Iran welcomes Iran to construct Iranian wrestler Art Bureau hosts close ties with 3 power plants Yazdani likely Week of Islamic 21112EU: Rouhani 4 in Kazakhstan to miss Olympics RevolutionRevolution AArtsrts NATION ECONOMY SPORTS ART& CULTURE

WWW.TEHRANTIMES.COM I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y Velayati says Kerry’s missile remarks are ‘absurd’ 2

12 Pages Price 10,000 Rials 37th year No.12525 Monday APRIL 11, 2016 Farvardin 23, 1395 Rajab 3, 1437 Iran’s renewable Leader: Iran’s military is Tehran, energy market Ankara sign blinks at investors neither ceremonial nor illogical banking, Our studies indicate a technical capacity of POLITICAL TEHRAN — Leader military officials, the Leader he es is defending national security bor- trade MOUs 35,000-40,000 megawatts (MW) from wind deskof the Islamic Revolu- said that the Armed Forces should ders in the Islamic Republic system, so sources, Mohammadnejad Sigaroodi says tion Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei said have both “military and operation- the forces’ operational capability and ECONOMY TEHRAN — Iran on Sunday that Iran’s military is neither al capability” and “religious and spiritual motivations should be boost- deskand Turkey signed EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW “ceremonial” nor “illogical”. spiritual motivations”. ed day by day,” Ayatollah Khamenei three memorandums of understand- By Ali Kushki During a meeting with senior “The main duty of the Armed Forc- noted. 2 ing (MOUs) for banking and trade co- TEHRAN — While Iran is sitting on giant, unburnable fos- operation at the end of their 25th joint sil fuel reserves, there are increasing calls from within the economic committee meeting, which country for a shift to alternative energies. was held in the Turkish city of Konya The pro-change camp cites environmental concerns as on Saturday. well as shrinking conventional fuels, saying it is necessary Iranian Communications and Infor- to have the lovely alternatives in the country’s energy mix. Zarif: There will be mation Technology Minister Mahmoud All these concerns have up till now resulted in less than Va’ezi signed an MOU on trade coop- 200 megawatts (MW) of eco-friendly energy being gen- eration with Turkish Development Min- erated in Iran. no missile JCPOA ister Cevdet Yilmaz. Another document was signed by However, with the country’s re-engagement with the See page 2 global community following an agreement with the West Va’ezi and Yilmaz, aiming to start a over its nuclear program, it seems that on horizon will be new chapter in bilateral banking ties more lamps fed by electricity from renewable energies. between the two neighboring coun- Due to the country’s status change in the internation- tries in post-sanctions era. al scene, it has become easier to get cutting-edge tech- The third document was signed be- nology and attract foreign dollars. If provided, Iran can tween Iran’s Chamber of Commerce, turn well into a renewable energyg heaven considering Industries, Mines and Agriculture (IC- thethe territorial characteristics of the sunny country, where CIMA) and the Union of Chambers suntanned facesface get cooled down by and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey, gusts of wind. named Turkiye Odalar ve Borsalar Birli- In what follows,fo the Tehran Times gi (TOBB). rreleaseseleases anan interviewin with Jafar Mo- Turkey looks to improve trade hammadnehammadnejadjad Sigaroodi, the deputy with Iran chief for pplanning and develop- “Turkey will boost its trade volume ment at the Renewable Energy with Iran as soon as possible, as export OOrganizationrganiz of Iran (SUNA), levels in March showed an increase. In to hhearea from him more de- 2015, we had a $10 billion trade vol- tatailsils about current and fu- ume and we will look to increase it to

tuturer status of renewable Samira Shariatmadari the $30 billion level,” the Turkish news energiesen in Iran, land of agency Anadolu quoted Yilmaz as YJC/ theth Sun. See page 10 saying in the meeting. 4

Finnish MP holds talks with Zarif Egypt hands over two disputed ARTICLE By Mohammad Reza Noroozpour Political analyst POLITICAL TEHRAN – Iranian Foreign Minister Mo- islands to Saudi Arabia deskhammad Javad Zarif held talks on Sun- day with Chairman of the Finnish Parliament Committee on The Egyptian government has handed the Red Sea from the Gulf of Aqaba. Foreign Affairs Antti Kaikkonen, exploring ways to promote over the ownership of disputed Red Its strategic significance lies in the fact How Haaretz cooperation between Tehran and Sea islands of Tiran and Sanafir to Saudi that it is an important sea passage to Helsinki. Arabia amid strong objection from sev- the major ports of Aqaba in Jordan and distorts Ayatollah Zarif said the nuclear deal eral former officials as well as the Mus- Eilat in Israel. between Tehran and world lim Brotherhood. Israel briefly took over the island The Egyptian cabinet announced in during the Suez Crisis in late 1956, and n a recent analysis, Israeli news- powers has provided good paper Haaretz claimed that Iran’s opportunities for Iran and the a statement released on Saturday that once more between 1967 and 1982 fol- I missile program has become a new European Union to tap into the both islands fall within the territorial lowing the Six Day War. waters of Saudi Arabia as codified in Sanafir Island is in the east of Tiran focus of dissent from within and dis- existing economic, trade, and torted Ayatollah Akbar Hashemi Raf- banking potentials. For his part, the maritime border agreement signed Island, and measures 33 square kilome- between Cairo and Riyadh the previous ters (13 square miles) in area. sanjani’s stand over the program. Kaikkonen expressed Helsinki’s The article, written by Zvi Bar’el, interest in taking new steps for day. Ownership of the two islands was Egyptian Prime Minister Sherif Ismail handed to Egyptian control in 1982, claimed that the ballistic missile pro- developing parliamentary, economic, and cultural relations gram has created a big gap between inked the border demarcation accord territory is unconstitutional. when Tel Aviv and Cairo signed the with Iran. conservatives and reformists and also with the Saudi side in the presence of The banned opposition movement, so-called Camp David peace ac- “During this visit (to Iran), we developed our knowledge divided Iran’s top leaders, because President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and the Muslim Brotherhood, also denounced cords. about Iran’s capacities,” he said, according to Tasnim. Ayatollah Rafsanjani has still stood House of Saud regime’s King Salman the agreement in a statement which King Salman, Sisi ink $16-bil- The trip will also help to introduce Finland’s new capacities upon his word, though he omitted his bin Abdulaziz Al Saud in the Federal said, “The Muslim Brotherhood here- lion investment fund to boost Egypt for the enhancement of economic ties with the Islamic Re- tweet. Presidential Palace, eastern Cairo. by declares unequivocally that no one economy public, the senior Finnish lawmaker added. The main argument of the Zion- The agreement is going to be pre- has the right to abandon the property Elsewhere, Egyptian President el-Sisi ist regime’s newspaper is based on a sented to the parliament for ratification. and resources of the Egyptian people and visiting Saudi King Salman bin Ab- quotation from Rafsanjani which was 18 soldiers killed by Abu Analysts, dissidents question le- in exchange for a fistful of dollars, or in dulaziz have finalized a contract for a published on his twitter page that is gitimacy of agreement exchange for support for government $16-billion investment fund among sev- Sayyaf in the Philippines not being run by himself. The tweet Meanwhile, legal experts and oppo- policies sanctioning murder, detentions, eral other bilateral accords. read, “The world of tomorrow is a sition figures in Egypt have cast doubt violations, forced disappearances and The document was inked on Satur- world of dialogue, not missiles.” At least 18 soldiers were killed and more than 50 others wound- on the legitimacy of the agreement on extrajudicial killings.” day, the third day of an unusually long The tweet soon made big po- ed on Saturday in fierce fighting with the armed group Abu the two strategic islands, arguing that Tiran Island is located at the entrance visit by the 80-year-old Saudi monarch litical outcry and caused Supreme Sayyaf and allied fighters on a southern island in the Philip- relinquishing authority over Egyptian of the Straits of Tiran, which separates to Egypt. 9 pines. It was the largest single-day combat loss by government Leader Ayatollah Khamenei to de- forces this year in the restive south, where the military has long nounce the statement in his March battled Muslim separatist rebels and Communist fighters. 30 speech in Mashhad either as ig- Three military officials told the AP news agency the heavy Massive fire in crowded India temple kills scores norance or treason. daylong fighting took place on Mindanao island of Basilan. A massive fire has swept through a temple in India during a those injured. Distorting the story, the Israeli They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not fireworks display, killing at least 100 people and injuring at least Rescuers on Sunday morning were sifting through the newspaper claims that chairman of allowed to publicly discuss details. 200 others. wreckage looking for survivors, while diggers cleared the debris Iran’s Expediency Council has omit- Local media reports said about 100 Abu Sayyaf fighters The fire broke out on Sunday morning, officials said, when and ambulances ferried the injured to nearby hospitals. ted the post he had published, im- clashed with troops and four soldiers had been decapitated. a spark from the show ignited a separate pile of fireworks that The chief doctor at Thiruvananthapuram Medical College in mediately after the bitter criticism The evacuation of wounded soldiers was continuing late on was being stored at the Puttingal temple complex in the coastal the state capital said some of those pouring into the hospital of the Supreme Leader but has not Saturday. In 2015, more than 30 police commandos were killed town of Paravur in Kerala state. had suffered serious injuries “and many would require ampu- eaten his word and still stood up for by rebels during a government raid on mainland Mindanao. Thousands of people were packed into the temple when an tation” of limbs. what he wrote! Some Muslim rebel groups in the area have reportedly al- explosion was heard at about 3am local time. The blaze then “Many have sustained burns of over 50 percent and the con- Actually it is a big lie on which lied themselves with Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL/ spread quickly through the building, trapping people inside. dition of some of them is quite serious,” D. Mohandas told the Haaretz has fallen to a false conclusion Daesh) followers. Local TV channels showed footage of huge clouds of white Hindu newspaper. that there is a dissent at home over the Abu Sayyaf is known to maintain a base in Basilan, as well as smoke billowing from the temple, as fireworks continued to ex- Navy spokesman D.K Sharma said the helicopters would trans- missile program and it has made a big the neighboring Sulu archipelago, where a former priest from plode in the night sky. port the injured to Thiruvananthapuram and also to the city of gap between Iran’s top leaders. Italy was released on Friday after millions of pesos in ransom Al Jazeera’s Divya Gopalan, reporting from Delhi, said daily Kochi where the navy operates a hospital, with some of the injured But why Haaretz’s argument is inva- was reportedly paid. celebrations were being held in the country to mark a Hindu currently being treated at small local medical centers. lid with false conclusion? Abu Sayyaf was founded in 1991 in Basilan, about 880km festival. Every year, the temple holds a competitive fireworks dis- Despite the Israeli newspaper’s south of the capital, Manila. The fire came as Kerala - governed by the Congress party, play, with different groups putting on successive light shows for claim, Ayatollah Rafsanjani strongly The United States and the Philippines have separately which is in opposition at a national level - prepares to head to thousands of devotees gathered for the last day of a seven-day denied the authenticity of the tweet blacklisted Abu Sayyaf as a “terrorist” organization for deadly the polls in one of five state elections being held in India this festival honoring the goddess Bhadrakali, a southern Indian in- and personally confirmed and ap- bombings, extortion, kidnappings for ransom, and beheadings month and next. carnation of the Hindu goddess Kali. proved of the missile program and of locals and foreigners, including Christian missionaries in the India’s Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, said on Twitter that he Fires and stampedes are not uncommon at temples and even stressed that the missile indus- south. More than a decade of U.S.-backed Philippine offen- was on his way to the site of the fire. during religious occasions, often because of poor security ar- try was originally started and de- sives have weakened the armed group, but it remains a key Modi annnounced 200,000 rupees (about $3,000) in com- rangements and lax safety standards. veloped during his presidency from security threat. (Source: agencies) pensation for the families of those killed and 50,000 rupees for (Source: agencies) 1989 to 1997. 9 I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y NATION 2 AAPRILPRIL 111,1, 22016016 http://www.tehrantimes.com/international

MEDIA MONITOR Leader: Iran’s military is neither IRGC Ground Force to hold drills ceremonial nor illogical

1 Such armed forces, when caught in TEHRAN — The commander of the IRGC Ground Some countries’ armies are “ceremo- a dangerous situation, show no hes- Force announced on Sunday that a series of drills, code- nial”, have no operational power and are itation to employ “professional crim- named “Payambar-e Azam” (Great Prophet), will be held just intended to provide the governments inals” such as Blackwater guards, he from Tuesday to Thursday in four regions of Iran. with security, he said. explained. “The drills will be held in southeast of the coun- There are such armies in the Middle The Leader called the Iranian TSNIM try, including parts of Sistan-Balouchestan province, East region some of which have invad- armed forces the only “religious” mili- southern Kerman, southern parts of South Khoras- ed Yemen with full power during the past tary in the world which enjoys spiritual an province, and east of Hormozgan province,” year with “no achievement”, the Leader motivations along with “professional- Mohammad Pakpour said, according to Tasnim. said in an indirect reference to the Sau- ism” and serves a country that has The war games are aimed at maintaining the di-led attacks on Yemen which started in “political independence”. preparedness of IRGC forces, displaying the coun- March 2015. The Leader also said the Armed Forces try’s might, and ensuring security, Pakpour added. The Leader added that there is an- in Iran belong to the whole country and not other group of armies which are out- just to a certain person or faction. Iran working on wardly operational and military ca- Prior to the Leader’s remarks, Hassan stable isotope, pable, but are actually “illogical” and Firouzabadi, chief of staff of the Iranian “merciless”. Armed Forces, said the Iranian Armed nuclear hospital The performance of the U.S. military Forces is obligated to increase its military projects in Iraq and Afghanistan present such an and preemptive capability especially in TEHRAN — In the Fordow nuclear facility Iran is example, Ayatollah Khamenei noted. the area of ballistic missiles. working on stable isotopes with Russians and the job has made good progress, the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) director told the na- Iran welcomes close ties with EU: Rouhani

IRIB tional TV on Saturday. Ali Akbar Salehi also stated that Iran has started POLITICAL TEHRAN — President Hassan Rou- Rouhani also called for boosting cultural cooperation operational procedures of building a nuclear hospital. deskhani said on Sunday that Iran wel- through exchange of students and professors. “The budget needed for the hospital is available. comes deepening relations with the European Union. Elsewhere, he said that the Islamic Republic is con- We have bought the land already and will dispatch “Consulting and coordinating to maintain stability cerned about terrorism in some countries from North of a team to Austria in a couple of weeks to procure and security in the Middle East region are among the Africa to the Middle East, insisting on Tehran’s position the equipment,” the nuclear chief said. areas of cooperation between Iran and the European for a “serious” fight against terrorism. Union,” Rouhani said during a meeting with Estonian For her part, the Estonian foreign minister called for Deputy FM in Foreign Minister Marina Kaljurand in Tehran. expansion of ties with Iran in various spheres. Turkey to attend The president also said Tehran attaches great impor- Kaljurand said that deepening the two countries’ co- tance to cooperation with the EU in settling international operation will benefit the Iranian and Estonian govern- OIC meeting issues. ments and people.

