west of England after both flew north following City’s 3-0 win at Emirates Stadium on Sunday. Atletico in Champions League last 16 clash ‘Nazi’ taunts toward player It is not known whether Arteta, 37, has been offered the chance to succeed Unai Emery, who was sacked in November. City boss Pep Guardiola says he would not stop Arteta if he decided to leave. After Arsenal’s latest defeat, interim manager Freddie Ljun- gberg - who has won once in five games since being appointed on 29 November - called for some clarity on the situation. The Gunners are ninth in the Premier League, seven points behind fourth-placed Chelsea, after five victories in 17 matches this season. Former midfielder Arteta, who made 149 appearances for Arsenal between 2011 and 2016, was linked with replacing Arsene Wenger at the Emirates in 2018 before the club appointed Emery. He joined the City coaching staff in July 2016 after retiring as a player. (Source: BBC) Ljungberg begs Arsenal to hire permanent boss Holders Liverpool will return to the scene impressed in the group stage and will be A Spanish second division soccer match At his first and only training session Arsenal’s interim head coach Freddie Ljungberg said the club of last season’s Champions League triumph trying to avoid a fourth successive last- between Rayo Vallecano and Albacete with the club, Zozulya was given an angry needed to hurry up and appoint a new permanent manager after after they were drawn against Atletico Ma- 16 exit, will take on Borussia Dortmund. was abandoned at halftime on Sunday reception by Rayo fans, who accused him a crushing 3-0 home loss to Manchester City on Sunday, regard- drid in the last 16 of the competition on Barcelona will play Napoli for the first after Albacete forward Roman Zozulya of belonging to the far-right movement less of who that hire might be. Monday. time as the Catalan giants, five-time Euro- was subjected to offensive chanting from in his home country. The London side managed just one shot on target in the first Jurgen Klopp’s side will travel to the pean champions, attempt to move on from the home supporters, who accused him Zozulya, who has denied ever belonging half and none at all in the second, as they suffered a third con- Wanda Metropolitano, where Liverpool last season’s painful semi-loss to Liverpool. of being a Nazi. to far-right groups, immediately returned secutive home defeat in all competitions. lifted the trophy in June, for the first leg Italian champions Juventus and Cris- A statement from the league’s to parent-club Real Betis before signing As well as calling for a swift resolution to the managerial of their tie against three-time runners-up tiano Ronaldo will fancy their chances of organising body said it agreed with referee for Albacete as a free agent in 2017. situation, Ljungberg flagged up how he is operating with a skel- Atletico. overcoming French side Lyon, who lost Jose Antonio Lopez Toca’s decision to “With the support of Rayo Vallecano, eton staff behind the scenes, with Per Mertesacker acting as his “The task is going to be difficult because captain Memphis Depay to a season-ending abandon the match, which it said was Albacete and La Liga, the referee has assistant as well running the club’s academy. we have an opponent that are the reigning injury Sunday. taken at the request of both teams, due to suspended the game in Vallecas,” Albacete “It’s a great honor to do this, but Per is doing two jobs,” Ljun- champions,” said Atletico director Clem- Tottenham Hotspur, beaten 2-0 by “grave insults and threats” made towards said in a short statement. gberg told reporters after the match. ente Villaverde. Liverpool in last season’s final in Spain, Zozulya. “This decision was taken with one “I’ve said it [the managerial situation] needs to be cleared up, “They are the champions, they have will lock horns with Bundesliga leaders It is the first time in the history of objective, which is to safeguard the values and it would be good to make a decision regardless of what it is.” all the assets to be called the best team in RB Leipzig, who are through to the Spanish football that a match has been of our competition and the sport which Arsenal have been without a permanent first-team boss since Europe. We will have to use all our hard knockout stage for the first time. Spurs abandoned due to offensive chanting. we all love.” they sacked Unai Emery at the end of November. work and our experience. We know they can count on the experience of new coach The game was goalless at halftime, Rayo president Raul Martin Presa The club sit ninth in the league on 22 points, seven points are not going to make it easy.” Jose Mourinho -- a two-time winner