to sanction themindandintelligence ofZarif. battle againstopponents.the lose will they end the at but them silence to tures andimprisonsitspoliticalopponents is actinglikeadictatorialregimewhich tor intellect anddiplomacypostsonhisTwitter page. Tel Avivarerattledbytweetsthatthis manof the pointisthathardlinersinWashington and aganda anddisinformation”onsocialmedia. But regime’sprop the “spreads Zarif that claimed examples of“economicterrorism”. U.S.the sanctionsagainstIranianpeopleare world, especiallytheAmericanpeople, that helpless andirritatedwhenZariftellsthe nuclear deal.the BoltonandPompeofeel Council Resolution2231, whichendorsed UNSecurity with Iraninaccordancethe tions againstcountriesthatdolegaltrade referring tothesecondarysanc in fact was a hugeearthquakeintheWhiteHouse. Zarif like sounded law observinginternational for United States-ispunishingothercountries time inmodernhistorythatacountry-the trying tolureTrumpintoawarwithIran. including BoltonandbibiNetanyahu, are B-Team,the that revealed publicly he 27 an interviewwiththeFoxNewsonApril in Washington throughhislogic. law, hassucceededtoisolatethehardliners angry thatZarif, aprofessorofinternational moves oftheU.S. againstIran.Theyare Zarif’s competenceinexposingtheillegal Bolton andMikePompeoareenviousof an alreadytensesituation.” move usclosertopeace,itfurtherescalates criticized themove, saying,“Thisdoesn’t a CaliforniaDemocraticsenator, hasalso the 2015nucleardeal.to DianneFeinstein, three Washington’sallieswhichareparty ,and France,Britain by opposed It ispurehypocrisy. Theactionisbeing to diplomacy. door the is closing Zarif ing it isseekingdiplomacywithIran,sanction . I sanctioned cannot be Zarif’s intelligence Times/ Mohammadreza Abbasi Trump and his team also will not be able Trump andhisteam alsowillnotbeable Secretary StevenMnuchin U.S.Treasury Also, remarks by Zarif that it is the first Zarif droppedthebombshellwhenin By sanctioningZariftheUnitedStates Trump andhisIranhawkssuchasJohn While theTrumpadministrationclaims n linewithits“maximumpressure”cam imposed sanctionsonForeignMinister paign againstIran, theU.S. onWednesday Deputy editor-in-chief PERSPECTIVE M.A.Saki discourse become thepublic Jihadi discourse should 2 WWW.TEHRANTIMES.COM Sanctions on - - - - - IRGC, Army denounceU.S.sanctions onZarif diplomacy Pages designated targetsprecision,leavingdesignated withgreat the SaudicapitalRiyadh. located 844 Saudi mercenariesinal-Sadis missiles andartilleryroundsatpositionsof tically-manufactured Zelzal-1(Earthquake-1) Yemeni missiledefenseunits thatstatement a announced in lah movement in allies launchedamissilestrikeagainsttheircamps their and forces when Yemeniarmy killed been former president,AbdRabbuhMansurHadi, have Several Saudi-sponsoredmilitiamenloyalto that thesituationisevenworseinIran! fordrivingreputation carelessly, buthethinks heard thatGeorgianpeoplehadearnedabad however, didn’tgiveagoodscore, sayinghehad Ciara said. cantakeasanexampleandlearnfromit,”ties tality andkindnessofthepeople.” reasons thatweloveIransomuchisthehospi their beyond expectations, saying“Oneofthe was people Iranian of hospitality the that noted inacozychatwiththedaily. share theirviews, experiencesandfeelingsabout Times,where theyletus a visittoTheTehran China,paid to journey overland an on are who — TEHRAN By Afshin Mehdi Sepahvand Majlesi,

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MehrNewsAgency ARTICLE journalist Somayyeh Khomarbaqi

2

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13 7 7 16 ------I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y POLITICS AUGUST 3, 2019

Tehran, Abu Dhabi sign Sanctions on diplomacy MOU on maritime security cooperation Foundations of the White House shaken by Zarif’s logic, Rouhani notes

1 He added that regular meetings between officials of POLITICAL TEHRAN – In that Zarif is “powerful language of Iran’s desk the two countries could help further increase border interaction, separate statements on diplomacy and powerful representative of facilitate matters for business persons and fishermen from the Wednesday, the U.S. Treasury and State Iran in the international arena”. countries, and also help fight moves to disrupt maritime security. Department announced imposition of Dianne Feinstein, a California Al-Ahbabi, for his part, described the MOU as a “positive step” sanctions against Iranian Foreign Minister Democratic senator, criticized the move, which can serve the two countries’ interests in the region, augment Mohammad Javad Zarif, a move which saying it was a “mistake” to sanction Zarif border security, ease border control and facilitate crossings. was interpreted as a total rejection of and described him as a “capable” diplomat. Tehran and Abu Dhabi held their last such gathering in Tehran diplomacy repeatedly claimed by the Trump “President Trump says he pulled out of in October 2013. The latest meeting comes following a chain of administration. the Iran nuclear agreement to force Iran naval accidents in the region’s waters. At home there was a huge torrent of back to the negotiating table, but this move support for Foreign Minister Zarif who is limits the opportunity to do exactly that,” liked by the people and even his moderate she said. opponents. They all consider him a highly “We think all diplomatic channels qualified diplomat and treasure him for should stay open” his rationality. France said on Thursday that along with Vice President Es’haq Jahangiri lauded its partners the UK and Germany it was Zarif’s diplomatic capability, saying, “Even concerned by the U.S. decision to apply wise enemies are aware of his intellect, sanctions on Zarif. skill, his rare competence in negotiations, The French foreign ministry said, “We creating opportunities, and avoiding conflict think that all diplomatic channels should and war.” stay open, especially at this moment of “Sanctioning Zarif is another reason increased tensions.” for (U.S.) hypocrisy and lying in calling Deputy Permanent Representative for negotiations,” Jahangiri wrote on his of Russia to the United Nations Dmitry In May, explosions hit four commercial vessels from the UAE Twitter account. Polyanskiy slammed the U.S. move, arguing “U.S. is afraid of Zarif” that the measure will block the way for and Saudi Arabia off the Emirati port of Fujairah in the Persian Gulf. Is the truth really that painful?” Zarif government’s weakness and fear of the A month later, two blasts hit a Japanese and a Norwegian-owned President Rouhani described the U.S. any dialogue. move against his foreign minister as a wrote. Islamic Republic of Iran’s wise and logical Polyanskiy said the sanctions go against vessel in the Sea of Oman. Iranian naval forces gave a quick re- Zarif said the move shows that Donald diplomacy,” the statement read. sponse to the distress calls from those ships and rushed to rescue “childish behavior”. diplomacy, stressing that Moscow is against In a televised address, Rouhani said, Trump and his team consider him as a “huge It added, “Imposing sanctions on the any type of bans, as they do not help find their crew members. threat” to their plots against Iran. foreign minister will have no effect on the The United States soon tried to implicate Iran in the incidents “They were claiming ever day ‘we want to a solution. talk, with no preconditions’ ... and then “Thank you for considering me such a Foreign Ministry’s efforts and actions and At a news conference on Thursday, to suggest that the Islamic Republic was trying to retaliate for bids huge threat to your agenda.” also the foreign minister, as responsible for by Washington and its allies to trouble the Islamic Republic’s they sanction the foreign minister.” Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman He also said the U.S. is “afraid” of Zarif. Zarif added, “It has no effect on me or the country’s foreign policy, in upholding the Maria Zakharova also condemned the move. international oil sales. my family, as I have no property or interests Iranian people’s righteousness, defending On June 15, however, Emirati Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah “They are afraid of our foreign minister’s “The U.S. has only one tool – sanctions. interviews. It is completely clear that the outside of Iran.” the national interests and countering This tool does not work. This tool has not bin Zayed Al Nahyan said his country did not have enough evidence ‘Sanctioning Zarif a show of economic terrorism.” to blame any country for the previous month’s naval attacks. foundations of the White House have approved itself. This tool has discredited been shaken by the words and logic of frustration in the U.S.’ Also in a tweet on Thursday, Foreign both itself and those who apply it,” she Japan and Germany also refuted Washington’s accusations Iran’s Foreign Ministry also issued Ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi said against Iran in the second incident. an informed, devoted and diplomatic remarked. individual,” the president pointed out. a statement on Thursday saying that the U.S. is extremely fearful of Zarif’s “logic” Majid Takht Ravanchi, Iran’s permanent Iran has roundly rejected Washington’s claims of Tehran’s imposition of sanctions on Zarif indicates and “art of negotiation”. involvement in such incident. It has also voiced concern about He added, “Our enemies are so helpless representative to the United Nations, told that they have lost the ability to act and the “U.S. government’s frustration”. Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi IRNA that sanctions on Zarif shows the adventurism by foreign players to disrupt maritime navigation “The U.S. new sanctions reveals this also said in a message on his Instagram page in the Persian Gulf region. think wisely.” lack of sincerity on the part of the U.S. in Tehran has also said that, one way or another, it would sell On Wednesday, Zarif responded to “Sanctions cannot silence the telling seeking negotiations. its oil despite the illegal and unilateral U.S. sanctions against sanctions on himself in a tweet. “Sanctions cannot silence the telling and Iran, but has categorically rejected recourse to violence to make “The US’ reason for designating me is and reasoned language of Zarif,” Takht reasoned language of Zarif,” noted Takht that happen. that I am Iran’s ‘primary spokesperson Ravanchi notes. Ravanchi who was a negotiator with the 5+1 around the world’ countries in crafting the 2015 nuclear deal. Spain, Japan reject to join U.S.-led Persian Gulf Russia: Persian Gulf mission crude attempt by U.S. to pressure Iran coalition POLITICAL TEHRAN — On Thursday Russia spoke the Persian Gulf, which hosts considerable international deskagainst a U.S.-proposed naval coalition oil shipments. By staff and agency in the Persian Gulf, saying it is a pretext for Washington to On Tuesday, the U.S. officially asked Germany to par- Madrid and Tokyo have rejected an official request from Wash- further pressure Tehran and destabilize the Persian Gulf ticipate — alongside Britain and France — in the coalition, ington to participate in a naval coalition in the Persian Gulf. region. a request that was declined by German Foreign Minister Speaking at a news briefing in Moscow, Russian Foreign Heiko Maas a day later. Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said, “Events there Maas said on Wednesday that there was no military solution [Persian Gulf region] are really moving to a dangerous point to the ongoing standoff in the region and Berlin would rather and there are risks of a large-scale military clash,” Press pursue a policy that prevents further escalation of tensions. TV reported. “Germany will not take part in the sea mission presented She also noted that Russia believes the U.S. is merely and planned by the United States,” Maas told reporters on looking for a “pretext to whip up the situation, continue its a trip to Warsaw, the Polish capital. aggressive rhetoric towards Iran, and to shift to a hotter By its own admission, the United States has spent as- more active phase of the conflict.” tronomical sums on its wars in this region, without either Amid its attempts to trouble Iran’s foreign oil sales as succeeding or performing in a way that could result in a had spent $6 trillion in wars. part of its sanctions targeting the Islamic Republic, the successful outcome. Trump said since the U.S. first invaded , U.S. has announced plans to form a Washington-led mar- Back in February 2017, U.S. President Donald Trump and 17 years later, the region is still a “hornet’s nest”. He itime force to supposedly secure the Strait of Hormuz in famously said during a White House address that the country added that “we never win” and “we don’t fight to win.” Spanish newspaper El Confidencial said on Thursday Madrid had received an official request from the United States to partic- ipate in these forces. However, the same sources said that “the Spanish government has currently no intention to participate in Americans wobbling in political chaos: Leader: Jihadi discourse should become joint U.S.-led forces,” Middle East Monitor reported. Iranian minister the public discourse Japan’s Mainichi Shimbun also reported that Tokyo won’t send ships to join the U.S.-led maritime force. POLITICAL TEHRAN — Iran’s not follow any logic or yardstick, he noted. POLITICAL TEHRAN — “We can,” the Leader told them. “Think as During a press conference on Wednesday, German Foreign deskminister of defense has “By imposing sanctions on the legal deskshould make the jihadi much as you can and put the thought Minister Heiko Maas also said his country “would not participate said that the ruling power in the United foreign minister of a government and discourse turn into a public discourse,” into action.” in the mission the United States plans to form.” States is “wobbling in political chaos”, other high-ranking officials of a coun- the Leader of the Islamic Revolution told “Let us witness an enormous collection The U.S. has announced plans to form a Washington-led Fars reported on Friday. try, the dictatorial system of America a meeting of jihadi groups on Thursday. of the Islamic Revolution generation in maritime force to supposedly secure the Strait of Hormuz in the Speaking in reaction to the U.S. sanc- showed that they are not honest even Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s statements our country, who have reached a level of Persian Gulf, which hosts considerable international oil shipments. tions on Iranian Foreign Minister Mo- in their calls for holding talks with Iran in the meeting were published in a tweet thought, management skills, services, hammad Javad Zarif, Hatami said, without a precondition,” the defense chief thread by Ali Asgari, a member of the Office establishment of justice, and standing “The behavior of White House officials remarked. for Preserving and Promoting the Works up for the right which are unconquered lacks international credibility.” The administration of U.S. President of the Leader of the Islamic Revolution. by the normal minds of man,” Ayatollah ‘IRGC Ground Force capable The defense minister added that armed Donald Trump imposed sanctions on During the meeting, the 42 members of Khamenei said. of growing into global power’ forces stand behind Zarif and the coun- Zarif on Wednesday because he “acted the jihadi groups presented reports of their He added, “It is the jihadi movement try’s diplomatic system. or purported to act for or on behalf of, activities in remote and underdeveloped discourse which has created you. We should (FNA) – The commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards By putting Zarif under boycotts, directly or indirectly, the Supreme Leader areas around Iran. do something so this discourse becomes Corps (IRGC) has lauded the potentials and capabilities of the American leaders proved that they do of the Islamic Republic of Iran.” “Try to push forward as much as you a public discourse.” Ground Force of the IRGC, saying that the force is able to claim global superiority. “The IRGC Ground Force is enjoying the capacities and capabil- ities to turn into a superior power on global scale,” Major General UN chief calls for ‘maximum restraint’ in Persian Gulf region Hossein Salami said on Thursday, while paying an inspection visit to the forces stationed in the southeastern province of Sis- By staff and agency He also said, “We’re very keen to see the UK is doing tan-Baluchistan, along the border with Afghanistan and Pakistan. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called for all the measures necessary to release as soon as possible Meeting with personnel and commanders in the province, the “maximum restraint” to prevent further escalation of the Grace 1.” top commander thanked the round-the-clock efforts of the IRGC tensions in the Persian Gulf region. Baeidinejad said, “That ship collided with a fishing Ground Force in establishing people-based peace and security According to Xinhua, Guterres said on Thursday that boat in the area...the fishing boat was damaged and to defuse enemy-hatched plots in the province. he has “consistently conveyed a clear message to leaders there have been injuries.” “The IRGC’s Ground Force is at the forefront of all armed both publicly and privately in numerous meetings and He also said Stena Impero had “entered the Strait of forces and defenders of the country in this region confronting a calls” and “that message can be boiled down to two words: Hormuz from the exit lane, which is against the law”. comprehensive collection of anti-revolution and anti-establish- maximum restraint.” The ambassador added, “We have tension in the region ment enemies,” Salami highlighted. “I once again urge all parties to refrain from any because of the U.S. policies - that ship should have been Underlining that the enemies have dispatched a range of stra- actions that will escalate tensions further,” he added. very careful not to violate any laws.” tegic, tactical, and operational capabilities to the sensitive region He noted, “A minor miscalculation could lead to a Baeidinejad denied Grace 1 was heading for Syria but to fight against the interests of the Iranian nation, the commander major confrontation. The last thing the world needs is repeatedly declined to identify the ship’s destination. added, “Sistan-Baluchistan is the conjunction where all the plots a major confrontation in the [Persian] Gulf that will Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has said by regional, extra-regional and local enemies come together.” have devastating implications on global security and Iran cannot reveal the destination of the tanker because The IRGC is actively engaged in security operations against the global economy.” of the U.S. sanctions. anti-Iran terrorist groups and accordingly is attacked by entities Tensions in the Persian Gulf have been on the rise in In an interview with Sky news on Tuesday, Iranian In remarks on July 23, Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas and terrorist groups which hold grudge against Tehran. the past several months. Ambassador to Hamid Baeidinejad said the Araghchi said Iran will not let disturbance in shipping On February 13, a bus carrying the IRGC personnel was hit On 4 July, Royal Marines were involved in the seizure release of the seized Iranian tanker could help secure in the Strait of Hormuz. by an explosives-laden truck on a road from the city of Khash to of Iranian oil tanker Grace 1 off Gibraltar, claiming that the freedom of the British-flagged vessel detained by “Iran will make any effort to maintain security in Zahedan, the capital of Sistan-Baluchistan province, where 27 ship was carrying oil to Syria in breach of EU sanctions. Tehran. this region, especially in the Strait of Hormuz, and will IRGC members were martyred and 13 others wounded. Iran called it an act of “piracy”. “Of course one issue can help resolution of another not allow any disturbance in shipping in this sensitive Ten days later, Iranian security forces identified and arrested Days later, Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps seized issue but these are two separate issues that need to be region,” he said during a meeting with French Foreign 13 individuals linked to the suicide bombing. British-flagged Stena Impero in the Strait of Hormuz. tackled separately,” he said. Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian in . TECHNOLOGY

I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y AUGUST 3, 2019 IRAN IN FOCUS 3