TEHRAN — Iran’s deputy foreign minister is in the Turkish city of Istanbul to take part in a preliminary meet- Zarif: There will be no missile JCPOA ing of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC). Heading a high-ranking delegation, Abbas Ara- POLITICAL TEHRAN — Iranian selling of weaponry which are used to desk qchi arrived in Istanbul on Sunday to hold talks with Foreign Minister Mo- slaughter the defenseless Yemeni people FARS the representatives of other member states of the hammad Javad Zarif has categorically or employed by the Zionist regime.” OIC on the agenda of the upcoming summit, Fars rejected any compromise on Iran’s missile Since after the IRGC’s successful reported.Iran has not yet announced at what level program, stressing that “there would be fire-testing of two ballistic missiles in it will be represented in the meeting. no JCPOA for defense issues,” ISNA news March, Iran has seen itself in another agency reported on Sunday. confrontation with the United States. ‘11000 inmates were Minister Zarif’s remarks came after Sec- The U.S. and some of its Western allies pardoned last year’ retary of State John Kerry had said in Bah- claim that Iran’s missile tests are a breach rain that his country is ready to negotiate of the UN Security Council Resolution with Tehran about its missile capability. 2231 that endorsed the JCPOA. Kerry’s words have drawn a barrage of The resolution does not ban the test- fiery responses from other senior Iranian ing of conventional weapons by Iran. TEHRAN — Judiciary spokesman Gholamhossein officials, including commanders of the Zarif said last month that the missiles Mohseni Ejei said on Sunday that 11000 inmates Islamic Revolutions Guards Corps (IRGC) recently tested are not programmed to were pardoned in the last Iranian calendar year. over the past few days. carry nuclear warheads. During a press conference, he said that some of Speaking at a joint press conference Elsewhere in his remarks, Zarif called

MEHR the inmates’ sentences were commuted and some with his Estonian counterpart Mari- a claim by Kerry that Iran backs terror- of them were released. na Kaljurand in Tehran on Sunday, Zarif ism “baseless,” saying the world takes no The inmates, who were not “harmful” to the so- noted that Iran’s missile program is not heed of the remarks. ciety, were pardoned, he added. related to the JCPOA and Americans are Terrorism and extremism as main aware of this. threats to the region and even to the country’s foreign minister is visiting Iran domains,” Zarif said. Motahari plans “Secretary Kerry and the U.S. State world are byproducts of the U.S. gunboat although bilateral ties between the two Following the signing of the JCPOA, to run for post of Department know well that Iran’s missile diplomacy in Iraq and invasion of the countries dates back to almost a century. senior foreign officials have been visiting deputy parliament and defense capabilities are not open to county, Zarif maintained. “We talked on a range of issues in our Iran like no time before. negotiation.” Also, on the formal trip to Tehran by meeting. The two countries can collabo- It is hoped the visits bring about a bet- speaker He added if such issues truly matter to Estonian Foreign Affairs Minister Marina rate with each other in different political, ter future for Iran in all areas, particularly TEHRAN — Ali Motahari has announced that he the U.S. administration, it should halt “the Kaljurand, Zarif said this is the first time the cultural, parliamentary, and economic economy and politics. will be running for the position of deputy speaker in the next Majlis. Writing on his Instagram page, the lawmak- Velayati says Kerry’s missile remarks are ‘absurd’ er-elect said on Sunday that his announcement was a response to public questions as of his agenda for POLITICAL TEHRAN — Ali Akbar Velayati, the torial integrity of Syrian better than Assad as he stood firm This brought Americans to the negotiation table.” INSTAGRAM the next parliament. desktop aid to the Supreme Leader, has in defending his country even when terrorist worriers were ‘Russia ready to sell Su-30 fighters to Iran’ Reformist MPs said U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry’s remarks about only hundreds of meters away from his residence. Also, Velayati pointed to Iran-Russia ties, saying, “Both of Iran’s missile program are simply “absurd.” “The U.S. officials say that Bashar Assad should leave, us have common concerns and are exposed to threats. On to hold meeting The official said the remarks in a TV program on Sat- but Assad should remain in power as Syria’s legal the other hand, as two Asian countries, Iran and Russia with urday. president until the end of hiss presidential term hhaveave maritime bordborderse in the Caspian Sea and the Velayati’s remarks came after Kerry had said the U.S. and that is our redline,” Velayatiti remarremarked.ked. ttwowo countries’ cocooperationo in Syria indicated that lawmaker-elects is open to negotiations with Iran about the country’s He underscored that it is “Iran’s redline”redline” we hhaveave ccloselose ststrategicra ties.” TEHRAN — Sitting reformist MPs are going to missile program. that Assad should stay in powerwer because it is On if RussiansRussian are reliable friends and the hold a meeting with 30 lawmaker-elects from the “There will be no compromise over defense issues the Syrian people who have thee rirightght to deter- country’scountry’s withdrawalwithdr of forces from Syria, Ve- Tehran constituency. and as the late Imam Khomeini noted, if we take one mine their country’s fate. layatilayati notednoted tthathat Iran has its own national in- Making the announcement in an interview with step back, they take a hundred of steps forward. But the Elsewhere in his remarks, thehe formerformer foreignforeign terests,terests, seekingseeking tiest with every country which ISNA ISNA on Sunday, MP Kamaleddin Pirmoazzen said Islamic Republic pays no heed to their threats and re- minister referred to the U.S. dualual approachapproach to works ttowardso this and does not med- the meeting will provide an opportunity to exchange marks and their infiltration dream into Iran won’t come Iran, saying Washington calls Iranan a sup- dle in Iran’s domestic affairs. views among the meeting sides.He explained that the true,” Velayati was quoted as saying. porter of terrorism and simultaneouslyneously “Some“S European countries avoid makeup of committees and the presiding board of ‘Assad ouster is our redline’ invites the country to battle terrorism.orism. givinggivin us even a gun, but Russia is the next Majlis will feature high in the meeting. The veteran politician said Iran has been support- “The U.S. deployed thousandsands readyrea to sell Su-30 fighters to Iran.” ing the Syrian government at the request of President of soldiers in Iraq to rule tthehe Also, on the S-300 deal, Majlis votes to cut Beshar al-Assad. country and exercised all theireir VelaytiV stated that the deal cash subsidy of 30 “At the Syrian president’s request, Iran is helping the power in the region to topplee will certainly will take effect government, whose legitimacy is recognized by the UN Syria. But, Iran helped the re- though it may take time. percent of recipients and its representative is attending the body, to battle ter- sistance front and stood up “We will fulfill all our commit- rorists,” Velayati said. to terrorists’ offensives, in- ments to Iran,” Velayati quoted The trained pediatrician laid emphasis on backing the flicting heavy failures on the President Putin as saying in a TEHRAN — The Majlis on Sunday approved the Assad government, saying that no one can defend terri- U.S. allies such as Daesh. meeting with him recently. outlines of the national budget for the current Ira- nian fiscal year, which started on March 20. The government had built the budget bill on sale of Syrian crisis is result of U.S. mistake: Iranian MP

ICANA 2,250,000 barrels of oil per day, the spokesman for the parliament’s Joint Commission said, ICANA reported. POLITICAL TEHRAN — Alaeddin the region whose terrorist acts have influ- tions, he expressed hope that coopera- Mohammadreza Pour-Ebrahimi added that ac- deskBoroujerdi, chairman of enced some of the European countries,” tion would be expanded in various areas. cording to the proposed budget, every barrel of the Majlis National Security and Foreign he said during a meeting in Tehran with Boroujerdi said that Iran’s policy is oil will be sold at 40 dollars.Speaking in the Sunday Policy Committee, said on Sunday that Antti Kaikkonen, chief of the Finnish Par- based on mutual respect, adding that morning session of the legislative body, he said the the crisis in Syria is result of the U.S. and liament Foreign Affairs Committee. Iran welcomes expansion of parliamenta- current year budget bill is trying to focus on mon- its allies’ “mistake”. Boroujerdi added that the volatile ry ties with Finland. etary policies, the fifth development plan and the “The U.S. strategic mistake which was regional situation has resulted from the Kaikkonen said that Iran and Finland sustainable development policies. made due to wrong analysis based on its Western countries’ interventions to meet have always had “friendly relations” even According to the parliamentarian, the ceiling of the allies’ information in the region [the Mid- their “illegitimate interests”. before the removal of sanctions. current year budget will be 250,000 billion in rials. dle East] caused dispatching forces and He also said that the Syrian cri- ter-Syrian dialogue. He expressed hope that his trip to Iran training tens of thousands of terrorists in sis should be settled through in- Commenting on Iran-Finland rela- would open new chapter in bilateral ties. I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y

http://www.tehrantimes.com/international AAPRILPRIL 111,1, 22016016 INTERNATIONAL 3

Syrian PM: Russia to back new Aleppo NEWS Cruz picks up all delegates in attack; opposition says truce near collapse Colo.; Sanders win in Wyo.

Iran rejects U.S. “precondition” Ted Cruz completed his sweep of Colorado’s 34 delegates The Russian air force and Syrian military The Observatory also reported fight- while rival Donald Trump angled for favor a half-continent are preparing a joint operation to take ing on Sunday between government and away in New York’s all-important April 19 primary. On the Aleppo from rebels, the Syrian prime rebel forces near the opposition-held Democratic side, Bernie Sanders picked up another win in minister was quoted saying on Sunday, town of Douma outside Damascus, Wyoming — but it did nothing to help him gain ground in and an opposition official said a ceasefire and said government helicopters had the delegate chase. was on the verge of collapse. dropped barrel bombs on rebel-held ar- Cruz netted 13 more delegates at Colorado’s state GOP With a United Nations envoy due in eas north of Homs. convention. The Texas Senator already had locked up the Damascus in a bid to advance struggling Iran rejects U.S. “precondition” support of 21 Colorado delegates and visited the state to try diplomatic efforts, the “cessation of hos- Meantime, United Nations envoy to pad his numbers there. tilities agreement” brokered by Russia Staffan de Mistura arrived in Damas- Keeping up his tussle with Trump over values, Cruz told and the United States came under new cus on Sunday evening, and is expect- the Colorado crowd earlier that it’s easy to talk about making strain as government and rebel forces ed to meet Syrian officials on Monday. America great again — “you can even print that on a base- fought near Aleppo. He said last week he would go to Da- ball cap” — but that the more important question is which The ceasefire came into effect in Feb- mascus and Tehran to sound out their candidate understands “the principles and values that made ruary with the aim of paving the way for position on a political transition before America great in the first place.” a resumption of talks to end the five- beginning a new round of peace talks In an appearance before Jewish Republicans in Las Vegas year-long war. But it has been widely vi- on Wednesday. later that day, Cruz warned of a “bloodbath” for the GOP if olated, with each side blaming the other De Mistura has said the next round of Trump were the nominee and said control of Congress and for breaches. The fighting south of Alep- ber of the delegation, told RIA news A member of the main opposition talks needs to “be quite concrete in the the balance of the Supreme Court could be at risk. po marks the most significant challenge agency “Russian aviation will help the council said the last 10 days had “wit- direction of a political process leading to Cruz’s sweep increases the chances of a contested Re- yet to the deal. Syrian army’s ground offensive opera- nessed a serious deterioration, to the a real beginning of a political transition”. publican convention this summer. Trump still has a narrow Diplomacy has meanwhile made little tion”. point where the ceasefire is about to col- Ali Akbar Velayati, Iran’s Leader Aya- path to clinching the GOP nomination by the end of the pri- progress with no compromise over the The deployment of the Russian air lapse”. tollah Ali Khamenei’s top adviser on in- maries on June 7, but he has little room for error. He would Syrian future of President Bashar al-As- force to Syria last year helped tip the Bassma Kodmani of the High Nego- ternational affairs, said U.S. Secretary of need to win nearly 60 percent of all the remaining delegates sad, his position strengthened by Iranian war Assad’s way as it bombed rebels tiations Committee also told Journal du State John Kerry had asked “Iran to help to clinch the nomination before the convention. So far, he’s and Russian support. supported by his enemies including the Dimanche that a U.S.-Russian ceasefire so that Bashar Assad leaves. winning 46 percent. A top Iranian official, in comments to House of Saud regime, Turkey and the monitoring mission was “powerless”. “We should ask them: “What does this Following the Colorado results, the Associated Press count Iran TV, rejected what he described as a United States. Russian President Vladimir The war has killed more than 250,000 have to do with you? Shouldn’t the Syri- stands at Trump 743, Cruz 545, and John Kasich 143. Marco U.S. request for Tehran’s help to make Putin last month withdrew some of the people, created the world’s worst refu- an people decide?” Rubio, who suspended his campaign, has 171 delegates. To Assad leave power, saying he should Russian forces, but maintained an air gee crisis, and allowed for the rise of ISIL. “From Iran’s point of view Bashar clinch the nomination by the end of the primaries, a GOP serve out his term and be allowed to run base in Latakia, and kept up strikes on Rami Abdulrahman, director of the Assad and his government should re- candidate needs 1,237 delegates. in a presidential election “as any Syrian”. the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, main as a legal government and legal Trump left the Colorado convention to his organizers, Syrian Prime Minister Wael al-Hala- (ISIL/Daesh) terrorist group. said “in Aleppo there is a real collapse of president until the end of his term. And and spent about a half-hour on Saturday touring the Nation- ki told a delegation of visiting Russian Neither the al-Qaeda-linked al-Nusra the truce”. Bashar Assad shall be able to take part in al Sept. 11 Memorial and Museum in lower Manhattan. His lawmakers of preparations to “liberate” Front (Jabhat al-Nusra) or ISIL terrorist The army says groups that had a presidential election as any Syrian citi- campaign issued a statement describing the site as “symbolic Aleppo, Syria’s biggest city and commer- group are included in the partial cease- agreed to the cessation of hostilities had zen. And their precondition that Bashar of the strength of our country, and in particular New Yorkers, cial hub before the conflict that erupt- fire. taken part in al-Nusra Front attacks on Assad should go is a red line for us.” who have done such an incredible job rebuilding that devas- ed in 2011. Aleppo is divided into areas Rebels have reported the resumption government-held positions south of In a sign of Assad’s confidence, tated section of our city.” controlled separately by the government of Russian air strikes south of Aleppo, an Aleppo. Free Syrian Army groups mean- the Syrian government plans to hold Democratic presidential hopefuls, too, were focused on and opposition. important theater where Lebanon’s Hez- while blame the fighting on government parliamentary elections on Wednes- New York’s big trove of delegates even as Wyoming gave its “We, together with our Russian part- bollah is fighting in support of the army violations. day. Salim al-Muslat, opposition nod to Sanders over Hillary Clinton. ners, are preparing for an operation to and the al-Nusra Front is deployed in “The air strikes are now roughly back to spokesman, said the vote was ille- Sanders got word of his Wyoming win from his wife, liberate Aleppo and to block all illegal close proximity to rebels. what they were,” said Mohamed Rasheed, gitimate. Jane, midway through a rally in Queens, part of a four- armed groups which have not joined or The so-called Syrian Observatory for head of the media office with the Jaysh al- “I don’t know how they can really an- stop swing through New York City. A raucous cheer went have broken the ceasefire deal,” he was Human Rights said a total of 35 combat- Nasr rebel group. A Syrian military source nounce an election in Syria. In Idlib or in up from the New Yorkers, but the Wyoming vote was a quoted as saying by TASS news agency. ants had been killed on both sides in a 24 said: “The battles are raging because ... Aleppo or in Deir al-Zor or in Homs, can draw from a delegate perspective: Sanders and Clinton Dmitry Sablin, a member of Russia’s hour period in the area, where fighting armed groups that were part of the (truce) people go there and vote?” he said. each picked up seven. upper house of parliament and a mem- has been raging for some 10 days. joined al-Nusra in the attack.” (Source: Reuters) (Source: AP) G7 foreign ministers gather in Hiroshima In a city obliterated by a U.S. atom bomb more than 70 Tehran’s years ago, Japan kicked off a gathering of foreign ministers only global from the Group of Seven (G7) advanced economies with a call to end nuclear weapons. Serviced Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida, who presides 2I¿FHV over the two-day annual meeting this year, said on Sunday that ministers will also discuss anti-terrorism steps, mari- time security and issues related to North Korea, Ukraine and the Middle East. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry is set to join his coun- terparts from Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy and Japan on Monday to visit an atomic bomb museum and lay flowers at a cenotaph for nuclear bomb victims, becoming the first in his post to do so. The move could possibly pave the way for a never-be- participating ministers not to “hype up” the South China Sea issue. fore visit to Hiroshima by a U.S. president when Barack Wang’s comment was followed by a scathing article by Chi- Obama attends the annual meeting of G7 leaders in Japan na’s official Xinhua News Agency on Sunday on the prospects next month. of the G7 meeting discussing the South China Sea matter. During World War II, a U.S. warplane dropped a nuclear “(Kishida) has purportedly coordinated to outline a joint bomb on Hiroshima on Aug. 6, 1945, reducing the city to communiqué regarding the sovereignty disputes over the ashes and killing 140,000 people by the end of that year. South China Sea, despite the fact that neither Japan nor any Three days later, the United States dropped an atomic G7 member is a relevant party to the disputes,” the article said. bomb on Nagasaki. Japan surrendered six days later. “Long uncomfortable with China’s rising influence in the Maritime security is also on the cards after China rattled region, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and his admin- Levels 7, 8 & 9 Park Building, 114 Kaj Abadi ValiAsr Street nerves in the region with its controversial reclamation work istration have never passed up an opportunity to trip up in the South China Sea. and contain China,” it said. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Saturday called for the (Source: Reuters) :RUOG¶V¿QHVW Tehran Virtual Vacancy Announcement 6HUYLFHG2I¿FHV 2I¿FHV The Mission of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in IRAN is seeking to fill the following vacant position inTehran: Fully-managed, fully furnished Prestigious address for your business SUHVWLJLRXVRI¿FHV cards Secretary A telephone number answered by Local telephone number answered by our receptionist as you would like your receptionist as you like Minimum required knowledge & experience: Main responsibilities GD\VIUHH6HUYLFHG2I¿FHV Meeting rooms, bilingual secretaries University degree Performs general secretarial duties independently across the globe 3 - 5 years work experience in a similar field Drafts and types routine correspondence Monthly contract, no risk Very good knowledge of written and spoken English Agenda keeping and various office work Industry leading IT and Very good computer skills Carries out translations/interpretations upon request communications infrastructure Good analytical skills Executes basic financial tasks Similar working experience with an international organization would Flexible lease terms from 1 month First month free be an asset No further obligation Dial *1 for in-house IT help