of while Albacete midfielder Eddy Silvestre condemned the chants towards Zozulya. adrift of the top four and showing little sign of improvement Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City, who the competition, with Porto in 2004 and had been sent off in the 45th minute. “ We want to categorically condemn the since Ljungberg took over. are trying to win a first Champions League Inter Milan in 2010. According to Spanish radio station insults that a section of the fans directed They have managed only one win in five matches under the crown, will meet record 13-time European Champions League debutants Atalanta Cadena Ser, Rayo fans sang “Zozulya you towards an opposition player,” he said. Swede, who blamed Sunday’s drubbing partly on the skills gap champions Real Madrid for a place in the continue their adventure against two-time are a Nazi” and used offensive language “ I spoke to Zozulya and gave him a between his side and that of the visitors. quarter-finals. former finalists Valencia, who knocked out towards the Ukrainian striker, 30, who hug because he is a human being and he “We all have to look in the mirror. They are better than us, Chelsea face German giants Bayern Ajax in midweek to finish top of their group. had a short-lived spell on loan at the deserves respect.” that’s just a fact,” he said. Munich, while Paris Saint-Germain, who (Source: Mirror) Madrid side in February 2017. (Source: Guardian) He also suggested Arsenal needed to be tougher on the pitch, noting the number of yellow cards City racked up in shutting down his side’s attempted counter-attacks. (Source: Soccernet) China says Arsenal’s Ozil ‘deceived by fake news’ China accused Mesut Ozil Monday of being attacks in Xinjiang, in China’s far west. Hamilton still finds “deceived by fake news” and said he should “Korans are being burnt... Mosques are visit Xinjiang to see for himself after the Ar- being shut down... Muslim schools are be- Schumacher comparisons senal footballer decried the treatment of the ing banned... Religious scholars are being ‘surreal’ region’s Uighur minority. killed one by one... Brothers are forcefully Ozil, a German national of Turkish origin, being sent to camps,” Ozil tweeted in Turkish. Lewis Hamilton still finds it bizarre to have his name linked with condemned China’s crackdown on Muslim “The Muslims are silent. Their voice is not F1’s all-time statistical leader, Michael Schumacher, ahead of minorities in the western region in a tweet heard,” he wrote on a background of a blue what could be a record-setting 2020. Friday and criticised Muslim countries for field with a white crescent moon -- the flag Hamilton claimed the world title this year, his fifth in six years failing to speak up about the alleged abuses. of ‘East Turkestan’, the term many Uighur and sixth overall, moving him to within one of Schumacher’s Arsenal have distanced themselves from separatists use for Xinjiang. all-time mark. Hamilton can also surpass Schumacher’s record his comments, but the English Premier League Arsenal were swift to post on Weibo, Chi- of 91 grand prix victories next season - he finished 2020 on 84. club’s 3-0 home defeat to Manchester City na’s leading social media platform, that the The British driver is humbled by comparisons to one of the on Sunday was pulled from Chinese TV by comments were “Ozil’s personal opinion”, sport’s all-time greats. state broadcaster CCTV. adding that the club had a policy of “not “You know, honestly, I never look at records, I don’t really The furore, which has potentially damaging involving itself in politics”. know why” Hamilton said at the BBC’s UK Sports Personality repercussions for Arsenal and the Premier But some Weibo users expressed delight of the Year awards, where he placed second behind England League in the lucrative Chinese market, fol- at the team’s heavy defeat to City, which left cricketer Ben Stokes. “I just remember growing up in Stevenage lows the opprobrium heaped on the NBA the London club ninth in the Premier League. and watching Michael Schumacher win world championships, in October after Houston Rockets general Leading streaming service PPTV also so it’s very, very surreal still to this day to have my name brought manager Daryl Morey tweeted his support and upholds the principles of objectivity and condemnation for setting up a vast network appeared to have cancelled its screening of up in the same sentence as his. for Hong Kong pro-democracy protesters. fairness, he will see a different Xinjiang.” of camps in Xinjiang, which critics say are the match in China. “That’s a real honor and something my family are very, very “I don’t know if Mr. Ozil has been to Earlier, a Global