IRGC, Army denounce U.S. Cleric to U.S.: Go ahead with Zarif sanctions ‘if that sanctions on Zarif pleases you’ POLITICAL TEHRAN – Mohammad Javad Haj Ali Americans furious with the way Zarif exposed their ‘wicked nature’, says IRGC deskAkbari, an interim Friday prayer leader in Tehran, has censured the U.S. sanctions on Foreign Minister POLITICAL TEHRAN – The Islamic Western allies. Mohammad Javad Zarif, telling the White House to go deskRevolution Guards Corps “The U.S. does not even have the power right ahead with the sanctions “if that makes you happy.” (IRGC) and the Iranian Army have denounced to confront the Islamic Republic’s precise “The U.S. diplomacy of begging reached nowhere, there- the new U.S. sanctions on Foreign Minister statements and logic,” said Velayati who was fore they sanctioned our foreign minister,” Haj Ali Akbari Mohammad Javad Zarif as a “ridiculous” Iran’s foreign minister from 1981 to 1997. told worshippers on Friday. “It seems that this makes them move which showed Washington’s The U.S. is being incrementally isolat- happy. Then go ahead if that makes you happy.” “humiliating defeat” against the Islamic ed in the world and imposing sanctions on Republic. Foreign Minister Zarif is another sign of On Wednesday, the U.S. departments of its helplessness and despair in the face of state and treasury announced the imposi- Iran’s clear logic, he added. tion of sanctions against Zarif because he Advisor: Trump team has got “acted or purported to act for or on behalf of, severe ‘political vertigo’ directly or indirectly, the Supreme Leader Hossein Amir Abdollahian, a senior for- of the Islamic Republic of Iran”. eign policy advisor to the Iranian parliament On Thursday, the IRGC announced its speaker, said sanctioning Zarif demonstrated condemnation of the “illegal” measure, saying the Trump administration’s political vertigo. the move was in line with the United States’ “FM Zarif sanction is clear reason behind policy of mounting maximum pressure on the U.S. decision-makers’ illogical and un- the Islamic Republic, Mehr reported. civilized behavior,” Amir Abdollah tweeted. It said the U.S. move was ineffective and He added, “Donald Trump is capable foreseeable, and demonstrated the American neither for waging war nor compelling Iran rulers’ anger at the Islamic Revolution’s to negotiate under threat. The Trump team inspiring and anti-hegemonic message for has got severe ‘political vertigo’. No doubt The cleric further said the U.S. sanctions are a “source the world. the humiliating defeat which was inflicted no property or interests outside of Iran,” it will end up downfall.” of pride” for the chief Iranian diplomat, and demonstrate The statement said the U.S. was furious on the U.S. by Iran. he tweeted on Wednesday. Tensions between Tehran and Washington “the fall of ethics and politics in America.” with the way the top Iranian diplomat ex- “This baseless, empty move revealed the “Thank you for considering me such a escalated ever since the U.S. administration The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump posed their “wicked nature”. American rulers’ shaky intellectual and po- huge threat to your agenda,” he added. of Donald Trump adopted a distinctly hos- imposed sanctions on Zarif on Wednesday because he “acted Back in April, the IRGC itself was black- litical foundations, especially the president In another tweet, the top Iranian diplo- tile approach toward Iran, which included or purported to act for or on behalf of, directly or indirect- listed by the U.S. as a “foreign terrorist organ- of that country,” the statement read. mat said, “We know that calling for dialog & pulling out of the historic Iran nuclear deal ly, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran.” ization”. In retaliation, the Iranian Supreme “Sanctioning our country’s foreign peace is an existential threat to #B_Team. and re-imposing sanctions on Tehran. The U.S. Treasury Department also said in its state- National Security Council named the United minister showed that freedom of speech And since reason for designating me is my The tensions further soared on June 20, ment that Zarif is Iran’s “primary spokesperson around States Central Command (CENTCOM) a is nothing but an empty rhetoric and that words, would ‘US persons’ need OFAC license when the Iranian military shot down an the world,” and that the ban “is sending a clear message terrorist organization. the White House officials are worried about to ‘engage’ with me by reading my writings unmanned U.S. surveillance drone after it that Iran’s “recent behavior is completely unacceptable.” Also on June 24, U.S. President Donald the strong logic of the Islamic Republic of or listening to interviews?” breached Iran’s airspace. The U.S. drone Sanctioning Zarif rooted in desperation: Ira- Trump announced new sanctions against Iran,” it added. U.S. once again ‘ridiculed’ itself, entered the Iranian airspace from the United nian military Iran, targeting office of Leader of the Islamic Zarif: Thank you for considering Velayati says Arab Emirates (UAE). Meanwhile, in a statement on Thursday, the General Staff Revolution Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and top me such a huge threat The sanctions were also widely con- In comments made a few hours after the of the Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic underlined commanders of the IRGC. Zarif responded to the U.S. move as well. demned by Iranian officials and top figures. incident, IRGC Chief Major General Hossein the illegal nature of the U.S. measure and described it as Army slams U.S.’ empty rhetoric “The US’ reason for designating me is that Ali Akbar Velayati, a top foreign policy Salami said the shooting down of the U.S. an action rooted in desperation. on freedom of speech I am Iran’s ‘primary spokesperson around adviser to the Leader of the Islamic Revolu- drone had a straightforward message that It said the undiplomatic attempt followed in the footsteps In a separate statement on Thursday, the the world’. Is the truth really that painful? It tion, said the U.S. has once again “ridiculed” any foreign intrusion into Iranian territories of the other instances of the U.S. violations of international Iranian Army said sanctioning Zarif lay bare has no effect on me or my family, as I have itself before all countries, in particular its would draw a crushing response. law concerning the Islamic Republic. The General Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces add- ed that by imposing sanctions on Iran’s chief diplomat, Washington thinks it can ramp up pressure on Iran and compensate for its back-to-back losses in the regional and China, EU agree to safeguard nuclear deal international arenas. By staff and agency nuclear deal is to normalize oil and banking ties. Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi and “Unfortunately, despite Iran’s full commitment to its European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini obligations, only a small part of Iran’s economic interests Iran to adopt tit-for-tat agreed on Thursday to continue safeguarding the 2015 has been met, and after the withdrawal of the United nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive States, we have not only not seen any serious action by in case of aggression: Plan of Action. Europe in this respect, but also some European companies ex-IRGC chief Both sides also agreed to safeguard the United Nations- left Iran following United States’ unilateral sanctions,” centered multilateralism and oppose the campaign of Rouhani stated. POLITICAL TEHRAN – Iran would attack the enemy “maximum pressure,” while calling on relevant parties Donald Trump withdrew the U.S. from the UN-endorsed deskwith missiles should it conduct missile attacks to maintain restraint and prevent the escalation of the JCPOA in May 2018 and imposed the toughest ever sanctions against Iran, says former IRGC Chief Mohsen Rezaee. situation, Xinhua reported. against Iran in line with his administration’s “maximum Rezaei, who currently acts as the secretary of the Expediency Britain, France, Germany, Russia, China, and Iran have pressure” policy against Tehran. Council, made the remarks in an interview on state TV on been trying to salvage the pact since the U.S. withdrew called the talks “constructive”. However, he warned Iran On May 8, exactly one year after the U.S. withdrew Wednesday night, according from it in May 2018 and returned sanctions. would continue to reduce its nuclear commitments if from the multi-nation nuclear agreement and reimposed to Mehr. The European Union announced on June 28 that its Europeans failed to salvage the pact. sanctions on Iran, Tehran said its “strategic patience” He said Iran has been special purpose vehicle for trade with Iran, known as “The atmosphere was constructive. Discussions were is over and announced a partial withdrawal from some actively countering threats INSTEX, has gone into effect. good. I cannot say that we resolved everything, I can aspects of the pact, saying that the country would no posed by the enemy and is Tehran says the mechanism is far short of Iran’s say there are lots of commitments,” the senior nuclear longer adhere to some of the limits on its nuclear activities. ready to strike back in case of expectation. Iran has been insisting that the mechanism negotiator told Reuters. It also threatened to step up uranium enrichment if an any aggression. should include Iran’s oil purchases. Helga Schmid, secretary general of the European agreement is not made within 60 days to protect it from Rezaee also pointed to a The remaining JCPOA parties held an emergency External Action Service (EEAS), also issued a statement the sanctions’ effects. recent downing of an intruding meeting in Vienna on Sunday to discuss Iran’s moves in on Sunday saying that “participants reaffirmed their In follow-up to that deadline, on July 7 Iran announced U.S. drone by the IRGC and reducing its nuclear commitments and explore ways to continued commitment to preserving the JCPOA.” that it has started enriching uranium to a higher purity than the Guards’ confiscation of save the nuclear deal. In a phone conversation with his French counterpart the 3.67% as the Europeans missed the 60-day deadline a British tanker after Britain Abbas Araghchi, the deputy foreign minister and a top Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday, President to devise a concrete mechanism to protect the country seized a supertanker carrying nuclear negotiator who represented Iran in the meeting, said the first step that Europe should take to save the from the U.S. sanctions. Iranian oil. “We are currently carrying out an active resistance. We respond to the enemy,” Rezaee said. Big haul of opium seized near Bandar Mahshahr “We know if we do not respond, they would attack,” he argued. On June 20, the IRGC shot down an intruding American spy POLITICAL TEHRAN – Forces of 1,588 kilograms of opium was found In the past three decades, Iran has drone in the country’s southern coastal province of Hormozgan. deskIran’s Coast Guard have in the two boats, he said. seized approximately 11,000 tons of dif- The incident was not met with an immediate military reaction seized a big haul of opium off the coast The drug smugglers had plans to ferent types of narcotics and psychotrop- from the U.S. of the southwestern port city of Bandar smuggle the haul of drugs into Iran, he ic substances, he added, saying that in On July 4, British Royal Marines in Gibraltar stormed the Mahshahr, according to Tasnim. said, adding that three people have been 2018 alone, Iranian forces carried out Iran-operated supertanker Grace 1 off the coast of Gibraltar. Lotfali Pakbaz, chief of Khuzestan arrested in the operation. 1,557 operations against drug traffick- On July 19, Iranian forces seized a UK-flagged oil tanker in the Province’s border police, said on Thursday In comments on July 9, Iran’s Am- ers, seizing approximately 807 tons of Persian Gulf after it tried to flee the scene of a major collision that the drug haul was seized following bassador to the United Nations Majid different types of narcotic drugs and with an Iranian fishing boat. thorough intelligence activities in the Takht Ravanchi said 3,815 Iranian po- psychotropic substances. Rezaee was the first political figure who proposed a tit-for-tat Persian Gulf’s northern waters. lice forces have lost their lives and over According to the “World Drug Re- action in response to the seizure of Grace 1 by Britain. Pakbaz said the Coast Guard captured 12,000 others have been wounded in port 2019” of the United Nations Office two light fishing boats filled with illicit the war against drug trafficking over on Drugs and Crime, in 2017, Iran had accounting for 39 percent of the global drugs in the operation. the past 40 years. seized “the largest quantity of opiates … total,” Takht Ravanchi stated. Iran, Russia discuss Syrian peace initiative U.S.-led Persian Gulf coalition doomed to fail: general TEHRAN (MNA) – Iran and Russia have reviewed the recent developments in Syria, and discussed the agenda of the 13th TEHRAN (Press TV) – A senior commander of Iran’s Maas said on Wednesday that there was no military meeting of the Astana process in Kazakhstan’s capital Nur- Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) has described solution to the ongoing standoff in the region and Ber- Sultan. a United States plan for forming a naval coalition to lin would rather pursue a policy that prevents further Ali-Asghar Khaji, the Iranian foreign minister’s senior interfere in the Persian Gulf as a self-defeating initiative. escalation of tensions. assistant in special political affairs, and his accompanying “The enemy should know that it cannot do anything. “Germany will not take part in the sea mission pre- delegation held the first round of negotiations within the frame- As have its previous coalitions, this one, too, will defi- sented and planned by the United States,” Maas told work of the 13th meeting of the Astana process with Russian nitely go to rack and ruin and fail to materialize,” the reporters on a trip to Warsaw, the Polish capital. President’s special envoy for Syria Alexander Lavrentiev and IRGC deputy commander for political affairs, Brigadier By its own admission, the United States has spent Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Vershinin. General Yadollah Javani, said in Tehran on Thursday, astronomical sums on its wars in this region, without The meeting was held in Nur-Sultan, the capital of the Tasnim News Agency reported. either succeeding or performing in a way that could Republic of Kazakhstan, on Thursday, August 1, 2019. “The region’s security is provided by its nations, Iran, result in a successful outcome. In the meeting, the two sides reviewed the political and and our Armed Forces,” he asserted. Back in February 2017, U.S. President Donald Trump field developments in Syria, and discussed the agenda of the Amid its attempts to trouble Iran’s foreign oil sales famously said during a White House address that the 13th meeting of Astana process, particularly with regard to as part of its sanctions targeting the Islamic Republic, country had spent $6 trillion on Washington’s so-called the inclusion of two new members (observers) in the Astana the U.S. has announced plans to form a Washington-led On Tuesday, the U.S. officially asked Germany to war on terror. process, namely Lebanon and . maritime force to supposedly secure the Strait of Hormuz participate — alongside Britain and France — in the Trump said since the U.S. first invaded Afghanistan, The Iranian delegation also held separate talks with the in the Persian Gulf, which hosts considerable interna- coalition, a request that was declined by German Foreign and 17 years later, the region is still a “hornet’s nest.” He Iraqi, Lebanese and Syrian sides participating at the 13th tional oil shipments. Minister Heiko Maas a day later. added that “we never win” and “we don’t fight to win.” meeting of Astana process. I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y 4 ECONOMY AUGUST 3, 2019

STOCK MARKET Development projects worth TEDPIX 254445.7 IFX 3374.36 Sources: tse.ir, Ifb.ir $2.38b come on stream

1 Some 54.15 trillion rials (about East Azarbaijan Province, numerous CURRENCIES $1.29 billion) of investment was made to agricultural projects worth more than USD 42,000 rials complete the Tabriz Refinery development 9.33 trillion rials (over $222 million) were also inaugurated or launched. EUR 46,403 rials project. Speaking in the opening ceremony of this The Agriculture Minister Mahmoud GBP 50,937 rials project, Gholamreza Baqeri, the managing Hojjati who was also among the cabinet director of the refinery announced that members accompanying the president AED 11,437 rials currently all the 3.5 million barrels per in his visit, inaugurated several projects Source: cbi.ir day of the refinery s gasoline output is of across the province, including industrial Euro 5 quality. poultry units, a greenhouses and fish Gas supply to rural areas farming complexes. The Managing Director of the National Health and medical projects COMMODITIES Iranian Gas Company (NIGC) Hassan Some 78 health and medical projects Montazer Torbati who accompanied the were also inaugurated by the Health Brent $62.14/b president in his visit inaugurated a project Minister Saied Namaki, including a 304 WTI $55.25/b for connecting 53 villages in East Azarbaijan bed hospital in Marand city. Province to the national gas network on The minister also inaugurated a rural OPEC Basket $63.79/b Thursday. and urban health service center which The project, worth 380 billion rials (about provides medical services, health care, Gold $1,449.20/oz $9 million) is going to supply gas to over midwifery, pharmacy, environmental and Silver $16.21/oz 3000 households in the mentioned province. occupational health, injections and health On behalf of the president, Torbati also education to people. Platinium $849.30/oz inaugurated other gas supply projects President Hassan Rouhani inaugurated the development project of Tabriz Refinery in Heading a high-ranking delegation, East Azarbaijan Province on Thursday. Sources: oilprice.com, Moneymetals.com including connecting industrial parks including some cabinet members, Rouhani to the national gas network and the also connected to the Iran-Armenia gas Agricultural projects arrived in Tabriz, East Azarbaijan, on Varzaqan-Ahar gas pipeline which is pipeline. During President Rouhani s visit to Thursday for a one-day visit. Intl. poultry, livestock exhibit slated for late Aug. Domestic producers of import-banned commodities honored ECONOMY TEHRAN — The 17th International Exhibition ECONOMY TEHRAN — During a ceremony Mohsen Salehinia, during the current Iranian calendar deskof Livestock, Poultry, Fisheries, and Related deskorganized by Iran s Chamber of year the government plans to provide facilities under the Industries of Golestan (GOLPOLEX 2019) is set to be held during Cooperatives, a number of domestic units producing the framework of subsidies for projects with more than 60 August 27-30 in Golestan Province, northern Iran, the portal of goods, that their import has been banned in line with the percent of physical development, to supply working capital Iran s Trade Promotion Organization (TPO) announced. country s policy of achieving self-reliance to tackle the of firms, to renovate production units and etc. According to Director General of Trade Promotion Organization sanctions, were honored, Press TV reported on Thursday. He said that 360 trillion rials (about $857.1 million) of (TPO) s Agricultural Export and Alternate Industries Coordination Those Iranian firms received government recognition facilities will be granted to the industrial units in this year Office Mohammad Bazari, the exhibition is aimed to introduce for their efforts to create opportunities out of challenges in the framework of production flourishing plan. the country s latest achievements and capabilities in this industry. caused by the unilateral U.S. sanctions on Iran. Also, Abdolnaser Hemmati, the governor of the Central The exhibition aims to introduce the latest achievements in The ceremony brought together science-based companies Bank of Iran (CBI), has specified providing of working the field of livestock and poultry, and to present a platform for mostly active in civil engineering and construction-related capital for the production units as the major priority of start-up companies to enter this industry, Bazari said. industries to be recognized for their efforts in compensating the Iranian banks in the current year. for the adverse effects of the U.S. sanctions. Bringing back the inactive production units to the The current Iranian calendar year of 1398 (began on production cycle is the other step by the government, as ways, the government is taking some other approaches March 21) is named as the year of “Pickup in Production” Industry, Mining and Trade Minister has to encourage domestic producers, for example through by Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali announced that 2,200 industrial units will come back to banning imports of some products into the country some Khamenei. the production cycle by the end of the current Iranian competitive condition will be created for Iranian producers The realization of this motto toward Iran s self-reliance calendar year (March 19, 2020). to produce new products and also promote the quality of is in fact the only way to tackle the U.S. cruel sanctions The minister said, We have some plans for removing the their products. on Iran s economy. problems of the units which are facing serious challenges. While banning imports of foreign products, the To this end, Iranian government has put supporting There are some units that enjoy high potential and government also is seriously following up the policy of domestic producers a top agenda in the current year. capacities, but due to some problems such as inadequate supporting and publicizing domestically-made products. Providing the required working capital for the production working capital they cannot work with full capacity, Rahmani All these supports and facilities as well as other related units and offering them facilities is one of the major measures noted, adding, Our priority in the current year is to facilitate strategies provided for domestic production units are hopped being pursued by the government to support these units. the condition for such units. to strengthen Iranian producers in a way to make the country As previously announced by Deputy Industry Minister In addition to support the production units in different more self-reliant and beat the sanctions. Exploring ways of improving the livestock and poultry indus- try, providing investment opportunities to promote the industry, identifying trade competitors and organizing programs to enter the global market were other goals mentioned for this exhibition. INSTEX develops new service in bid to fast-track Iran transactions The exhibition covers a variety of areas in the livestock and poultry industry including, feedstuff, veterinary drugs, equip- The state-owned company at the center of STEX and STFI remain in the process of burdened with unpaid invoices, the certainty ment, fisheries and aquaculture, ornamental fish, pets, services European efforts to save the Iran nuclear deal establishing the netting mechanism. But in of payment from INSTEX, a state-owned and related industries. is entering its next phase of development. In a bid to fast-track transactions, INSTEX has European company, is inherently attractive. a push to process transactions more quickly, opted to roll out a new service that does not In some respects, the factoring service INSTEX is rolling out a new factoring ser- require the direct participation of its Iranian is a more appealing solution for companies vice for European exporters. The company counterpart. INSTEX is now in advanced than the netting mechanism service which India slips to 7th spot in is also making new hires that will enable it negotiations to a provide factoring service INSTEX still intends to operationalize. global GDP rankings of 2018, to expand operations in the coming year. to an initial cohort of European companies. However, factoring is inherently less scal- Having reached the end of his six-month In factoring transactions, INSTEX will able as it requires significant capital to be France, UK push ahead: WB contract, Per Fischer is stepping down as purchase the expired invoices of European made available to INSTEX in order purchase the president of INSTEX, the state-owned working relationship between INSTEX and exporters who have failed to receive payment invoices. INSTEX will also assume the burden India has slipped down to the 7th place in the global GDP rankings company established by France, Germany, STFI. In recent weeks, cooperation between for sanctions-exempt goods sold to Iran. The of seeking payment from the Iranian debtor. of 2018, reveals data compiled by the World Bank. According to the and the United Kingdom to support trade the two entities has slowed. Iranian author- focus on expired invoices allows INSTEX to However, should the factoring solution 2017 World Bank (WB) report, India had become the fifth largest with Iran. Fischer s replacement is former ities have called for INSTEX to be funded by avoid lengthy French regulatory approvals prove popular, it may be the case that IN- economy, displacing UK and France. German ambassador to Iran Bernd Erbel. Iran s oil revenuesa move that would leave for a full factoring service. Importantly, IN- STEX could subsequently transfer its newly As stated by jagranjosh.com, in accordance with the 2018 data, A career diplomat, Erbel has been posted INSTEX vulnerable to sanctions from the STEX will not require the goods in question assigned receivables to STFI, making it pos- the UK and France once again moved ahead of India to reclaim their in Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, and , and United States. to have been delivered to the Iranian buyer sible for Iranian importers to pay STFI for 5th and 6th spots respectively in the global GDP rankings. served as ambassador to Iraq prior to his Erbel s deep knowledge of Iran may help in order for the European exporter to factor goods purchased from European exporters. The United States continues to top the list with a GDP of $20.5 stint as ambassador to Iran. him navigate the tensions surrounding the its receivables. In this sense, the service ap- Alternatively, INSTEX could open an account trillion, followed by China at second place with GDP of $13.6 trillion The change in leadership comes as INSTEX INSTEX project in Tehran and reassure proximates a kind of trade finance. either in Iran or at the Iranian bank branch and Japan at third place with a GDP of $5 trillion. finalizes several other management hires. By Iranian stakeholders of the seriousness of According to a draft contract between based in Europe in order to receive payment India recorded a GDP of $2.73 trillion in 2018, which is less than filling these roles, INSTEX will enter a new European efforts to develop the mechanism INSTEX and a European company seen by for the outstanding invoices. While conceived that of the UK and France, which had a GDP of $2.82 trillion and phase of operation as a standalone company further. Bourse & Bazaar, the purchase price paid to as a stopgap solution, the experience with $2.78 trillion respectively in the same year. based in Paris. Until now, both INSTEX s The goal for INSTEX remains to ease the European exporter by INSTEX would factoring could help INSTEX develop a more India had emerged as the fifth largest economy in 2017, pushing outreach to European companies and its Europe-Iran trade by developing a netting amount to 95 percent of the assigned receiv- robust netting mechanism. ahead of the UK and France in the global GDP table. While the coordination with its Iranian counterpart, mechanism that eliminates the need for a able. In other words, INSTEX will charge As it welcomes new leadership and piv- UK was pushed to sixth place, France was pushed to the seventh STFI, has been led by civil servants at the cross-border financial transactions. In this a 5 percent fee as part of its factoring service. ots to a new service, INSTEX resembles any position. In the Global GDP rankings of 2017, India had recorded foreign and economy ministries of the com- model, INSTEX will coordinate payment in- This fee will vary based on the transaction. ordinary startup at a key stage of its develop- a GDP of $2.65 trillion, while the UK s GDP was $2.64 trillion and pany s three founding shareholders. structions between companies engaged in Such costs are not negligible for Europe- ment. Like all startups, INSTEX continues France s $2.59 trillion. Fischer, a former Commerzbank execu- bilateral trade between Europe and Iran, an exporters, especially when considering to face many hurdlesits success is far from The drop in India s position on the global GDP table reflects tive, had been selected as the company s first enabling European exporters to receive that INSTEX will require each transaction assured, particularly in the darkening political the slump in India s overall economic growth. India s GDP in 2018 president due to his banking background. payment for sales to Iran from funds that to undergo third-party due diligence at the climate. But the individuals responsible for shows a growth of mere 3.01 percent in dollar terms in 2018, as But Erbel, who lacks commercial experience, are already within Europe. The counterpart exporter s expense. Yet they are commen- its development are responding to pressure against 15.72 percent in 2017. On the other hand, the UK s GDP grew will have a different mission as he assumes entity, STFI, will then mirror those trans- surate with the transaction fees typically from demanding shareholders and skeptical by 6.81 percent and France s economy expanded by 7.33 percent. his leadership role. Erbel will leave key com- actions, allowing Iranian exporters to get charged by banks in those cases in which customers with creative solutionsan encour- Economists say India has slipped to the 7th place in Global GDP mercial responsibilities to the new managers, paid with funds already in Iran. the bank is willing to accept funds originating aging sign. ranking due to currency fluctuations and a slowdown in economic focusing instead on ensuring a constructive Delayed by political disagreements, IN- in Iran. Moreover, for European companies (Source: bourseandbazaar.com) growth. Indian rupee depreciated While in 2017, the Indian rupee had appreciated by 3 percent against the dollar, in 2018 it depreciated by 5 percent against the dollar. The Indian economy grew by 11.2 percent in 2018-19 in rupee Trump’s trade war with China is hurting the U.S. economy more terms, while it grew by 11.3 percent in 2017-18. President Donald Trump s former top economic advisor Council, announced his resignation in April 2018 after Reserve to cut rates at a steeper clip than the quarter- India is, however, still the fastest-growing major economy in the says the trade war with China is unwinnable and is hurting Trump decided to impose import tariffs on steel and point reduction announced Wednesday. world. According to a research firm, IHS Markit, India will over- the U.S. economy. aluminum. Following the decision, the first cut to rates by the take the UK as the fifth-largest economy in the world in 2019 and As per cnbc.com, Gary Cohn told the BBC in an interview In the BBC interview, he described himself as openly Fed since December 2008, Trump kept up the criticism, is likely to even overtake Japan and emerge as the third-largest that aired Thursday that tariffs were raising the cost of anti-tariffs before adding that everyone loses in a trade war. tweeting that Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell let economy by 2025. importing much needed products from China and were in The former Goldman Sachs president said Trump s us down. In the Union Budget 2019-20, the Indian government set a goal fact neutralizing Washington s plan to stimulate growth plan to force Beijing s hand on trade imbalances via tariffs Cohn said the central bank had been set up as an of becoming a $5 trillion economy by 2025. To achieve this goal, through tax cuts. was a view that the president had held forever but were independent agency and once the chairman and governors India will need to sustain a GDP growth rate of 8 percent. When you build plant equipment, you re buying in fact offering Chinese bureaucrats a convenient excuse. were appointed, the president must relinquish any attempts India has identified certain key areas to boost work upon such steel, you re buying aluminum, you re buying imported I think the Chinese economy was going to slow down to influence monetary policy. as Indian MSMEs, increasing focus on private investment, intro- products and then we put tariffs on those, so literally the with or without a trade war, Cohn said before adding it It s not supposed to be a political agency. And I very ducing people-centric policies and invoking a behavioral change tax incentive we gave you with one hand was taken away was having a real impact in parts of the U.S. economy much believe in those separation of powers, said Cohn. to address issues such as gender equality, a healthy and a beautiful with the other hand, said Cohn. such as automobile manufacturing and farming. Cohn said he thought Powell is doing a very good job India, savings, tax compliance and credit quality. Cohn, the former director of the U.S. National Economic Trump has been placing public pressure on the Federal in a world of extraordinarily low interest rates. I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y AUGUST 3, 2019 ENERGY 5