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NEWS Tehran, Ankara sign banking, Iran to construct 3 power plants in Kazakhstan trade MOUs ECONOMY TEHRAN — Bahman Salehi, the CEO of desk Iran Power and Water Equipment and Ser- 1 vices Export Company known as SUNIR, announced that his A third of trade between Turkey and Iran is now company plans to build a wind power plant as well as two conducted in the Turkish lira or the Iranian rial, the thermal power plants in Kazakhstan in 18 months, IRNA news Turkish official added. agency reported on Sunday. Trading in local currencies rather than the U.S. Iranian “We penned a contract, at the value of $600 million, with dollar benefits the trading nations as it avoids ex- Communications the Kazakh Eurasia Invest Group, in this regard,” Salahi said change rate losses, reducing trade costs. and on the sidelines of Iran-Kazakhstan Business Council meeting “We made some great progress and would like to Information in Tehran. add to it in the next period. We will continue to make Technology According to him, the Iranian company aims to expand its trading easier by adding 30 more products to the Minister cooperation with Kazakhs in various sectors including water protocol we will sign today,” Yilmaz noted. and wastewater, construction of gas pipelines, development Turkey was the fourth largest exporter of non-oil Mahmoud of roads and also in mining sector. goods to Iran in the past Iranian calendar year which Va’ezi (L) Kazakhstan has expressed high incentives to expand trade ended on March 19, 2016, while in its preceding year met Turkish ties with Iran and vowed to provide Iranian traders with any (March 2014-March 2015) Turkey was the 6th major Development permit they need to start business in Kazakhstan. importer of Iranian non-oil goods. Minister Cevdet Last February, Asset Issekeshev, the Minister of Invest- The two countries also maintain close energy ties. Yilmaz on ments and Development of Kazakhstan, heading a 260-mem- Turkey is one of the major customers of Iranian gas April 9 in ber delegation of traders, participated in the Kazakh-Iranian and imports 10 billion cubic meters of the product Turkey. Business Forum in Tehran. from Iran every year. Addressing the conference, Issekeshev noted that 900 Ira- nian companies are currently active in different fields, mostly in chemical industries, in Kazakhstan. MOU on veterinary health inked between Iran, Germany ECONOMY TEHRAN — “Iran and ture during a two-day visit. deskGermany signed a Germany has expressed eagerness to Iranian oil exports to Asia memorandum of understanding (MOU) revive its joint bilateral relation in various hiked 25% in February in the field of veterinary health and economic areas with Iran as of the Asian medicine,” Iranian Agriculture Minister country signed its nuclear deal, known Mahmoud Hojjati told reporters on the as Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action ECONOMY TEHRAN — Iran’s exports of crude oil desk sidelines of his meeting with the visiting (JCPOA), with P5+1 in June, 2015. to Asian countries mounted 25 percent in German economic delegation in Tehran The agreement, which led in removal February 2016, as compared with the same month in the pre- on Sunday. of unfair anti-Iranian financial sanctions ceding year, IRNA news agency reported on Sunday. “A special task force, comprised of during the past months, has triggered The rise has emerged a month after the implementation Iranian and German officials is formed many European countries, including of Iran’s nuclear agreement with the world major powers in to vet expansion of further mutual ag- Germany as one of the most prominent January which removed the sanctions against the Islamic Re- ricultural cooperation,” the Tasnim news European economic powers, to com- public, the report said. agency quoted Hojjati as saying. pete for finding even a small share in the According to the latest report released by the Organiza- An economic delegation including booming Iranian market. tion of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), Iran’s oil pro- 20 top German officials headed by the During the past months, Iranian and duction in February hit 3.132 million barrels per day (bpd), country's Agriculture Minister Christian German officials as well as businessmen posting its largest monthly gain since the imposition of sanc- Schmidt arrived in Tehran on Sunday to have visited each other’s countries to in- tions on the country in 2012. confer bilateral agricultural cooperation Iranian Agriculture Minister Mahmoud Hojjati (R) shaking hand with his German vestigate warmer future relations in dif- Iran’s oil output surged by 187,800 bpd in February to sur- and in particular future joint agro-ven- counterpart Christian Schmidt in Tehran on Sunday ferent fields. pass its January figures which stood at 2.944 million bpd. Iran heavy crude oil price in February also rose to $27.28, showing an increase of $3.21 compared to its previous month, the report says. Cameron publishes tax details in bid to move on from Panama Based on February figures, Iran is the third largest pro- U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron published details of the to tackle the global scourge of aggressive tax avoidance and ducer of crude oil after Saudi Arabia and Iraq. taxes he’s paid since 2009 as he sought to draw a line under evasion, and international corruption more broadly,” Cam- the furor over his personal finances, which culminated in him eron said in a statement. “There is clearly further to go and admitting on Thursday that he profited from an offshore fund this task-force will bring together the best of British expertise set up by his father. to deal with any wrongdoing relating to the Panama Papers.” State shares worth The four-page document, prepared by a firm of chartered Cameron promised to publish details of his tax affairs fol- over $849m divested accountants and published on Sunday, shows Cameron’s sal- lowing his acknowledgment on Thursday that he sold about ary as prime minister, income from a house he rents out in 30,000 pounds ($42,000) of shares in his father’s fund shortly in Iran in a year London and interest on his savings. Over the six tax years before he became prime minister. He said he had paid all tax through April 2015, he paid 402,283 pounds ($568,345) in due on the stake. ECONOMY TEHRAN — Iranian state-run companies tax on earnings of 1.08 million pounds, according to the data. The data show the prime minister’s taxable income to- deskhave transferred 29.662 trillion rials (about “As the prime minister said last week, he saw no issue with taled 1.08 million pounds for the six tax years through April $849.914 million) worth of their shares to the private sector Prime Ministers and Leaders of the Opposition publishing the 2015. That included 795,766 pounds in salary, 56,451 pounds in the past Iranian calendar year of 1394 (which ended on information that goes into their tax returns,” Cameron’s office in taxable expenses on items including travel and clothing, March 19), the Tasnim News Agency reported on Sunday. said in a statement. The documents represent “a summary he was forced -- in five separate statements over four days and 215,400 pounds from his 50 percent share in renting out The country transferred 47.738 trillion rials (over $1.367 and explanation of the prime minister’s tax affairs going back -- to acknowledge his links to an offshore fund. his and his wife’s London home. billion) worth of shares of state-run companies to the private six years. These cover his final year as Leader of the Opposi- Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs, the U.K. tax author- In the year 2013-14 he received 6,681 pounds in interest sector in the calendar year of 1393. tion and all years as prime minister.” ity, has already tracked down 2 billion pounds ($2.8 billion) from savings in “a U.K. high street bank,” the documents show, The Iranian government envisioned a large privatization Cameron also announced a task force to probe docu- from tax dodgers since 2010, and is chasing 700 leads relat- suggesting substantial cash deposits at a time when the Bank program in the Fifth Five-Year National Development Plan ments leaked from Panama law firm Mossack Fonseca as ing to Panama, according to a statement on Sunday from of England base rate was 0.5 percent. (2010-2015), aiming to privatize about 20 percent of the he sought to regain the initiative after being forced to ac- the Treasury. HMRC will lead the probe with the National Cameron told Conservative Party activists on Saturday state-owned firms each year. knowledge he once held shares in an offshore fund linked Crime Agency, with Cameron committing initial funding of that the poor media management of the past week, and the Under the present interpretation of the Article 44 of Iran's to his father, Ian, which was mentioned in the papers. He 10 million pounds. Investigators and analysts from the Seri- fact it took five statements for him to clarify his relationship to Constitution, hundreds of state-owned companies have been was accused of hypocrisy by the opposition Labor Party and ous Fraud Office and the Financial Conduct Authority will his father’s fund, was his fault. privatized. protesters outside Downing Street on Saturday, because he also assist. “Don’t blame Number 10 Downing Street or nameless ad- has repeatedly condemned companies and individuals who Cameron is seeking to boost his government’s record on visers, blame me,” he said, to applause from the Conservative avoid paying tax. cracking down on tax avoidance, a subject he has repeatedly Party’s Spring Forum. “I know that I should have handled this The task force will be made up of tax, fraud and criminal returned to in meetings with governments and multilateral better, I could have handled this better; I know there are les- Global sugar and palm oil authorities and will pursue leads from the documents, Cam- bodies around the world. sons to learn and I will learn them.” prices jump in March: FAO eron said, a day after he accepted blame for the way in which “The U.K. has been at the forefront of international action (Source: Bloomberg)

The FAO Food Price Index for March rose by 1.0 percent com- Italian government, banks to meet Monday to finalize fund to tackle bad loans pared to February, as soaring sugar prices and continued in- Italy’s banks are currently loaded with about bad debt. which allowed Italian banks to bundle their pile of bad loans over the next two to three crease in palm oil quotations more than offset plunging dairy 360 billion euros ($410 billion) in bad loans, Terms of the deal are still under review bad loans in securities for sale, in a bid to years, adding that the situation of their bal- product prices. Reuters reported. The fund will be financed and a final agreement may be reached as work out a recovery from a recession in Eu- ance sheets was "difficult but manageable." The Index averaged 151.0 points in March, its highest level by major banks, including UniCredit SpA soon as next week, sources told Bloomb- rope’s third-largest economy. Italian banking stocks have lost 40 per- in 2016, but still some 12.0 percent below its level of a year and Intesa Sanpaolo SpA along with state erg. Meanwhile, on Saturday, Pier Carlo cent of their market value this year, Reuters earlier. lender Cassa Depositi e Prestiti to help the Earlier this year, Italy struck an agree- Padoan, the country's economy minis- reported. The FAO Food Price Index is a trade-weighted index track- cooperative lenders in sales of shares and ment with the European Commission, ter said that Italian banks can deal with the (Source: International Business Times) ing international market prices for five key commodity groups: major cereals, vegetable oils, dairy, meat and sugar. Its de- cline over the past year reflects ample food supplies, a slowing Japan government, Nearly 2,500 General Airbus' biggest global economy and a stronger US dollar. Toyota, Nissan to Electric workers corporate jet, first The keystone FAO Cereal Price Index fell slightly in March - marking the fifth straight month of decline- amid a favorable step up efforts on stage protest in Paris A330neo for TAP supply outlook in the new season. The drop was far more intelligent maps against restructuring and more pronounced if compared to last year, as the sub-index is down 13.1 percent below its March 2015 level. Japan’s government and auto giants Toyota Motor At least 2,500 European employees of General Airbus is meeting demand for larger corporate The FAO Sugar Price Index rose 17.1 percent from February, Corp and Nissan Motor Co will join in an effort to de- Electric (GE) have protested in Paris against the US jets in China with the new ACJ319, which features reaching its highest level since November 2014. The sharp in- velop intelligent maps by 2018, the Nikkei daily said, industrial conglomerate’s restructuring plans, which conference, dining and lounge areas at the front, plus crease reflects mainly expectations of a larger production defi- as competition heats up to improve the technology include 6,500 job losses throughout the continent. two separate rooms at the rear. cit during the current crop year, but likely also reported higher key for autonomous driving. The demonstrators came to the French capital It is offered for VVIP charter by Comlux and is use of raw sugar for the production of ethanol in Brazil. Japanese automakers, map-making companies, from throughout Europe with 700 from Germany on display next week at the Asian Business Aviation The FAO Vegetable Oil Price Index also rose notably, and the government will get together to generate and hundreds more from Italy, Poland, Belgium and Conference and Exhibition (Abace) in Shanghai. It is jumping 6.3 percent from February, as international palm oil standardized intelligent maps, with plans to incor- France itself. certificated to transport 19 passengers – more than prices surged on the back of prolonged dry weather in Ma- porate driving data gathered by the automakers, the A large number were from French company Al- traditional business jets – and is able to serve a wider laysia and Indonesia, by far the world main producers. Soy oil paper said on Sunday. stom, four months after GE acquired its power and range of business needs. prices were stable, while sunflower and rapeseed oil prices A Toyota spokesman declined to comment, while grid businesses. Other protests took place in Germa- Airbus has about 20 ACJ320 family corporate jets declined. officials at Nissan could not be reached immediately ny, Spain, Austria. in China, giving it the strongest presence of any busi- The FAO Dairy Price Index dropped 8.2 percent to its lowest for comment. GE is most of the way through a restructuring to ness jet at the top-end of the market. level since June 2009, led by plummeting butter and cheese hone its focus on its key traditional industrial busi- prices. The FAO Meat Price Index was broadly unchanged NEWS IN BRIEF nesses. from last month. (Source: fao.org) I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y http://www.tehrantimes.com AAPRILPRIL 111,1, 22016016 HISTORY & HERITAGE 5

Louvre to exhibit Egyptian NEWS Iran, Denmark to boost antiquities in Iran archeological cooperation TOURISM TEHRAN — Louvre Museum at the museum that thousands of them belong to TOURISM TEHRAN — The Department of Cross- deskwill display Egyptian antiqui- Iran but he doesn’t know the exact number. deskCultural and Regional Studies of University ties, which are kept at the place, during an exhi- “Iran’s artifacts at Louvre Museum were dis- of Copenhagen and the Research Center for Cultural Herit- bition in Iran in the near future, Iran’s Museums covered during the 19th century cooperation and age and Tourism of Iran will sign an agreement in the field of and Historical Properties Office Director Moham- mutual excavation in Susa and Apadana in Perse- archeology. mad-Reza Kargar said on Saturday. polis,” he said. The head of the research center Mohammad Beheshti will “According to the recent agreements between He claimed that all Iranian artifacts, which are lead a delegation to Denmark this week. Iran and Louvre Museum and negotiations with kept in the museum, were granted to the place The research center will also honor scholars of Iran studies President of the Louvre Museum Jean-Luc Mar- according to an agreement signed in the 19th and will hold a two-day workshop at the university. tinez, the exhibition will be held in the near fu- century. The Iranian delegation will also visit David Collection, ture,” Kargar said. “There is no specific department for Iran at Rosenborg Castle Gardens, and Center for GeoGenetics – a Martinez, leading a seven-member delega- the museum. The Iranian artifacts are kept in sev- basic research center of excellence located at the Natural His- tion, arrived in Tehran on Saturday for a two-day eral departments including Islamic Art,” he said. tory Museum in Copenhagen. journey. “I am here for a mutual cooperation. French The Egyptian antiquities present vestiges from experts come to Iran and vice versa. Louvre Mu- the civilizations that developed in the Nile Valley seum and National Museum of Iran can display from the late prehistoric era (c. 4000 BC) to the their artifacts in exhibitions in each country,” Mar- Morocco plans to attract Christian period (4th century AD). tinez added.