Times editorial slammed aimed at homogenising the Uighur popula- “I’m an Arsenal fan and today I cheered proud of. I am inspired by so many people who are here in the Xinjiang himself. But it seems he has been what it called a “clownish performance” from tion to reflect China’s majority Han culture. for City’s victory,” posted one user. UK, here in the audience, so many of the sportsmen and women deceived by fake news, and that his judgment Ozil, 31, describing him as “confused” and Rights groups and experts say more than “Manchester City is a good friend of the who are doing great, great things. was influenced by untruthful remarks,” for- “reckless” and saying he had abused his posi- one million Uighurs and people of other mostly Chinese people,” added another. “And if there is one young kid who sees what I do - or even eign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said. tion as a public figure. Muslim ethnic minorities have been sent to Ozil played only an hour of the City defeat adult - and it helps them get across the line, that would make “If Mr. Ozil has the opportunity, we will “Ozil’s move has ruined his image among the camps in the tightly controlled region. before being substituted. me really happy.” be pleased to see him going to Xinjiang and Chinese fans and will have serious implications China calls the facilities “vocational edu- His slow walk to the touchline before Hamilton already holds one significant F1 record, with more having a look,” Geng said. for Arsenal,” warned the state newspaper. cation centres” where “trainees” learn job booting away his gloves in frustration drew pole positions (88) to his name than any other driver. “As long as he has common sense, can make International condemnation skills and Mandarin in order to steer them the wrath of some disgruntled Arsenal fans. (Source: ESPN) a clear distinction between right and wrong, China has faced growing international away from extremism after a spate of deadly (Source: AFP) I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y DECEMBER 17, 2019 SPORTS 15
Maryam Toosi’s Olympic dream Iran sixth at Futsal World Ranking faces the U.S. immigration hurdle SPORTS TEHRAN — The Iranian national futsal team deskstay at the sixth place in the latest Futsal World With Tokyo 2020 looming, Iranian sprinter Mar- of winning a gold medal or even qualifying for the Asian Games, Ranking released on Monday. yam Toosi has been desperately trying to come everyone made fun of me — the federation, all the other athletes,” Brazil and Spain are first and second with 1839 and 1785 to the U.S. to pursue her Olympic Games dream, she explained. points, respectively. but is still trying to overcome one seemingly “They asked, ‘how are you going to even qualify with the hijab, or the Russia sit third with 1654 points. insurmountable hurdle — President Donald training you do?’ Even with the lack of training, I was still able to set Argentina and Portugal are fourth and fifth with 1645 and Trump’s travel ban. those records and win that medal, and I’m here in Cyprus to prove I can 1644 points, respectively and Iran remain in sixth place with The 31-year-old, who shot to fame by winning do it at the Olympics too.” 1603 points. gold in the 400 meters at the 2012 Asian Indoor The Iranian record holder at 100m, 200m and 400m, Toosi has suffered Iran still are the best Asian team in the ranking. Championships while wearing a hijab headscarf, the agony of missing out on Olympic qualification twice before, in part Team Melli prepare for the 2020 AFC Futsal Championship, has been waiting in legal limbo for three due to technical errors made by race officials. where the Persian have been drawn along with South Korea, years after applying for an American After those disappointments, she applied for a visa so she could train Saudi Arabia and Thailand in Group D. visa to train and compete. in the U.S., but despite having her interview in August 2016, she has still Toosi wants to come to the U.S. not received a decision. to take advantage of the superior “The problem is that Maryam is stuck in administrative processing facilities, better coaching and a due to President Trump’s Presidential Proclamation 9645 — that is, the Branko among nominees to culture that celebrates track travel ban,” Parviz Malakouti, Toosi’s lawyer, told Reuters. and field because she knows That proclamation, the third in a series of travel bans implemented coach Iran: Mehdi Taj Tokyo could be her last shot in 2017, seriously restricts citizens of several, mostly Muslim-majority at competing at an Olym- nations to get U.S. visas. TASNIM — Football Federation Islamic Republic of Iran (FFIRI) pics. The U.S. State Department