Energy projects worth $7.6b to be Global Energy Storage Systems Market set for inaugurated by March 2020 rapid growth ENERGY TEHRAN — Iranian The official further announced that by The global Energy Storage Systems Market report delivers the deskEnergy Minister Reza the end of the current Iranian calendar year clean elaborated structure of the Energy Storage Systems Market Ardakanian said on Thursday that 217 ma- over 1,440 villages will be supplied with comprising each and every business-related information of the jor energy projects worth 320 trillion rials drinkable water through pipelines. market at a global level. (about $7.62 billion) will be inaugurated The statistics indicate that every week 30 The complete range of information related to the global Energy by the end of the current Iranian calendar villages are getting connected to the country s Storage Systems Market is obtained through various sources and year (March 19, 2020). national water supply network and this is a this obtained bulk of information is arranged, processed, and Speaking in the opening ceremony of a significant achievement for the government, represented by a group of specialists through the application of dam project in East Azarbaijan province, Ardakanian said. different methodological techniques and analytical tools such Ardakanian noted that the ministry will also Heading a high-ranking delegation, in- as SWOT analysis to generate a whole set of trade-based study commence 23 new projects worth 360 tril- cluding some cabinet members, Rouhani paid regarding the global Energy Storage Systems Market. lion rials (nearly $8.6 billion) during the a one-day visit to East Azarbaijan province. The global Energy Storage Systems Market supports mar- current year. Some 518 development projects worth ket-linked various associations, industries, vendors, firms, and The official underlined the inauguration of Over 100 trillion rials (about $2.38 billion) organizations by offering a broad stage revealing opportunities 60 trillion rials (over $1.42 billion) of water were inaugurated during President Rouhani s time-to-time to rise higher in the market. and electricity projects during President visit to the northwestern province. Some of the chief contenders including pre-established businesses Rouhani s visit to East Azarbaijan province, As reported by IRNA, the inaugurated and newly-emerging firms are contending with one another for saying that this is an indication of the gov- projects included major power plant, water global trade expansion in terms of production, supply, demand, ernment s determination in improving the and dam projects as well as construction income, and after-sales services. country s energy infrastructure more than and infrastructure projects plus several The global Energy Storage Systems Market report presents ever. economic, agriculture and mining ones. the detailed extensive study regarding the market in an efficient way by dividing the whole market into different segments on the basis of type and form of product offered by the industries, prod- uct processing methods and techniques, end-user applications, and others. Major projects planned to prevent flare gas waste Market based on the regions ENERGY TEHRAN — Iranian Energy Ministry in their joint efforts to optimize the use of flare gas in Iran, desk Not only this, but the market study also categorizes the market has major plans to make use of flare gas according to remarks covered by Iran s Oil Ministry news based on the regions. The report also comprises the market growth burnt or vented in oil and gas facilities across the country, service Shana. forecast information calculated by the professional on the basis of Press TV reported, quoting an official with the ministry, The use of flare gas is one of the challenges of the oil previous information about the market and its-related industries as saying. sector, said Chitchian, adding, “Thus we are planning as well as the current trends followed by the market. The report , a former minister who currently ad- to attract investment from the private sector and offer also provides the market s CAGR forecast for the specific period vises the government on energy issues, said on Wednesday loans in the two ministries for this purpose.” of the upcoming time. that Iran was planning to economically and technically He didn’t elaborate whether foreign companies with expe- The report also highlights the various key factors as well as benefit from a huge stock of flared gas that is currently rience in the field would be involved in flaring projects in Iran. administrative guidelines that may impact the market in both the wasted through the stacks in refineries. However, the announcement comes as Iran is seeking ways, either direct or indirect. According to Chitchian there is about 16 billion cubic to offset the impacts of U.S. sanctions on its oil industry. The global Energy Storage Systems Market report is embedded meters (over 52 billion cubic feet) of flare gas that could Once a pure crude exporter, Iran has managed to expand with several charts, figures, graphs, and diagrams to make it better be used for various economic purposes, including power downstream operations in the oil and gas sector both to understandable for the clients. generation. meet a growing domestic demand for energy and to open Zion Market Research is an obligated company. We create The official said research centers affiliated with the oil up new markets for its refined products. energy resources for power plants and industrial units futuristic, cutting-edge, informative reports ranging from industry and energy ministries had reached valuable achievements Commercializing flare gas would enable Iran to diversify while it can also be exported to other countries. reports, the company reports to country reports. We provide our clients not only with market statistics unveiled by avowed private publishers and public organizations but also with vogue and newest industry reports along with pre-eminent Oil prices regain ground after overnight plunge on tariffs and niche company profiles. Our database of market research reports comprises a wide Oil prices rose around 2% on Friday, regaining ground after the Much the same could be true right now about the esca- variety of reports from cardinal industries. Our database is been biggest falls in years as U.S. President Donald Trump imposed lation of tariffs (and) with time, investors have managed to updated constantly in order to fulfill our clients with prompt and more tariffs on Chinese imports, intensifying the trade war be- sidestep them and returned to the familiarity of focusing on direct online access to our database. tween the world s two biggest economies and crude consumers. the data, which in the case of the U.S. economy, still looks According to reuters.com, Brent crude futures LCOc1 good, Innes said. slumped more than 7% on Thursday, their steepest drop in The U.S. economy expanded by 2.1% in the second quarter, Is there enough spare capacity more than three years. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) government data showed on July 26, which beat economists crude futures CLc1 fell nearly 8%, posting its worst day in more expectations, though it was lower than first quarter growth. to absorb an oil shock? than four years. Still, there are some signs of the economic toll of the trade The collapse ended a fragile rally built on steady drawdowns dispute between the United States and China, which this week While oil market participants have been focused on above-aver- in U.S. inventories, even as global demand looked shaky because reported slowing manufacturing activity in July. age global oil stocks and faltering demand growth, OPEC s spare of the trade dispute. U.S. manufacturing activity also slipped last month, drop- capacity has been rising because of the production cuts aimed at Brent futures rose $1.21, or 2%, to $61.71 a barrel by 0657 ping to a near three-year low, and construction spending fell in drawing down stocks and bolstering oil prices. GMT, while WTI futures gained 87 cents, or 1.6%, to $54.82 to a temporary truce in a trade war that has disrupted global June as investment in private construction projects tumbled As per oilprice.com, thanks to the production cuts being extended a barrel. supply chains and roiled financial markets. to its lowest level in 1-1/2 years, data showed on Thursday. into 2020, OPEC now sits on more than 3 million barrels per day Trump said on Thursday he would impose a 10% tariff on The gains may mean investors are reassessing the move The economic slowdown has translated into falling oil de- (bpd) of spare production capacity, which makes the cartel, as $300 billion of Chinese imports from Sept. 1 and could raise by Trump and its effects, Stephen Innes, managing partner mand in the United States, the world s biggest oil consumer. well as the International Energy Agency (IEA), confident that the tariffs further if China s President Xi Jinping fails to move more at VM Markets told Reuters by email. The amount of crude processed at U.S. oil refineries av- market can withstand a sudden major supply outage. quickly to strike a trade deal. Just like in shooting wars: the buildup and each stage of eraged 17.2 million barrels per day over the past four weeks, The risks of such an oil supply disruption have increased in The announcement extends Trump s tariffs to nearly all of campaigns have triggered risk-off events but with diminishing down 1.3% from the same time a year ago, U.S. government recent months with the flare-up of tensions in the Middle East China s imports into the United States and marks an abrupt end impact over time, he said. data showed this week. and the Strait of Hormuz the transit lane of 21 percent of daily global petroleum liquids consumption. Despite assurances from organizations and agencies, some analysts say that even with OPEC and allies vowing to take 1.8 Why energy storage is proving even more disruptive than cheap renewables million bpd off the market, the world s spare capacity is below the capacity seen in periods of previous major disruptions in 1979 By Jeff McMahon vice president for renewable energy policy at work on now is hybrid projects,” Ahlstrom dependent on keeping the balance.” and 1990, Paul Sheldon, chief geopolitical adviser at S&P Global NextEra Energy. “And it really is the digital said at a workshop hosted by the National That reliability will be watchdogged by Platts Analytics, tells S&P Global Platts Paul Hickin. The falling price of renewable energy has revolution finally hitting the power industry. Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Med- the resources themselves, networked across Global spare capacity is currently well below the levels of been dominating the headlines, but more “We saw it coming a little bit with wind icine. “What happens when you tightly couple the grid: those periods, even with OPEC+ production cuts in place, so in dramatic change is happening behind the and solar and what we’re really doing with storage with solar PV, what you end up with “I do think the days of top-down control that respect markets are relatively susceptible to an outsized, scenes, where battery storage is disrupting storage is going to push it over the edge in of course is a solid-state computer-controlled of how we run our resources is going to be disruptive, geopolitical event, Sheldon told S&P Global Platts. the way utilities provide power. a big way.” power plant. When you really step back and replaced by what we ve seen in all the other Tightening the oil market The change is driven not just by cheap In the past, utilities had to “take what they think about this means, we re really talking industries that have been digitized in the Yet, in 2019 unlike in 1979 or in 1990 two major forces are renewables and cheap batteries, but by the could get” from slow, inflexible fossil-fuel about virtual power plants becoming real. digital revolution. It s going to eventually countering the efforts of the OPEC+ coalition to tighten the oil electronics that link them together, said Mark plants, Ahlstrom said. Their primary con- It s very dramatic.” be a much larger population of intelligent market and boost oil prices. Those are U.S. shale production growth Ahlstrom, the president of the non-profit cern was having enough energy to meet peak “We re a time of just amazing transition agents that are going to cooperate to figure thanks to the shale revolution of the past decade, and weaker Energy Systems Integration Group. demand. here. We re going from slow and heavy to this out,” he said. “It’s a different world, guys.” oil demand growth as economic growth cools, especially in the “Unlike all the old spinning generators Now, utilities will have abundant cheap fast and light. These new resources can move Less than a week after Ahlstrom made world s top oil importer China, which just saw its second-quarter that were electromechanically coupled to power from renewables. Paired with batteries, at lightning speed,” Ahlstrom said. “We ve these remarks, NextEra announced a new economic growth slowing to the slowest pace in 27 years. the grid, these are using power electronics, that power can be deployed by computer in always worried about having enough energy. 700 MW renewables+battery hybrid plant A Clear message from our first look at 2020 is that there is computers, state-of-the-art technologies that microseconds to ensure reliability or fulfill In the future we re going to have lots of energy described as America’s largest so far in An- plenty of non-OPEC supply growth available to meet any likely scale really well, as we ve seen with other other ancillary services. and what we re going to need is flexibility adarko, Oklahoma, the heart of oil country. level of demand, assuming no major geopolitical shock, and the industries,” said Ahlstrom, who also serves as “What really surprised me this is all I and balancing. The reliability of the grid is (Source: forbes.com) OPEC countries are sitting on 3.2 mb/d of spare capacity, the IEA said in its June report, suggesting that the market will be well-supplied. In the July report, the IEA noted the heightened tension in the Middle East, but said that For now, maritime operations Shell’s investment decisions unaffected by low LNG price: CEO in the region are close to normal and markets remain calm due The currently bearish global LNG spot price is challenging committed to taking the UK out of the EU on October 31 to economic weakness, high oil stocks and a significant spare but it doesn’t affect Shell’s investment decisions, CEO Ben with or without an exit deal. production capacity cushion. Van Beurden said during the company’s financial results On the Strait of Hormuz, Van Beurden said Shell’s exec- The tension in the Middle East continued to simmer throughout presentation Thursday. utives were closely following the geopolitical tensions which July. Despite the increased geopolitical risk to oil supplies, the According to spglobal.com, an unfavorable macro-eco- had a direct impact on guaranteeing safety at sea and the market reaction was muted due to the stubborn glut, faltering nomic environment was part of the cyclicality. The LNG protection of assets. demand, and most of all, rising U.S. shale production. trading portfolio had been designed to be resilient to such “Currently there are no UK-flagged vessels. If there will Consumers can be reassured that the oil market is currently cycles, he said. be, it will be accompanied by the Royal Navy,” he said, adding well supplied, with oil production exceeding demand in the first Chief Financial Officer Jessica Uhl added: “We are strong that Shell was working with all the major oil companies to half of 2019, pushing up global stocks by 900,000 barrels per believers that LNG demand will grow by 50% by early 2030, deal with the issue. day, the IEA said in a statement. which will require more supply to meet that demand.” The strait is crucial for LNG shipments from Qatar which Countries members of the IEA hold 1.55 billion barrels of public Shell has 70% of its LNG contracts linked to oil, which represents about a quarter of global LNG supply. emergency oil stocks, said the Paris-based organization which was means that low Asian prices since last winter have had a Asked about environmental concerns, Van Beurden said created after the Arab Oil Embargo in the 1970s. limited effect. the company would invest further in tools such as carbon In addition, 650 million barrels are held by industry under The benchmark JKM Asian LNG spot price dropped as Slightly increasing year on year capture and storage to achieve the target of zero net emis- government obligations, and can be released as needed. These low as $4.263/MMBtu in June from a high of just over $12/ LNG liquefaction fell 3% on the year to 35.46 million sions by around 2050. IEA emergency stocks are large enough to cover any disruptions MMBtu in September last year, according to S&P Global mt in the first half of the year, but volumes are expected to More specifically on the U.S. Permian shale gas basin, in oil supply from the Strait of Hormuz for an extended period, Platts price assessments. increase slightly year on year in Q3, mainly due to project the CEO said Shell would like to operate to world-class en- according to the organization. “Spot is not determinant in our performance given the ramp-ups in Australia and Trinidad and Tobago, according vironmental standards, including not flaring and with clear Organizations and industry observers are fairly certain that a nature of our business,” she said. “If we manage our trading to Shell’s earnings report published Thursday. principles on water. currently well-supplied market and spare capacity within OPECin- effectively we can actually benefit from some of these low Asked about Brexit, Van Beurden said that while the “If we look at the strategy that we have deployed on the creased over the past two years because of the cartel s production prices,” she added. company was preparing for the entire range of eventualities, horizontal drilling, on artificial intelligence in these areas, cuts can cushion a major blow from an oil supply outage. Weaker She pointed to resilient performances in the second he did not see a significant, immediate impact on Shell’s on fundamental understanding of the shale geology and demand growth this year and continuously rising U.S. production quarter against the macro environment, such as earnings business overall. how we approach the fracking strategy, I do believe that we also support the view that the market is well supplied, although of $1.7 billion and cash flow of $8 billion. New UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said he is have superior insights and superior operations,” he said. they weigh heavily on oil prices, capping gains in the Middle East. I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y 6 INTERNATIONAL AUGUST 3, 2019 A deep crisis in the heart of America U.S. deploys forces in KSA to Keep Al Saud in Power: Analyst What does the racist IFP — An analyst believes the US forces entering Saudi soil has nothing to do with Iran, and is due to the problems and possible crises gripping Riyadh s domestic policy as Washington wants to keep the ruling elite in Riyadh at president say? the helm. The US military began to deploy hundreds of troops, jet fighters and missile systems at a military base near Riyadh By Saeed Sobhani after the Saudi king gave the green light for the deployment TEHRAN — The racism of U.S. President Donald and welcomed American troops on Saudi soil. This comes Trump has caused outrage and discontent among its as tensions in the Persian Gulf have peaked and there is citizens. However, it looks like Trump can’t hide his much speculation in that regard. The Saudis regard the US racist ideas! In recent days, dissatisfaction with Trump’s deployment as boosting mutual cooperation in order to racist policies, behaviors and tweets has reached a cli- ensure regional security and stability. The US Central max. Here’s an overview of various news and analysis Command also already announced that the deployment comes in the United States: at the request of Saudi Arabia. The CENTCOM further said More voters think Donald Trump is a rac- the move would give them further deterrence capability and ist than thought George Wallace was in 1968 redouble their ability to protect their interests and troops. As CNN reported , A Quinnipiac University poll Meanwhile, reports suggest that a full Patriot system has out this week shows that a majority (51%) of voters recently been deployed at the military base as part of the believe that President Donald Trump is a racist. For- US Air Force movements in Saudi Arabia. ty-five percent say that he is not.To opponents of the President, this poll may not be surprising. But think about it for a second. This isn’t just the normal oppo- sition you’d expect to a president. This is a majority of voters saying their president is a racist. Compare these numbers to a Harris poll from Sep- tember 1968. Former Alabama Gov. George Wallace, a segregationist, was running for president as an oppo- nent to the Civil Rights movement. As he campaigned, 41% agreed when asked whether Wallace was a racist. That was basically even with the 40% who disagreed with the statement. There are a few ways to look at these numbers, and none are complementary to Trump. You can say that more voters believe Trump is racist than believed a segregationist running for president in 1968 was. You could be generous to Trump and say that the spread between racist and not a racist (5 points in Trump’s To discuss the issue further, Khabar Online news website case and 1 point in Wallace’s case) is closer because it done. The biggest beneficiaries of his Presidency, rights movement was strong and growing, but there has held an interview with Sabah Zanganeh, an expert on more voters were undecided on Wallace. Even so, the he insisted, are African-Americans. He claimed that the were still too many men in white robes burning crosses Middle East issues and a former Iranian ambassador to the net margin for Trump being a racist is wider than it White House had received more letters, e-mails, and on the lawns of Americans who weren t white. Racism Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC). Excerpts from was in Wallace’s case. phone calls about his stance against Cummings and, as was stitched into the fabric of American society. the interview follow. Perhaps, the one bit of decent news for Trump in he put it in tweets over the weekend, the disgusting, At my co-ed boarding school in Arizona, there was There is much speculation about the United States these numbers is that they are fairly stable. Even before rat and rodent-infested mess in Baltimore than on no one of color, until my junior year in 1968, when the deployment of troops to Saudi Arabia. What do you think Trump’s most recent comments, many voters thought any other subject. We have a large African-American school decided to integrate. Their idea of integrating the main objective of this move is? he was racist. In the summer of 2018, 49% of voters population and they really appreciate what I m doing, was to bring in one black boy and one Hispanic boy. Most American survey centres have suggested that the said Trump was racist in a Quinnipiac poll. This was he said, and they ve let me know it. Both boys kept to themselves; they were quiet and reason for this move is a disruption of the political system slightly higher than the 47% who said he wasn’t racist. In Jamestown, a different Trump said the right words seemed as if they wanted to be invisible. Who could in Saudi Arabia and the emergence of possible chaos as a Still, the latest polling indicates that the President on racism in a carefully scripted speech; the President, blame them, being dropped off in a sea of white high result. All this comes amid pressure and the repercussions of was mistaken if he thought the latest attacks were go- for once, did not deviate from the teleprompter. The schoolers? The Hispanic boy was particularly shy. One the Yemen war as well as differences within the Saudi royal ing to help him. We don’t just see that the President’s arrival of those first slaves, he said, was the beginning afternoon, I heard from a group of giggling students dynasty plus the possible demise of the country s king, i.e., attacks have been an electoral angle in the question of a barbaric trade in human lives. On this day, he that, the night before, several boys had lashed him to a Kind Salman. Accordingly, US authorities, too, are seeking about racism; we see it in Trump’s approval ratings said, the United States also remembers every sacred bunk bed and dripped warm water on his wrists, which to monitor developments closely and keep control of the as well. soul who suffered the horrors of slavery and the anguish was supposed to make him pee. Apparently, it worked. situation. In the meantime, the base that Washington has Trump’s approval rating is 43% among all voters of bondage. He acknowledged that after the signing This is nothing new: I saw the KKK burn crosses chosen is located near Riyadh, the political hub of Saudi in a national average. A month ago, before his tweets of the Declaration of Independence, it took another in North Carolina. ‘Send her back’ chants can’t shock Arabia. against the four progressive congresswomen, his ap- eighty-five years, and a civil war, to outlaw slavery, me now. What is it that has made the Americans worried about proval rating among voters was the same 43%. and then another century to extend the blessings of After he wet his pants, they untied him and let their Saudi Arabia s domestic issues? It shouldn’t be too surprising that Trump’s approval freedom to all Americans. He quoted Martin Luther laughter float behind him as he ran from the room. A:As we know, several religious figures and princes rating has not gone up. Not only has his approval rating King, Jr., and lauded African-Americans who built, The story went around the school, and I m sure it got were imprisoned during the course of domestic political been steadier than any president in polling history, strengthened, inspired, uplifted, protected, defended, to the teachers, but no students were ever punished. I developments in Saudi Arabia. This has triggered protests that but we’ve seen him previously employ similar tactics and sustained our nation from its earliest days. remember one of the boys bragging about it, laughing could flare up on the future. Accordingly, these developments that he did in his racist tweets. These methods have The African-Americans in Virginia s democracy today cruelly, and saying that the boy never should have can touch off dissatisfaction among religious people in Saudi not moved the numbers. didn t buy it. The Black Caucus in the Virginia legislature come here; that he doesn t fit in. Arabia, which, in turn, can further escalate the situation. Unfortunately for Trump, numbers such as these boycotted Trump s appearance in Jamestown. It is I said hello to him whenever we were near each other, What goal is the US pursuing in Saudi Arabia s internal a year from now would mean that he would be an impossible to ignore the emblem of hate and disdain but my memory is that I never heard his voice again. issues? underdog for reelection. The last time Trump had an that the President represents, the lawmakers said, His eyes, however, traveled to a place deep inside me A:What is important is that uncertainty hangs over approval rating like this heading into a national elec- in a statement. Trump s repeated attacks on black and scored themselves on the walls of my heart. Eyes the future of Washington-Riyadh relations if the current tion, the Democrats gained 40 House seats and won legislators and comments about black communities full of wound, of helplessness, of a bitter acceptance Saudi rulers do not remain at the helm of affairs. Therefore, the House popular vote by 9 points. make the President an ill-suited choice to com- that simply because his skin was brown, he had to Washington seeks to keep the current ruling elite in power, Also New Yorker reported that Next month, James- memorate a monumental period in American history. . watch his back and be on guard. Eyes that preferred and immediately replace those members of the Saudi dynasty town will mark four hundred years since the first slaves . . The current President does not represent the values to look down rather than meet anyone else s gaze. who have died, so that close Saudi-US relations will not set foot in North Americaa year before the Mayflow- that we would celebrate at the 400th anniversary of I thought about him the other day when an African be harmed. er s Pilgrims landed in Plymouth Harbor. There were the oldest democratic body in the western world. American friend said to me that things are getting So, you don t believe that the deployment of US troops only twenty and odd, according to an early account One elected African-American to attend Trump s worse in this country, and too many people are looking to Saudi Arabia is somehow aimed at confronting Iran? from John Rolfe, Virginia s first tobacco planter and the speech was Democratic Lieutenant Governor Justin the other way. This conversation was after President A:The US does not need so many forces in order to confront widower of Pocahontas. The slaves had been captured Fairfax, but he too took a swipe at the President. The Donald Trump tweeted about the four congresswom- Iran. The US already has around 100,000 other troops on the in Angola and herded, with hundreds of others, onto a two commemorations, he said in an essay posted on en of color and how they should “go back” to where ground in regional countries such as Qatar, the United Arab slave ship bound for Veracruz, in today s Mexico. British Medium, far supersede the petty and racist actions of they came from. Since then, the president has also Emirates (UAE), Oman, Kuwait, Iraq, Pakistan, Turkey, etc. pirates seized them in a raid on the high seas while the current occupant of the White House. He add- attacked another African American lawmaker, civil Moreover, given that the US also has bases in the region in searching for gold and silver. In Jamestown, the pirates ed, The bigoted words of the current President will rights activist Rep. Elijah Cummings. addition to its troops, it seems the deployment of American exchanged their human loot for provisions. Jamestown thankfully soon be swept into the dustbin of history. Just when I was getting comfortable: Ilhan Omar forces to Saudi Arabia is due to Riyadh s internal concerns. became ground zero for slavery in the Americas. Among Our democracy, born in Virginia, will live on. is me. Trump’s ‘go back’ tweet is painful reminder The Saudis, too, would like to preserve their dynasty and that first generation were Isabella and Antony, who In the middle of the Trump s speech, a lone state as- America won’t accept us. their rule at any cost. worked in the household of Captain William Tucker. semblyman, Ibraheem Samirah, stood up in the audience I thought about the other eyes that haunt me now. Saudi Arabia has announced that the deployment of They were allowed to marry, according to historical and shouted, You can t send us back. Virginia is our The cold blue steel of Donald Trump s gaze as he let American troops on its soil is aimed at striking a balance in the accounts in Jamestown. In 1624, their son William home. He unfurled three signs that read Go back to the chant of send her back! reverberate around region as Iran, Russia and Turkey have gained considerable was the first recorded birth of an African-American your corrupted home, Deport hate, and Reunite him for 13 seconds. And the eyes of those in the crowd influence in the region, and Turkey has recently taken delivery in what became the United States. my family and all those shattered by systematic dis- chanting they were having fun, enjoying themselves. of S-400 missile systems. To what extent is this proposition On Tuesday, President Trump visited Jamestown, crimination. Samirah is Palestinian-American. In a They might as well have been singing “Happy Birthday.” justifiable? which is also marking four hundred years since settlers subsequent tweet, the Democratic lawmaker wrote, I If you avert your eyes from this, if you will lull A:The Saudis have always resorted to such justifications, there founded the first representative assembly in just disrupted the @realDonaldTrump speech in James- yourself into thinking that we ll be okay, that America and they have repeated the same justifications this time again the Western Hemisphere. In 1619, twenty-two rep- town because nobody s racism and bigotry should be will survive this gleeful resurgence of racism, then you in order to somehow justify the presence of foreign forces on resentatives of local settlements and plantations met excused for the sake of being polite. are in fact helping to make hatred synonymous with their soil. As we know, the Saudi society is generally a religious in a small wooden church to create a new legislative A poll released by Quinnipiac University on Tuesday patriotism. Eyes that look away will doom us as much one, and such a society has been and will remain opposed to body, the House of Burgesses. Jamestown was ground also contradicted Trump s claims of support among as those that are filled with cruelty. the presence of foreign troops in the country. So, bringing up zero for democracy in the Americas, too. Four hun- African-Americans. Eighty per cent of African-Amer- Don’t give Trump’s rhetoric any oxygen such issues is aimed at deceiving the public opinion. dred years later, the theme on Tuesday was not the ican voters said Trump is racist. Fifty-five per cent This is going to get worse. Donald Trump is on a Given the recent developments in the region such the celebration of democracy but the stench of racism of Hispanics agreed. Among all Americans, a simple roll and he isn t going to stop. He ll unleash his racist deployment of US troops to Saudi Arabia and tensions in that has increasingly pervaded Trump s Presidency. majorityfifty-one per centsaid the President has racist insults at anyone of color who stands up to him. And the Persian Gulf, what do you think the future holds? Will Most recently, the President, on Twitter, attacked views. (In a striking split between the genders, fifty-nine the hatred he has set free will result in more incidents tensions begin to ease, or are we going to witness conflict four congresswomen of color and Representative Eli- per cent of women described Trump as a racist, while like Republicans defending or refusing to condemn in the near future? jah Cummings, an African-American politician who fifty-five per cent of men said he wasn t.) the president’s racist remarks; like the memorial for A:War in the region will be meaningless without the represents Baltimore. Cummings is the chairman of Trump s hypocrisy about race was reflected when Emmett Till being shot at and vandalized by students presence of the United States. This country is on the verge the House Oversight Committee, which recently sub- he returned to the White House from Jamestown, two posing in front of it with guns; like the murder at of entering the election season, and any involvement in poenaed the personal e-mails and texts of Trump, his hours later. Pressed by reporters about just who among Charlottesville, Virginia. tensions and conflicts would amount to a setback for US inner circle, and his key associates. The President the African-American community had called to express I have a suggestion. What if the media ignored election plans. Furthermore, without the presence of the says he is simply attacking his critics, but his remarks support for his badgering of Cummings and Baltimore, his racist tweets? There is no value in giving them or US, no regional country will have the power or the courage repeatedly smack of racism. Trump replied, A lot of people, but offered no names. him any more attention. We know enough about the to get involved in a fresh war. On the other hand, it seems As he left the White House, en route to Jamestown, The President was then asked what was the driving president’s character and opinions not to need any political and economic pressure as well psychological warfare Trump told reporters that he was the least racist person strategy behind his recent rampage of Twitter attacks further evidence or reinforcement. I have no idea if will increase. in the world. What I ve done for African-Americans on members of Congress of color. In what may be the Fox News and other Trump-supporting media outlets However, whether or not these things can fill the void in two and a half years, no President has been able most telling indicator of his Presidency, he said, I would participate in a blockade on this president s caused by a lack of US presence is another thing. We even to do anything like it, he said. Unemployment at have no strategy. There s zero strategy, he said. It s tweets, but it really doesn t matter. see that the issue of escorting ships gradually begins to get the lowest level in the history of our country for Af- very simple. Or maybe simpleminded. And a tragic Trump’s supporters in the media and the electorate out of the coalition mode and take on an individual rican-Americansnobody can beat that. You look at comment on the four hundredth anniversary of the are outnumbered by many other news organizations form. We should look into the reasons behind the United poverty levels. They re doing better than they ve ever most abominable practice in our democracy. and Americans who could make the collective decision States reluctance. Is it due to inability or domestic pressure, done before. (This is statistically true, but some Patti Davis: America won’t survive Donald to simply deny them the space to grow. Hatred is like a or are other considerations involved? At the end of the experts question if Trump is solely responsible for it.) Trump’s racism revival if we give it oxygen tangled weed that needs oxygen and sunlight to survive. day, such a situation will make decision-making for other Trump added, So many things: opportunity zones, Patti Davis wrote in USA TODAY that It was more If all it finds is a vacuum, it will have trouble growing. countries more difficult. criminal-justice reform. President Obama couldn t get than 50 years ago and his eyes still haunt me. The civil And then, maybe, America will survive. I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y AUGUST 3, 2019 ANALYSIS & INTERVIEW 7 What does Israel want in Iraq? By Abdolrahman Fathollahi in Iraq’s security, intelligence, military and The scenarios ahead of the even political-diplomatic interaction with IFP— An Iranian political analyst has enumer- Syria, Lebanon and Iran in the course of Deal of the Century ated the reasons behind the Israeli regime’s strengthening the anti-Israeli axis in the 1 However, the old part of Al-Quds will remain willingness to get closer to Iraq, saying Tel Middle East. under the sovereignty of Israel. Aviv’s main objective is to cut off Iran’s links Israel’s concerns about the role of such According to Amos Harel, the journalist of Israeli with the axis of anti-Israel nations in the Iraqi forces reached the highest degree in news agency, Haaretz, the Deal does not give any sug- Middle East. October 2018, when reports came out that gestions for retreatment of Israelis from their current The following in an article by Abdolrah- a number of short-range ballistic missiles residential areas including the settlements in Ariel, man Fathollahi, written exclusively for the had been transferred from Iran to Iraq and southern Nablus, Gush Etzion (near Bethlehem) and Iran Front Page website: to its western border regions near Jordan. Ma’ale Adumim. Only 10 days after an Israeli attack on the As a result, it was already predictable that Trump’s plan is a shrunk Palestine that has no army or Hashd al-Shaabi’s base in Amerli in the Saladin Israel’s focus on Iran’s presence and activ- weapons to defend itself. province of Iraq, media reports indicate that ities in Iraq on various pretexts would pave The essence of the Deal of the Century is not negotiation; Tel Aviv has once again launched an attack, the way for the Israelis to launch attacks on conversely, it aims to force the terms and conditions of the this time on “Abu Muntazir al-Mohammad- Iranian-sponsored forces in Iraq. Zionist regime and the U.S. on the Palestinians. It is not a awi” base, formerly known as Camp Ashraf, Besides, Israel is pursuing a step-by-step mutual deal, but a one-sided one, so it cannot be regarded located in Diyali province north of Baghdad. plan for Iraq apart from those attacks. Tel as an offer for reconciliation. However, Hashd al-Shaabi commander, Tal- Aviv is trying to force Iraq into a situation Over the past year, everything Washington did about ib al-Mousawi, has dismissed the reports that would encourage it to seek normalization Palestine issue were unilateral actions that led to the Deal of of such an attack, drawing a link between of ties with Israel, like a number of Persian the Century. These actions included recognition of Al-Quds the attempts to prompt speculation about Gulf littoral Arab states. Some cases of the as the capital of the Zionist regime, transferring American the issue and the Hashd al-Shaabi’s move Israeli ploy include a recent visit to Israel by embassy from Tel Aviv to Al-Quds, closing the United Na- to detonate and dismantle the remaining was also affected by a security approach later; hand and, on the other, to overshadow Nobel Peace Prize 2019 laureate, Nadia Murad, tions Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in weapons of war inside Camp Ashraf. More- meanwhile, the deployment and presence of Tehran-Baghdad relations in the current and by Lamiya Aji Bashar, winner of 2016 the Near East (UNRWA), stopping the usage of the word over, news reports show that an investigation warships from the European and Southeast delicate situation. Sakharov Prize, with a 15-strong delegation. “refugee” for displaced Palestinians and trying to settle committee formed to probe into the Amerli Asian countries could add to the security In this regard, the news reports that Nadia Murad had already visited Israel back them down in other Arab countries. incident has concluded that there has been atmosphere in the region. Israeli intelligence agents had patrolled in July 2017. The other clues include the Possible future scenarios of the Deal of the Century no attack. On the other hand, it seems that In the wake of these developments, one and scouted around downtown Baghdad comments by Iraq’s Ambassador to Wash- 1. The failure of the deal a visit by Maryam Rajavi, leader of the MKO of the focal centers of the White House’s with American military forces in 2018 and ington Fareed Yasseen a few weeks ago on the According to this scenario, the deal will fail. As de- terrorist group, and the launch of the recent attempts to mount pressures on Tehran early 2019 certainly reveal that Tel Aviv possibility of normalization of Iraq’s relations scribed above, the Deal of the Century is a completely attack was not a coincidence. Above all, the will be definitely Iraq, a country and actor had been seeking a metamorphosis of Iraq with Israel, as well as the last year’s trips to pro-Israel deal, so any of the Palestinian groups, even MKO’s perfect familiarity with the region with which Iran has established the highest in relation to the regional developments Israel by three Iraqi delegations comprised the ones who are in favor of reconciliation will not ac- after 30 years of presence there could have degree of economic, political, diplomatic, for the pivotal purpose of improving the of Sunni and Shi’ite figures. cept this deal. been taken advantage of by Israel for carrying military and security cooperation. The two West Asia’s view of Israel, amid the period For the second step, Tel Aviv is trying to If the Palestinians resist the deal, they can derail it. Over out the attack. nations have also strong cultural and religious of heightened tensions between Tehran change the policies of Baghdad towards the the last 70 of Israel-Palestine conflict, tens of similar plans Furthermore, according to the estimates commonalities. and Washington in the wake of Trump’s ongoing developments in Syria, the military for reconciliation were thwarted. On the other hand, it is provided by a number of Iraqi security and Specifically mindful of this fact, Wash- withdrawal from the JCPOA. and security cooperation between Baghdad unlikely that Arab countries pressure Palestine to accept intelligence officials, the July 19 attack has ington is seeking to turn Iraq into its trump Israelis’ reasoning is that Iraq is the main and Damascus along the common border, the deal as the current trend is against the deal. involved the launch of three “Harop” loiter- card in the pressure campaign. bridge linking Iran to Syria, and then to Leb- and above all towards the broad interaction 2. Carrying out the deal after making concessions ing munitions from F-16 fighter jets. Since While the US has imposed economic anon, Palestine and the occupied territories, between Iran and Iraq in all areas, in an at- to Palestine and Arab countries Israel is the only actor in the Middle East in sanctions and has also put its forces in so they believe that if Iraq’s role and position tempt to exclude Iraq from the anti-Israeli In this scenario, the Americans and the Israelis will possession of such weapons, it seems that Tel Iraq at a high level of alert –citing con- in such axis diminishes for any reason, it will axis in the region. stop dictating their demands on the Palestine and will Aviv has perpetrated the strike against that cerns about some military and security definitely affect Tehran’s connection with Nonetheless, the Iraqi political leaders, suspend their interference in Palestine’s core issues such base in Amerli of Saladin province. developments in the wake of a possible those regions, and will therefore decrease including Sayyid Ammar al-Hakim, Prime as the fate of Al-Quds, the Palestinian refugees and the In addition, what has become apparent skirmish with the military forces allegedly Iran’s activities and role-playing along the Minster Adil Abdul-Mahdi, Head of the Badr ownership of lands. is that the actual developments taking place affiliated with Iran, Hashd al-Shaabi in border of Israel. All these facts have now Organization Hadi Al-Amiri, national security This will definitely be a victory for the Palestinians and in the Middle East, particularly at the Strait particular– the ground has been prepared made Iraq into a country with special signif- adviser Falih Al-Fayyadh, President Barham Arab countries, as a new deal with new terms will be derived of Hormuz and the Persian Gulf, have re- for Israel to look for a role in Iraq in or- icance for Israelis, especially after a series Salih, and many others emphasize the neces- out of the previous deal. sulted in an escalation of tensions. The path der to exert an influence over Iraq’s ties of anti-Israeli armed forces rose to power, sity for Iraq to stay away from any foreign or For example, Israel may become less strict over Pal- initiated by Trump’s withdrawal from the with Syria and over the ongoing develop- like Hashd al-Shaabi which, after the defeat regional tension, and even stress the need for estine ruling over the West Bank and Palestine may gain JCPOA and the re-imposition of sanctions ments in the war-hit country on the one of ISIS, has turned into an influential actor Iraq’s role in reducing the tensions. more control over the eastern areas of the Al-Quds. Some older parts of Al-Quds can be jointly run by Palestine and Israel. Also, Tel Aviv may stop building new residential ar- James Corbett: Bilderberg group solve crisis themselves creating eas over the West Bank and stop expanding the current settlements. TEHRAN (FNA) — James Corbett, investigative jour- matter is who is invited to the group? They are the upper It will also be agreed that a Palestinian government will nalist, says the Bilderberg group allows state capitalism to crust of the upper crust of the leaders of industry, royalty, be established over a short time-frame and some rules will keep governments in charge of their failures, making an financiers, and those who belong to the core power. They be revised including the ones about Palestine’s sovereignty excuse to justify its future control over the countries and are there deciding what they want to do with the world over some lands and its economic independence. The siege impose their will. completely in secret. of the Gaza Strip will stop, new ports and airports will be Speaking with FNA in an exclusive interview, James Do you believe Trump will counter what the Bil�- built and a safe route will be established between the West Corbett said those who are invited to the meeting are “the derberg group is doing regarding their world order Bank and the Gaza Strip. upper crust of the upper crust of the leaders of industry, program? According to this scenario, the Palestinian Islamic Re- royalty, financiers, and those who belong to the core power. A: Trump is in a sense a threat to the version of the world sistance Movement, Hamas will hand over the control of the They are there deciding what they want to do with the world order that is propounded by a certain clique of would-be Gaza Strip to Palestinian National Authority in Ramallah completely in secret”. managers of the society. He destabilizes the vision of global- and a proper environment will be established for resuming James Corbett is an American journalist based in Tokyo. ization that has been pushed for the past couple of decades the reconciliation process. He is an independent critical analyst. He covers important by most of the political class. But it does not fundamentally 3. The success of the Deal of the Century according issues from 9/11 truth and false flag terror to the imperial- challenge the question of world order itself. In the Trump to the terms and conditions forced by the U.S. and the ist police state, eugenics, geopolitics, the central banking Administration, there are people who want a different version Zionist regime. fraud, etc. of that world order. That is the kind of conflict that we see According to this scenario, U.S. will threaten the Below is the full text of the interview: playing out. The European contingent of Bilderberg has Arab countries to stop helping them in dealing with There is a vaguely general description of the Bilderberg been against or not necessarily in line with the American their regional conflicts and even in dealing with their group meetings available in online sources. The old-fashioned attendees of that group. It does not mean that America is a of the capitalist system, so I think they intend to frame own nations. Also, Washington will threaten Mahmoud sound rather look like conspiracy. Apart from conspiracy, threat to world order in general, it is just that they wanted to any failures on the Free Market and then use that as an Abbas, the President of the Palestinian National Au- what is the Bilderberg group, and what are the purposes be the stewards of that world order. There is some tension excuse to further impose their will over the other sys- thority with getting him removed and replacing him of the meetings? there between different members often likened to a rival tem as it exists. As we saw in the 2008 economic crisis, with someone who would agree to their all terms and A: I think we can take the Bilderberg Group as its own gangs basically fighting over territory fight with each other where it was blamed on the free markets and the failure conditions. word about its purpose and function back in the very first but they all still want essentially a system of games ruling of the free market; therefore, we need more government Considering all the above options, it seems that the meeting in 1954 of which there is an audio recording. The over the masses. intervention, more interference in day to day life which first scenario is more likely to happen as all Palestinian co-founder of the group, Prince Bernhard of the Neth- Globalization by the Bilderberg is in contrast with many has translated into even stricter control of the economy. groups are against the deal and the resistant Palestinian erlands, said, “I have in mind a completely frank and governing systems like capitalism, socialism, etc. practiced The ultimate goal of this group is different. Every year groups are in full power; also, many Arab countries are open exchange of views. This is essential to you and it is by the states. Do you believe the Bilderberg policies will a crisis that happens as a failure of free markets and us, against the deal and the U.S. itself is not confident about essential for our success. There is no quotation of anybody eventually topple such state policies? there is a need for greater control and I think we see that its foreign policies in the Middle East. in there is no press, so you are quite free to let yourselves A: What the vision of the future for the Bilderbergers happening in Europe with the Eurozone crisis that have There are other reasons to assume that the Deal of go.” I think that is essentially the purpose and function does involve a version of what could be termed “state developed over the last several years always, resulting the Century will fail. the operation of the deal has been of the Bilderberg Group. It is a talking shop for people capitalism” where we stayed in charge of many of the in greater calls for greater control by the European Cen- long delayed; furthermore, over this time, many demon- to come together and discuss things really outside of the core functions of the markets and sells. I think they es- tral Bank. The Bilderberg Group solve crises that they strations and groups have showed their opposition to eye, the press and public opinion; but, the real crux of the sentially want more state control over various functions themselves are creating. the deal, an example is the “return demonstrations” that have been held every week over the Gaza Strip over the past year. Despite all the oppositions in thwarting the Deal of the America role in Saudi crimes in Yemen Century, stopping the deal still needs more effort, some strategies are suggested here. TEHRAN (FNA) — Bipartisan bills that occupation of Iraq as well. And yet it is civil war, according to the UN. Targets war. For too long, it has been content to Strategies to stop the Deal of the Century blocked US arms sales to Saudi Arabia now back to making the same mistake, have included schools, hospitals, wed- sit on the sidelines and cede this power to • Developing Palestinians’ national unity and con- and the United Arab Emirates, which this time in Yemen. dings, funeral parties and school buses the executive branch. But in doing so, it is centrating all their powers in order to thwart the deal. were vetoed by President Trump earlier For five years, the United States has carrying children. repeating the same mistakes it has made • Writing a declaration that will bind all Palestin- this month, has survived another vote in supported a coalition led by Saudi Ara- More than 22 million people - three with regard to US foreign policy in the ians to commit to upholding the principles and goals of the US Senate, where they failed to get bia that is waging war inside Yemen, quarters of the population - require hu- Middle East in the last several years. It’s the Palestinian nation and rejects any treaty that would enough votes to override the vetoes. The trying to oust a government made up manitarian assistance and protection. time to end this disastrous engagement violate their rights, including the Deal of the Century. vote was 45-40. of members of the Houthi Ansarulah The country is on the brink of famine in Yemen, and it’s time for the Congress • Saving the Palestine National Reconciliation These arms sales were authorized on movement. US role in the coalition is and is in the midst of the worst cholera to this shameless war on a defenseless Agreement which was signed in 2011 and Agree- an “emergency” basis to bypass Congress, significant – it sells bombs and weapons outbreak in the world. To date, an esti- nation. ment which was signed in 2017. Plus running Palestine though since they weren’t being rushed to to the Saudis, it helps them pick tar- mated 85,000 children under the age The United States is failing in Yemen National Council in order to revive the Palestinian National the purchasers, Congress still had ample gets inside Yemen, and it refuels their of 5 in Yemen may have died from star- (and the entire Middle East, for that mat- Authority and Palestine Liberation Organization in order time to debate and vote against the sales. planes in the sky. vation and disease. In many ways, this ter) ethically and strategically. America to join all forces to serve Palestine’s national interests. Until that happens, the US will continue To anyone paying attention, it’s clear suffering is an intentional byproduct of is complicit in the collapse of an impov- • Quick removal of the sanctions imposed by to be complicit in Saudi war crimes in that the United States is engaged in a war the Saudi coalition, which has targeted erished, failed state that has spread the Mahmoud Abbas on Gaza Strip. Yemen. in Yemen. And yet this war has not been water treatment plants, health clinics and anti-American spirit all over the Mid- • Inviting all Palestinians to unite under a single Washington is agonizingly slow at authorized or debated by Congress. Its even a Doctors Without Borders hospital, dle-East. The US role in Yemen counts leadership, so that they can use all their powers to defend learning from its mistakes too. Over involvement started quietly under Pres- all with US assistance. not only because millions may die, but the rights of the Palestinians until Palestine Liberation the last five years or so in that critical ident Barack Obama, and now President There is a US imprint on each of these because it matters how Americans are Organization is reconstructed. but chaotic part of the world, the Unit- Donald Trump has increased US partici- civilian deaths. As the humanitarian viewed in the world. The Yemen war has • Encouraging public-based organizations, groups ed States has repeatedly witnessed the pation. And it’s not as if US participation nightmare worsens, it also provides the brought Riyadh and Washington mere and societies inside and outside of Palestine. limitations of using the blunt instrument in the Yemen conflict hasn’t come with fuel to recruit young men into terrorist defeat and failure and filled the world with • Stopping any kind of military and security coop- of American military force to win that serious consequences. organizations, which have been able hate for the Saudis and their American eration with Israeli usurpers. complicated political, social, economic Yemen has become a hell on earth to thrive in the power vacuum created backers. Even if one is loath to discuss • Increasing people’s freedom in the areas under and religious conflict. There is, of course, for the civilians caught within its bor- by the war. morals or human rights, consider it this the control of Palestinian National Authority in order to no better example of this failure to un- ders. More than 90,000 innocents have It’s time for Congress to reclaim one way: Withdrawing support from Saudi maintain the dignity of Palestinian residents and use their derstand the limits of American military been killed in the Saudi-led bombing of its most fundamental duties - deciding aggression could save millions of civil- unified will for making political, social and military pro- power than its disastrous invasion and campaign since the beginning of the when and where the United States goes to ian lives. gress.