Marziyeh Soleymani more Russian tourists Louvre Museum is such an extraordinary The Louvre and the Cultural Heritage, Tourism / collection, which is home to different cultures and Handicraft Organization of Iran signed a co- around the world, Martinez told reporters during operation document in Paris on January 27, 2016. IRNA As tourists shy away from the nearby traditional markets in Eu- his visit to the Golestan Palace. The document covers cooperation in various Louvre Museum President Jean-Luc Martinez poses for a photo at Tehran’s rope because of instability, Moroccan tourism authorities are He said that about 550,000 artifacts are kept fields including archeology and local arts. Golestan Palace. planning to attract more visitors from China, Russia and West Africa. In an interview following King Mohammed VI’s visit to Russia, Lahcen Haddad, Morocco’s Tourism Minister, said that the Spectacular flower fields you must see plans for opening new air routes have been set in motion. The minister said that the opportunity offered by Russia In this fast-paced get-it-done-now world, there’s nothing these fields on canvas, there is one part of these lush passes without a bee pollenating the canola flowers or is big and the goal is to increase the visitor arrivals from the wrong with enjoying a few hours in the presence of a field fields they can’t adequately portray: the aroma. someone embracing their bright hue. Even as this yellow country by 400 percent to 200,000 a year over three years of gorgeous flowers, letting their vibrant colors and won- What could the aroma be coming from you might carpet of flowers appears to extend for miles on end, it is from the current level of 40,000 Russian tourists a year. derful scents allows us to drift away from the hassles of life. ask? The wonderful lavender fields along the famous perpetrated by dark forces, which are the Hundred Thou- Morocco, untouched by the 2011 uprisings in North Africa, And if you’re going to do it, do it right. Here are five fields route are responsible for the fragrance stopping you in sand Hills as well as the Golden Rooster Hills rising out of wants to increase the tourist arrivals in to the country to en- from around the world perfect for taking one of those pre- your tracks. Set amid the rolling verdant hills, the seas of the field, yet majestically clashing with its vibrant hue. sure the growth of the key tourism sector. However, instability cious moments to stop and smell the flowers. purple is particularly an eye-popper during the months The Canola Flower Fields of China is a dynamic sight, being experienced by countries such as Tunisia, Libya and France: Lavender Flower Fields of July to August when they are in full bloom. specifically during February to March, when it showcases Egypt following the Arab Spring is keeping the visitors away. With the strong perfumes of these purple buds auto- its brightest features. As a great producer of cooking oil, The contribution of Moroccan tourism towards GDP matically floating in the air, resisting the opportunity to the flower field is a treasure that holds significance to the of $105 billion is 10 percent. The industry which employs stop and smell their aromas is impossible. Chinese culture. And with such a sunny presence through 400,000 people comes next to the agriculture sector. Last China: Canola Flower Fields rain or shine, you may need to bring a pair of sunglasses. year, the biggest drop was in the French market, Morocco’s Japan: Farm Tomita largest, as tourist arrivals declined by about 7 percent. Visitor arrivals from Italy, Spain and Belgium were also smaller, but there was an increase in the amount of visitors from the UK and US. Overall, there was a one percent decline in tourist arrivals on year-over-year basis in 2015 and revenues slipped 1.3 percent to $6.1 billion. According to Minister Haddad, tourists are not differen- Imagine heading down France’s picturesque Laven- tiating Morocco, a secure and safe country, from Egypt or der Route, traipsing through a Cezanne painting come Tunisia and, therefore, a lot has to be done to send the mes- to life. And with all due respect to the legion of French sage across to people. artists who have traveled here to capture the views of A shutterbug’s delight, there’s rarely a moment that During the course of the interview, he also added that Not all rainbows are formed in the sky; some are talks are being held with airlines – Aeroflot and Royal Air Ma- planted in the earth. If this statement seems untrue, roc – for opening new routes between Marrakesh and Agadir you’ll want to pay Farm Tomita a visit to see for yourself. and Moscow and St. Petersburg though the plans for start- Although lavender claims to be its wildest attraction, ing direct flights to Morocco from China, announced in 2014, visitors are just as easily smitten for the field’s other floral have not yet materialized. bouquets decorating the farm. Flaunting its brightest as- In February, Morocco reviewed its tourism strategy “Vision sets during June to September, Farm Tomita also boasts a 2020”, launched in 2010, in view of the mounting regional in- stability. The aim was to create 470,000 new jobs and 200,000 Second Announcement café offering delicious jellies and pastries for visitors who can’t get enough of the aromatic lavender. A gift shop also extra beds. The review results are to be published in May. incorporating the flower into its products is on hand so (Source: tourism-review.com) guests can take their memories home with them. Ministry of Industry, Mine, and Trade The Netherlands: Keukenhof Industrial Development and Renovation Organization of Iran (IDRO) Cotton spinning production line ON THIS DAY Invitation to Bid 1564 England & France sign Peace of Troyes

Tender No.: 95/527 Johann von Schiller’s “Die Jungfrau von Orleans” premieres 1801 Subject: Request for Proposal for Turnkey Basis of Engineering and Procurement in Leipzig

(EP) Works of Cotton spinning yarn Manufacturing Plant 1814 Napoleon abdicates unconditionally; he is exiled to Elba

Abraham Lincoln urges a spirit of generous conciliation Industrial Development and Renovation Organization (IDRO) of IRAN intended to With flowers extending as far as the eyes can see, the 1865 during reconstruction award the contract for Turnkey Basis of Engineering and Procurement (EP) Works of Keukenhof rightfully takes its places as the second largest flower garden in the world. But once you’re in the presence 1914 George Bernard Shaw’s “Pygmalion” premieres cotton spinning production line through a tender bid. In this regard and in accordance of seven million buds sprouting breathtakingly beautiful with Iranian tender law and its bylaws, IDRO solicits Bids from internationally colors, it’s quite hard to envision another field topping it. Nevertheless, Keukenhof’s rich fragrance pouring out of 1919 The International Labor Organization is founded reputed organizations of both foreign and local origin for ENGINEERING and the rainbow-inspired plants completely dominate the entire park, as each corner intensifies with dozens of tulips, sun- PROCUREMENT (EP) works of cotton spinning production line on a turnkey basis. 1945 Allied troops liberate Basket-Compascuum flowers and other delightful florets. Here, every day feels like spring, and once its aromatic flowers hit your nose, U.S. troops conquer Mulheim, Oberhausen, Bochum, Unna, 1- Employer/Client: Industrial Development and Renovation Organization of Iran you’ll see why Keukenhof attracts the undivided attention 1945 Essen (IDRO) of every guests with its famed tulip fields alone. California: The Flower Fields 2- Project: Turnkey Basis of Works Engineering, Procurement (EP) of spinning 1957 Pablo Neruda arrested in Buenos Aires production line for cotton, polyester and viscose and blended off. 1957 Britain agrees to Singaporean self-rule. 3- Location: Ghostaresh sanaye Baloch CO, 5th km Bampor- Iranshahr road, Bob Dylan makes his 1st appearance at Folk City, Greenwich Iranshahr, Sistan & Baluchestan Province, Islamic Republic of Iran. 1961 4- Contract: Design and Engineering, Technology Transfer, Supply and Procurement Village Apollo 13 launched to Moon; unable to land, returns in 6 1970 of Equipment and Machinery, Installation, Commissioning, Supervision, Training days and Operation of the Project. With respect to Laws and Regulations of the I.R. of Iran, the maximum potential of local contractors and suppliers shall be exploited 1970 Beatles’ “Let It Be” single goes #1 & stays #1 for 2 weeks Drenched in Giant Tecolote Ranunculus flowers, you’ll and used by the selected Bidder. want to follow your nose through its 50 acres to capture 1974 WW II war criminal JP Philippa arrested 5- Plant Capacity: 15 TON yarn per day (10 ton Ne 20 and 5ton Ne 30) . every hue in this sea of color. California’s “The Flower Fields” is an attraction in itself that offers interesting displays Ronald Reagan arrives home from hospital after Hinkley 6- Submission of Bids: 1981 From 9/April/2016 TO 30/ April/2016 . Filled RFP Documents around every corner. From the American Flag designed shot him Shall be posted to the below address. out of red, white and blue petunias to the 1,500-square 7- Contact Information: foot greenhouse draped in poinsettias, visitors can expect a 1984 Chinese troops invade Vietnam 5th Floor, No. 2, IDRO Building, Jame- e- Jam St., Vali-e- natural world of flowers unlike any other of its kind. Asr Ave, Tehran, Iran. Even children are inclined to stop and smell the flow- UN Security Council issues formal ceasefire with Iraq 1991 +98(21) 22044067 or +98(21)23862202, ers while being whisked away on a wagon through the declaration Tel: colorful fields. Set in view of the Pacific as its psychedelic The Ghriba synagogue bombing by Al Qaeda kills 21 in Fax: +98(21) 22044035 colors illuminate the sky and its surroundings so effort- 2002 Tunisia. Email: [email protected] lessly, it may be hard to resist taking your shoes off and diving head-first into this bed of flowery rainbows. An attempted coup d’état takes place in Venezuela against 2002 Person in charge: Mr. Saeid Ghorbani (Source: travelpulse.com) President Hugo Chávez I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y

6 INTERNATIONAL AAPRILPRIL 11,11, 22016016 http://www.tehrantimes.com/international A fair chance after a conviction

The Obama administration has worked consider the nature and severity of ing purposes. These records are notori- through federal Pell Grants. More than diligently over the last five years to ease convictions in evaluating rental appli- ously inaccurate, and frequently contain 200 colleges in 47 states have expressed the marginalization of more than 70 cants and prove that any exclusions mistakes, including records of arrests interest in participating in the program. million Americans with criminal records are justified. Landlords who reflexively that either were dismissed or never led Every weekday, get thought-provok- that can shut them out of jobs, housing, bar people with criminal records risk to conviction. To address this problem, ing commentary from Op-Ed column- higher education or the consumer credit being hauled into court unless they the administration is creating a national ists, The Times editorial board and con- system — sometimes for minor offenses revise that policy. The department took clearinghouse that will teach legal aid tributing writers from around the world. in the distant past or arrests that nev- a similar step toward policies in public programs how to clean up such mistakes. In the 1990s, Congress caused great er led to conviction. By addressing this housing last year, advising local agencies The federal Equal Employment damage by denying federal grants and problem, Obama is pushing the country that administer federally assisted hous- Opportunity Commission took an im- loans to people with minor drug con- to re-evaluate longstanding policies that ing programs against shutting out appli- portant step in 2012 when it updated after they have had a chance to prove even attend classes without graduat- victions. It later narrowed the rule so trap people with criminal records at the cants based on arrests and discouraging a ruling that bars companies from their qualifications. The administration ing — are far less likely to end up back that only people enrolled in school and very edges of society, driving many of “one strike” policies that automatically automatically denying jobs to people joined this “ban the box” movement last behind bars once they leave. Yet Con- receiving aid at the time of the offense them right back to prison. evict people for brushes with the law. based on arrest or conviction records. year when it ordered federal agencies to gress disqualified inmates from getting would be disqualified. Both the House Last week, for example, the De- Policy changes The commission’s guidance explained take the same approach. federal Pell Grants during the “tough- and the Senate are considering bills that partment of Housing and Urban De- These and other policy changes can that companies needed to take into Era of marginalization on-crime” 1990s. Obama opened the would repeal the whole rule and bar the velopment warned private landlords be traced to the Federal Interagen- account the seriousness of the offense, Another area of marginalization door to prison education again last year Department of Education from includ- that blanket bans on renting to people cy Reentry Council, a group of more when it had occurred and whether it has been in higher education. There with an executive order creating a pilot ing questions about drug convictions with criminal convictions — common than 20 federal agencies led by the at- was relevant to the job. The agency is no doubt that inmates who receive program that will permit a limited num- on the federal application for financial throughout the country — violate the torney general and convened in 2011. has since taken strong enforcement college degrees in prison — or who ber of inmates to pay for college courses aid, known as the Fafsa. More than 20 Fair Housing Act and can lead to law- The council and its member agencies actions against companies that have million people use the form each year. suits and charges of discrimination. have been especially focused in remov- failed to observe the ruling. There is no doubt that inmates who receive By committing himself to reform in The guidelines make clear that ing unfair barriers to employment that Many states and counties already this area, Obama is leading the coun- landlords cannot use arrests — which have become pervasive since employ- forbid public agencies and in some cas- college degrees in prison — or who even attend try away from policies that once wrote quite often do not lead to conviction ers turned to computer-based arrest es private businesses from asking appli- classes without graduating — are far less likely off millions of people and cast them — to disqualify applicants, and must and conviction records for job-screen- cants about their criminal histories until to end up back behind bars once they leave. permanently aside. (Source: The NYT)