did not respond to a request for comment President Mehdi Taj says that Branko Ivankovic is a candidate And since falling in on Toosi’s case. to take charge of Iran. love and getting engaged Toosi believes that given the chance to train and prepare in the same Marc Wilmots left his role in early December as coach of the to Iranian-born U.S. cit- manner as athletes like six-time Olympic champion Allyson Felix, she Iran national team, just seven months after replacing Carlos izen Moein Mohsen, a can qualify for Tokyo. Queiroz at the helm of the three-time Asian champion. DJ in Los Angeles, she “When I met Allyson, I looked at her and I cried, because I realized that has been even more the difference between us was not talent. It was the training, the ability determined to make to prepare,” she explained. the move. COMPETING IN A HIJAB “Getting the Though she says her distinctive hijab is something of a hindrance on visa would mean the track, she takes her position as a role model for Muslim women and everything. girls very seriously. Everything,” she “All the clothes that the other girls wear weigh about as much as my told Reuters in headscarf on its own. I have to wrap it tightly around me, but in another a telephone in- way, I don’t see it as a limitation. I am proud of my religion. terview from her “When I first started competing, and all of a sudden a woman in a current training hijab was being seen next to Swedish girls or girls in regular track outfits, camp in Cyprus. everybody was really shocked when they saw me,” she says. “Moein travels “But after I started competing and breaking records, I started to see here every other more and more females in hijabs.” month, spending thousands As Toosi continues to train in Iran and Cyprus, Malakouti is exploring Under stewardship of the Belgian coach, Iran sit third be- of dollars to come see me ... If he didn’t all legal avenues to get her a visa while fiance Mohsen keeps rooting for her. hind Iraq and Bahrain in Group C of the Qatar 2022 World Cup push me, I probably wouldn’t be in Cy- “I love Maryam, and I’m sad she hasn’t been able to reach anywhere Asian qualifiers. prus right now training. I would have close to her potential as a talented runner because of being stuck in Iran,” “We’re negotiating with Branko Ivankovic but we are also given up this dream.” Mohsen said. negotiating with the other candidates at the same time. We are Toosi’s career has been one long battle “I pray that Immigration gives her a travel ban waiver so she can come in no hurry to appoint the new head coach since Team Melli will to prove that the people who say her dreams to the United States to live the American dream as an athlete and we can resume its matches from late March,” Taj said. are impossible have got it wrong. start our life together.” Ivankovic has an excellent track record as a coach in Iran, since “When I first started chasing the dream (Source: Reuters) he helped Iran U-23 football team win the 2002 Asian Games. He also led Team Melli to a third place in the 2004 AFC Asian Cup in China and also booked a place in the 2006 FIFA World Iranian female karate athlete Chalaki left Iran beaten by Montenegro at FINA Cup with Team Melli. The 65-year-old Croat also won three consecutive titles in blind in one eye World Junior Water Polo Iran Professional League with Persepolis.
Wrestlers to compete at Matteo Pellicone Memorial
IRNA — Iran will send eight wrestlers to the Sassari City Matteo Pellicone Memorial in Italy. The competition is the first United World Wrestling “Ranking Series” event of the season. Behnam Hosseinpour (61kg), Yunes Emami (70kg), Alireza Karimi (92kg) and Amir Hossein Zare (125kg) will represent Iran in the freestyle discipline. Alireza Nejati (60kg), Mohammad Ali Geraei (77kg), Saeid Abdevali (82kg) and Amir Ghasem Monjazi (130kg) will par- ticipate in the Greco-Roman discipline. The Sassari City Matteo Pellicone Memorial will be held in Rome, Italy from January 15 to 18.
SPORTS TEHRAN — Iran She won a bronze medal at the Fe- SPORTS TEHRAN — Italy lost Group A consists of Serbia, Japan, South desknational karate mem- male Kumite 61 kg in the 2014 Asian deskto Montenegro 17-4 at Africa, Croatia and China. English basketballer Ryan ber Fatemeh Chalaki was forced to Games in Incheon, South Korea. the FINA World Men’s Junior Water Polo Russia, Canada, Canada, Spain, Hungary retire from the sport after she lost Chalaki also won a gold medal in Championships 2019 on Monday. and Egypt in Group B. Richards to join Shahrdari Gorgan vision in her right eye. the Female Kumite -55 kg in the 2017 The Persians started the competition with a And Brazil, Uzbekistan, Greece, Australia Chalaki was involved in a car acci- Karate1 Premier League – Dubai. 