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ESA satellite spots wildfires The definition of a species is not so clear cut burning across Siberia A koala bear isn’t actually a bear, it’s a marsupial. Whales aren’t European Space Agency satellites are helping strikes. But this season’s blazes are more fish, they’re mammals. Tomatoes aren’t vegetables, they’re fruit. scientists track Siberian wildfires. From the intense and spreading farther north than ever Almost nothing is actually a nut. Peanuts, brazil nuts, cashews, vantage of space, dozens of wildfires are visible. before. Scientists suggest the record-setting walnuts, pecans and almonds: none of them are really nuts (for As UPI reported last week, wildfires are fire season was made possible by soaring the record, peanuts are legumes, brazils and cashews are seeds, burning in Alaska, Greenland and throughout temps brought on by climate change. and the others are all drupes). Hazelnuts and chestnuts are the Siberia, releasing record amounts of CO2 According to Mark Parrington, senior exception: they are the elite, the “true” nuts. into the atmosphere. This week, ESA images scientist with Europe’s Copernicus We’ve all heard facts like this before. But they are more than just confirmed the fires continue to burn in Siberia. Atmosphere Monitoring Service, the ammunition for pub conversation. They reflect an area of science According to Russia’s Federal Forestry Arctic’s fires have released approximately known as biological taxonomy, the classification of organisms Agency, the fires, which have been burning 100 megatons, 100 million metric tons, of into different groups. At the core of this area lies the notion of for the last two months, have affected 3 CO2 since June -- a total Parrington said on the species. The basic idea is very simple: that certain groups million hectares -- or 11,000 square miles Twitter “is getting close to 2017 fossil fuel of organisms have a special connection to each other. There is -- of Siberian forest and tundra. CO2 emissions of Belgium.” something that you and I have in common – we are both human The newly released Copernicus Sentinel-3 Though there have been no casualties in beings. That is, we are members of the same species. photograph showcases several fires in Siberia, Siberia as a result of the fire, Russian officials Biological taxonomy’s core aim is to sort all of the organisms the smoke from which has polluted the air declared a state of emergency in the region. of the world into species. Of course, this job really matters, both in the Russian cities of Kemerovo, Tomsk, Scientists are concerned the soot and ash inside biology and out. The task of evolutionary biology is to Novosibirsk and Altai. Strong winds have from the blazes will be deposited on ice in track the evolution and development (and eventual extinction) helped spread the Arctic fires, while also Greenland and throughout the Arctic, causing of species. Outside of biology, conservation programs routinely carrying smoke to distant population centers. ice to absorb more solar energy and melt put various species on “endangered” lists, and urge us to donate Arctic fires aren’t unheard of -- they’re more easily. money to stop them dying out. In order for any of this to make fairly common in the summer when lightning (Source: UPI) sense, we need to know how many species there are, and what a species even is. Most detailed ever 3D map of Milky Way shows ‘warped’ shape The most detailed three-dimensional map yet of the Milky Skowron said warping was not seen in the central regions Way has been revealed, showing that our galaxy is not a flat of the Milky Way because gravitational forces there were disc but has a “warped” shape like a fascinator hat or a vinyl so strong that it was hard to deflect stars and gas out of the record that has been left in the sun. galactic plane. “The stars 60,000 light years away from the Milky Way’s The new study suggests the bending away from the plane center are as far as 4,500 [light years] above or below the of the galaxy begins about 26,000 light years from the center galactic plane – this is a big percentage,” said Dr Dorota of the galaxy – roughly where our solar system lies – but Skowron of the University of Warsaw, first author of the becomes steeper from about 32,000 light years. latest research. A warped galaxy was not unusual, said Skowron. “In Both the new study and an earlier one published in fact, it is estimated that about half of the galaxies could have February, which found a similar shape, are based on the some detectable warping. However the warp of our galaxy distribution across the galaxy of stars known as Cepheids – has a radius of about 70,000 light years and four spiral is quite substantial in comparison with others.” bodies whose brightness varies in a regular cycle over time. arms, is “warped”, with the outer regions of one side bent As with the previous work, the new study shows the This phenomenon of dimming and brightening is the key “up” from the galactic plane towards the north galactic pole, Cepheids disproportionately lie on one side of the warped to creating the maps. and the other bent “down”. The thickness of the disc is not galaxy, forming an arc-shaped spread. So, what even is a species? The truth is, we don’t really have While a star might be fainter because it is further away, the same all the way across – it flares towards the edges, The Polish team also found younger Cepheids lie nearer any idea. it could also be because it is less luminous. For Cepheids, like a pair of 1970s jeans. the center of the Milky Way, while older Cepheids are further The most famous definition of a species comes from the 20th the maximum brightness of the star is related to the length These findings also tally with other work showing a warp out. A computer simulation revealed there would need to century German-born biologist Ernst Mayr, who emphasized of time the cycle of brightening and dimming takes, with and flare, including studies of the distribution of hydrogen have been star-forming events 64m, 113m and 175m years the importance of interbreeding. The idea (roughly) is that two brighter Cepheids having longer cycles. By comparing this atoms across the Milky Way, although Skowron notes that ago to produce the distribution of Cepheids seen today. organisms are of the same species if they can breed with one intrinsic brightness with how bright the star appears to be, uncertain distances mean the shape of the warp could not Dr Vivienne Wild, an expert on galaxies from the University another to produce fertile offspring. That is why a donkey and researchers can work out how far away a Cepheid is. be unpicked from those studies. of St Andrews said it was much more difficult to explore the a horse aren’t the same species: they can breed and produce The new study, published in the journal Science, Prof Richard de Grijs of Macquarie University, who co- structure of our own galaxy than that of others. offspring, but not fertile offspring. encompasses data from more than 2,400 Cepheids, allowing authored the earlier Cepheid study, said there were a number “This is because we are inside it, and determining the Mayr’s way of thinking about species has some amazing the team to build the most detailed three-dimensional map of explanations for our galaxy’s warp. These include mergers distances to stars is really difficult,” she said. consequences. Recently, due to rising temperatures in the Arctic, yet of the Milky Way. with smaller galaxies, or the gravitational pull of the Milky Wild welcomed the exploration of how and why the Cepheids polar bears and grizzly bears have been coming into increased “Cepheids are relatively young – younger than 200m Way being weaker in its outer regions meaning bodies there are bunched up on one side of the galaxy. “By measuring contact, and have been producing fertile offspring. The offspring years – whereas the Milky Way is believed to be about 10bn might be deflected out of the galactic plane by the tug of other the ages of the stars and plotting their 3D positions in the are (adorably) called grolar or pizzly bears. What this suggests is years old. This means that we can use Cepheids to study stars. Alternatively, he said, “gravitational interactions with Milky Way’s disc,” she said, “we can see how they initially that polars and grizzlies may actually be the same species after the relatively recent history of our galaxy,” said Skowron. nearby galaxies … could distort the gravitationally weakly formed in the Milky Way’s spiral arms up to 175m years ago.” all, despite radical differences in size, appearance, hibernation The new research shows our galaxy, which Skowron notes bound outer regions into a warp-like structure”. (Source: The Guardian) behaviors, diet and so on. But it wasn’t long before the problems with Mayr’s approach became apparent. The definition makes use of the notion of interbreeding. This is all very well with horses and polar bears, Scientists detail mechanism behind Monkeys can use basic logic to decipher but smaller organisms like bacteria do not interbreed at all. They gamma-ray bursts the order of items in a list reproduce entirely asexually, by simply splitting in two. So this definition of species can’t really apply to bacteria. So maybe we should look for a different approach to species. In the 1960s, another German biologist, Willi Hennig, suggested thinking about species in terms of their ancestry. In simple terms, he suggested that we should find an organism, and then group it together with its children, and its children’s children, and its children’s children’s children. Eventually, you will have the original organism (the ancestor) and all of its descendants. These groups are called clades. Hennig’s insight was to suggest that this is how we should be thinking about species. But this approach faces its own problems. How far back should you go before you pick the ancestor in question? If you go back in history far enough, you’ll find that pretty much every animal on the planet shares an ancestor. But surely we don’t want to say that every single animal in the world, from the humble sea slug, to top-of-the-range apes like human beings, are all one big single species? This is only the tip of a deep and confusing iceberg. There is absolutely no agreement among biologists about how we should understand the species. One 2006 article on the subject listed 26 separate definitions of species, all with their advocates and detractors. Even this list is incomplete. Scientists have uncovered the most intense post-burst photon emission. Monkeys can keep strings of a list. Images included a hot air balloon, The mystery surrounding species is well known in biology, mechanism behind gamma-ray bursts, By combining the photon observations information in order by using a simple an ear of corn and a zebra. Monkeys and commonly referred to as “the species problem”. Frustration intense flashes of high-energy radiation with observations of lower energy X-rays kind of logical thought. couldn’t rely on rewards to guide their with the idea of a species goes back at least as far as Darwin. In originating from space. by the Neil Gehrels Swift satellite, scientists Rhesus macaque monkeys learned choices. In some sessions, animals usually an 1856 letter to his friend Joseph Hooker, he wrote: The first gamma-ray bursts were were able to identify the mechanism behind the order of items in a list with repeated received a larger reward for correctly “It is really laughable to see what different ideas are prominent observed by the Vela satellites, a the gamma-ray burst. Scientists determined exposure to pairs of items plucked from identifying which of two images came in various naturalists’ minds, when they speak of ‘species’; in constellation of space-based satellites the burst’s radiation was produced by a the list, say psychologist Greg Jensen of later in the list and a smaller reward for some, resemblance is everything and descent of little weight – designed to monitor nuclear testing and relativistic jet moving at the speed of light Columbia University and colleagues. The an incorrect response. In other sessions, in some, resemblance seems to go for nothing, and creation the ensure the Soviet Union’s compliance with in the direction of Earth. animals drew basic logical conclusions incorrect responses usually yielded a reigning idea – in some, sterility an unfailing test, with others the 1963 Partial Test Ban Treaty. Today, More specifically, the gamma-ray burst about pairs of listed items, akin to larger reward than correct responses. it is not worth a farthing. It all comes, I believe, from trying to several satellite systems are dedicated to and high-energy photons were produced assuming that if A comes before B and Rewards consisted of larger or smaller define the indefinable.” recording gamma-ray bursts. by what’s known as the “inverse Compton B comes before C, then A comes before gulps of water delivered through tubes Darwin even dreamt of a time when a revolution would come In recent years, scientists have mechanism,” whereby extremely fast moving C, the scientists conclude July 30 in to the moderately thirsty primates. about in biology. He proposed that one day, biologists could pursue succeeded in tracing the powerful bursts electrons -- accelerated to high speeds by Science Advances. Monkeys consistently learned list their studies without ever worrying about what a species is, or to their origins. Long gamma-ray bursts the relativistic jet -- collide with slower- Importantly, rewards given to monkeys orders in both reward conditions, making which animals belong to which species. Indeed, some contemporary are produced by the death and collapse of moving photons. The collision bumps up didn’t provide reliable guidance to the relatively few errors by the end of the biologists and philosophers of biology have taken up this idea, massive stars, while shorter gamma-ray the energies of the photons. animals about whether they had correctly sessions. Giving rewards for correct and suggested that biology would be much better off if it didn’t bursts emanate from neutron star mergers. Scientists detailed their latest discovery ordered pairs of items. Monkeys instead responses produced slightly faster list think about life in terms of species at all. Despite the revelations, astronomers this week in the Astrophysical Journal Letters. worked out the approximate order of learning, the team found. Scrapping the idea of a species is an extreme idea: it implies remain puzzled as to how exactly gamma-ray “MAGIC has found the Rosetta stone images in the list, and used that knowledge Jensen’s study adds to evidence that pretty much all of biology, from Aristotle right up to the burst radiation is produced. But as a new of gamma-ray bursts,” Tsvi Piran, an to make choices in experiments about suggesting that, like humans, monkeys modern age, has been thinking about life in completely the wrong study recently revealed, clues are emerging. astrophysicist and professor at the Hebrew which of two images from the list followed can mentally link together pairs of items way. The upshots of this new approach would be enormous, both Earlier this year, the gamma-ray detector University of Jerusalem, said in a news the other, Jensen’s group says. into lists that guide later choices, says for our scientific and philosophical view of life. It suggests that onboard NASA’s Neil Gehrels Swift satellite release. “This unique detection enables us Previous studies have suggested that psychologist Regina Paxton Gazes of we should give up thinking about life as neatly segmented into recorded an especially strong gamma-ray for the first time to discriminate between a variety of animals, including monkeys, Bucknell University in Lewisburg, Pa. discrete groups. Rather, we should think of life as one immense bursts, which scientists traced to a galaxy different emission models and discover what apes, pigeons, rats and crows, can discern That’s probably a valuable ability in interconnected web. This shift in thinking would fundamentally located 4.5 billion light-years away. The are the exact conditions in the explosion. the order of a list of items. But debate the wild, she says, because many animals reorient our approach to a great many questions concerning our discovery of GRB 190114C prompted We can also understand now why such persists about whether nonhuman need to monitor where group mates relation to the natural world, from the current biodiversity crisis scientists to swing the MAGIC telescope radiation wasn’t observed in the past.” creatures do so only with the prodding stand in the social pecking order. “An to conservation. in Spain toward the burst’s location. MAGIC As scientists detect more and more of rewards for correct responses or, at ability to construct, retain, manipulate And, in a way, this kind of picture may be a natural progression measured extremely high energy photons gamma-ray bursts, each time, using an least sometimes, by consulting internal and reference ordered information may in biological thought. One of the great discoveries of evolutionary emanating from the distant galaxy. array of telescopes to interpret the burst and knowledge acquired about particular lists. be an evolutionarily ancient, efficient biology is that the human species is not special or privileged in the The ultra-high energy TeV photons, its aftermath, they expect to gain further Jensen’s group designed experimental [mental] mechanism for keeping track grand scheme of things, and that humans have the same origins recorded after the gamma-ray burst’s peak, insights into the mechanisms behind the sessions in which four monkeys of relationships between individuals,” as all the other animals. This approach just takes the next step. during the afterglow phase, were 10 times cosmic phenomenon. completed as many as 600 trials to she says. It says that there is no such thing as “the human species” at all. more energetic than the previous record for (Source: UPI) determine the order of seven images in (Source: sciencenews.org) (Source: The Independent) I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y 10 HERITAGE & TOURISM AUGUST 3, 2019