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The Brexit nightmare is becoming COMMENT Obama must lift the fog of reality. The remain camp is in denial drone war By Daniel R. DePetris From Cameron’s Panama Papers debacle to the weakness of Merkel and Hollande, the omens for Britain remaining in the EU get poorer by the day. Does anyone care? fter the conclusion of the two-day Nuclear Security Summit Ain Washington last week, President Barack Obama did what By Natalie Nougayrède he usually does once a high-profile meeting with dozens of world leaders ends: he stepped up perfect storm is brewing and it could take Britain out of to the podium and took ques- Athe European Union. Right now it’s hard to see what, or tions from reporters. who, will thwart that scenario. For months I thought Brexit As should have been ex- was unlikely. Now, I’m alarmed. The push factors are piling pected, many of the questions up. thrown his way were about nu- It’s not just that the gap between remain and leave has clear security matters. been narrowing in opinion polls – perhaps the polls need Did he think Chinese and to be taken with a pinch of salt. What’s so worrying is that Russian nuclear modernization developments in the UK and events beyond it are together is undermining global nonpro- setting the stage for a train-wreck. liferation efforts? How serious For Britain and EU alike, Brexit would be a tremendous is the link between nuclear ma- loss. Yet a whiff of fatalism in the air, or at least a careless terials and international terror- passivity, makes the situation especially dangerous. ist networks? And how much To seriously contemplate Brexit is almost a taboo – of a priority do other nations there’s a great deal of comment, but few see it as a reality. around the world put on safe- Officials in other European states refrain from making open guarding loose nuclear material? statements: partly for fear of negatively influencing the ref- But the most interesting question didn’t have anything to do erendum, but mostly because they are in denial. with nuclear weapons. Rather, the subject was about drones and A friend at the EU commission recently told me that its President Obama’s consistent use of targeted killing in his coun- staff are banned from organizing any meetings to discuss terterrorism policy over the past seven years. the possible effects of Brexit, in case it leaks and EU insti- Asked by the Washington Post’s David Nakamura how he tutions appear defeatist. This amounts to sticking heads in could be certain that all of the people that have been killed in the sand. drone strikes were in fact imminent threats to the United States, With less than 11 weeks to the vote, the reasons things President Obama tacitly admitted that he couldn’t provide that are going wrong are easy to list. David Cameron, the British reassurance. In a moment of candor, Obama admitted in public prime minister, is now politically weakened by the Panama what international human-rights organizations, counterterrorism Papers fallout. Like it or not, his personal credibility affects analysts, former intelligence officials and think-tanks in Washing- the credibility of his message on Europe. The Dutch ref- ton have long reported: civilians have indeed been killed in U.S. erendum result last week has brought added ammunition org, is actively exposing the many myths that Brexiters are describes the EU as either a threatening entity for Britain, or drone attacks. to the Brexit campaign. Nigel Farage was swift to tweet: spreading. too weak an institution to protect it. President Obama continued: “(The legal framework govern- “big No to EU. Hooray!” The Labour Party has made remain its official policy. But European voices ing the use of drone strikes) wasn’t as precise as it should have External factors driving Brexit are no less daunting. The its grassroots activists will only put energy into that mes- And long gone are the days when authoritative Europe- been, and there’s no doubt civilians were killed that shouldn’t slowdown in refugee movements across the Mediterra- sage after the UK’s local elections in May – and that could an voices could reach out to British voters in a convincing have been. We have to take responsibility where we’re not acting nean – brought about by the EU-Turkey deal – is likely to be too late. Also, the credibility of Jeremy Corbyn, the La- manner – as when Jacques Delors singlehandedly swayed appropriately, or just made mistakes.” be only temporary. Not just because warmer weather will bour leader, as a pro-EU voice leaves much to be desired. the British left towards a pro-European position in 1988. Depending on which organization is tracking the casualties, make crossings easier, but because the “cessation of hostil- Three years ago Cameron put the future of the UK – The French president, François Hollande, is dismally estimates on the number of civilians who have perished as a re- ities” in Syria has now all but collapsed. and even its territorial integrity (think Scotland) – at stake weak, and Angela Merkel is less politically sturdy than she sult of drone strikes range from 370–445 (according to the New More Syrians will want to seek safety abroad. And more by setting off towards an in-out referendum on the EU as a once was. Populist movements whose leaders believe they America Foundation’s count of strikes in Pakistan, Yemen and So- TV images of refugees will feed British anxieties about im- way of managing his own party. stand to benefit from a British exit are on the rise across malia) to the much larger 514–1,127 (from the Bureau of Investiga- migration, which is at the heart of the referendum debate. It is obvious he has failed to put internal Tory dissent to the continent. tive Journalism). Because these are just ballpark figures, however, Brussels attacks rest. That Boris Johnson has sided with leave brings to mind The deeper phenomenon at work is a wider one. British the international community doesn’t know precisely how many Add to all that the impact of the Brussels attacks, so how in 2005 Laurent Fabius, one of France’s socialist heav- society suffers from an identity crisis not unlike those that civilians have been killed, what the ratio of civilian to combatant soon after the Paris terror. To many British people these yweights, opted for no against his own party’s leadership have hit other western countries in the wake of globaliza- deaths is and where each of these strikes took place. events made Europe look frightening because of its very in the referendum campaign on the EU constitution. That tion and the 2008 financial crisis. Until senior administration officials were forced to release vulnerability. And that increases the pull-up-the-draw- led to disastrous results – despite a majority of the French Fragmentation is spreading everywhere as nations be- some critical information by court order, the U.S. intelligence bridge syndrome. media calling for a yes vote. come more inward-looking and worried about how the community and the White House operated on the ridiculous Barack Obama is expected to visit the UK in a few weeks In Britain the media has long been Eurosceptic. Even world is changing. In the British case this general sense of premise that there was no drone program to begin with. That to make the case for remain. That is good news, but it’s the BBC seems hesitant these days. The Daily Telegraph disarray now has the opportunity to express itself in a ref- position became increasingly more ridiculous after each news re- hard to ignore that he is a lame duck president who recent- erendum. port of another attack by unmanned aircraft—one that President ly criticized Europeans for being “free riders” in the global Three years ago Cameron Britain’s image has often been associated with com- Obama, to his credit, has taken personal interest in changing. mon decency, sober assessment and cool-headedness. But And yet despite the fact that targeted killing has been an order – which didn’t go down too well among those who put the future of the UK worry about the strength of America’s commitment to Eu- this is an age of extremes when moderate voices are fast instrumental tenet of America’s counterterrorism policy for two rope’s security. – and even its territorial drowned out by radical slogans. consecutive administrations, the American people are only al- Meanwhile, Obama’s entry into the referendum debate integrity (think Scotland) Of course, Cassandras have been wrong before about lowed to access the most basic information about these oper- has already been slammed by Brexiters as U.S. meddling in – at stake by setting the European project. The eurozone has held together. ations. national affairs. Grexit didn’t happen. Merkel may be weaker, but she has Drone program It could be argued that the remain camp has not yet off towards an in-out not lost power. For far too long, the U.S. government has modified the drone pumped up the volume, that it’s still early days to be alarm- referendum on the EU as a Yet it would be foolish not to see that the omens for program without much consideration for what the public is enti- ist. Britain remaining in the EU are very poor. tled to know under a democratic system of governance. way of managing his own But does anyone care? If they do, they need to wake At one point in time, CIA director John Brennan made the out- Some British students are just starting to campaign, party. and they are doing so eagerly. One media outfit, InFacts. up now and shout stop. (Source: The Guardian) standing claim that there wasn’t a single civilian casualty during the previous year of targeted killings. Exhaustive reporting about the procedures that the Obama administration used to distinguish between terrorists approved for the “kill list” and those who were not only added more ammu- The real secret of Bernie Sanders’ success nition to activists campaigning for greater transparency. time warp that Hawaii had created.” The White House has responded to the calls for more trans- By Monica Crowley Social ideology parency, but has done so to the minimum extent possible. The wo weeks ago, President Obama took Thanks in large part to the influence infamous 2013 speech at National Defense University, where Ttime out of his busy schedule of “fun- of his parents and Davis, Mr. Obama ad- President Obama outlined the legal criteria for the program, was damentally transforming the nation” to mitted that as a student, he sought out the beginning of an effort to level with the American people. do the wave with the Reds at a baseball Marxist professors. In April 1983, while An unclassified presidential directive was released on the same game in Cuba. a senior at Columbia University, he at- day, providing the public with more information as to the U.S. Last week, socialist Bernie Sanders tended a “Socialist Scholars Conference” government’s legal framework, its “near-certainty” standard that won the Democratic primary resound- at Cooper Union, a confab touted as a civilians were not present in the target area and the amount of ingly in Wisconsin, the birthplace of pro- tribute to Karl Marx. He was so taken by oversight that members of Congress were afforded after each gressivism. Not a coincidence. the socialist ideology that he attended strike occurred. “So often in the past there’s been a the 1984 conference as well. The archived The Obama White House is prone to calling itself the most sharp division between left and right, files of the Democratic Socialists of Amer- transparent in U.S. history. On the drone issue, however, that between capitalist and communist or ica show Mr. Obama’s name on a confer- description is more talking point than truth. If President Obama socialist,” Obama told a group of young ence registration list. wants to seriously be considered as a transparent president in the Argentinians after his tete-a-tete with the As his radicalism fully flowered, he history books, he should go beyond releasing the raw number Castros of Havana. grew close to an even fuller array of influ- of civilians killed in drone attacks since 2009, by enacting reforms “And especially in the Americas, that’s should be congratulated.” government, urged a total confiscatory ential leftists, the radical preacher Jeremi- that are bolder and will last longer than a single administration. been a big debate, right? Oh, you know, Cuban economy tax rate of “100 percent.” He also routine- ah Wright and Bill Ayers, the co-founder There are multiple reforms to the process that President Oba- you’re a capitalist Yankee dog, and oh, He admitted that the Cuban economy ly demonized corporations. His mother, of the Weather Underground, which ma can either enact on his own or advocate for in the halls of you know, you’re some crazy communist was still faltering and issued some per- Stanley Ann Dunham, sympathized with described itself as a communist revolu- Congress. He can and should declassify the full Presidential Policy that’s going to take away everybody’s functory praise of the free market, but the cause. tionary organization. Throughout his life, Directive that establishes the rules and procedures for the target- property. added a “market does not work by itself.” His grandfather introduced him to Obama’s mentors and pals made sure he ed killing program so the American people can judge the stand- “And I mean, those are interesting in- None of this socialism-worship should poet and prominent communist Frank consumed Marxist literature, anti-colonial ards for themselves. tellectual arguments, but I think for your come as a surprise. After all, he “chose Marshall Davis, to whom he refers in propaganda and revolutionary poetry. The White House should push for a statute that requires any generation, you should be practical and what worked” for him long ago. Indeed, “Dreams from My Father” as “Frank.” As he gained political currency, Oba- future administration to annually disclose how many combatants just choose from what works. You don’t he once described his brief time in the Davis became a mentor and father ma increasingly promoted radical wealth outside declared warzones have been killed in drone strikes dur- have to worry about whether it neatly fits private sector as being “behind enemy figure to the young Barack, schooling him redistribution, class warfare and retrench- ing the previous year, how many civilians were killed, where the into socialist theory or capitalist theory — lines.” early in the ways of radical redistribution- ment of U.S. power globally until he operations took place (broadly speaking), how much the drone you should just choose from what works,” His comments serve as a good re- ism. Davis was a labor movement activist reached the presidency and could put it program costs to the U.S. taxpayer, which terrorist organizations he continued. “And I said this to President minder of what he truly believes — and who worked — along with Vernon Jarrett, all into full effect. are listed as fair game, and a public assessment from the intelli- Castro in Cuba. how it has directed his policies and re- the father of William Jarrett, ex-husband When Obama told those Argentinians gence community of the impact of drones on the capability of I said, ‘Look, you’ve made great pro- shaped the Democratic Party. of one of Obama’s closest confidantes, to “just choose from what works,” he re- those terrorist groups to hold territory, plan attacks, recruit and gress in educating young people. Every In his memoir, “Dreams from my Fa- Valerie Jarrett — in the Communist Par- minded us yet again of what he has cho- fundraise. child in Cuba gets a basic education — ther,” Obama wrote boldly about his early ty-dominated group Citizen’s Committee sen. Socialism has a long historical record All these reforms could be passed without compromising that’s a huge improvement from where it radical associations, though he was care- to Aid Packing House Workers. As Obama of economic and human devastation, but sources and methods, or tipping off America’s terrorist adversar- was. Medical care — the life expectancy ful to tone down their true beliefs and himself recalled in his memoir, “It made that has never stopped the social engi- ies. Just as importantly, opening the program to more scrutiny of Cubans is equivalent to the United influence on him. me smile, thinking back on Frank and his neers, including Mr. Obama, who always from Congress and the American people will set an international States, despite it being a very poor coun- His father, Barack Obama Senior, was old Black Power, dashiki self. In some ways believe that they will be the ones to finally standard for countries in the future who are beginning to deploy try, because they have access to health a committed communist who, while serv- he was as incurable as my mother, as cer- do Karl Marx proud. their own drones on the battlefield. care. That’s a huge achievement.’ They ing as a finance minister for the Kenyan tain in his faith, living in the same sixties (Source: The Washington Times) (Source: nationalinterest.org) I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y

8 MED & SCI AAPRILPRIL 11,11, 22016016 http://www.tehrantimes.com

NEWS IN BRIEF Airbus hopes to launch hybrid SpaceX successfully lands booster rocket on drone ship passenger planes by 2030 In a development that could bring down the cost of delivering The European aircraft manufacturer is team- could carry up to 100 people. cargo to space mission, SpaceX has successfully landed a rock- ing up with German industrial conglomerate Airbus said it's been spurred to develop et on a drone ship. The successful landing of Falcon 9 has put Siemens (SIEGY) to develop hybrid planes the hybrid technology by European emis- Elon Musk's SpaceX in a dominating position in the commercial that can carry up to 100 passengers. The sion rules requiring that aircraft emit 75% launch services market. aircraft would use a combination of electric less CO2 and generate 65% less noise in The Hawthorne-based space technology company for the power and conventional fuel. 2050 than in 2000. first time Friday successfully landed a booster rocket on a They would operate a bit like a Toyota Airbus and Siemens have been working drone ship. (TM) Prius car: Quieter and much more fuel together since about 2010 to develop the The drone ship, named efficient than similar models, said Siemens technology on a smaller scale. ‘Of Course I Still Love You’, is spokesperson Florian Martini. Last year, they flew a small all-electric aircraft moored in the Atlantic Ocean The hybrid Airbus (EADSF) planes would from the UK to France in a 36-minute flight. off Cape Canaveral, Florida. consume 25% less fuel and would be al- Now they're committing more resourc- The Falcon 9 stage touched most silent during take-off and landing, es to the project by creating a 200-person down on the drone ship when running on electric power, according team to work on the technology. shortly after hurling a payload to Siemens. At cruising altitudes, the planes U.S. competitor Boeing (BA) has worked destined for the International would be powered by jet fuel. on similar projects with NASA, developing Space Station, in what was the The planes are expected to have a range small aircraft that can be powered by hy- company's fifth attempt at a of about 620 miles, enough to get you from brid electricity and liquified natural gas. sea landing. The company New York City to Detroit, Michigan. An era of super-quiet hybrid planes could had failed in its fourth attempt The ultimate goal for Airbus is to de- open up new opportunities for the aviation last month after a commercial velop "zero-emissions aviation," CEO Tom industry, said Siemens spokesman Martini. payload was launched from Enders said in a statement. Authorities could potentially allow the same site. An era of super-quiet hybrid planes could open up new Electric aircraft planes to fly later at night without disrupt- Showcasing unusual sense of humor during previous failures, opportunities for the aviation industry, said Siemens Airbus and Siemens are developing ing residents living near airports, he said. particularly after a January explosion off the California coast, a commercial hybrid electric aircraft that spokesman Martini. (Source: cnn.com) Musk tweeted, "at least the pieces were bigger." "The rocket landed instead of putting a hole in the ship or flipping over, so we're really excited about that… I will feel like I have achieved the next level when it becomes boring, when it's like, 'another land- ing, no news there”, said Musk. New way to trap, kill mosquito eggs may help fight Zika SpaceX had earlier achieved a milestone in December when Scientists have successfully developed a low-cost Health of Mexico, found the rubber ovillanta signifi- it had landed upright its first-stage booster on solid ground at way to trap and destroy the eggs of the mosquito cantly more effective at attracting the Aedes mosquito Cape Canaveral. The milestone was considered by the new gen- genus that spreads dengue, and is likely spreading than standard traps made from 1-liter buckets. eration of space flight engineers and aficionados nothing less the Zika virus. During the study, the researchers collected and than the televised coverage of Apollo missions. The 10-month study, conducted in a remote, urban destroyed over 18,100 Aedes eggs per month using (Source: NH Voice) area of Guatemala, documented a cheap, easy system 84 ovillantas in seven neighborhoods of the town of to reduce virus-carrying Aedes genus mosquitoes by Sayaxche (population 15,000), almost seven times the capturing and destroying its eggs. roughly 2,700 eggs collected monthly using 84 stand- The system includes an innovative trap called an ard traps in the same study areas. Cryoablation to relieve "ovillanta," created from two 50 cm sections of an old There were no new cases of dengue reported as extreme limb pain: study car tire, fashioned into a mouth-like shape, with a fluid originating in the ovillanta study test area, a commu- release valve at the bottom. nity that would normally anticipate two or three dozen Inside the lower tire cavity, a milk-based, non-toxic cases in that timeframe, researchers said. Researchers have revealed that by using a newly-developed solution developed at Laurentian University in Canada others identify a safe breeding site), is then drained, fil- Targeting mosquito eggs using the ovillanta is one medical procedure that is minimally invasive, phantom limb pain lures mosquitoes. tered, and recycled back into the tire. third as expensive as trying to destroy larvae in natural (PLP) can be curbed to a great extent. People who lose limbs be- Inserted to float in the artificial pond is a wooden or The pheromone concentrates over time, making the ponds and only 20 percent the cost of targeting adult cause of accident, diabetes or surgery undergo this state, known paper strip on which the female insect lays her eggs. ovillanta even more attractive for mosquitoes. insects with pesticides, which also harm bats, dragon- as PLP. The feelings of patients going through PLP were reduced Mosquito pheromone The researchers, led by Gerardo Ulibarri of Lauren- flies and the mosquitoes' other natural predators, said significantly through the use of a technique called cryoablation, The solution, which now includes mosquito phero- tian University with collaborators Angel Betanzos and Ulibarri. which involves subjecting body parts to extreme cold. mone (the female insect's chemical perfume that helps Mireya Betanzos of the National Institute of Public (Source: Business Standard) Discomfort of patients can be eased out through these cold blasts, even in cases where the limb has been lost decades ago. Till now, patients feeling PLP did not have many options to al- leviate their distress. Scientists set to drill into New stroke risk locus detected In the United States, more than 200,000 amputations are extinction-event crater in Mexico through GWAS meta-analysis performed annually. Patients can begin to feel PLP where the limb has been lost or in the scar tissue, shortly after the limb is A research team is now working to put An international team of researchers has lost. The new procedure involves placing a probe beneath the a massive drill into the Gulf of Mexico's uncovered a novel stroke risk locus near skin of the place where the limb was earlier present. seafloor to help peel back 65 million the FOXF2 gene. Subsequently, that particular area’s temperature is reduced years of history. Their goal: to secure a Through a meta-analysis of 18 genome- for a time span or nearly 25 minutes. According to David Pro- nearly mile-deep core sample from the wide association studies, researchers from a logo of the Emory University School of Medicine, several nerves, Chicxulub crater that's commonly linked trio of international stroke genetics research which are responsible for this pain, cannot be reached by physi- to the end of the dinosaur era. consortiums identified 21 loci linked to risk cians without imaging. "There's a lot of questions about mass of stroke, and confirmed two of them in The research involved 10 patients going through PLP and extinction events, including all the extinc- follow-up samples. While one was a known they were each asked to individually rate the level of distress felt tion or kill mechanisms out there," says risk locus, the other — located between by them before and after the procedure was performed. The one of the research team's leaders, Sean FOXQ1 and FOXF2 — hadn't before been ratings from the patients were recorded for before the treat- Gulick of the University of Texas, Austin. tied to stroke risk, as the researchers report- ment as well as seven and 45 days subsequent to the treatment. If Gulick and his colleagues are suc- ed in the Lancet Neurology. A reduction of four points was recorded during the time period, cessful, their work could bring insights at ground zero?' Was it the specialists In animal studies, they found that the all stroke, ischemic stroke, cardioembolic ranging from 6.4 to 2.4. No negative impact of the treatment into a range of topics, from prehistoric that came back first, the generalists? Is lack of the FOXF2 gene affected pericyte stroke, or non-cardioembolic stroke. was felt by any of the patients. biology and planetary geology to Earth's there any clue to what organisms re- coverage in zebrafish and led to cerebral In a follow-up study drawing on (Source: Maine News Online) current era of climate change. populated first, as opposed to what the infarction and microhemorrhage in mice. 19,816 stroke patients and 50,988 con- The impact of a miles-wide asteroid environmental consequences were for "Our research has identified a gene af- trols, the researchers replicated the as- and the end of the Cretaceous period the ocean?" fecting … ischemic stroke, due to small ves- sociation between two loci — chr6p25.3 were catastrophic to life on Earth, eras- To drill into the seafloor, a 137-foot sel disease, and also suggests some genes and chr4q25 — and incident all stroke or Intracellular recordings ing more than 70 percent of the planet's craft called the Liftboat Myrtle is now may be associated with both ischemic and incident cardioembolic stroke, respective- using nanotower electrodes species, according to the most recent using its tripod of 6-foot-wide legs to hemorrhagic stroke and may act through a ly, in a combined analysis. estimations. When it hit our planet, the position itself over an offshore site that's novel pathway affecting pericytes, a type of The chr4q25 locus, the researchers impact must have looked something like about 25 kilometers from Progreso, cell in the wall of small arteries and capillar- noted, is a known risk locus for cardioem- Our current understanding of how the brain works is very poor. an exclamation point, packing enough Mexico. ies," co-author Sudha Seshadri, a professor bolic ischemic stroke. But the chr6p25.3 The electrical signals travel around the brain and throughout the velocity and mass to make deep-seated The Chicxulub crater from the im- of neurology at Boston University School of locus, which falls between the FOXQ1 body, and the electrical properties of the biological tissues are rocks and other materials behave like pact that's widely believed to have Medicine, said in a statement. and FOXF2 genes hadn't previously been studied using electrophysiology. water splashing in a pond after a stone is caused the Cretaceous-Tertiary Extinc- Vessel disease linked to stroke risk. For acquiring a large amplitude and a high quality of neuronal thrown into it. tion 65.5 million years ago is visible here "Unraveling the mechanisms of small When the researchers looked at stroke sub- signals, intracellular recording Craters on Earth in a shaded relief image of Mexico's Yu- vessel disease is essential for the devel- types, they found that the chr6p25.3 locus was is a powerful methodology Using core samples, the scientists will catan Peninsula. opment of therapeutic and preventive linked with incident ischemic stroke, non-cardi- compared to extracellular re- explore Chicxulub's well-preserved peak The Chicxulub crater from the impact strategies for this major cause of stroke." oembolic I ischemic stroke, and cardioembolic cording to measure the volt- ring — the rough circle of hills that's that's widely believed to have caused the In the discovery stage of their study, Se- ischemic stroke in their discovery cohort and age or current across the cell commonly seen rising above flat impact Cretaceous-Tertiary Extinction 65.5 million shadri and her colleagues compared GWAS with small-vessel ischemic stroke in their follow- membranes. craters on Earth and other planets. years ago is visible here in a shaded relief data from 4,348 stroke patients and 80,613 up cohort, though not with large vessel or with Nanowire- and nanotube- "In that section," Gulick says, "the big image of Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula. controls to find 177 genetic variants in 21 cardioembolic ischemic stroke in that group. based devices have been excitement is, 'How did life come back (Source: npr.org) independent loci associated with incident (Source: genomeweb.com) developed for the intracellu- lar recording applications to demonstrate the advantages of these devices having high spatial resolution and high Mushrooms may help develop more efficient batteries sensitivity. Carbon fibers derived from a type of wild mushroom can electrolyte, and these ions are stored in the anode during certain metals, alloys or metal oxides that allow for in- However, length of these be used to make anodes that outperform conventional recharging. creased storage of lithium during recharging. nanowire/nanotube electrode graphite electrodes in lithium-ion batteries, scientists, in- Pol and doctoral student Jialiang Tang found that car- Tang got the idea of tapping fungi for raw materials devices is currently limited to less than 10 µm due to process is- cluding one of Indian-origin, have found. Researchers have bon fibers derived from Tyromyces fissilis and modified by while researching alternative sources for carbon fibers. sues that occur during fabrication of high-aspect-ratio nanoscale created electrodes from a species of wild fungus called Ty- attaching cobalt oxide nanoparticles outperform conven- The “methods now used to produce carbon fibers for devices, which are more than 10-µm long. Thus, conventional romyces fissilis. tional graphite in the anodes. batteries are often chemical heavy and expensive,” Tang nanodevices are not applicable to neurons/cells within thick bio- “Current state-of-the-art lithium-ion batteries must be “Both the carbon fibers and cobalt oxide particles are said. He decided to study the potential of a mushroom as logical tissues, including brain slices and brain in vivo. improved in both energy density and power output in or- electrochemically active, so your capacity number goes a source for carbon fibers. “I was curious about the struc- A research team in the Department of Electrical and Electronic der to meet the future energy storage demand in electric higher because they both participate,” Pol said. ture so I cut it open and found that it has very interesting Information Engineering and the Electronics-Inspired Interdiscipli- vehicles and grid energy-storage technologies,” said Vilas Hybrid anodes properties,” Tang said. nary Research Institute (EIIRIS) at Toyohashi University of Technology Pol, associate professor at Purdue University in U.S. The hybrid anodes have a stable capacity of 530 milli- “It’s very rubbery and yet very tough at the same time. has developed three-dimensional microneedle-based nanoscale- Batteries have two electrodes, called anode and cath- amp hours per gram, which is one and a half times greater Most interestingly, when I cut it open it has a very fibrous tipped electrodes (NTEs) that are longer than 100 µm. ode. Graphite anodes are used in most lithium-ion bat- than graphite’s capacity. One approach for improving bat- network structure,” he said. (Source: NeuroScience News) teries. Lithium ions are contained in a liquid called an tery performance is to modify carbon fibers by attaching (Source: livemint.com) I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y http://www.tehrantimes.com/international APRIL 11, 2016 WORLD IN FOCUS 9