15-7 win over Kuwait but suffered two successive and New Zealand are in Group D. TASNIM — Iranian basketball club Shahrdari Gorgan are going dent six months ago and underwent She will continue her profession as losses against the U.S. (27-4) and Italy (16-4). The FINA World Men’s Junior Water to sign English basketball player Ryan Richards. eye surgery twice but left blind in Azad University coach in Iran karate Iran will play Egypt on Tuesday in the Polo Championships 2019 is being held Shahrdari Gorgan, headed by Mehran Shahintab, are the one eye. league. competition’s classification. in Kuwait from Dec. 12 to 20. favorites to win Iran Super League this season. Richards, who has most recently played at British club Surrey Scorchers, was a member of Shahrdari Gorgan in 2015-16 season. Iranian female gymnasts allowed to wear hijab in international events The 2.11 power forward has also played in Iranian teams Azad SPORTS TEHRAN — President of the Iran’s “I hope the international federation changes the University and Sanat Naft Abadan. deskGymnastic Federation Zahra Inche rules for the other disciplines,” she added. American Parish Perry Petty also plays in Shahrdari Gorgan. Dargahi says that the International Gymnastics Fed- In June 2011, the Iranian women’s soccer team eration (FIG) has allowed the Muslim gymnasts to was disqualified from a pre-Olympic trial match in compete at the international events with hijab. Jordan because of the type of head covering players According to her, FIG has modified the rules for were wearing. Oman part ways with Koeman athletic attire to allow them to take part at the com- But FIFA modified its rule and now the Iranian female petitions with Islamic dress code. footballers can participate in the Asian championships Oman Football Association (OFA) has terminated the contract “I talked to vice-president of the International Gym- and have achieved so much success in the recent years. of Erwin Koeman as head coach following the performance of nastics Federation, Nellie Kim, and convinced her to Iranian sportswomen have shown great potential in the national team at the recent 2019 Persian Gulf Cup. allow our female athletes to wear hijab in acrobatic football, futsal, volleyball, 3x3 basketball, taekwondo Oman, the defending champions, did not advance past the group division,” Inche Dargahi said. and Paralympic sports in the last decade. stage in Doha following a 3-1 defeat to Saudi Arabia in their final Group B match, ending their campaign on four points after defeating Kuwait 2-1 and drawing 0-0 with eventual champions Bahrain. “After discussing the recommendations of the technical com- Tokyo 2020: Official film to be produced mittee and evaluating the participation of the national team in The International Paralympic Committee Paralympic Games, will help people gain a everyone’s support, momentum towards the the 24th Persian Gulf Cup in Qatar, the board decided to end (IPC) has announced that they along with deeper understanding about Para athletes Paralympic Games is building. the services Koeman as head coach of the national team,” the Japan’s public broadcaster NHK will jointly and how their remarkable outstanding per- “The Organizing Committee is delighted OFA said in a statement. produce an official documentary film of the formances help transform attitudes towards that this official film of the Tokyo 2020 OFA, however, has retained the services of Koeman’s assis- Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games. persons with disabilities. Paralympic Games will allow memories tants until new technical staff are hired. NHK will broadcast the documentary, “At the IPC we believe that Change Starts of the Games to be passed on as a legacy to Dutchman Koeman was appointed head coach in February, and it will then be released as an official with Sport. This official documentary film future generations. We are confident that succeeding the late Pim Verbeek. film record of the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic will not only follow many athletes on their the collaboration between NHK, with their Next up for Oman is the continuation of the Asian Qualifiers Games in Japan and overseas. journeys before, during and after the Tokyo experience in producing programs related for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 and AFC Asian Cup China Andrew Parsons, IPC President, said: 2020 Paralympics, but it will also aim to to Para athletes and the Paralympic Games, 2023, with the West Asian side second in Group E on 12 points “We are very happy to announce that the show how the Games act as a catalyst to and the