Iran, Japan mark 90 years Belgian globetrotters share us of diplomatic ties at Tehran event their new perception of Iran HERITAGE TEHRAN — On Wednesday evening, symbols deskof Iran and Japan, such as Mount Fuji and 1 Some foreign travelers say that driving in Iran Persian rugs, were projected onto the outer walls of the Golestan resembles a video game. What do you say about that? Palace, a UNESCO World Heritage site in downtown Tehran. Lennart: Yes, it is. We had heard that Georgia is very bad [when it comes to reckless driving] but I think in Iran it’s even worse. But for us, our big car helps us to somehow avoid accidents. [Our rule is] to try to drive like a local… because in Europe, this is your lane and you cannot drive over it or whatever, but here…. What about the quality of roads and highways in Iran? Lennart: Actually, very good, I mean, for me, it’s comparable with European roads… actually the roads in Iran are quite good, they are almost flat and smooth. What’s your opinion about the Iranian hospitality? Lennart: Well, it’s famous for a reason, because it’s true, one of the reasons that we love Iran so much is the hospitality and kindness of the people, like, the first time that we got here in 2016, we were in a taxi and the taxi driver invited us to his home and even though he couldn’t speak English, we Iran’s deputy tourism chief Mohammad-Hassan Talebian were talking on Google Translate to each other. The Japanese government held a projection mapping event It was very nice to meet his wife and their toddler and a at the premises of the palace to mark 90 years of diplomatic ties friend of whom we also met in Mashhad. We’re still friends with Iran. The event was attended by tens of Iranian officials now and we are staying with his family here in Tehran and I and the mission of Japan to the Islamic Republic. mean [while in Iran] everybody likes to help you. “Our cultural relations with Japan was at its height during For example, all of a sudden we were in Tabriz and one the Sassanid era (224–651). Relics of that time, especially gas station after the next said we don’t have diesel, we don’t silk and Sassanian coins, show that relationships,” Iran’s have diesel, and we were like “Oh my God!” Ciara and Lennart in their camper van (Photo: Maryam Kamyab, July 29, 2019) You know, our car, runs on diesel -- not a lot of cars deputy tourism chief Mohammad-Hassan Talebian said, with…; “Do you still need diesel?”, “You can get it there!”, maybe our theme. We prefer to focus more on nature than running on diesel in here, only the trucks and buses. addressing participants. …, “I can help you!”, and “We have diesel!” cities during our journey! Ciara: And we posted something on Instagram and said oh “Even Iran’s silk in the 6th and 7th centuries had the most Some ten people reached out to us that we didn’t know… We are also very amazed of the diversity of nature in Iran. we’re scared, we don’t have any more diesel…. And then some popularity in East Asia, especially in Japan,” he added. just out of kindness saying oh these are foreigners, they are Tell us more about your portable home! Iranian people picked it up and posted their own [massages] Japan’s Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs, Kenji in trouble, we can help! Lennart: We chose a Mercedes [camper] because it’s easy Yamada, for his part said that Japan wants to promote the historic on our Instagram page and suddenly we were like flooded Yes, this is a phenomenon that Iran is famous for. bilateral relationship despite the harsh situation in the region. Ciara: I think that is what a lot of other nationalities The first Japanese diplomat to be sent to Iran presented can take as an example and learn from it. One time in 2016, his credentials at the palace in 1929, NHK, Japan’s national we wanted to go to Yazd and in the bus station we went to broadcasting organization, reported on Thursday. different offices saying Yazd, Yazd, Yazd -- we were in Shiraz Shinzo Abe became the first Japanese prime minister to visit at that time -- and we [finally] took a wrong bus! Iran in 41 years in June. Abe held talks with President Hassan On the Google Map we found the bus was going all Rouhani and the supreme leader of the Islamic Revolution, the way to the south so we asked the driver, saying Yazd? Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, in a bid to deescalate the tensions And the driver said, Bandar Abbas, Bandar Abbas! And between Iran and the United States. we were like “Uh-oh!” On August 1 and 2, people are given free entry to the palace The driver pulled to the side, a bus full of people just for the event that is organized in close collaboration with the stopped to the side. The driver said get out! We thought Embassy of Japan, director of the World Heritage site Masoud what we were going to do with our packs… we were thinking Nosrati said on Tuesday. like “Oh my God! They want to leave us here on the side At present, Golestan Palace complex consists of eight key of the road!” palace structures mostly used as museums and the eponymous Then a man showed up. He said “Come with me, come gardens, a green shared center of the complex, surrounded with me!” And he drove us to a police station were there by an outer wall with gates. UNESCO has it that the complex were a lot of taxies and he even paid us the taxi to get back exemplifies architectural and artistic achievements of the to the bus station and we were very excited. Qajar era including the introduction of European motifs and If this happens in Europe, they will just leave you at the Ciara and Lennart speak to The Tehran Times Ciara contemplates broken Iranian mosaics used to styles into Persian arts. side saying it’s your own fault, no one will help you. So we (Photo: Maryam Kamyab, July 29, 2019) fix a missing tile (Photo: Ciara Reid, for The Tehran told this story to people back home where a lot of people Times, July 29, 2019) were saying us “Oh Iran is dangerous”! But for me it is one And we posted something on ROUND THE GLOBE of the safest countries. Western media don’t Instagram and said oh we’re Have you selected a motto or a theme for your scared…. Some ten people Timgad help very much to give a whole journey? clear picture. Ciara: Not really a theme but we actually want to see reached out to us that we didn’t A UNESCO World Heritage, Timgad lies on the northern more of the countries along the Silk Road, so the “Silk Road” know… just out of kindness. slopes of the Aures mountains and was created ex nihilo as a military colony by the Emperor Trajan in AD 100. to find parts for Mercedes everywhere and because it’s also With its square enclosure and orthogonal design based on very reliable so we bought it second hand in Holland…. We the cardo and decumanus, the two perpendicular routes removed everything from its back and started to modify running through the city, it is an excellent example of everything from electricity to water and heating because I Roman town planning. am a handy guy we did all the carpentry, installing a solar panel, air vents, curtains …. Everything! And now, a tough question! Before your first visit Iran in 2016, you had a perception of the country, whatever it was, and after you felt the country, encountering its people, you developed another perception. How do you compare them, the first which was mainly shaped by Western media, and the one you have developed in person? Lennart: Yeah, in the beginning for us, Iran was not very well known, just a Middle Eastern country, some said don’t go there because it’s dangerous …. So in the beginning we had a perception that it was very dangerous and also some (European) people didn’t know the difference between Iraq and Iran and the Western media don’t help very much to give a clear picture. But then some friends of ours visited Iran and we read The Colonia Marciana Traiana Thamugadi was founded a lot about it ourselves and yeah we saw that its people are in 100 CE by Trajan, probably as an encampment for the very friendly, it is so safe and we like it so much. 3rd Augustan Legion which, thereafter, was quartered at Ciara: I think a funny anecdote is that we told our family Lambaesis. and friends that we wanted to travel to Iran, everybody said Its plan, laid out with great precision, illustrates Roman “Oh you’re crazy! It’s very dangerous, you wanna get killed!” Ciara, Lennart and Tehran Times correspondents stand by the couple’s camper van (Photo: Maryam Kamyab, urban planning at its height. By the middle of the 2nd century, And we said “No! It’s safe, it’s safe,” and then when July 29, 2019) the rapid growth of the city had ruptured the narrow confines we arrived in Iran we heard the bombings and attacks of its original foundation. in Paris and an Iranian taxi driver asked where we are Timgad spread beyond the perimeters of its ramparts If this happens in Europe, they will just leave you at the side saying from and we said we are from Europe. “Europe? It’s and several major public buildings are built in the new it’s your own fault, no one will help you. So we told this story to so dangerous!” the driver said. So when we were back quarters: Capitolium, temples, markets and baths. Most of people back home where a lot of people were saying us “Oh Iran is home in Belgium and people said “Oh, how was your these buildings date from the Severan period when the city trip to Iran?” we said, “Well it was actually much safer enjoyed its Golden Age, also attested by immense private dangerous”! But for me it is one of the safest countries. than it was in Europe!” residences. A strong and prosperous colony, Timgad must have served as a compelling image of the grandeur of Rome on Numidian soil. Buildings, constructed entirely of stone, were Taiwan rebukes China for tourism ban amid rising tension frequently restored during the course of the Empire: the TAIPEI (Reuters) — Taiwan’s president she said, adding that past experience if necessary. mainland state television. Trajan Arch in the middle of the 2nd century, the Eastern rebuked China on Thursday over its decision had shown China manipulated politics However, Tsai faces an uphill battle in Tsai said China had triggered regional gate in 146, and the Western gate under Marcus-Aurelius. to ban individual travel permits for Chinese by clamping down on tourist numbers January’s election, amid criticism over her tension with military drills this week near The streets were paved with large rectangular limestone visitors to the self-ruled island, saying the ahead of elections. party’s reform agenda and as China ratchets Taiwan, describing them as intimidation slabs and, as attested by the 14 baths which still may be seen move aimed to manipulate presidential A spokeswoman for China’s foreign up diplomatic and military pressure. ahead of the election. today, particular attention was paid to the disposition of elections in January. ministry said history would show which “(Tsai’s) Democratic Progressive “The Chinese military threat is targeting public conveniences. The houses, of varying sizes, dazzle China cited the state of ties with what it side was making the mistake. Party is continually pushing activities all Taiwanese and impacting peace, stability by their sumptuous mosaics, which were intended to offset considers a wayward province for the travel “Saying this is a mistake, I think that to promote Taiwan’s independence and and safety in the region,” she said. the absence of precious marbles. ban, which came into force on Thursday. history will demonstrate who was on the inciting hostility toward the mainland, The exercises came days after Beijing Authenticity The loss of Chinese visitors will be a blow correct side and who made a mistake,” Hua seriously undermining the conditions for reiterated it was ready to fight if there was The ensemble of the vestiges and artefacts excavated for Taiwan, which saw robust economic Chunying told a daily news briefing when mainland travelers to visit the island,” said any move toward independence for Taiwan. bear witness to the Outstanding Universal Value that growth in the second quarter partly thanks Reuters sought comment on Tsai’s remark. Ma Xiaoguang, spokesman for China’s Taiwan is among a number of flashpoints enabled inscription of the property. The abandonment of to a spurt in mainland travelers. Taiwan’s relations with China are Taiwan Affairs Office. in U.S.-China ties, which also include a the antique site, although at a later period, and the conduct “Using tourists as political tools would precarious. Beijing has long viewed Tsai “I believe compatriots on both sides trade war between the two countries and of archaeological excavations almost continually since 1881 only create antipathy in Taiwanese people,” with caution since she became Taiwan’s of the strait hope relations will return to China’s increasingly muscular military role to 1960 has enabled the city of Thamugadi to avoid the President Tsai Ing-wen told reporters in president in 2016, suspecting that she is a correct track of peaceful development, in the South China Sea, where the United construction of recent buildings, as the mechanical means the presidential palace in Taipei, criticizing pushing for the island’s formal independence. allowing travel by mainland residents States also runs freedom-of-navigation required would have disturbed the ancient vestiges. what she called a major strategic mistake. China has never ruled out the use of to Taiwan to return to normal as soon patrols. Last week, a U.S. warship sailed (Source: UNESCO) “Tourism shouldn’t be politicized,” force to bring the island under its control, as possible,” Ma was cited as saying by through the Taiwan Strait, angering China. TECHNOLOGY