The militant cell behind bombings in Belgian intelligence and security Brussels had been plotting to hit France forces had been criticized from abroad again after carrying out the Paris attacks Brussels bombers had for not doing more to dismantle the but was forced to strike closer to home militant cell, because of its links to the JUMP as police closed in, Belgian prosecutors planned to hit France again: Paris attacks, though as of Friday all Egypt hands over two disputed said on Sunday. known suspects were either in deten- Investigations into the Islamic State in prosecutors tion or dead. islands to Saudi Arabia Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) terrorist group Belgium maintained its second high- attacks in Paris in November which killed est threat level, however, on Sunday with 1 The visit and the fund contract apparently reflect 130 people showed many of the perpe- Prime Minister Charles Michel saying his the extent of the Saudi support for Egypt’s former army chief, trators lived in Belgium, including sur- government would remain alert. who engineered a coup against the country’s first democrat- viving suspects who managed to evade Another main suspect who was seen ically elected president Morsi. police for more than four months. alongside the suicide bomber in the The House of Saud regime has remained a key supporter Prime suspect Salah Abdeslam was Brussels metro and identified by prose- and chief financier of Egypt’s troubled economy under the arrested by police on March 18 after a cutors as Osama K was also arrested on Sisi administration. shootout in the Belgian capital. Four days Friday in the Belgian capital. Since his arrival in Egypt on Thursday, King Salman later, suicide bombers killed 32 people in Osama K, 28, widely named by media and his entourage of senior Saudi officials have an- attacks on Brussels airport and a rush- as Swedish national Osama Krayem, was nounced a string of investments in Egypt, as well as a hour metro train. filmed buying the bags used to carry the massive plan to construct a bridge over the Red Sea to “Numerous elements in the investiga- Brussels bombs. Like Abrini, his finger- connect the two Arab nations. tion have shown that the terrorist group prints were found in an apartment used Moreover, on the third day of the Saudi ruler’s five-day initially had the intention to strike in as a bomb factory and safe house for the tour of Egypt on Saturday, Salman and Sisi attended the sign- France again,” Belgium’s federal prosecu- attackers. ing ceremony for a number of other deals intended to fur- tor said in a statement. istrate he planned to blow himself up at a Brussels on Friday and he has admitted As with other suspects in both the ther boost Egypt’s battered economy at the historic Abdeen “Surprised by the speed of progress in sports stadium in Paris but backed out at to being the “man in the hat” captured Paris and Brussels attacks, police be- Palace in Cairo. the investigation, they took the decision the last minute. His brother Brahim blew on video walking into Brussels airport lieve Krayem returned last summer from More than a dozen other accords, including a memoran- to strike in Brussels,” the prosecutor said. himself up at a Paris cafe. alongside two suicide bombers. fighting with ISIL in Syria aboard refugee dum of understanding to set up an industrial zone in Egypt, Born and raised in Belgium to Moroc- Another man linked to the Paris at- Abrini, 31, has been charged with ter- boats reaching Greek islands. were also unveiled during the meeting. (Source: agencies) can-born parents, Abdeslam told a mag- tacks, Mohamed Abrini, was arrested in rorist murders, prosecutors said. (Source: AP) France calls on Israel to stop Families of Afghans killed building wall in West Bank in U.S. drone raids seek probe How Haaretz distorts

France has criticized a decision by Israel wall are meant to cleanse the area from Relatives and tribal elders in southeast- ernor of Paktika province, told Al Ja- Ayatollah to resume the controversial construction the residents. Frequent clashes have ern Afghanistan are demanding an in- zeera on Saturday only Taliban-affiliated of a separation wall south of the occu- broken out between the residents and vestigation into the killing of 17 people people were killed in the attack. 1 Expressing his stance clearly in favor of Iran’s mis- pied West Bank, saying the move could Israeli forces over the past months with by the United States drones this week, “We’ve been in touch with the Amer- sile program and the Supreme Leader, Rafsanjani’s office had seriously hamper the social and eco- people urging an immediate stop to the claiming that the air strikes hit civilians, icans and after all the investigations and already published an official statement saying the quotation nomic development in the area. operation in Cremisan. not members of armed groups. inquiries, we’ve come to the conclusion published on his twitter was an incomplete version of his The French Foreign Ministry said in The European Union has also ex- U.S. army officials said on Thursday that all people killed in the strike were statement and wasn’t verified by him or his office before it a statement on Saturday that renewed pressed concern about the continued that two air strikes in Paktika province, linked to the Taliban,” he said. was posted. construction of the Apartheid Wall in activity of the Israelis at the site. An EU near the Pakistani border, had only tar- His comments came after Brigadier The day after, April 5, all of Rafsanjani’s social media ac- Cremisan Valley will affect lives of the delegation visited the area in 2015 and geted fighters, without any evidence of General Charles Cleveland, spokesman counts were suspended until he becomes sure that all the Christians in the town of Beit Jala near heard numerous complaints from the civilian casualties. for the U.S. military in Afghanistan, said materials will be well reviewed and verified in the future. Bethlehem (Beit Lahm). locals. Afghan officials confirmed to Al Ja- in a statement on Thursday: “We can Although it was a big news story that Rafsanjani has not “France is concerned by the Israeli Israel resumed the constructions zeera that 17 people had been killed in confirm that the U.S. conducted two published the tweet himself, Haaretz claims in its new analysis authorities’ resumption of construction in August 2015, with reports suggest- Wednesday’s strikes in Gomal district, but counterterrorism strikes in Paktika on that the ayatollah still stands upon his opinion against the of the separation wall in the historical ing that it is designed for the illegal added they all had links to the Taliban. Wednesday afternoon. Emran Feroz, an missile program. Cremisan Valley, which will affect several annexation of the illegal Har Gilo set- Yet, local leaders and relatives insist- activist and founder of Drone Memorial, There is something very clear about Iran’s missile program dozen Palestinian families in Beit Jala,” tlement south of the occupied Quds ed on Saturday that all of those killed a website documenting civilian drone- which Haaretz either tried to ignore or failed to understand. the statement said, adding, “This wall is (Jerusalem) so that it is connected to were innocent civilians. strike victims, said Afghan officials are Although in Iran there is not a full consensus over the JCPOA, a new obstacle to economic and social the illegal Gilo settlement. Israeli set- “We demand an investigation into the not doing enough to protect civilians. there is a meaningful consensus among all different political development in the town of Bethlehem.” tlers have been illegally settled across brutal killings of these innocent people,” The U.S. has intensified drone opera- factions over the missile program. The statement also reminded the re- the West Bank since the enclave was Nimatullah Baburi, a deputy of the Paktika tions in the country since Islamic States gime in Tel Aviv that building the Apart- occupied in 1967. provincial council, told Al Jazeera. in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL/Daesh) loy- heid Wall was declared illegal by the The United Nations says nearly 60 “I know them personally and their alists started appearing in Afghanistan. International Court of Justice in 2004. kilometers (37 miles) of the Apartheid families too. They are in no way affiliat- According to the London-based Rockets hit Afghan capital The ministry called on Israel to reverse Wall is built on the Palestinian land. ed with the Taliban,” he added. Bureau of Investigative Journalism, Af- its decision to resume the construction Israel began the construction of the “Those men were doing low-paid ghanistan is the “most drone-bombed after Kerry visit work at the site. illegal structure in 2002, claiming that jobs to feed their families. All of them country in the world” with at least 1,368 Local Christians in Beit Jala say Israel’s the move came for security reasons. were civilians”. people killed since 2015. At least three explosions rocked the centre of Kabul on Sat- plans for renewed construction of the (Source: Press TV) However, Aminullah Shariq, the gov- (Source: Al Jazeera) urday shortly after visiting United States Secretary of State John Kerry left Afghanistan following a surprise visit to the war-torn country. Families of Afghans killed in U.S. drone raids seek probe Al Jazeera’s Qais Azimy, reporting from the capital, said two senior Kabul police officials confirmed that rockets struck Relatives and tribal elders in southeastern Afghanistan to the Taliban,” he said. a road outside the Presidential Palace complex where Ker- are demanding an investigation into the killing of 17 His comments came after Brigadier General Charles ry’s convoy had passed four people by the United States drones this week, claiming Cleveland, spokesman for the U.S. military in Afghani- times back-and-forth on that the air strikes hit civilians, not members of armed stan, said in a statement on Thursday: “We can confirm Saturday. groups. that the U.S. conducted two counterterrorism strikes in Azimy said a projectile U.S. army officials said on Thursday that two air Paktika on Wednesday afternoon. also landed inside the com- strikes in Paktika province, near the Pakistani border, had Emran Feroz, an activist and founder of Drone Me- pound near where the U.S. only targeted fighters, without any evidence of civilian “I know them personally and their families too. They morial, a website documenting civilian drone-strike embassy and a CIA (Central casualties. are in no way affiliated with the Taliban,” he added. victims, said Afghan officials are not doing enough to Intelligence Agency) office Afghan officials confirmed to Al Jazeera that 17 peo- “Those men were doing low-paid jobs to feed their protect civilians. are housed. ple had been killed in Wednesday’s strikes in Gomal dis- families. All of them were civilians”. The U.S. has intensified drone operations in the No casualties were re- trict, but added they all had links to the Taliban. However, Aminullah Shariq, the governor of Paktika country since Islamic States in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL/ ported and no group Yet, local leaders and relatives insisted on Saturday province, told Al Jazeera on Saturday only Taliban-affili- Daesh) loyalists started appearing in Afghanistan. claimed responsibility for the that all of those killed were innocent civilians. ated people were killed in the attack. According to the London-based Bureau of Investigative attack. “We demand an investigation into the brutal killings “We’ve been in touch with the Americans and after Journalism, Afghanistan is the “most drone-bombed coun- Last month, Taliban fight- of these innocent people,” Nimatullah Baburi, a deputy all the investigations and inquiries, we’ve come to the try in the world” with at least 1,368 people killed since 2015. ers fired projectiles at Af- of the Paktika provincial council, told Al Jazeera. conclusion that all people killed in the strike were linked (Source: Al Jazeera) ghanistan’s parliament com- pound while politicians were in session. Earlier on Saturday, Kerry called on the Taliban to re-en- Syrian forces retake two villages in Aleppo gage in peace talks dormant for almost a year. He said there was no change now in President Barack Syrian army soldiers and their allied Syrian fighter jets also pounded ISIL es from rival militant groups north of Aleppo hostage and moved them to an unknown Obama’s plans for American troop levels in Afghanistan. forces have managed to recapture two positions on the outskirts of the mili- and near the border with Turkey. location. There are 9,800 U.S. forces on the ground in the country, and villages in the northwestern province of tant-held city of Raqqah, situated about Lebanon’s al-Ahed news website re- According to a February report by that number is set to fall to 5,500 next year. Aleppo from the Islamic State in Iraq and 160 kilometers (99 miles) east of Aleppo, ported that militants fighting under the the Syrian Center for Policy Research, the In the coming months, NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Or- the Levant (ISIL/Daesh) terrorist group, killing 10 militants in the airstrikes. banner of the ISIL Takfiri group captured ongoing Syrian conflict has claimed the ganization) and international donor summits could define inflicting losses on the militants, military Syrian warplanes also struck vehicles the villages of al-Bel, Sheikh Reih, Firou- lives of over 470,000 people, injured 1.9 long-term security and aid commitments critical to the Af- sources say. belonging to the ISIL terrorists in the vi- zah, Baraghidah, Tal Hussain, Yahmoul, million others, and displaced nearly half ghan government’s survival, and Kerry’s visit sought clarity on Army units, in cooperation with pop- cinity of Qasr al-Hayr al-Gharbi castle, lo- Ghazal, Talil al-Hosn and Jarez after fierce of the pre-war population of about 23 Afghanistan’s direction. ular defense groups, took control of cated 80 kilometers (49 miles) southwest battles with the so-called Free Syrian million within or beyond borders of the The Taliban - toppled from power in a U.S.-led invasion Barneh and Zaytan villages, which lie of the ancient city of Palmyra. Army (FSA) militants. conflict-ridden Arab country. in 2001 - has waged an armed campaign to overthrow the south of the provincial capital Aleppo, There were no immediate reports of The report added that an unspecified Damascus accuses the House of Saud re- Afghan government and re-establish its rule. on Sunday following intense skirmishes possible casualties on the side of ISIL ter- number of militants was killed and injured gime, Turkey and Qatar of funding and arm- The nearly 15-year conflict has killed thousands of people with the ISIL, Arabic-language Syria Now rorists. during the heavy exchange of gunfire. ing anti-Syria terrorist groups, including ISIL. and strained the country’s economy. (Source: agencies) news website reported. Separately, ISIL terrorists seized nine villag- ISIL militants also took eight FSA militants (Source: Press TV) City Bank CEO meeting ICL Tehran to representative host IMIS2016 Bank Sina to issue credit