IPC, the main host of the Paralym- from five matches, one behind Qatar. IPC and NHK will jointly produce the offi- driving social inclusion. will lead our world in the future.” pic Games, will produce great results. The Oman resume their campaign on March 31 against Afghan- cial documentary film for the Tokyo 2020 “The official documentary film will be Yoshiro Mori, Tokyo 2020 President, content of the film and its structure are istan, to be followed by matches against Qatar (June 4) and Paralympic Games. presented around the world with the co- commented: “I have said many times that currently under consideration, and Tokyo Bangladesh (June 9). “This is the first official Paralympic film operation of the NPCs, our global partners without the success of the Paralympic Games, 2020 will fully cooperate in its planning The eight group winners and four best runners-up will advance since the Sochi 2014 Paralympic Winter and stakeholders. I would especially like to there can be no success for the Tokyo 2020 and shooting.” to the third round of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 qualifiers. Games. I hope the film, together with the show the film to the young generation who Olympic and Paralympic Games. Thanks to (Source: Paralympic) (Source: the-afc) Prayer Times Noon:12:00 Evening: 17:13 Dawn: 5:38 (tomorrow) Sunrise: 7:08 (tomorrow) DECEMBER 17, 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 “Hava, Maryam, Ayesha”, product [email protected] Switchboard Operator: Tel: (+98 21) 43051000 Advertisements Dept.: Telefax: (+98 21) 43051450 Public Relations Office: Tel: (+98 21) 88805807 of Iran’s help: Afghan director Subscription & Distribution Dept.: Tel: (+98 21) 43051603 www.eshterak.ir Distributor: Padideh Novin Co. ARTTEHRAN — Tehran-based Afghan Tel: 889 433 11 deskfilmmaker Sahra Karimi said that Webmaster: [email protected] Printed at: Jame Jam Bartar Borna - 44197737 her drama “Hava, Maryam, Ayesha” is the outcome of helpful Iranians. Tehrantimes79 Tehrantimesdaily The film is currently on screen at some Iranian movie theaters. It is about three pregnant Afghan women from No. 18, Bimeh Alley, Nejatollahi St., Tehran, Iran different social backgrounds living in Kabul, each of P.o. Box: 14155-4843 whom is facing a big challenge in her life and must solve Zip Code: 1599814713 her problem by herself for the first time. “Iranians should go to cinema to watch the film, because I was born in Iran [in an Afghan family], I got my diploma here and I took my first step in filmmaking in this country,” Karimi told the Persian service of ISNA during a meeting on Sunday. “I asked Iranians to watch this film to realize that if Afghan migrants are given an opportunity, what great works they can do. My film and I are the products of the opportunities provided,” she added. GUIDE TO She said that there are five female Afghan filmmakers SPIRITUAL AWAKENING in Afghanistan, most of whom were born in Iran. “Over the past few years, the Afghan cinema Monotheism is not to have a fancy about God, has mostly been introduced to the world by these and justice is never to accuse Him. filmmakers,” she noted. Imam Ali (AS) Producer Katayun Shahabi, who is also the owner of Noori Pictures, which is distributing the film in the world, also attended the meeting. She also asked Iranians to watch the film and said, “We need to recognize the Afghans who have been living War documents, memoirs with us for years, we are somehow indebted to them.” “About three million Afghans have migrated to Iran published in 20 books and helped us reconstruct our country after the war. They are with us everywhere, however, they are not CULTURE TEHRAN — A collection of 20 new books recognized; they have no name.” deskcontaining documents on the 1980-1988 Iran- She added that by watching the film, Iranians will find Afghan filmmaker Sahra Karimi (R) and producer Katayun Shahabi attend an interview at ISNA on Iraq war, known as the Sacred Defense in Iran, and memoirs of that they have a lot in common with Afghans. December 15, 2019 to elaborate on their film “Hava, Maryam, Ayesha”. (ISNA/Azam Dadashi) the soldiers and commanders has been published in Tehran. German museum displays work by Iranian photogs win awards at Iranian painter Yaqub Emdadian Circuit Babel Photographic