I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y AUGUST 3, 2019 HEALTH 11

One in every five Iranian couple Tehrani blood donors enjoy queue management app

HEALTH TEHRAN — An application of online queue is infertile: expert deskmanagement system for Tehrani blood donors HEALTH TEHRAN — Approxi- Center of Iran, the average age of marriage, was introduced during a ceremony held on the occasion of the deskmately, from every five both for men and women, increased by 39 national blood donor day, July 31, Mehr reported on Wednesday. Iranian couples, one is infertile, the head of months during the past four decades. The managing director of the Iranian Blood Transfusion Avicenna fertility center, affiliated to Shahid The statistics was released based on the Organization s (IBTO) department in Tehran, Seyyed Morteza Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, said. 8th nationwide census, surveying the age of Tabatabaei, and the director of the Iranian Red Crescent Society, Generally, the prevalence of infertility in marriage from Iranian calendar year 1355 Ali Asghar Peyvandi, attended the ceremony. the country is about 15 to 20 percent, which (March 1976-March 1977) to 1395 (March is close to the world levels of infertility, but 2016-March 2017). the rate is higher in some provinces of the According to the statistics, in the year country, ISNA quoted Dr. Mohammadreza 1395, the average age of first marriage in Sadeqi as saying on Tuesday. Iran was 27.4 for men and 23 for women, The most up to date methods for treating up from 24.1 for men and 19.7 for women infertility are now practiced in the country, in 1355. but the fertility services and centers are not Mohammad Baqer Abbasi, an official with equally available in different parts of the National Organization for Civil Registration, country. For example, there are more than said in July 2018 that in the Iranian calendar 50 fertility clinics and centers in Tehran, year 1396 (March 2017-March 2018), some but there is only one of such clinics in some 146,000 babies were born a year or less after provinces. their parents’ marriage, which constitute The prevalence of infertility in some areas 10 percent. While some 18 percent of births is due to the growth of slums around the The prevalence of infertility in some areas is occurred up to two years after the date of cities, the environmental features, the urban due to the growth of slums around the cities, the marriage. life style and the increasing age of marriage. the environmental features, the urban life The latest Iranian census conducted in Fortunately, the application provides facilities for blood do- The age of marriage in Iran 2016 put Iran s population at 79,926,270 nors to find the best time for going to blood transfusion centers, According to a report released by Statistical style and the increasing age of marriage. with a male to female ratio of 1.027. Tabatabaei said. Developed by Iranian engineers, the app covers three blood transfusion centers in Tehran and two other centers will be added soon, he said. 50 million Iranians donate blood in 45 years 12.5 percent of Iranians suffer from depression: expert Since the establishment of the IBTO on July 31, 1974, some 50 million Iranians have donated blood, the IBTO head, Ali Akbar HEALTH TEHRAN — Some 12.5 percent of Ira- Over 300 million people affected with de- desk Pour Fat hollah, said. nians suffer from depression, the head pression He added that the first generation of blood donors are now of the Association of Iranian Psychiatrists said, Mehr Depression is a common illness worldwide, with more retired and the young generation should be active in donating blood. reported on Wednesday. than 300 million people affected. Depression is different In February 2018, the IBTO announced that with the blood Maryam Rasoulian added that two thirds of the de- from usual mood fluctuations and short-lived emotional donation rate of 27 per 1,000 people, Iran attained the first place pressed people think about suicide and 15 percent of them responses to challenges in everyday life. Especially when among 21 countries in Eastern Mediterranean region. commit suicide. long-lasting and with moderate or severe intensity, de- According to WHO, blood transfusion saves millions of lives She noted that the annual congress of the Association pression may become a serious health condition. every year. It can help in the proper management of women ex- of Iranian Psychiatrists will be held from October 15 to It can cause the affected person to suffer greatly and periencing bleeding associated with pregnancy and childbirth, 18 in Tehran. function poorly at work, at school and in the family. At children with severe anaemia, patients with inherited disorders The congress aims to increase the society s mental health its worst, depression can lead to suicide. Close to 800 such as thalassemia, and victims of trauma, emergencies, dis- literacy, she said, adding that a website is being launched 000 people die due to suicide every year. Suicide is the asters and accidents. to improve public awareness in the field of mental health. second leading cause of death in 15-29-year-olds. Dialysis filter production technology imported Depression is one of the prevailing illnesses which Although there are known, effective treatments for On Tuesday evening, an agreement was signed between an will have negative effects if neglected, she said. depression, fewer than half of those affected in the world Iranian company and a Swiss company for importing the tech- The association also plans to launch a campaign to (in many countries, fewer than 10%) receive such treat- nology for producing dialysis filters. the disorder are too often misdiagnosed and prescribed help people cope with depression. ments. Barriers to effective care include a lack of resources, Iran needs 5.4 million dialysis filters annually. antidepressants. A depressed person feels joyless and highlights the lack of trained health-care providers, and social stigma As reported, the Swiss company has eight branches worldwide More women are affected by depression than men negative aspects of his or her life, she added. associated with mental disorders. Another barrier to and export its products to 51 countries. Depression is different from sadness. Depression effective care is inaccurate assessment. In countries of and at its worst, depression can lead to suicide. is a combination of sadness, low energy, and low con- all income levels, people who are depressed are often However there are effective psychological and phar- centration, and poor function. not correctly diagnosed, and others who do not have macological treatments for depression. 65% duty imposed on imported cigarettes

HEALTH TEHRAN — According to the value-added Telling a ‘white lie’ may affect one’s ability to recognize emotions desktax law, a 65% duty is imposed on imported If you lie to someone, you may find it more subsequently.” cigarettes, announced the deputy health minister for management difficult to tell what that other person is Finally, when people are more socially and resources development. thinking or feeling. This is the main takeaway sensitive, the research found, they are less According to the law, a 40% tax should be levied on ciga- of a new study that examines the ‘unintended likely to behave in a dishonest way. rettes that are produced inside the country with foreign brands consequences of dishonest behavior.’ Hardin and team measured social and 24% on cigarettes that don t have a foreign brand, Kamel Even a minor dishonest deed can impair sensitivity by examining the participants’ Taqavinejad said. our ability to read others’ emotions, new “vagal reactivity” a standard physiological He made the remarks during a meeting on reviewing tobacco research finds. measure of compassion and empathy with taxes, IRIB reported on Tuesday. Whether it is suffering or joy, empathy the suffering of others. Moreover, there should be a 10% duty on raw imported tobacco helps us feel what another person feels, and “When individuals are lacking their and 35% on processed tobacco, he added. a lot of the time our ability to empathize is physiological capacity for social sensitivity, According to the law, the the reason why we choose to do good deeds they may be more susceptible to the social taxes on tobacco should annually and help one another. distancing effects of engaging in dishonest increase by 5%, he said. But does this mean that empathy and behavior,” the researchers explain. The tax rate ceiling for ethical behavior are one and the same? What Empathy and morality are distinct local products is at 60%, 95% is the relationship between dishonest acts The subject of empathy has been on many for foreign brands of cigarettes and empathetic feelings? people’s lips in the past few years. that are produced locally and New research, led by Ashley E. Hardin, From neuroscientific studies exploring 125% for imported cigarettes, assistant professor of organizational studies totaling more than 2,500 participants mechanisms of empathy? the consequences of brain damage on he added. behavior at Olin Business School at whom they placed in various scenarios. These neurons could explain why we can empathetic behavior to philosophical essays Over the meeting, Deputy Washington University in St. Louis., answers Hardin and colleagues concluded that share another person’s pain. arguing against the moral value of empathy, Health Minister Alireza Rai- some of these questions by looking at how there is a “causal relationship” between a Also, the study revealed that “impaired the subject has always been crucial to the si, said the 150% increase in unethical, or dishonest acts affect “empathic person’s dishonest behavior and their ability empathic accuracy” has negative consequences broader discussion of what it means to be cigarette price is good, but not accuracy,” or the ability to read another to empathize with another person’s emotions. that may trickle down into further interactions a good person. enough. person’s emotions. Lying and cheating make people less able to with people. But equating empathy with morality is a The rising price of cigarette Hardin and colleagues found that dishonest read another person’s feelings accurately. Because an initial dishonest act impairs a mistake argue the authors of the new research. was not only caused by taxes, deeds can “harm interpersonal relationships The research also identified an underlying person’s ability to detect another’s emotions, Their study, they point out, helps to set a but also by inflation, said Raisi. through a particular channel: individuals’ mechanism for this relationship. The team this may lead to increased dehumanization of clear boundary between the two concepts. Iran has successfully complied with World Health Organiza- ability to detect others’ emotions.” found that people who are more prone to the other and an increased number of immoral “Our work adds to this dynamic tension tion s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC), The researchers published their findings dishonest behavior are less likely to define acts. “It can be a vicious cycle,” explains lead between dishonesty and empathy by showing except from the frameworks 6th clause which was about levying in the Journal of Experimental Psychology: themselves relationally, or “in terms of close author Hardin. [...] that one’s empathic accuracy can be higher taxes on tobacco, he said. General. relationships” with their relatives or friends. “Sometimes people will tell a white lie affected by the specific psychological state In [Iranian calendar] year 1393, a proposal was made for Dishonesty affects ‘empathic Could ‘mirror neurons’ explain brain and think it’s not a big deal. But a decision produced by one’s dishonest behavior,” write increasing tobacco tax revenues from the current 20 trillion rials accuracy’ mechanisms of empathy? to be dishonest in one moment will have Hardin and colleagues. (around $476 million) to 120 trillion rials ($2.8 billion), but Hardin and colleagues carried out eight Could ‘mirror neurons’ explain brain implications for how you interact with people (Source: nbcnews.com) unfortunately the plan did not go into operation, he added. The WHO FCTC was developed in response to the globalization of the tobacco epidemic. The spread of the tobacco epidemic is facilitated through a variety of complex factors with cross-border effects, including trade liberalization and direct foreign investment. ‘Night owls’ can change into early risers within a few weeks, study finds Other factors such as global marketing, transnational tobacco Simple tweaks to the sleeping patterns of those who are The results showed an increase in cognitive (reaction advertising, promotion and sponsorship, and the international habitually late to bed could make them less stressed and time) and physical (grip strength) performance during the movement of contraband and counterfeit cigarettes have also depressed, according to a study. morning, while peak performance times shifted from evening contributed to the explosive increase in tobacco use. As well as suffering poorer mental wellbeing, night owls to afternoon. Article 6 of this treaty proposes price and tax measures to can often struggle to fit into typical work and school sched- Co-author Dr. Andrew Bagshaw, from the University of reduce the demand for tobacco. ules that are out of sync with their preferred sleep patterns. Birmingham s Centre for Human Brain Health, said: Having Tobacco use rising in the country But researchers have now found it is possible for those a late sleep pattern puts you at odds with the standard societal In January, the vice chancellor of Tehran University of Med- whose internal body clocks dictate later-than-usual sleep days, which can lead to a range of adverse outcomes from ical Science, announced that tobacco use in Iran has increased and wake times to retrain them within just three weeks. daytime sleepiness to poorer mental wellbeing. by seven times over the past decade, growing from 2,000 tons A study involving 22 night owls, whose average bedtime We wanted to see if there were simple things people to 15,000 tons. was 2.30am with a wake-up time 10.15am, found the benefits could do at home to solve the issue. According to Abdolrahman Rostami, tobacco tax revenue of consistently getting an early night included feeling less This was successful, on average allowing people to get for the next Iranian calendar year (starting March 21, 2020) is stressed and depressed, as well as less sleepy during the day. to sleep and wake up around two hours earlier than they estimated at 28 trillion rials (around $666 million) but it should For a period of three weeks, they were asked to bring were before. grow to 150 trillion rials (around $3.5 billion). their sleep and wake times forward by two or three hours, Most interestingly, this was also associated with im- Earlier in June, Tobacco Prevention and Control Research keeping the timings fixed on working days and days off. provements in mental wellbeing and perceived sleepiness, Center announced that about 12 percent of Iranian adults above They were also told to get plenty of sunshine in the morn- meaning that it was a very positive outcome for the participants. 15 years old are daily smokers. ings, to eat breakfast soon after waking up, to eat lunch at We now need to understand how habitual sleep patterns added: By acknowledging these differences and providing Including hookah smokers, the percentage of smokers reach the same time every day and to eat dinner no later than 7pm. are related to the brain, how this links with mental wellbeing tools to improve outcomes we can go a long way in a society about 20 percent, the report added. The findings of the research, by the universities of Bir- and whether the interventions lead to long-term changes. that is under constant pressure to achieve optimal produc- According to the head of the center, Gholamreza Heidari, mingham and Surrey, and Monash University in Australia, Lead researcher Dr Elise Facer-Childs, from Monash tivity and performance. about 20 percent of men and two to three percent of women are was published in the journal Sleep Medicine. University s Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health, (Source: independent.co.uk) daily smokers. I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y 12 SOCIETY AUGUST 3, 2019

Iran, Pakistan to enhance co-op Special committee aims to prevent on women’s empowerment

SOCIETY TEHRAN — The Iranian vice-president desk negative population growth for women’s and family affairs, Masou- meh Ebtekar, and the Pakistani ambassador to Iran, Riffat SOCIETY TEHRAN — In a letter from 34 million to nearly 50 million, corre- Masood, discussed ways to enhance cooperation in the field deskto the heads of medical sponding to an average annual growth rate of women’s empowerment. science universities and colleges across the of 3.9 percent (3.2 percent from births and The two officials agreed to expand cooperation and exchange country, Health Minister or- 0.7 percent from net migration). knowledge during a meeting held on Wednesday, according to dered the formation of a special committee The country experienced the highest the portal of vice-presidency for women’s and family affairs. aimed to prevent the country’s population population growth rate over a 5-year period “In November 2018, we proposed and submitted a memoran- from declining, ISNA reported Tuesday. between 1980 and 1985, when the population dum of understanding (MOU) to Pakistan’s Ministry of Human “Following a decline in the population grew by nearly 4 percent per year. Rights, while awaiting an answer concerning the beginning of growth rate of the country, especially in the Decade later, however, in the Iranian cooperation in the mentioned areas,” Ebtekar said. coming years, a concern raises due to its ten- calendar year 1374 (March 1996- March dency for being negative,” the letter reads. 1997), the results of census showed a rapid In spite of the instructions issued in decline in the population growth rate due the Iranian calendar year 1393 (March to fertility decline, which dropped from 6.2 2014-March 2015), in which the share of births per woman to 2.5 births per woman, responsible bodies and their tasks toward over a decade. the issue are mentioned, it has not been According to the data released by the followed up precisely, he lamented. National Organization for Civil Registration, “So, we decided to form a special com- comparing past three years, some 1,366,509 mittee to supervise the measures taken in infants were born in the country, whose this regard and report it to the ministry,” births were registered last year, while he added. 1,487,913 births occurred a year before it, “In the following years, we could reduce and 1,528,053 births have been recorded child mortality and increase life expectancy treatment due to physiological problems, so families, using the capacity of psychologists in the Iranian calendar year 1395 (March using health network, vaccination, oral fluid that all medical universities should stablish and experienced health professionals, espe- 2016-March 2017), a difference of roughly Measures have been taken in recent years upholding women’s therapy, acute respiratory disease reduction, an infertility treatment center and inform cially in the field of mental health, is necessary. 100,000 per year. rights in Iran including, supporting female heads of households, promotion of breast feeding, growth charts the residents about the establishment. Whole Obviously, university chancellors should Several socioeconomic factors led to fertil- women’s employment and entrepreneurship, and providing safe recording, reduction of malnutrition, as well services at these centers should be free of take advantage of cooperation with other ity rate decrease and reproductive behavior in shelters for breadwinner women, and prohibiting child mar- as pregnancy and postpartum care.” charge. Required resources will be provided departments in line with this important the country, including urbanization, education, riage, as well as holding courses on promoting women’s rights, However, it is necessary to intensify and by the Ministry’s headquarters. goal, while at the same time coordinating financial issues, first marriage age, as well as Ebtekar explained. expand prenatal care in less developed are- It is essential to form an expert team to other departments to pace up this national increased access to family planning services “We are trying to form a national family and intergenera- as, as well as to provide postpartum care in encourage and educate couples who refuse movement to develop the infrastructure along with increased time gap between the tional dialogue center. We are taking steps toward reducing the deprived areas, so it is imperative to quickly childbearing years after marriage, in addi- needed for the future.” first born and marriage. generation gap.” review and announce the facilities required tion to informing them of the possibility of Iran’s population reached up to 80 mil- Iran currently achieved a demographic Under the Sixth Five-Year National Development Plan (2021- in the deprived areas. infertility in the years ahead. lion, while its growth rate declined to 1.2 window of opportunity which must be seized 2025), gender equality is emphasized to provide equal opportu- Prioritize the development of infertility Highlighting the benefits and positive ef- percent a year. Censuses in 1350s-1360s now before its working-age population starts nities in all areas, including health, education, as well as women’s treatment centers to serve couples who need fects of having a second child in single-child (1971-1991), showed that population grew to shrink and get older in 2050s. political and economic participation, she highlighted. Although, there is no gender parity in the parliament or elec- tions in Iran, according to the president’s declaration issued in 2016, 30 percent of managerial positions in all provinces and Old taxis soon reach up to 192,000 government agencies should be allocated to women, she added. ENVIRONMENT TEHRAN — There are currently Mohammad Tarahhomi, an official with traffic police She went on to say that appointment of women has increased desk by 65 percent in provincial state-run organizations and by 17 150,000 clunker taxis in the country, in January said that there are 1.5 million clunker vehicles percent in government bodies. which will reach up to 192,000 by the end of this year and 9 million clunker motorcycles in Iran. Furthermore, many foreign nationals are being supported and (March 2020), Morteza Zameni, director general of urban Deputy interior minister for urban and rural development, receiving education in the country, Ebtekar noted, and added taxi drivers union has said. Mehdi Jamalinejad, has said that some 22,000 busses are that a number of NGOs are also active in the field of supporting The number of old taxis is expected to reach 240,000 by operating in the country’s public transport fleet, 16,000 foreign nationals. the next 2 years, which constitutes 75 percent of the coun- of which are clunkers, accounting for 70 percent of the Masood, for her part, expressed satisfaction over expanded try’s total taxi fleet, he lamented, IRNA reported on Friday. volume of bus transport system. cooperation between the two countries and said that Iran and Referring to the renovation scheme of 90,000 clunker Ali Mohammadi, an official with traffic police, said in Pakistan can cooperate in different areas including science, tech- taxis started since past three years, he noted that some early January that the scrappage of clunker vehicles has nology and the environment. 186,000 taxis were extremely old, aged 10 or more and decreased by 65 percent in the past Iranian calendar year (March 2018-March 2019) compared to a year earlier. Referring to the National Commission on the Status of Women required to be replaced with newer ones. (NCSW) in Pakistan focusing on women and girls, she lamented This year, regarding economic conditions and sanc- Clunker cars, produce great deal of emission and cause air that “we have limitations in women’s political and economic tions, car prices have increased several fold, and this has pollution especially in metropolises like Tehran. According He went on to regret that no banks provide low-profit participation, especially in the parliament or city councils.” led to a halt to the renovation scheme, but negotiations to the Air Quality Control Company, 21 days of unhealthy loans for the renovation of the taxi fleet, and taxi own- The Pakistani official further proposed a joint meeting in with Iran Khodro car manufacturing company led to a for sensitive groups due to ozone pollution and particulate ers cannot afford to pay back the loans, so the process the field of women and entrepreneurship and the exchange of contract to receive some 10,000 cabs by the end of this matter haunted Tehran, in addition, air quality reached a has been halted. experiences, concluding that using the experiences of a country year, he explained. level which was unhealthy for all the residents for 1 day. such as Iran in the field of female education would be greatly beneficial and effective. Rise in global sea level after melting of Greenland ice sheet WORDS IN THE NEWS Greenland is experiencing “extreme” tem- temperatures. In mid-June, temperatures for flooding from ice melt,” she added. 2012. Before that was in 1889.” peratures as the record-setting heatwave along the eastern coast of Greenland were “Forecasts for this week suggest that this However, one researcher sounded a Italy’s richest businessman, that blasted Europe last week hovers over up to 9C above the 1981-to-2010 average. may be the second-largest melt event – note of caution regarding the severity of the region. 82 degrees north, experienced a tem- in terms of surface area of melt – since the current weather. Silvio Berlusconi, wins Italian Up to half the surface of the island’s ice perature of 21C in mid-July.” records began in the 1950s.” While record-breaking temperatures in General Election sheet is thought to be currently melting, Dr Amber Leeson, of the University Ruth Mottram, of the Danish Meteoro- parts of the northern hemisphere were a with runoff equivalent to a 0.5mm rise in of Lancaster, said that temperatures had logical Institute, told CNN this week that an “sure sign” of climate change, said Profes- (May 16, 2001) global sea levels in July alone. breached the 0C mark “in even the highest estimated 180 billion tons of Greenland’s sor Jeffrey Kargel of Arizona’s Planetary In Italy, the centre-right coalition led by media mogul Silvio It comes less than a week after Brit- and coldest” areas of Greenland, where the ice had melted into the ocean since 1 July, Science Institute, “at this time we cannot Berlusconi, has swept to victory in Sunday’s General Elections. ain saw its hottest-ever day, with a high mercury ordinarily hits an average of -10C raising sea levels by about 0.5mm. say that a couple of days of hot weather in The BBC’s Frances Kennedy reports from Rome. of 38.7C recorded at Cambridge botanic at this time of year. “The Danish Meteor- The current level of melting is a symp- Greenland will result in a sea level change, or The media tycoon who governed Italy briefly in 1994 will return garden last Thursday. Germany, Belgium ological Institute thinks that yesterday, tom of global climate change, said Dr that a subsequent period of colder weather to the Prime Minister’s office in a much stronger position. Mr and the Netherlands also experienced re- about half of Greenland’s ice surface was Ryan Neely of the National Centre for than normal might negate this heatwave”. Berlusconi’s alliance of moderate and right-wing parties cord-high temperatures due to a plume of melting – that’s twice as much as is normal Atmospheric Science, a research cen- He added: “We need to wait for scien- has an absolute majority in the Senate - a hundred and seventy- air from north Africa. for July,” she told The Independent. tre in Leeds. He said conditions at the tists to go about producing, vetting, and Greenland has seen abnormally high And Dr Twila Moon, of the Universi- Summit observation station at the top releasing scientific results before we can say seven seats to the a hundred and twenty-eight of the Centre- temperatures so far this summer, scien- ty of Colorado’s National Snow and Ice of Greenland’s ice sheet “have been the that any significant changes have occurred left Olive Alliance. In the lower house, they will have an even tists have told The Independent, with Data Centre, told The Independent that most extreme we have ever observed”. to the melting rate due to this heatwave.” bigger margin. The decisive result followed an especially melting expected to rival the record levels temperatures over large areas of the ice He told The Independent: “We have News of Greenland’s heatwave came as bitter campaign concentrating closely on the persona of Mr seen in 2012. sheet reached 5C or more above average observed melt events before at Summit the UK’s Met Office revealed the country’s Berlusconi, Italy’s wealthiest businessman. Concerns about the Dr Andrew Sole, a glaciologist from the on Wednesday. but never the multiple days of melt that we 10 hottest years on record had all occurred conflict between private and public interests expressed by the University of Sheffield, said: “This year “These are extreme temperatures for have observed this week. Previous to the after 2002. None of the 10 coldest have taken international media seem to have had little influence on voters. Greenland and other parts of the Arctic the ice sheet, and communities around last couple of days, we had a melt event on place after 1963, analysis showed. Appearing live on a television talk show from his villa near Milan, have experienced some record-breaking the Greenland coast are likely bracing 12 June, 2019. Before that was on 11 July, (Source: The Independent) Mr Berlusconi said he would maintain his electoral promises and his first moves would be to abolish inheritance tax and block a reform of Italy’s school system. Mr Berlusconi received a congratulatory message from President Bush, though the White ENGLISH IN USE House has not released the text. Some European governments have been reticent in recognizing the government of Mr Berlusconi. LEARN NEWS TRANSLATION Words alliance: if a group of two or more countries or political parties formally unite to work together for the same aims, they have Some 50 people die in جانباختن 50 نفر در تصادفات رانندگی formed an alliance moderate: something or someone that does not have extreme traffic-related accidents per day کشور در هر روز views or opinions Everyday 40 to 50 people in the country lose their lives on a daily رئیــس پلیــس راه راهــور ناجــا گفــت: روزانــه بیــن ۴۰ تــا ۵۰ نفــر در تصادفــات رانندگــی کشــور right-wing: something or someone that supports conservatism and capitalism basis in traffic-related accidents, an official with traffic police has said. کشــته مــی شــوند. bigger margin: (in this case) winning even more seats than others Police has taken all necessary measures to decrease the number بــه گــزارش روز شــنبه خبرگــزاری فــارس، ســردار محمدحســین حمیــدی بــا اعــام خبــر فــوق decisive result: an outcome that was very clear of traffic related deaths, and considering the current conditions of اظهــار داشــت: اقدامــات پلیــس بــه حــد نهایــی خــود در کاهــش تلفــات تصادفــات رســیده و بــا bitter campaign: a campaign is a plan of action to achieve roads and the budget there is nothing much left to do, Fars news something, such as social or political change, and a bitter campaign agency quoted Mohammad Hossein Hamidi as saying on Saturday. وضعیــت فعلــی اعتبــارات، ســفرها و و ... نمیتــوان بیــش از ایــن تصادفــات رانندگــی را کاهــش داد is one which is fought fiercely and angrily Revising the traffic laws and adopting stricter laws, improving road وی تأکیــد کــرد: اصــاح قوانیــن و افزایــش بازدارندگــی آنهــا و اصــاح وضعیــت راه و افزایــش conflict: a serious disagreement or argument, typically a conditions and increasing vehicle safety are essential to decrease ایمنــی خودروهــا از جملــه ضروریــات بــرای تــداوم کاهــش کشــته هــای تصادفــات رانندگــی اســت. .protracted one the number of road crashes, Hamidi noted influence: the capacity to have an effect on the character, development, or behavior of someone or something, or the effect itself abolish: if you abolish a system or practice, you put an end to it PREFIX/SUFFIX PHRASAL VERB IDIOM inheritance tax: money paid to a government from the estate of a dead person “cerebro-, cerebr-” Think something up Give somebody a (good) block: prevent something from happening reform: change or improve a system, law or institution Meaning: brain Meaning: to produce a new idea, name etc. run for their money For example: Passive smoking is considered a by thinking Explanation: to make your opponent in a competition has not released the text: has not made it public use all their skill and effort to defeat you reticent: if you are reticent about something, you do not want major cause of cerebrovascular disease, which For example: She was trying to think up an causes strokes. excuse. For example: They’ve given some of the top teams to talk about it a run for their money this season. (Source: BBC) I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y AUGUST 3, 2019 WORLD IN FOCUS 13 U.S. formally abandons INF, Moscow Saudi mercenaries killed as announces missile treaty’s demise Yemeni missiles hit Najran 1 The report cited a Houthi military spokesman as saying that the parade being staged in preparation for a 1 “On Aug 2, 2019, at the initiative deal with not just Russia, but China.” military move against the provinces of Taiz and Dalea, which of the U.S. side, the treaty between the So- Other U.S. officials, however, have are under the control of Ansarullah movement. viet Union and the U.S. on the elimination warned the decision would jeopardize Meanwhile, the Saudi-owned Al Arabiya al-Hadath channel of their medium-range and shorter-range the country’s future missile testing and put the number of those killed at 40. missiles ... was terminated,” Russia’s foreign research programs as the Democratic-con- A military source confirmed the death of the commander ministry said in a statement. trolled House of Representatives will not loyal to Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi, the former Yemeni president. The U.S. was scheduled to leave the treaty provide adequate funding. A witness told Reuters that “a group of soldiers were crying on August 2, a deadline set by U.S. President Recently, the House declined to fund the over a body believed to be of the commander,” referring to Donald Trump in February. Trump administration’s request of about $96 pro-Hadi militants. NATO also blamed Russia for the demise million for the development of the missiles Missile attack on Dammam of the missile treaty and vowed to respond in its version of a fiscal-year 2020 budget In a separate retaliatory attack on Thursday, Yemeni forc- in a “measured and responsible way” to and military policy bill. es targeted a military base in the city of Dammam in Saudi Moscow’s deployment of a cruise missile. Washington has been deploying its mis- Arabia’s Eastern Province with ballistic missiles. “Russia bears sole responsibility for the siles in Eastern Europe and near Russia’s There were no immediate reports about the possible casu- demise of the Treaty. NATO will respond western borders, a provocative move de- alties and damage from the attack. in a measured and responsible way to the nounced by the Kremlin. Foreign mercenaries in Yemen are being funded and armed significant risks posed by the Russian 9M729 According to Press TV, Moscow has re- by Saudi Arabia and some of its regional allies. missile to Allied security,” the transatlantic peatedly warned Washington not to deploy The army and Ansarullah forces have intensified their alliance said. such missiles in the vicinity of Russia’s retaliatory strikes to force Riyadh to stop its onslaught against Washington had said Moscow’s failure to borders, vowing to deploy its own missiles, its neighbor. comply with the treaty was the main reason capable of reaching all parts of Europe Saudi Arabia and a number of its regional allies launched behind its pullout decision. Russia, how- in response. a devastating campaign against Yemen in March 2015, with ever, says it has not breached the accord The treaty -- concluded in 1987 by then the goal of bringing the government of Hadi back to power and believes the US planned to abandon U.S. president Ronald Reagan and Soviet and crushing Ansarullah movement. the deal as part of its plan to develop its benefit in developing new weapons as part Last month, newly confirmed Secretary of leader Mikhail Gorbachev -- limited the Cold According to press TV, the U.S.-based Armed Conflict own sophisticated missiles. of its new policy to confront both China Defense Mark Esper said abandoning the War powers’ medium-range missiles, both Location and Event Data Project (ACLED), a nonprofit con- According to reports, Washington sees a and Russia. treaty would free up the U.S. military “to conventional and nuclear. flict-research organization, estimates that the Saudi-led war has claimed the lives of over 60,000 Yemenis since January 2016. Trump to Europe: Take back your Daesh N. Korea increases pressure with latest fighters or they will be released missile launches 13th round of Syria talks held in Kazakh capital U.S. President Donald Trump has threat- foreign terrorist fighters left the continent TEHRAN — North Korea fired missiles projectiles fired by the North appeared ened Europe that if the 28-member bloc to travel to Iraq and Syria. for the third time in eight days on Friday, to be new short-range ballistic missiles. TEHRAN — A 13th round of talks aimed at finding a political fails to repatriate European Daesh members Trump further slammed Europe’s un- a series of launches that analysts say are They flew 220 km (135 miles) and solution to the ongoing conflict in Syria has officially gotten captured in Syria and Iraq, he may release willingness to repatriate and prosecute its designed to improve military capabilities reached an altitude of 25 km (15 miles), has been held in Kazakhstan’s capital Nur-Sultan. the terrorists to return to the place where nationals and said, “So we have thousands and pressure the United States and South the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) in Seoul said. Delegations from three guarantor states of the Syria peace they came from. of ISIS fighters that we want Europe to Korea as they seek to restart denuclear- A U.S. official said U.S. intelligence process - Iran, Russia and Turkey - along with UN represent- Speaking to reporters at the White House take and let’s see if [they] take them. And ization talks. had detected at least one projectile, and atives arrived in the city, seeking an end to the eight-year lawn on Thursday, RT quoted Trump as if they don’t take them, we’ll probably have U.S. officials, who have been hoping to possibly more, that did not pose a threat conflict in Syria. saying, “You’ll always gonna have somebody to release them.” revive the stalled talks with North Korea, to North America. U.S. officials said initial Observers from Lebanon, Jordan and Iraq were also re- around, but right now we’ve captured over This is not the first time that the US played down the launches. The North has information indicated they were similar portedly joining the talks for the first time. 10,000 – we have 2,500 ISIS fighters that president is demanding European lead- been testing missiles despite U.S. President to two other short-range missile tests by According to Syria’s official news agency SANA, a Syri- we want Europe to take, because they were ers act more decisively and take back their Donald Trump’s June 30 meeting with its Pyongyang since last week. an government delegation headed by UN Ambassador Bashar going back into Europe, into France, into nationals. Back in February, he posted a leader Kim Jong Un, where they agreed North Korean state media said Kim al-Ja’afari arrived in Nur-Sultan on Thursday morning to Germany, into various places.” tweet calling on Europe to take them back to revive the talks. oversaw the firing of what they described participate in the two-day talks. Representatives of some The European Commission an- or Washington would be “forced to release The diplomatic process may have some as a new large-caliber, multiple-launch armed Syrian opposition groups have also confirmed their nounced recently that more than 2500 them.” bumps but conversations with North Ko- guided rocket system on Wednesday. He participation. persons, who had once left various European countries have shown rea are “going on even as we speak”, U.S. also observed the launch of a short-range On the sidelines, the Syrian government delegation held European countries to join the Daesh mixed reactions to this, with some re- Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in ballistic missile last week. separate meetings with the Russian president’s special envoy terrorist group in Iraq or Syria, are jecting Trump’s demand because they fear Bangkok, where he is attending a meet- The launches appear intended to put for Syria Alexander Lavrentiev and Ali Asghar Khaji, the Ira- currently unaccounted for. that those returning home will be a se- ing of the Association of Southeast Asian pressure on South Korea and the United nian foreign minister’s senior aide for special political affairs, According to Julian King, the European curity challenge for years to come, Press Nations (ASEAN). States to stop planned military exercises to discuss the latest developments in Syria. Commissioner for security, at least 5,500 TV reported. South Korea’s government said the latest later this month and offer other concessions. The talks are expected to deal with the situation in Syria in general, and in the northwestern region of Idlib in particular where the foreign-backed terrorist organization of Jabhat al-Nusra controls the majority of the area. The Syrian army is in the midst of an offensive, which began Multiple blasts hit Thai capital as it hosts top U.S. diplomat more than some months ago, in the militant-held province TEHRAN — Six explosions have rocked Thailand’s of outright junta rule. to liberate it from the grip of Takfiri terrorists. capital, Bangkok, as it plays host to a major South- Thailand’s government urged the media Turkey, which backs some militant groups operating in Idlib, east Asian security summit of top diplomats from to avoid speculation on the motive for the opposes an upcoming Syrian army liberation operation in the the U.S., the UK, China, Russia and a number of bombings. province fearing a fresh wave of refugees. However, Iran and other countries. “On the bombing this morning, I would like to condemn Russia strongly support the planned counter-terrorism battle. The Friday morning blasts come as Bangkok is host- those causing the situation which destroys peace and dam- Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has recently stressed ing a regional security meeting with the participation of ages the country’s image,” Thai Prime Minister Prayuth his government’s determination to eliminate terrorist top diplomats from a number of countries, including U.S. Chan-Ocha said. groups which are holed up in Idlib and attack civilians in Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. Police said two street cleaners had been hurt by what neighboring areas. At least three people were slightly injured as the appeared to be a homemade bomb at a government complex According to press TV, the Thursday talks are also expected result of the explosions, which followed the evacua- hosting several ministries in the city’s northern district of to concentrate on forming a committee on discussing Syr- tion of the Royal Thai Police headquarters Thursday Suan Luang. ia’s new Constitution, the return of the displaced Syrians, night, after a man was observed planting a suspi- According to Press TV, eyewitnesses said a security guard and the means to help Syria reconstruct the country. cious package. had also been wounded near the 77-story King Power Ma- Although the suspect was apprehended, his identity has hanakhon building. The area was partly cordoned off as not been revealed and no one has claimed responsibility police searched the area. for the blasts on Friday. by America’s top diplomat Pompeo, in which he praised None of the blasts on Friday were in the immediate area The bombings took place just before a keynote speech Thailand for rejoining the “democratic fold” after five years of the meeting’s venue. ‘UN failure to address Israel crimes against Palestinian kids inexcusable’