ECONOMY TEHRAN — Dr. Bank’s collaboration with ICL and Dr. ECONOMY TEHRAN — Te h - value creation by innovation ,productivi- cards for clients deskPourzarandi, the Pourzarandi announced that the City deskran is hosting the 2nd ty and cost management”, ”using finance managing director of City Bank met with Bank is ready to boost the cooperation Iran Mines and Mining Industries Summit solutions for mines and mining industries ECONOMY TEHRAN — Expanding its electronic Kimberley Bilmer, the representative of with the Foundation. It’s worth men- (IMIS2016) in July 2016, Iranian Mines & Min- sector”, ”government’s tax incentives for deskbanking services, Sina Bank issues credit International City Leaders (ICL) foun- tioning that in an earlier ceremony, ing Industries Development & Renovation’s development of mining activities and in- cards for clients, the bank’s public relations office announces. dation for UN-Habitat’s City Prosperity UN-Habitat appointed Dr. Pourzaran- (IMIDRO) office of public relations reports. crease share of this sector in Iran econ- Applicants can use the credit cards for shopping and in a Initiative (CPI), the public relations office di as champion, global advisor and The main goals of this summit would omy”, ”survey globalization solutions in whole range of other transactions. The maximum credit limit of the bank reported. spokesman of City Prosperity Initiative be, foreign investment attraction, com- Iran’s mines and mining industries sector”, for the credit cards would be 40 million Iranian Rials, accord- In this meeting, City Bank was hon- for Metropolitan Cities (CPI-MC). munication opportunities, cooperation ”introduction of investment potentials in ing to the bank’s report. ored for supporting of Sustainable De- UN-Habitat’s City Prosperity Initia- of domestic and foreign firms and pres- IMIDRO’s mines and mining industries Among the services provided for the Users of Banks Si- velopment Goals adopted by the United tive (CPI) is a global initiative that en- entation of the latest achievements in chain; methods and regulations”. na’s credit cards,shopping, benefiting from Shetab Banking Nations General Assembly and contrib- ables city authorities, as well as local industry and mining sector. IMIS 2016 is one of the largest interna- system services, online purchases and bill payments, the uting the implementation of UN-Habi- and national stakeholders, to identify IMIS 2016 has 6 main subjects includ- tional arenas in investment and commer- possibility of receiving bills via ATMs and terminals of Bank tat’s City Prosperity Initiative (CPI). opportunities and potential areas of ing “IMIDRO’s exploration proposes for cial cooperation which covers all sectors branches can be mentioned, also these cards allow the cli- Also Kimberly Bilmer, for her part, intervention for their cities to become domestic and foreign firms “,”privileges including geology, mining explorations, ents to view and query their balance through ATMs and POS underlined the Significance of City more prosperous. of mining sector; realization of added extraction, mineral processing, etc. terminals in shops and bank branches. I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y 10 ENVIRONMENT AAPRILPRIL 11,11, 22016016 http://www.tehrantimes.com/society

IRAN’S WILDLIFE Iran’s renewable energy market Ospery: Focus on going fishing blinks at investors

ARTICLE 1 Would you please give us a investors can sell their electricity to Iran at a By Farnaz Heidari general picture of renewable energies in Iran? 15-percent higher rate provided that they M.Sc. in Environmental Engineering A: At the outset, I would like to thank the construct plants using equipment manufac- Tehran Times for the interview. SUNA is the tured in Iran. We have also encouraged for- One of the most spectacular species of Iran is Ospery, the right organization that can give a general yet eign partners to manufacture parts of their bird of prey. These species are recorded in the south coasts exact assessment of the country’s current and equipment in Iran. Many foreign investors have given and Persian Gulf islands as a breeder and also recorded by future status of renewable energies. Generally the green light to enter Iran. As you al- chance in Shorek Plateau of Khorasan Province. speaking, Iran has high potential for renewa- ready mentioned, the country’s renewa- They are really important for Iranian conservationists be- ble energy generation, meaning that in long- ble energy sector has high potential for cause of their spectacular habitats. Ospery, with the scientific run, it can count on the capacity as an effec- foreign investment. What are some other name of Pandion haliaetus, is a summer visitor in Europe and tive and reliable source of energy supply. Of incentives that you have included in the passes winters in Africa. course, the country sits on colossal reserves new document you referred to above? Ospery breeds on clear freshwater lakes and on coasts of fossil fuel, as well. at brackish water in the Mediterranean Sea. So conserving More than two decades ago, SUNA was A: As I already noted, in addition to the Ospery is equal to conservation of specific wetlands. established as a branch of the Energy Min- guaranteed purchase plan and the 15-per- Identification istry to focus more seriously on renewable cent advance, we have considered other in- Medium-large, long- energies. At first, it was a bit difficult to justify centives. Notably, future contracts will allow winged, and ventrally pale the need for such organization as the main foreign partners to export electricity which they generate in Iran from renewable sourc- plumage with unique flight emphasis was on fossil fuels. However, from SUNA official says, “Currently, almost silhouette are the best the very beginning, SUNA conducted key es. We have facilitated the permit issuance keys to identify Ospery. research works, feasibility studies, as well as 200 MWs of electricity is generated from process which investors need to go through The Ospery is outstanding technological projects related to different alternative resources, mainly from solar including permits demanded by the Depart- among the fishing birds of types of renewable energies including solar, and wind ones. A key point here is that not ment of Environment. prey. It’s a fast and spectac- wind, geothermal, and biomass. Moreover, based on the talks held be- ular bird that begins high in But back to your question regarding the only the governmental sector is involved in tween ministries of energy and economy, for- the air and ends dramatical- current status of renewable energies in Iran, the projects, but also the private sector has eign investment in the sector will be guaran- ly in the water. Sometimes it our studies indicate a technical capacity of stepped in and this is good news.” teed. This is an important step as it is a cause will submerge itself complete- 35,000-40,000 megawatts (MW) from wind of concern for many foreign investors. Development is not achieved over- ly, unlike other fishing raptors. sources. But, practically, it is roughly estimated resources, mainly from solar and wind ones. A: Iran’s renewable energy market is quite night. Have you envisaged a long-term Its wings are narrow with long that some 20,000-25,000 MWs are cost-ef- A key point here is that not only the gov- lucrative and attractive. Considering the roadmap for renewable energies? hand and has only four fin- fective. In terms of solar capacities, suffice to ernmental sector is involved in the projects, post-sanctions era, in our talks with a num- gers. It is important to notice know that as much as the country’s current but also the private sector has stepped in ber of international brands active in the field A: Certainly, you’re right. To make pro- its tail for identification because it is short and has square cut. electricity generation capacity (which is tech- and this is good news. In order to encourage of renewable energies from Germany, Spain, gress, short-term-, middle-term, and long- Hunting behavior nically about 74,000 MWs) can be generated more investment in alternative energies, the Denmark, and Italy, the Ministry of Energy term blueprints are required. Although we Ospery usually soars over the lakes and wetlands, looking from central plains of Iran! As regards other government has recently pushed through and SUNA look for transfer of technology and need more studies to give a better picture of for fish swimming close to the water surface. Once spotting renewable alternatives, we have also good new regulations that sweeten investment in economic flourishing. our future plans, for the time being it has been its prey, Ospery falls like a stone from the sky, while gaining capacities. the sector, meaning that more output from These are important as Iran has educated, clearly stated that as many as 5,000 MWs of speed. It opens out its wings to slow it down seconds before What is the country’s current re- the renewable sector in the country is in the skilled workforce and more importantly, the energy should be generated from renewable it hits the surface on the water. It brings its feet toward as it newable energy generating capacity in offing. For example, according to the newly renewable energy sector is in its infancy in our energies by the end of the 2020-development reaches the water’s surface. the aggregate? introduced guaranteed purchase scheme, the country. So, any international collaboration master plan depicted for the country. I’m very At the second point, Ospery outstretched feet pierce A: As I said earlier, over the past years, the government will give the private sector a 20- should make inroads into the two domains. upbeat about actualizing the goal given that the surface of the water and thrust toward the fish with major focus has been on generating energy year guarantee to buy its generated electricity. We have already taken measures to achieve both the Energy Ministry and SUNA are seri- open claws. The fish can be nearly one meter down, and from fossil-fuel power plants. However and Foreign investment in Iran’s renew- this in our plans. For example, as part of the ously pursuing their plans in the sector. the Ospery has to plunge right into the water to reach it. happily, the country has also moved towards able energy market is key to flourishing guaranteed purchase scheme envisaged for The Tehran Times thanks the public re- However, the fish can manage the whole scene to avoid the renewable energies. Currently, almost 200 the sector. What are SUNA’s priorities for the sector in Iran, we have included an arti- lations office of SUNA for scheduling the hunter’s clutches, and the bird can take just a bath. After this MWs of electricity is generated from alternative future international cooperation? cle in the document, based on which foreign interview. point, Ospery struggles back into the air to try again. The next fish Osprey spies on is swimming at the water’s surface. Undeterred by the previous failure, the bird judg- Officials not taking environment Leave the wildlife to es its dive well and soon the fish is gripped in the Ospery’s seriously, says MP the wild! sharp talons. The spiny surface of the Ospery’s feet provides extra gripping force and prevents the slippery prey from get- ENVIRONMENT TEHRAN — Iran is in a ENVIRONMENT TEHRAN — As the ting free, no matter how much it tries. deskcritical condition envi- deskbreeding season has Fighting for food ronmentally and unfortunately officials are started with spring be careful not to take Ospery pulls the fish trifling with the environmental predicaments, baby animals you see while sightseeing out of the water with pow- MP Moayed Hosseini-Sadr has said. in the nature and leave them alone. erful beats of its wings. Its “Being flippant about environmental You might encounter baby animals feet hold the fish’s head threats would certainly jeopardize the which are left unattended in the nature first to cut down air resist- future of the country,” Hosseini-Sadr and take them with you out of kindness ance during the flight. And said, the iew website reported on Sat- but keep in mind that in almost all cas- then Ospery flies back to its urday. es the mother or one of the parents will perch. On the way, it might While environment must be our top come back. get attacked by pirates, priority, existing infrastructure is inade- Seeing a baby animal left alone in birds that harry the Ospery quate and not in place, regretted Hos- the nature does not necessarily mean and force it to drop its catch, seini-Sadr who serves as the spokes- that their parents are dead or have which they then pounce on. man for environment and sustainable the government should be tasked to re- abandoned them. It is normal for wild habitats without disturbing them. At last with its catch in its development group of Majlis. consider car manufacturing procedures. animals to leave their babies unat- The only time a baby animal may be claws, the Ospery lands on its Budget constraints of the Depart- Khoy and Chaipareh are cities tended for hours to go haunting and removed from the wild is when you are perch. There it uses its sharp ment of Environment, outdated and old which are located in West Azarbaijan bring food. hundred percent sure that the parent is bill to slice through the tough equipment, and shortage of manpower province. It is important to remember that many dead or the animal is injured. In such scales and skin of the fish to feast on the tasty flesh. double the problems, he added. Deforestation and ignorance toward species of wildlife cache their babies for cases make sure to contact the Depart- Success rate of bird of prey Noting the urgent state of the envi- the pollution of seas are of other environ- safety. These babies are not abandoned; ment of Environment or a licensed re- Although Ospery is a very skillful hunter, not all of its dives ronment, he stated that short term de- mental problems, he said, adding during they simply have been hidden by their habilitator. are successful. On average, it has to make three or four dives cisions would not be efficient anymore the rule of the previous administration mother until she returns for them. Baby animals will never be able to before it succeeds in making a prey. Osperys may make up and all officials and bodies, particularly the environment has gotten seriously Besides, sometimes when human be- receive the same quality of care from to four preys a day to feed themselves, but they need to the Majlis, should join hands to help sick and the feeble efforts made by the ings approach animals’ habitat they hide humans as they get from their natural catch more fish if they are very hungry or when they are the government and the Department of current administration would not make their babies and leave there for some parents. Human care, to some extent, is feeding chicks in the nest. Environment to counter environmental things any better. time for the humans to go and then always damaging to the baby animals. degradation. Things should move forward faster they’ll come back again. For this reason, human intervention Hosseini-Sadr who is Khoy and Chai- and get more serious to help the envi- Leave the wildlife to the wild! Do not should always be the absolute last re- pareh’s MP, further suggested that in ronment get on its feet once again, he try to take pictures or something with sort, and should occur only if the baby ANIMALS’ STORIES the sixth five-year development plan noted. the baby animals and just pass by their has no chance of surviving in the wild.

Wayward sea lion snarls IN FOCUS Tehran Times/ Bahman Vakhshour traffic in California

SAUSALITO, Calif. (AP) — A wayward sea lion snarled Monday morning traffic on a San Francisco Bay Area freeway before it was caught and taken to a marine center for a check-up. San Jose, California, TV station KNTV reports a Sonoma County freeway was completely blocked at 10 a.m. as the sea lion tried to make it across the road. The sea lion evaded an off-duty officer, before experts from the Marine Mammal Center arrived and caught the critter. It’s far from the first marine mammal to lose its way in the Bay Area. Late last month, authorities say a baby seal made it 4 miles from the water to the front yard of a Bay Area home before it was rescued. The female northern fur seal was also taken to the Marine Mammal Center.

Every action has a reaction. We have one planet; one chance. Two boys are pressing against the sculpture of a man who is pushing a tree upward. The whitish figure is symbol of man being concerned with the environment, and the boys who are lending a hand to it also show identification with the man and of course, with the environment. I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y