The collection, which includes 18 memoirs and two books of documents, was unveiled during a ceremony held at the Sacred Defense Museum in Tehran on Monday. Speaking at the ceremony, the director of the Archives Center of the museum, Gholamreza Alamati, said that one of the responsibilities of the center is to collect documents and soldiers’ memories of the war to preserve for the next generations. He also said that the museum has collected a great number of documents, which need to be prepared for publication. The museum has also conducted about 150 hours of interviews This untitled painting by Iranian artist Yaqub Emdadian is currently on with the commanders of the war, which will be transcribed in display during an exhibition titled “Color Inspiration, Color in Modern the future, he added. Art” at the Situation Kunst Museum in Bochum, Germany. “People and Flowers” by Iranian photographer Seyyed Ehsan Mortazavi. The interviews are scheduled to be published in books. ARTTEHRAN — An “For visual arts, color has always ARTTEHRAN — Several the FIAP Gold Medal was presented to deskuntitled painting been an essential means of expression deskIranian photographers Hamidreza Helali for his photo “Look”. by Iranian artist Yaqub Emdadian that cannot be replaced by anything have won awards at the Circuit Babel Photographic He also received the Afocer Diploma for Tokyo meeting to discuss is on display in an exhibition at the else,” the museum wrote in a statement 2019, which has been held separately in France, his photo “Single”. Situation Kunst Museum in Bochum, for the exhibit. Spain, Luxemburg and Belgium. Babak Mehrafshar received the CEF Iran’s culture, civilization Germany. “In an unmanageable number Erfan Rabiei received the GPU Golden Diploma for his single photo “Magnificence Entitled “Color Inspiration, Color in of formulations, color provides Medal for his single photo “Towards of Desert” and Seyyed Ehsan Mortazavi CULTURE TEHRAN — A number of Japanese lovers Modern Art”, the exhibit is showcasing surprising impulses for seeing and Infinity” at Salon international Le Catalan won the FIAP Ribbon for his photo “People deskof Iran has come together during a meeting a number of paintings by 58 artists thinking, especially in modern art,” in France, while Behnam Nasri won the and Flowers”. held at Iran’s cultural office in Tokyo to become more familiar from across the world, including Claude the statement added. CEF Bronze Medal for his photo “Furnace”. “People and Flowers” also brought with Iranian culture and civilization, Iran’s Islamic Culture and Viallat, Kuno Gonschior, Erich Heckel, The exhibition, which opened on “Desert”, a single photo by Aras Zangeneh, Mortazavi the ISF Diploma at the 1st Relations Organization (ICRO) announced on Sunday. Lucio Fontana, Josef Albers, Nam June October 31, will continue until April received a CEF Diploma in this contest. Käerjeng international Photographic Iran’s cultural attaché in Japan Hossein Divsalar said people Paik, Sarah Pelikan and Marc Vaux. 19, 2020. In 2a Biennale Ripollet Image in Spain, Salon in Luxemburg. in Japan and Iran have always shown interest in each other’s culture and civilization. “That is why the number of Japanese experts on Iran and Ayenedar festival honors Iranian Turkmen musicians Iranian experts on Japan is being increased,” he noted. ARTTEHRAN — The 6th musicians from the Khorasan region, The participants next watched a short film about Iran and deskedition of the Ayenedar including Issa Qolipur, Ramezanali Soltani, the meeting ended with a live performance of traditional music Regional and Ritual Music Festival was Hossein Azizipur, Heidar-Ali Asheq, by a Japanese artist. brought to an end at Tehran’s Vahdat Fereidun Gholami and Alireza Soleimani. Hall on Sunday by honoring Turkmen Composer Hassan Zandbaf, santur player musicians this year. Susan Aslani and several other musicians Groups and musicians from northeastern from Tehran were also awarded. “Jumanji 2” levels up with Iranian cities and the Qazvin Plain, which are The director of the festival, Ali Maghazei, $60 million debut, “Richard home to the Iranian Turkmen population, also said that the organizers plan to shut gave performances during the festival that down the festival in the next edition as its Jewell” stumbles opened on December 11. mission will be completed by introducing Durdi Turik, Ashur Mohammad Balyakhmaz, folk music in seven Iranian regions. Araz Mohamamd Bakhusi, Baratali Yeganeh, The previous edition of the festival LOS ANGELES, (Variety.com) — It’s shaping up to be a merry Taqi Yusefnia, Ahmad Keshvad, Ashur Galdi put its spotlight on folk music from the holiday season for “Jumanji: The Next Level.” Sony’s adventure Barzi and Gelayam Eili were the Turkmen Folk musicians perform during 5th Ayenedar Regional and Ritual Music Festival northern provinces of Gilan, Golestan sequel debuted in first place to $60.1 million, dethroning “Frozen” musicians who were honored with awards at at Tehran’s Rudaki Hall on December 1, 2018. (Ayenedar Regional and Ritual and Mazandaran. after three consecutive