TEHRAN — A senior member of the Palestine Liberation Australia urged to end arms sales to Saudi, UAE Organization (PLO) has censured the United Nations for its TEHRAN— Human rights groups called tographed as they awaited shipment coalition’s crimes. victims of human rights violations in failure to include Israel in its annual blacklist of armed forces on Australia to immediately stop selling inside Sydney’s international airport. “The behavior of the coalition in Yemen,” he added. that commit atrocities against youths, arguing that the world weapons to Saudi Arabia and the United Mwatana for Human Rights, a group committing violations of [international According to Pres TV, many coun- body’s falling short of recognizing Israeli crimes against Pal- Arab Emirates, the two Arab countries investigating violations of humanitarian humanitarian law] and war crimes would tries, including the UK, Denmark, Fin- estinian children is inexcusable. leading a deadly war against the people law in Yemen, has accused Australia of not continue if the allies of Saudi Arabia land, Germany and Belgium, have all “This failure is inexcusable, given Israel’s dismal human of Yemen. encouraging the war and “contributing and UAE, including [Australia], took a suspended arms exports either upon rights record and its documented abuses against Palestinian Unlike many western nations, Aus- to the worst humanitarian crisis in the firm position and suspended the arms court orders or receiving evidence that children, including the arbitrary detention of hundreds tralia has decided to ignore internation- world.” sales,” a Mwatana spokesman, Osamah the weapons were indeed used against of children every year, its use of torture against them and al outrage over the war in Yemen and The organization says Australia should Al-Fakih, told Guardian Australia. civilians in Yemen. other grave violations, including the deliberate killing and maintained its arms deals with both the “immediately suspend arms exports” “Instead of fueling the armed conflict Australia, however, says it has put maiming of roughly 2,800 Palestinian children in 2018 UAE and Saudi Arabia, the Guardian re- to Riyadh and Abu Dhabi, arguing that with arms, Australia must take posi- in place extensive checks to ensure its alone,” Hanan Ashrawi, a member of the PLO’s executive ported Thursday. distance did not justify Australia ab- tive steps toward accountability for the weapons are not used by Saudi and committee, said in a statement on Thursday. Last week, arms shipments destined rogating its responsibility towards the violations committed by all parties to Emirati militaries in violation of hu- “Turning a blind eye to Israeli crimes and failing to ap- for Saudi and UAE forces were pho- Middle East region and the Saudi-led the conflict and toward justice for all manitarian law. ply such nominal standards of accountability emboldens the occupying power to escalate its flagrant violations, as documented and reported by human rights organizations,” she added. According to Press TV, Ashrawi noted, “In light of the Syrian government agrees to Idlib truce if buffer zone created international community’s abdication of its responsibilities vis-à-vis international law, it is no surprise that Israel con- TEHRAN— The Syrian government has agreed to a truce heavy arms by October 17 last year, and Takfiri groups had tinues to commit war crimes and violate international law deal in the country’s militant-held northwestern province to withdraw two days earlier. and human rights on a daily basis with shameful impunity.” of Idlib on condition that a buffer zone is created between The National Front for the Liberation of Syria is the main “Additionally, the right-wing in Israel is exploiting the army troops and foreign-sponsored Takfiri terrorists. Turkish-backed militant alliance in the Idlib region, but the current US-Israeli partnership to create new facts on the Syria’s official news agency SANA, citing an unnamed Takfiri Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) terrorist group, which ground with absolute disregard for international law and military source, announced on Thursday Damascus’s is a coalition of different factions of terror outfits, largely declared rejection of the internationally-endorsed require- “approval for a ceasefire in the de-escalation zone in Idlib composed of the Jabhat Fateh al-Sham Takfiri terrorist ments of peace, including Palestinian statehood,” Ashrawi starting from tonight” on condition terrorists and militant group, formerly known as al-Nusra Front, holds a large pointed out. groups withdraw forces and weaponry from a buffer zone part of the province and the zone. She stressed that “the international community and as per a deal reached following a meeting between Turkish The HTS, which is said to be in control of some 60 per- world bodies have a legal and moral obligation to hold President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Russian counter- cent of Idlib Province, has yet to announce its stance on Israel accountable for its relentless criminality and rogue part Vladimir Putin in the Black Sea resort city of Sochi on the buffer zone deal. It is estimated that between 10,000 conduct, to preserve the repute and relevance of interna- September 17, 2018. and 15,000 members of different factions of armed groups, tional rules, and to ensure that Palestinian people enjoy Under the agreement, all militants in a demilitarized which Syria, Russia and Turkey consider terrorists, are their inalienable and absolute rights to self-determination zone, which surrounds Idlib and also parts of the adjacent active in the volatile province, which is home to around and freedom.” provinces of Aleppo and Hama, were supposed to pull out three million inhabitants, Press TV reported. I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y 14 WORLD SPORTS AUGUST 3, 2019

‘An insult to boxing’ – De Women’s tennis tournament offers historic la Hoya angry as IBF strips Alvarez of belt $4.75 million prize money to winner Promoter Oscar de la Hoya has called the IBF’s decision to strip As the debate around pay parity in sport -- an undefeated duo will earn $1 million. Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez of his middleweight title “an insult to boxing”. rumbles on, one women›s tournament in WTA chief executive Steve Simon says Alvarez - the sport’s best-paid fighter - won the title from China is offering the biggest prize money in the prize money on offer is an indication of Daniel Jacobs in May to hold the IBF, WBA and WBC belts. the history of tennis (yes, that even includes the significant growth of women›s tennis But his failure to agree a bout with the IBF’s mandatory chal- the men›s tour). around the world. lenger saw him stripped of the title on Thursday. This year›s Shiseido WTA Finals in Shen- «For five decades the WTA has been De la Hoya said the decision “validates already existing con- zhen will award its winner an eye-watering committed to equal pay and equal opportu- cerns about the credibility of the IBF championship”. $4.75 million check if she manages to go nity, beginning with the pioneering efforts He added: “This is an insult to boxing and more importantly the entire competition unbeaten. of Billie Jean King and all of the ‹Original an insult to the boxing fans of the world.” The champion›s prize will eclipse the Nine,›» he said, in a written statement Mexican Alvarez, 29, was mandated to face Ukraine’s Sergiy $4 million handed to the entire USWNT provided to CNN Sport. Derevyanchenko but the parties failed to reach an agreement team that won theFIFA Women›s The «Original Nine» were the group of despite extensions being made to the IBF’s deadline. World Cup and is over double what women -- King, Rosie Casals, Nancy Richey, De la Hoya said Derevyanchenko’s team had been offered Tiger Woods earned from clinching Judy Dalton, Kerry Melville Reid, Julie Held- an “unprecedented amount of money for a fighter of his limited this year›s Masters. man, Peaches Bartkowicz, Kristy Pigeon stature and limited popularity”. The ATP finals, the equivalent competi- and Valerie Ziegenfuss -- who helped set Alvarez, who has lost once in 55 bouts, signed a broadcast tion on the men›s tour, only set aside $2.71 up the Virginia Slims Circuit, which later deal worth £278m with streaming service DAZN in October, million for an undefeated champion last became the WTA Tour. making him the sport’s biggest earner. year -- demonstrating the work being done «Working with the Gemdale Group in But he has now also lost his traditional WBC belt after the to uphold equal pay in tennis. Shenzhen, we are excited to provide an organisation controversially upgraded him to a newly formed Current world No. 1 Ashleigh Barty says unprecedented level of investment that ‘franchise champion’ status, with American Jermall Charlo tak- the prize money is the «icing on the cake» supports the founding principles of the ing his original title. as she thanked sponsors for staging such WTA,» added Simon. He is now expected to pursue a fight with WBO champion a lucrative competition. groups and knockout rounds to be crowned Record breaking Despite the obvious step forward in terms Demetrius Andrade, while Derevyanchenko is reportedly set «As tennis professionals, we are very the WTA champion. All four of tennis› grand slams now offer of pay parity, many still feel the sport has to agree a bout for the now vacant IBF belt with former unified fortunate to make a living from playing the Eight of the last 16 winners have gone equal money to both its men›s and women›s a long way to go. world champion Gennady Golovkin. sport we love, and to be rewarded so well undefeated, the latest being 2018 victor singles champions, although it took until The top male players consistently earn (Source: BBC) for it is a real privilege,» Barty told CNN Elina Svitolina. 2007 for Wimbledon to make the move. more than the top female players and the Sport, in a written statement. The players vying for the bumper prize However, this year›s WTA Finals can likes of Serena Williams have had to continu- «I also take my hat off to all the amazing are decided based on the Porsche Race rank- boast a more lucrative winner›s check than ously defend equal pay at the grand slams. players over the years who helped make ten- ings, with points accumulated from 53 WTA any of the major tournaments on the circuit. In 2016, Williams wrote an open let- Alves joins Sao Paulo on free nis so popular with fans around the world.» tournaments and the four grand slams. Even if the eventual winner loses one of ter calling for more equality in sport: «It ‹Truly amazing› All will be keen to claim a share of the her group games, she will still walk away frustrates me because I know firsthand transfer The WTA finals is the season-ending $14 million prize purse which has been with $4,420,000 and should she lose two, that I, like you, have done the same work spectacle which brings together the eight doubled from last year -- thanks, in part, to she will claim $4,115,000. and made the same sacrifices as our male Former Paris St Germain right-back Dani Alves has joined Sao best players on tour. the tournament›s new title sponsor, beauty It could also be a record breaking tourna- counterparts,» it read. Paulo on a free transfer, the Brazilian top-flight club said on Friday. Competitors compete in two round robin company Shiseido. ment for the women›s doubles champions (Source: CNN) Brazil captain Alves, 36, signed a deal until Dec. 2022 after leaving PSG at the end of his contract in June. Alves is the only player to win 40 trophies across club and Frappart first woman to referee major Australia’s Jack to ‘fight’ doping charge international football and Sao Paulo referred to the signing as UEFA men’s competitive match the “the most victorious player in the history of football”. and return to pool The former Barcelona and Juventus right-back will play Brazilian club football for the first time since 2002, with Bahia. “Daniel Alves is the embodiment of what this management envisions for Sao Paulo,” Sao Paulo president Carlos Augusto de Barros e Silva said. “He is also a socially engaged citizen and passionate about our country. Sao Paulo, therefore, wins on every possible front. “One day I told Daniel that he would come to play at Sao Paulo. Today, I have the immense joy and pride to have kept that promise.” (Source: Goal|)