http://www.tehrantimes.com/sports AAPRILPRIL 11,11, 20162016 SPORTS 11

Vahid Hashemian denies Bochum link OLYMPICS SPORTS Former Iranian interna- U.S. men’s, women’s desktional Vahid Hashemian denies rumors linking him with the Vfl Bo- basketball teams to sleep on chum job. cruise ship during Rio Games Hashemian, who has dedicated himself to coaching, is on the verge of acquiring the DFB Pro License which allows him to coach a RIO DE JANEIRO — Rio de Janeiro’s renovated port area Bundesliga side. should be hopping — or “hooping” — during the Olympics. “I’m in process of passing “Coaching Pro The United States men’s and women’s basketball teams License” program in Germany. The duration will be staying on a cruise ship in the port. A second and of the program is 10 months. I have to serve much larger liner will be anchored alongside during the three internships during this program. Tak- games and provide lodging for what officials term the ing part at the Vfl Bochum training is one of “Olympic Family.” them and it is not related to the club offer USA Basketball chairman Jerry Colangelo previously to accept the coaching role. Bochum has a told ESPN’s Marc Stein that Team USA planned to house its great coach who has just extended his con- players on a cruise ship to ensure maximum security. tract,” Hashemian said. The NBA is also expected to set up a “hospitality house” Former Bayern Munich and Hannover in the port area. striker hopes to coach Iran national team in “We’ll have two cruise ships in the port,” Nilo Sergio Fe- the future. lix, secretary of the Rio de Janeiro state tourism office, told “I would be happy coaching all the teams The Associated Press. “There will be one with the basket- I used to play for. And I’m also in interested in ball players and the other for Olympic people. These are Iran national team of course. The only problem the only two we expect.” is: you rely on offers as a coach, you can’t just The ship housing the basketball players will be the rel- pick your own job. So I want to develop well atively small “Silver Cloud” operated by Silversea Cruises, first. The rest will take care of itself,” he added. which bills itself as the “Leader in Luxury Cruising.” The company lists the ship’s capacity at 296 with a ton- nage at 16,800. Its last cruise is in the Mediterranean in Mohammad Mousavi suffers Hertha BSC officials watch Esteghlal June before heading for the Olympics. Craig Miller, a spokesman for USA Basketball, the na- back injury – Sepahan clash at Azadi Stadium tional governing body, declined to confirm where the two basketball teams would stay. He listed security as a reason for not disclosing the location, but he said the men’s team stopped staying in the Olympic Village beginning with the 1992 Olympics -- the first appearance of “The Dream Te a m .” “We don’t stay in the village because we don’t feel it’s the best way to prepare for competition,” Miller told the AP. “The players have a long professional season and they want to spend as much time as possible with family and friends.” Miller said it was always difficult during the Olympics to find lodging for the large American basketball delega- tion. The United States teams stayed in hotels in London and Beijing, and on a cruise ship in Athens in 2004 -- the Queen Mary 2. He said USA Basketball picks up the costs of the lodg- SPORTS Iran middle blocker Mo- scan and then we will announce the ex- SPORTS Bundesliga side The German club officials came to ing, an expense that would be covered primarily by games deskhammad Mousavi is ex- tent of his injury,” Siamak Afrouzi, Iran's deskHertha BSC officials Iran to discuss future cooperation with organizers if players stayed in the village. pected to miss some time due to a back injury. volleyball team doctor, said. who came to Iran to meet Iran foot- the League Association and the Feder- Miller said tall players have the same problem no matter The volleyball player suffered the Iran is preparing for the world quali- ball federation president Ali Kafashi- ation. where they stay. injury during the Iran national team’s fication tournament which will be held in an watched Esteghlal vs. Sepahan Hetha BSC is one the biggest club “You face the issue in a hotel, or you would face it in a training on Sunday. Japan from May 28 to June 5. clash in the 25th week of Iran Pro- in Germany who is currently in the third village; the beds aren’t made for 7-foot (2.13-meter) play- Mousavi was rushed to hospital after the injury. The Iranian team has a chance to advance fessional League at Azadi stadium place of Bundesliga behind league giants ers,” he said. “These guys live on the road and they figure “We are waiting for the results of MRI to the Olympics as the best Asian team. on Sunday. Bayern Munich and Dortmund. out ways to sleep. Sometimes I’ve seen them put their lug- gage at the end of the bed so their feet can rest there.” Rio’s new port area, centered on Praca Maua, is the most visible sign of change that Olympic organizers promised to Wrestler Yazdani likely to miss Olympics bring to Rio. The centerpiece at the port is the Museum of Tomorrow, a science museum designed by the futuristic SPORTS Iranian freestyle wres- freestyler will likely need surgery to re- at the Olympics,” Yazdani told ISNA. architect Santiago Calatrava. desktler Reza Yazdani says pair his right ankle. Two-time world champion compet- The port is situated on heavily polluted Guanabara Bay, that he will likely miss the 2016 Olympic “Medical commission of Iran Wres- ed in the London 2012 Olympics but which will host Olympic sailing. Sadly, it’s a reminder of a Games after suffering an ankle sprain tling Federation is studying how well was injured in the semi-final, in the broken promise by organizers to cleanse the fetid waters. which occurred in training on Sunday. this treatment works. My injury is very match against Ukrainian competitor “From a legacy perspective, I think this was a missed MRI scan showed that the 97kg serious and I hope that I can participate Valeriy Andriytsev. opportunity to reach the goal that was supposed to be achieved,” Rio Mayor Eduardo Paes said Thursday, referring to Olympic bid pledges to drastically cut the amount of raw sewage flowing into the bay. Rostami crested in international Pars Marathon The port area is remote from the basketball venues at the Olympic Park in Barra da Tijuca and the northern Iranian sportsman Farzollah Rostami has used a late the third finisher in 2:56. cluster in Deodoro, where some women’s games will be burst of speed to break away from opponents in the More than 100 male and female participants from played. Travel could take more than an hour depending first edition of Pars Marathon, and won the title at the 36 different countries participated in the first edition of on traffic, a problem that should be improved when the end of the the international sporting event. the international Pars Marathon. A total of 85 Iranian Olympic lanes -- set aside only for Olympic traffic -- start On Saturday, Rostami ran an official distance of runners also vied for the top honor. operating in late July. 42.195 kilometers (26.21875 miles) from the ruins Marathon was instituted in commemoration of the The NBA is also expected to run a hospitality venue in of Persepolis, situated 60 kilometers (37.2 miles) fabled run of the Greek soldier Pheidippides, who was the port, probably in one of the abandoned warehouses northeast of the city of southern Iranian city of Shi- a messenger from the Battle of Marathon to Athens. that have been used for exhibitions by companies like Nike. raz to Naqsh-e Rostam rural district in Marvdasht Even though marathon was one of the original An NBA spokeswoman declined to specify the plans, County in 2 hours and 46 minutes, and sprinted modern Olympic events in 1896, its distance was saying they would be released shortly. across the finish line. standardized in 1921. The “Olympic Family” will stay on the cruise ship “Geta- He was followed by his compatriot Mohammad Fa- More than 500 marathon competitions are held way” operated by Norwegian Cruise Lines. The company raji, who ran the course in 2:48. across the world annually, and a great proportion of listed the capacity at 4,000 guests and tonnage of 145,655. Abdulrahman Mirzaei, also an Iranian participant participants are recreational athletes. It’s one of the world’s largest cruise ships. and a resident of the holy shrine city of Mashhad, was (Source: PressTV) Rio organizers confirmed the ship’s presence. They said 90 percent of the ship would be reserved for the “Olym- pic Family,” a term that takes in sponsors, national Olympic Iran’s Amir Shamsaei nominated for Best Club Coach of the World committees, sports federations and other guests of the Switzerland-based International Olympic Committee. Iran’s Tasisat Daryaei futsal club’s head futsal team have already been nominated for Daniel Rodriguez Martinez (ESP) Rio officials said the remaining 10 percent of the cabins coach Amir Shamsaei has been nominated the World’s Best Futsal Goalkeeper and the Jaen Paraiso Interior Futbol Sala (ESP) would be sold in tour packages by the Brazilian operator for the 2015 Best Club Coach of the World. Best National Team of the World respectively. Jesus Velasco Tejada (ESP) Tam Viagens. The Iranian coach has nine coach- Best Club Coach of the World Movistar Inter (ESP) A company spokeswoman for Norwegian Cruise Lines es ahead of him to win the Futsalplanet Nominees Joel Tiago Gonηalves Rocha (POR) declined to give information, saying it was bound by con- Awards 2015 event. (In strict alphabetical order!) SL Benfica (POR) tract not to disclose details. He is older brother of Iranian legend Hernan Basile (ARG) Paulo Ricardo Figueiroa Silva “Kaka” (BRA) (Source: Espn) futsal player Vahid Shamsaei. Kimberley Futsal (ARG) Gazprom Ugra (RUS) Amir Shamsaei inspired Tasisat Daryaei Ricardo Camara Sobral “Cacau” (BRA) Marcos “Marquinhos” Xavier Andrade win the AFC Futsal Club Championship in Kairat Almaty (KAZ) (BRA) August 2015. Fulvio Colini (ITA) Carlos Barbosa (BRA) Iran runner-up at World Tasisat Daryaei is the first Iranian club Pescara c5 (ITA) Amir Shamsaei (IRN) since 2012 to win the event. Fabio Cortez (BRA) Tasisat Daryaei (IRN) Schools Championship Mehdi Mostafaei and the Iranian national Al-Qadsia (Kuw) (Source: Tasnim) Futsal 2016

Iran lost to Brazil in the final match of the ISF World Schools Championship Futsal 2016 on Saturday. Leaders Leicester win again as Jamie Vardy goals sink Sunderland Iranian representative East Azerbaijan was defeated Leicester went 10 points clear of Tottenham with a massive hit Robert Huth's arm while the defender was on the floor. ball fell to him in the box in the 81st minute, but the mid- against Brazil 6-0 in the final match. win over Sunderland on Sunday, thanks to two goals from In the second half, Danny Drinkwater should have done fielder struck his effort over the bar. The Iranian outfit had already lost to Croatia 2 in the Jamie Vardy. better when through on goal but miscontrolled and al- Vardy then had a late shot which was well saved by event and earned five victories. The first half contained few chances as Wes Morgan lowed the defence to regroup and stop him. Mannone and the Italian stood strong to block from Daniel In girls’ category Brazil defeated France 6-2 to win the headed wide from a corner, while Sunderland's Fabio Borini However, Vardy hit his 20th goal of the season in the Amartey in the final seconds. title. was denied by Kasper Schmeichel's save. 66th minute as he raced away after a long ball and curled Vardy then netted with virtually the last kick of the game World Schools Championship Futsal 2016 started in Both teams also had penalty appeals turned down as De- a sweet finish past Vito Mannone in the Sunderland goal. to make it 2-0. Porec, Croatia on April 3, and concluded on April 10. Andre Yedlin kicked Shinji Okazaki in the chest and a low cross Jack Rodwell had a great chance to equalise when the (Source: Soccernet) (Source: Tasnim) b

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NEWS IN BRIEF Art Bureau hosts Week of Swedish festival spotlights female filmmakers from Iran Islamic Revolution Arts

ARTTEHRAN — The Week of Islamic ARTTEHRAN — A lineup of five desk deskfilms by Iranian directors went on Revolution Arts, a cultural event or- screen at the 10th International Female Film Festival ganized by the Art Bureau, opened during a special Malmo, which wrapped up yesterday in the Swedish ceremony in Tehran on Saturday. city. Two photo exhibits were inaugurated at the Ira- The lineup contained features “Tales” by Ra- nian Photographers Center (IPC), an affiliate of the khshan Bani-Etemad and “Nahid” by Ida Panahan- bureau, as part of the event. deh, and documentary films “Fest of Duty” by Firu- A big model of the book “The Revolution’s Art” zeh Khosravani, “Five Pieces of Iranian Dishes” by written by Morteza Gudarzi-Dibaj on the history of Sepideh Abtahi and “Iranian Ninja” by Marjan Riahi. art after the victory of Islamic Revolution was un- A total of 24 features, shorts and documentaries veiled at the ceremony. The book is scheduled to be by directors from around the globe were screened published by the bureau in the near future. during the seven-day festival organized by Ima- “A collection of about 1,000 artworks have been genes Del Sur, a non-profit organization in Malmo. selected and studied in this book, reviewing the rea- sons behind the formation of the art of revolution,” Visitor Gudarzi-Dibaj told the participants. at an Fajr festival exhibition The ceremony was followed by tributes paid to 11 organized announces short artists of the art bureau who were honored in vari- during film lineup ous national festivals over the past year. the Week The busts of poet Qeisar Aminpur (1958-2007) of Islamic and scholar and Quran translator Tahereh Saffarza- Revolution deh (1936-2008) made by sculptor Ali-Asghar Yuz- Arts at the ARTTEHRAN — The 34th Fajr Inter- bashi and Malek Dadyar Garusian were also unveiled Art Bureau desk national Film Festival announced at the ceremony. in Tehran the lineup for the short film section on Sunday. In addition, an exhibition displaying the treasure (Mehr/Hadi Hirbodvash) Eighteen movies, including “Golden Shot” di- trove of the bureau including paintings, graphic de- rected by Goglap Gonen from Turkey, “The Seed” signs, calligraphy works, sculptures and miniatures opened. Tabatabai is also underway in the Abofazl Aali Gal- by Ifigeneia Kotsoni from Greece, “The Same Blood” with the central theme of Islamic Revolution was An exhibition of cartoons by Masud Shojaei lery of the bureau. by Mitry Semeno-Aleinikov from Belarus, “Northern Great Mountain” by Amanda Kernell from Sweden and “Switch Man” by Hsun-Chun Chuang and Shao- Kuei Tong, both from Taiwan, will be screened in the Painting exhibition to raise funds for children with cancer section. About 150 international distributers, directors, ac- ARTTEHRAN — Paintings by 72 children the children of the same age who are battling cancer, desk tors and critics from around the globe have been will be showcased in an exhibition in Behbahani said in a press release. invited to attend the festival, which will be held at Tehran to raise funds for children suffering from cancer. She has held the charity exhibition every year for the Tehran’s Charsu Cinema Complex from April 20 to The exhibition will be held on Thursday and Friday A poster past ten years. for “Life 25. at the Mahak Charity Society, a Tehran-based major The first exhibition was held with paintings by 16 medical center for children with cancer, the center an- from My child artists in 2007 to raise funds to provide clothing Eyes”, a nounced on its website on Sunday. charity for poor children for Noruz, the Iranian New Year cel- The works have been created by children attending exhibition ebration. courses, which were held by art teacher Tara Behbahani for “That year I never thought that the 16 child artists NEWS over the past year. children would increase to 72 and many people joined us in or- The children have drawn their own perception of life suffering ganizing the event,” Behbahani said. Friars Club hosts in the works for the exhibit entitled “Life from My Eyes”. from She expressed her hope that this year’s exhibition 90th birthday tribute The exhibition aims to encourage children to help cancer would be received as warmly as previous editions. PICTURE OF THE DAY ILNA/Mehdi Nasiri for Jerry Lewis Iranian films line up NEW YORK (AP) — At the Friars Club tribute for Jerry Lewis’ 90th birthday, many of the jokes were not about Jerry Lewis. for Indian festival There were wisecracks Friday night about Donald Trump, ARTTEHRAN — A lineup doctors, and growing old from speakers including Richard Bel- deskof Iranian shorts and zer, Freddie Roman and Max Alexander. When the subject did feature-length movies is competing in the turn to Lewis, the kidding around turned to praise as Lewis was 8th CMS Children’s International Film Fes- honored as a comic master, inspiration, and, for Belzer, a savior. tival, which opened its doors to the public “My mother was very physical; she used to be beat me up,” in Lucknow, India on April 7. said Belzer, one of Lewis’ closest friends. “Once in a while I would The short films include “Experiment” do a Jerry shtick ... and my mother would laugh and sometimes directed by Mohammadreza Minapur, not hit me”. “Five Senses of Art” by Hesam Dehqani, About 200 people squeezed into the first floor dining room “Paper Dream” by Zahra Khorshidi, “The for the 90-minute event. Lewis, whose birthday was last month, Cloud” by Mehdi Heydari, “Changeover” sat to the side of the dais, where he laughed and cried. by Mehdi Alibeigi and “Mystery” by Al- The Friars Club has long been like a second home for Lewis, ireza Moqaddam. whose name appears on the front of the building and whose The short section also is presenting pictures hang inside. Before the tribute, he sipped on a soda “Clowns Not Die” by Ako Zandkarimi, in the first floor bar, otherwise known as the Billy Crystal Room, “Alleys” by Nasser Nurani, “Withdrawal” and dined upstairs with such friends as Robert De Niro and Jim by Alireza Mohammadzadeh, “Idiot” by Carrey. A birthday card in the lobby was signed by comedian Shaharm Shirzadi, “Coming Week” by Ali Gilbert Gottfried and former “Saturday Night Live” writer Alan Zare’, “Cloudy Children” by Reza Fahimi Zweibel, among others. and “Shoes” by Morteza Asemani. The tribute touched upon many of the highlights of Lewis’ The feature film section is screening long and singular career, from his partnership with Dean Martin several Iranian movies, including “Story to such movies as “The Nutty Professor” and his stage perfor- of My Father’s Bike and Me” by Fayyaz mance in “Damn Yankees”. A compilation of pre-taped greet- Musavi, “Environment Protection” by Had- ings included Steven Spielberg, Al Pacino and Don Rickles, who is Maleki and “The Window” by Rahbar urged Lewis “to go to bed early”. Qanbari. Films from over 30 countries, including Ireland, Slovakia, Greece, The UK, Taiwan, the U.S., Spain, Canada, Germany, Russia “Star Wars” leads winners Men work at Tehran’s Charsu Cinema Complex on April 9, 2016 to refurbish the venue for hosting the 34th Fajr International Film Festival, and Luxemburg, are competing in the fes- at MTV Movie Awards which will be held from April 20 to 25. tival, which will be running until April 15.

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) — Leonardo DiCaprio’s “Revenant” Tehran theater to host “Liar Wanted” surfaced bear encounter and a foul-mouthed hosting duo dominated “The Yalta Game” at Tehran theater Saturday’s MTV Movie Awards, where “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” came away the top winner. ARTTEHRAN — Levon ARTTEHRAN — Direc- “The Force Awakens”, the third-highest grossing film of all deskHaftvan will direct desktor Atabak Naderi time, led with 11 nominations and beat out blockbusters such Irish playwright Brian Patrick Friel’s “The returned to the stage after 19 years on as “Jurassic World” and “Avengers: Age of Ultron” for movie of Yalta Game” at Tehran’s Konesh-e Moa- Saturday by staging Greek playwright the year. Lead star Daisy Ridley won best breakthrough perfor- ser Hall on Wednesday. Dimitris Psathas’ 1961 play “Liar Wanted” mance. Friel wrote the play based on An- at Tehran’s Eyvan Shams Hall. “It’s especially amazing to be part of a film that represents all ton Chekhov’s short story “The Lady Naderi renamed the play “Deputat” genders - two genders - and races and ages in such a positive with the Little Dog”, which the Russian for its performance in Tehran. and aspirational way,” Ridley said. playwright composed in 1899 in Yalta, a The plot of the comedy centers on Hosts Kevin Hart and Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson set the resort city on the southern coast of the Theodoros Parlas or Pseftothodoros tone for the evening as they opened with curse words and Crimean Peninsula. (Liar Theo) who has a great “talent” for insults, at one point dressing up as Batman and Superman to Renowned Iranian painter Aidin making false promises. He starts a great throw barbs at the A-list superhero actors in attendance. Aghdashlu has designed a poster career as right hand man of Theofilos Charlize Theron won best female performance for playing for the play that tells the story of A poster for “The Yalta Game” by Aidin Aghdashlu Ferekis, the new Minister of Health and Cast for “Liar Wanted” poses in an undated Imperator Furiosa in “Mad Max: Fury Road”. She said the film an accountant who vacations alone, Vahid Rahbai, Shadi Karamrudi Welfare. photo. (Shahruz Alasti) was “in part a story of the power of women and the power to leaving his wife and family behind in and Mani Monadizadeh are the main Pendar Akbari, Saman Darabi, Susan are the main members of the cast for the create our own destinies,” dedicating her win to “all the Furoisas”. Moscow. members of the cast for the play. Parvar, Yashar Naderi and Maral Farjad play, which will be on stage until May 20.