weeks as box office champ. the closing ceremony of the festival this year. Music Festival) The closing ceremony of the sixth edition Those ticket sales, at the higher end of industry projections, Musician Alireza Soleimani, a student a performance at the ceremony to celebrate list of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of of the festival ended with a performance represent a healthy jump on its predecessor, 2017’s “Jumanji: of late Haj Qorban Soleimani, the veteran the registration of Iran’s traditional skills of Humanity last week. of a lullaby from the Turkmen region by Welcome to the Jungle” ($36 million). It also marks the highest dotar player from the Khorasan region, gave crafting and playing the dotar on UNESCO’s The festival also honored master Mohammad Ili and Gelayem Ili. debut for a December comedy, as well as the best start for live- action movie for stars Kevin Hart and Jack Black. It’s a decidedly less jovial time for fellow new movies, Warner Bros. “Richard Jewell” and Universal’s “Black Christmas”. Heading Standing ovation in Milan for Domingo’s 50th anniversary into the weekend, both films were expected to earn at least $10 MILAN (AP) — Opera star Placido Domingo received a following reports by The Associated Press that more than Domingo and his accusers. million. Instead, the pair combined barely hit that number. On the standing ovation for his 50th anniversary gala concert at 20 women had accused the star of sexual harassment or “I’m very much impressed. Placido Domingo’s voice plus side, December releases don’t typically have huge openings La Scala on Sunday and returned the appreciation with a inappropriate sexually charged behavior. is still unbelievable, if you see how old he is,’’ said Doris (“Star Wars” movies aside) but can have long legs in theaters rare a cappella performance. Domingo has denied the allegations, and after a period Papst, 80, who traveled with a group from Baden-Baden, throughout the holiday season. Standing alone on the stage holding three yellow roses, of silence, only recently has begun giving interviews to Germany, for the gala concert. “What has happened with “Richard Jewell”, the latest offering from director Clint Eastwood, Domingo serenaded the audience with a favorite Spanish select publications ahead of European appearances. In the him with #MeToo in the United States is horrible. We all tumbled out of the gate in fourth place $5 million from 2,502 zarzuela, “Non Puede Ser.” By then, after more than half interviews he claimed he always behaved like a gentleman have to answer in our lives for our behavior. We should theaters. Those uninspired box office receipts rank among the an hour of applause and a standing ovation rare for the and said he never abused his power. He also has said he not be the judges.” worst in recent history for Eastwood. storied Milan opera house, Domingo and his co-stars for intends to continue performing at least through his planned Giuseppina Uscidda has been following Domingo at La “Black Christmas”, a slasher film that opened on Friday the 13th, the evening, the choir and orchestra had already performed engagements running through 2021. Scala for 40 years, and said the long applause was well- debuted at No. 5 and collected $4.4 million from 2,625 screens. two encores. He alone emerged for the third. While in the United States all of his published dates were deserved. Disney’s “Frozen 2” slid to second place, generating a solid Domingo, 78, appeared overwhelmed by the reception, and canceled, the singer has received overwhelming support “His voice is beautiful,’’ Uscidda said. “This evening makes $19.2 million in its fourth weekend of release. The animated at one point kissed the stage where he performed for the first from Europe’s opera houses — which have all maintained clear how much the audience loves him.” sequel crossed the $1 billion mark globally, the sixth Disney time on Dec. 7, 1969, in the title role of Verdi’s “Ernani.” In his dates — and fans alike. A couple of dozen fans waited outside until midnight to movie to do so this year. In North America, “Frozen 2” has all, he has sung 135 times on the La Scala stage, in 22 operas. Many at Sunday’s performance focused on the quality of greet the star, and they weren’t disappointed. The Spaniard made $366 million and stands as the 11th-biggest animated The La Scala anniversary fell during a year that has seen his voice, its unique timber, while weighing the art against the came downstairs and stood behind a reception desk, where film ever. U.S. opera houses cancel Domingo’s scheduled appearances, impossibility for outsiders to know what happened between he started signing autographs.