Hazard is struggling to take off

Real Madrid’s summer transfer window will likely be defined by Stephanie Frappart will referee the UEFA to millions of girls and women around the purchase of Eden Hazard, yet the former Lille prodigy is yet Australian swimmer Shayna Jack said in the Gold Coast last year, reiterated her Super Cup final between Liverpool and Europe and show them there should be to impress those in the Spanish capital. on Friday she would fight to clear her name claim that she did not know how the drug Chelsea, becoming the first woman to take no barriers in order to reach one’s dream.” Having long been heralded as the ’s best player in the wake of a positive drug test that em- entered her body. charge of a major men’s European game. The 35-year-old took charge of the 2017 Hazard arrived to much fanfare in Madrid, however his pre-season barrassed the nation’s swim team at the “It’s still ongoing investigations, we Frappart will lead a team largely made UEFA Women’s Euro semi-final. hasn’t been anything to be blown away by. recent world championships. can’t clear that with anyone at the mo- up of female officials as the Champions In April, Frappart created history do- Those at Valdebebas aren’t overly concerned with the fitness The 20-year-old freestyle swimmer ment,” she said. League winners face the Europa League mestically as she became the first female issues of the Belgian and they are altogether more bothered about was withdrawn from the team days before “We’re still looking into it but we’re not holders on 14 August in Istanbul. referee to officiate a match before how he is adapting to the team and the new environment. the championships in Gwangju, having going to let any stone unturned.” In July, the Frenchwoman refereed being promoted to join the pool of Ligue Hazard must be completely ready to hit the ground running tested positive for Ligandrol, a banned Jack revealed her drug test on social the Women’s World Cup final in Lyon. 1 referees on a permanent basis for the in LaLiga Santander, hence why Zinedine Zidane has given him anabolic agent, in an out-of-competition media in the final days of the world cham- UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin 2019/20 season. so many minutes in pre-season. test on June 26. pionships, embarrassing the team after said he was “delighted” at her appointment. “Stephanie has proved over a number He needs to understand how to play with his teammates and Facing a mandatory four-year ban, she compatriot and Olympic champion Mack “I have said on many occasions that of years that she is one of the best female it’s interesting to note that his best football for Los Merengues claimed on social media that she did not Horton declined to share a podium with the potential for women’s football has referees, not just in Europe but across has come alongside Isco and Karim Benzema. know how the substance entered her body. Chinese swimmer Sun Yang in an act of no limits and I am delighted that Steph- the world,” said UEFA chief refereeing Wednesday’s Audi Cup meeting with Fenerbahce saw the trio After a briefing with Australian Sports protest. anie Frappart has been appointed to officer Roberto Rosetti. combine well, with the kind of short-interchangeable passing Anti-Doping Authority (ASADA) officials Sun, who served a three-month doping officiate at this year’s UEFA Super “She has the ability to officiate on the moves that leave defences dizzy. in Brisbane on Friday, Jack said investiga- ban in 2014, was competing under a cloud Cup,” Ceferin said. biggest stage, as she proved at this year’s Confidence has also played a part in Hazard’s struggles and tions were under way to clear her. at Gwangju, with the World Anti-Doping Frappart will be joined by assistant Women’s World Cup final. I hope this the pressure to lead Real Madrid’s attack is only going to increase. “We’ve started the process which is Agency seeking to review a decision which referees Manuela Nicolosi (France) and match in Istanbul will provide her with yet His usual go-to move of cutting in from the left hasn’t been really great,” she told reporters. cleared him of wrongdoing after an aborted Michelle O’Neal (Republic of Ireland), more experience as she enters the prime dangerous this summer and his decision-making near the op- “I’m really happy with how everything’s drug test last year. and fourth official Cuneyt Cakir (Turkey). of her refereeing career.” position goal has been lacking the hint of genius that we’ve come going and I’m not going to stop until I prove National governing body Swimming “As an organisation we place the utmost Frappart follows the steps of former to expect from him. my innocence and fight to get myself back Australia’s (SA) handling of Jack’s case importance on the development of women’s female referee Nicole Petignat of Swit- Vinicius has been shifted to the right when on the pitch with in the pool because that’s my dream and also drew widespread criticism, given Jack’s football in all areas,” Ceferin added. zerland, who officiated three UEFA Cup Hazard and he just isn’t the same over there. I’m never going to let that go.” test result was kept under wraps for weeks. “I hope the skill and devotion that qualifying round games between 2004 With Marco Asensio set to miss the 2019/20 season, Zidane Jack, a member of Australia’s 4x100 SA claimed they were bound by a con- Stephanie has shown throughout her career and 2009. doesn’t have an abundance of options at his disposal he needs metres freestyle relay team which set the fidentiality agreement with ASADA. to reach this level will provide inspiration (Source: BBC) to find tactical solutions soon. world record at the Commonwealth Games (Source: Eurosport) (Source: Marca ) Esports - FIFA gamers converge on London chasing $250,000 jackpot Thirty two of the world’s best esports players are flexing Volk says FIFA are keen to keep efootball and the real Mbappe: I don’t want their fingers and thumbs in readiness for the FIFA eWorld thing separate, although he says there is already evidence Cup Grand Final at London’s O2 Arena this weekend. of a positive, and rather surprising, crossover. Neymar to leave PSG Millions set out on the road fame and fortune but only Rather than promote a sedentary lifestyle, Volk says one player will be left holding the $250,000 winners’ cheque potential soccer players are being introduced to the sport Paris Saint-Germain forward Kylian Mbappe has said he wants come Sunday in the cavernous Thames-side arena. through the FIFA game — perhaps with a better concept of teammate Neymar stay at the Parc des Princes despite specula- Thirty million fans are expected to view the action online passing and tactics than in the pre-video game era. tion over a summer return to former club Barcelona. on Facebook, Twitch, Twitter and YouTube with commentary “Especially in younger age their first contact with football The Brazil international joined from Barca for a world-record in , Chinese, English, German, Portuguese and Spanish. is the (video) game and from the game they understand €222 million in 2017 but has not taken part in any preseason Around 1,500 spectators will watch Sunday’s finale what football is about,” he said. action with PSG hopeful Barca would make an acceptable offer. inside the darkened arena when Mosaad ‘MsDossary’ “There were studies in Denmark where you could see But that has not happened and speaking ahead of Saturday’s Aldossary from Saudi Arabia hopes to become the first youngsters playing the game and understanding tactics and Trophee des Champions clash with Rennes, Mbappe said his player to defend the title since the tournament began in then there was a conversion to real football. They try to do wish is that Neymar stays put. relative obscurity in 2004. esports as purely a marketing tool either, with a department the ‘tornado’ or whatever. For us that’s a good sign.” “Everybody knows about his situation,” Mbappe said at a He will face stiff opposition from a host of players now focussed solely on growing it alongside the real game. There is nothing wrong with aspiring to be an esports news conference in Shenzhen. “I do not want him to leave. He best-known for their gaming names, such as English duo Sustainable sport pro, says Volk, who believes it gives modern sports fans the knows what I think of him and his situation.” ‘F2Tekkz’ (Donovan Hunt) and ‘Stokes’ (Tom Stokes). “We want to build a healthy, sustainable and profes- opportunity to “become part of the narrative.” Coach Thomas Tuchel added that Neymar has trained well Brazil has the biggest representation with five players sional sport,” Christian Volk, FIFA’s Director of efoot- While the Women’s World Cup proved a huge success, since returning for preseason and was involved in a group session including ‘Resende’, ‘Fifilza’ and ‘Zezinho’, the latter ball and gaming, told reporters on Thursday in a hotel Sunday’s showdown features not one female gamer. ahead of the Rennes encounter despite the fact he is suspended who represents an esports team endorsed by Dutch alongside the 02 Arena. “The beauty of the game is it’s an equal playground following a clash with a supporter after their penalty shootout great Ruud Gullit. “We have a lot of ambitions, we are here for the long so we have to see and understand how we can make it defeat in the Coupe de France final. While some may still scoff at the notion of ‘professional’ run. We are just starting. more attractive for women,” Volk said. “I hope it will Asked about his public challenge to PSG at the UNFP awards esports players, the money at stake is substantial, if not “We have had a very successful 25-year relationship happen naturally.” ceremony in May, Mbappe was apologetic and underlined it was quite in the $30 million league of the Fortnite World Cup. with EA Sports who have built the most successful sports Players will be divided into groups of eight this weekend, never his intention to attempt to force a summer exit This year’s pot is $500,000 (£413,052.46), although simulation in the world and on the other side you have two using Xbox and two using PlayStation consuls. Sixteen “No desire to leave, my words were ambiguous,” the 20-year- players like 18-year-old Hunt, this year’s favourite, has al- the governing body of the world’s biggest sport. Combined then go to the knockout rounds culminating in a two-legged old said. “True, it was not the right time, nor place. ready amassed 200,000 pounds in prize money. we can bring things to the table that are rather rare. It’s a match, one on the Xbox and one on the PlayStation. (Source: ESPN) Soccer’s world governing body FIFA no longer regards dynamic ecosystem.” (Source: Reuters) I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y AUGUST 3, 2019 SPORTS 15

Iran freestyle team runners-up Modibo Maïga reaches agreement with Persepolis

SPORTS TEHRAN— Malian striker Modibo at Cadet World deskMaïga is on the verge of joining Iranian football club Persepolis. SPORTS TEHRAN — Russia produced three World The 31-year-old forward, who has most recently played at desk champions on the final night of men’s Buriram United of Thailand, arrived in Tehran early Thursday freestyle action to edge out Iran by two points in the team to undergo a medical. race on Wednesday at the 2019 Cadet World Championships in Sofia, Bulgaria. Winning gold medals at 51 kg, 60 kg and 71 kg, Russia collected 168 team points, while Iran went 1-2 in its gold- medal matches to finish with 166 points. The first champion of the night for Russia was two- time U15 European champion Mukhamed KHANIEV (RUS). Wrestling at 51 kg, Khaniev defeated Zhakhongir AKHMAJANOV (KAZ), 10-5. Following up Khaniev’s performance was Arip ABDULAEV (RUS), who is also a two-time U15 European champion, unitedworldwrestling.org reported. Abdulaev won a crucial head-to-head over Iran’s Erfan Maïga is set to replace Croatian striker Mario Budimir Mohammad ELAHI (IRI), 9-6, in the 60 kg finals. The who left Persepolis at the end of the season. win was critical in helping push Russia past Iran in the A full international for Mali since 2007, he was part of their team race. squads at the four Africa Cup of Nations tournaments, helping At the very next weight, 71 kg, Soslan TIGIEV (RUS) them to third place in the 2012 and 2013 editions. wrapped up his first World tournament with a Cadet World Maïga’s Cheick Tidiane Diabaté has recently joined Persep- championship, defeating 2017 U15 Balkan champion Krisztian olis’s arch rivals Esteghlal. BIRO (ROU) in a 13-11 shootout. Iran did win a gold medal at 92 kg as 2019 Cadet Asian champion Soheyl YOUSEFI SANGANI (IRI) outlasted Zagid KARIMOV (RUS), 3-1. Iran beat Kyrgyzstan, finish In the 43 kg gold-medal bout, 2018 Cadet Pan American freestyle and Greco-Roman champion Marc-Anthony in 3rd place at CAFA U-16 MCGOWAN (USA) won the first medal of the tournament Championship for the United States with a late takedown over 2019 Cadet Asian champion Ali Mehran ARAB FIROUZJAEI (IRI) for a 3-1 win. SPORTS TEHRAN — Iran defeated Kyrgyzstan 5-0 in Rounding out the top-five in the team race was India with (TUR), 10-6 CIFTCI (TUR), 6-1 deskthe final day of the 2019 CAFA U-16 Champi- 106 points, Japan with 83 points and USA with 78 points. BRONZE – Riku SUGANUMA (JPN) dec. Robert HOWARD BRONZE - Denys SAHALIUK (UKR) dec. Ion DEMIAN onship on Thursday. Finals results (USA), 5-4 (MDA), 10-4 Hossein Abdi’s side ended their campaign with a 5-0 win over 45 kg 60 kg 92 kg Kyrgyz Republic in Hisor, leaving Nurlan Bukuev’s side without GOLD - Marc-Anthony MCGOWAN (USA) dec. Ali GOLD - Arip ABDULAEV (RUS) dec. Erfan Mohammad GOLD - Soheyl YOUSEFI SANGANI (IRI) dec. Zagid a win in the five-match tournament. Mehran ARAB FIROUZJAEI (IRI), 3-1 ELAHI (IRI), 9-6 KARIMOV (RUS), 3-1 Iran raced into a 14th-minute lead through Yadegar Rostami, BRONZE - Tolga OZBEK (TUR) dec. Suraj Sanju BRONZE - Yoshinosuke AOYAGI (JPN) df. Farhad BRONZE - Bekzat TAZHI (KAZ) df. Gkivi BLIATZE before substitute Sobhan Kamalvand made a near-instant impact ANNIKERI (IND), 8-6 KARIMLI (AZE), injury default (GRE), fall to score on the stroke of half-time. BRONZE - Murad HAGVERDIYEV (AZE) dec. Vladislav BRONZE - Viktor TASHOHLO (UKR) dec. Daviti BRONZE - Lyova GEVORGYAN (ARM) dec. Monu Rostami added his second to stretch the margin to three 11 NIKANDROV (KGZ), 10-8 ABDALADZE (GEO), 5-2 DAHIYA (IND), 7-4 minutes into the second-half, before Akbar Rangbar and Khaled 48 kg 65 kg 110 kg Rohani added their names to the scoresheet to complete a hap- GOLD - Rahman Mousa AMOUZADKHALILI (IRI) dec. GOLD – Dzhabrail GADZHIEV (AZE) dec. Batyrbek GOLD - Arsamag ZASSEEV (RUS) TF Giorgi CHIKHRADZE py ending to the competition for Hossein Abdi’s charges, who Kamronbek KADAMOV (UZB), 4-4 TSKHOVREBOV (RUS), 6-4 (GEO), 10-0 finished the tournament in third place. BRONZE – Yuto NISHIUCHI (JPN) dec. Stevo POULIN BRONZE - Manish GOSWAMI (IND) dec. Kudratbek BRONZE - Adil MISIRCI (TUR) dec. Sergey SARGSYAN Iran had defeated Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan and lost to (USA), 8-6 NURULLAEV (UZB), 5-2 (ARM), 3-2 Afghanistan and Tajikistan in the tournament. BRONZE – Udit UDIT (IND) dec. Javid JAVADOV BRONZE - Ryosuke KERA (JPN) dec. Davit BRONZE - Kumar ANIRUDH (IND) dec. Salar Saeid The CAFA Youth Championship is an international football (AZE), 11-2 PATSINASHVILI (GEO), 3-1 HABIBIEHSANI (IRI), 8-1 competition in Central Asia for the member nations of the Central 51 kg 71 kg Team standings Asian Football Association (CAFA). GOLD - Mukhamed KHANIEV (RUS) dec. Zhakhongir GOLD - Soslan TIGIEV (RUS) dec. Krisztian BIRO 1. Russia – 168 The competition was held in Dushanbe, Tajikistan. AKHMAJANOV (KAZ), 10-5 (ROU), 13-11 2. Iran – 166 BRONZE - Ato MARUYAMA (JPN) dec. Sunil SUNIL BRONZE - Abolfazl VALIPOURKHATIR (IRI) dec. Kevin 3. India – 106 (IND), 3-2 MAKOTA STROEM (SWE), 7-2 4. Japan – 83 BRONZE - Mykyta ABRAMOV (UKR) dec. Ali Abolfazl BRONZE - Alexander Joseph FACUNDO (USA) dec. 5. USA – 78 Esteghlal Downs Machine GHOLI ZADEGAN KOLOUKHI (IRI), 5-3 Davit KUTCHUASHVILI (GEO), 5-2 6. Uzbekistan – 68 Sazi in Friendly Match 55 kg 80 kg 7. Azerbaijan – 66 GOLD - Umidjon JALOLOV (UZB) dec. Mahdi Mehrdad GOLD – Amirhossein Biglar FIROUZPOURBANDPEI 8. Ukraine – 59 VEISI (IRI), 3-1 (IRI) dec. Arslan BAGAEV (RUS), 8-1 9. Turkey – 58 TASNIM — Esteghlal football team defeated Machine Sazi in BRONZE – Aman AMAN (IND) dec. Muhammet KARAVUS BRONZE - Rakhim MAGAMADOV (FRA) dec. Emre 10. Georgia – 54 a friendly match on Thursday. In the match held in Tehran’s Naft Complex, Daryush Sho- jaeian (26th), Farshid Esmaeili (30th), Mohammad Daneshgar (50th) and Ali Dashti (90th) scored for the Blues. Tajikistan complete the job to capture title Persepolis also defeated Naft Masjed Soleyman 2-0 at the Shahid Kazemi Stadium. Dushanbe: Tajikistan completed a superb week on Khudoidodzoda’s hero status was in question when The teams are preparing for the new season of the Iran Pro- home soil, defeating Afghanistan 1-0 and confirming he was sent off after receiving a second yellow card fessional League (IPL). their status as CAFA U-16 Championship winners just 12 minutes later, but Tajikistan’s 10 men held The exact date of the beginning of the new season has not on Thursday. firm to keep their fourth clean sheet in the tourna- yet been announced. A second-half strike from Abdulfatoh Khudoidodzoda ment and celebrate a highly impressive week in the ultimately sealed the title for Tajikistan, who won four nation’s capital. matches in a row to finish the five-match programme Their impressive forward Muhammadvoris Saidaliev on top of the table with 13 points. was rewarded for a fine tournament with the Most Soccer: Four Central Earlier in the day, Uzbekistan had kept their hopes Valuable Player Award, while Afghanistan’s Ahmad of an improbable final day title bid alive with a thump- Zakaria Hussaini won the top scorer award. Asian players get life bans ing win over Turkmenistan, but Tajikistan’s success The next challenge for Turdiev’s talented side will for match-fixing in the later match meant Azamat Abduraimov’s side come at next month’s AFC U-16 Championship 2020 finished as runners-up Qualifiers, where Tajikistan will face hosts Jordan, Four Central Asian players have been slapped with life bans for TAJIKISTAN 1-0 AFGHANISTAN but Afghanistan – on seven points – could also have as well as Sri Lanka, Nepal and Kuwait in Group A. match-fixing during the Asian Football Cup (AFC) tournaments in Tajikistan put the seal on a week of fine performances emerged victorious with a five-goal win on the night. Roll of Honour 2017 and 2018, the continent’s soccer governing body said on Friday. to become Central Asian champions with a 1-0 over In the end, the decider provided the most logical Champions: Tajikistan The Asian Football Confederation said on Friday three Kyrgyz Afghanistan, going a step further than collecting the outcome but it was far from straight forward for the Runners-up: Uzbekistan players and one Tajik had been “found guilty of being involved single point they required to win the title at Dushanbe hosts, who took until late in the 70-minute clash to Third place: Islamic Republic of Iran in a conspiracy to manipulate match(es)” involving their clubs. Central Stadium. seal their win. Most Valuable Player: Muhammadvoris Saidaliev Kyrgyz national Kursanbek Sheratov was found guilty of The final match of the tournament began with three With the match still scoreless at half-time Tajikistan’s (TJK) supporting betting activity in connection with match involving sides still in contention for the title. Tajikistan needed title was far from set in stone, but Khudoidodzoda Top Goalscorer: Ahmad Zakaria Hussaini (AFG) Kyrgyz club Dordoi FC at the 2017 tournament. any positive result, and Uzbekistan remained in with struck six minutes after the interval to provide some Fair Play: Kyrgyz Republic Kyrgyz players Iliaz Alimov and Abduaziz Mahkamov conspired a chance after their earlier win over Turkmenistan, welcome breathing space. (Source: AFC) to fix matches involving their club FC Alay in the 2017 “and/or 2018 season of the AFC Cup,” the governing body said in a statement. A third player from the Kyrgyz club Alay, Tajik national Ab- duaziz Mahkamov, was also guilty of fixing matches in the 2017 K-League blasts Juventus ‘deception’ over Ronaldo no-show and 2018 AFC Cups. The annual Asian Football Cup is the continent’s second-tier South Korea’s K-League has accused Ronaldo as a substitute on the start list,» club competition for emerging nations behind the premier Asian Juventus of «deception» after superstar it added. Champions League.Asian soccer has long been riddled with cor- Cristiano Ronaldo sat out last week’s The K-League also criticized the club’s ruption, particularly at lower levels, with players and officials friendly in Seoul, enraging thousands travel arrangements, and questioned its regularly banned for match-fixing. of fans. assertion that it took nearly two hours Six people, including a former referee and members of In- The Korean league said it felt to get through the airport. donesia’s national soccer association, were given jail sentences «disappointed and cheated» and «K-League clearly register earlier this month in connection with a 2018 game in the nation’s demanded an apology from the Italian our profound indignation and third-tier league. football champions after the Portuguese disappointment to Juventus’s The AFC did not provide further details. forward spent Friday’s game on the bench. irresponsible behavior and manners, (Source: Reuters) A sell-out crowd of 65,000 made its and we strongly urge Juventus to displeasure known during the game offer a sincere apology and explain against a K-League all-stars team, which the reason for Ronaldo’s no-show,» was delayed for an hour after Juventus the statement said. IPL: 2019-20 Season to Start arrived late from the airport. Fans have lashed out at Ronaldo, on August 14 After a flight delay, Juventus requested urging a boycott of products promoted by a police escort and also asked for the the five-time Ballon d’Or winner, while game to be cut to two 40-minute halves «doing a ‘Naldo» has become a popular TASNIM — The Iran Professional League’s 2019/20 season -- a proposal that the K-League branded term for avoiding work in the office. will kick off on August 14. «ridiculous and insulting». by European teams keen to promote Ronaldo, rejecting its explanation that The controversy was even dragged The IPL new season was originally scheduled for August 1. «K-League cannot help but feel themselves in Asia. he was rested on medical advice. into the political arena when opposition Persepolis will start the campaign to win the title for the disappointed and cheated by Juventus The K-League was unhappy with «Ronaldo did not play even for lawmaker Na Kyung-won reportedly said: fourth time in a row. for its shamelessness,» a K-League Juventus’s response to an initial a minute, contrary to the contract «There is one thing in common between The Iran Professional League is the highest division of statement said. complaint, saying it did not contain guaranteed that he will play for at least (North Korean leader) Kim Jong Un professional football in Iran. The league was also known as More than 2,000 fans plan to sue the an apology or explanation. 45 minutes,» the K-League said. and Ronaldo. They both perceive South the Persian Gulf Cup from 2006. sports agency that organized the game, The football body accused Juventus «If Ronaldo was unable to play, it Korea as a pushover.» It is the top-level football league in Iran since its foundation one of a series of pre-season appearances of a breach of contract by not playing would be a blatant deception to include (Source: AFP) in 2 November 2001. Prayer Times Noon:13:11 Evening: 20:27 Dawn: 4:38 (tomorrow) Sunrise: 6:14 (tomorrow) AUGUST 3, 2019 ART&CULTURE I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y www.tehrantimes.com Managing Director: Ali Asgari Editor-in-Chief: Mohammad Ghaderi Peyman Maadi to Editorial Dept.: Fax: (+98 21) 88808214 — 88808895 [email protected] Switchboard Operator: Tel: (+98 21) 43051000 Advertisements Dept.: Telefax: (+98 21) 43051450 star in “The Story of Public Relations Office: Tel: (+98 21) 88805807 Subscription & Distribution Dept.: Tel: (+98 21) 43051603 www.eshterak.ir Distributor: Padideh Novin Co. Tel: 88911433 Webmaster: [email protected] the Walnut Tree” Printed at: Jame Jam Bartar Borna - 44197737 ARTTEHRAN — Peyman for Best Actor at the Berlin International Tehrantimes79 Tehrantimesdaily deskMaadi, the actor of “Camp Film Festival for his role in “A Separation” X-Ray” and “Last Knights”, will collaborate in 2011. No. 18, Bimeh Alley, Nejatollahi St., Tehran, Iran in Mohammad-Hossein Mahdavian’s new Maadi also appeared in “The Night Of”, P.o. Box: 14155-4843 film “The Story of the Walnut Tree”, a public a 2016 American crime drama television Zip Code: 1599814713 relations team of the project announced miniseries, broadcast on HBO. on Friday. Mahdavian is the director of acclaimed No further details were published about dramas “Standing in the Dust”, about the story of the film, which has been written Ahmad Motevasselian, an IRGC by Ebrahim Amini and will be produced commander who was kidnapped by the by Seyyed Mostafa Ahmadi. Zionist regime in 1982 in Lebanon and Maadi co-starred with Kristen Stewart “The Midday Event”, a political drama in U.S. director Peter Sattler’s debut that features the terrorist atrocity of the “Camp X-Ray” in 2014 and collaborated Mojahedin-e-Khalq Organization in Iran in Japanese director Kazuaki Kiriya’s of the 1980s. GUIDE TO action adventure “Last Knights” in 2015. He has also directed “Lottery”, about SPIRITUAL AWAKENING He also starred in “About Elly” and “A trafficking Iranian women to Arab Separation” by Iranian prominent director countries, and “Blood Trap”, a sequel to This combination photo shows director Mohammad-Hossein Mahdavian (L) and It is enough wisdom for you that it Asghar Farhadi. He received the Silver Bear his political drama “Midday Event”. actor Peyman Maadi. clarified salvation and depravity for you. Imam Ali (AS) Donald Trump to appear in Iranian Photos depict oppression of Kurds under musical “City of Cats” Saddam Hussein at Tehran exhibit WHAT’S IN ART GALLERIES Sculpture An exhibition of sculptures by Mohammad Moqaddasi is underway at Tehran’s CAMA – Contemporary and Modern Art Gallery. The exhibit entitled “Silence” will run until August 7 at the gallery located at No. 44, 10th Golestan, Pasdaran St. Sculptures by Alireza Faridani are currently on display in an exhibition at Idea Gallery. The exhibit named “Father’s Land” will be running until August 6 at the gallery located at 26, 18th St. off Sanai St., Karim Khan Ave. A collection of sculptures by Leila Shoqi is on view in an exhibition at Basmeh Gallery. A poster for “Land of Confusion”, an exhibition of photos by Moham- The exhibit titled “Birthing” will run Javad Hashemi in an undated photo. mad Sayyad. until August 9 at the gallery located ARTTEHRAN — true,” Hashemi told the Persian service ARTTEHRAN — A During his career spanning nearly five at Block A, Park Prince Bldg., Hakim- deskIranian director of MNA on Friday. deskselection of photos decades, Sayyad has recorded different Azam St., North Shiraz St. Javad Hashemi plans to use an “Shooting will begin next month putting the spotlight on the miseries of vital events, including the 1979 Islamic Mojtaba Ramzi, Mehrzad La’ali, animated character of President with actors Farhad Aiish, Amin the Iraqi Kurds under Saddam Hussein Revolution and the 1980-1988 Iran- Sadeq Musavi, Parizad Moshkzad Donald Trump in his new musical Zendegani, Melika Abdorrazzaqi and who were forced to immigrate to Iran is Iraq war. He also collaborated with and two other artists are showcasing “The City of Cats”. Amir Ghaffarmanesh,” he added. on display in an exhibition at Tehran’s the Associated Press News Agency for their sculptures in an exhibition at “The film tells the story of people Hashemi directed the musical Nabshi Gallery. several years. Shirin Gallery. who dream of becoming singers, they “Octopus 1: White forehead” in 2011. The photos are taken by Iranian The exhibit will be running until The exhibit named “Ring Narratives” choose the wrong way and leave their He made a sequel to the film named photojournalist Mohammad Sayyad for August 30 at the gallery located at 51 runs until August 7 at the gallery located homeland to make their dreams come “White-Forehead 2”. the exhibition named “Land of Confusion”. Khosro Alley, Villa St. at No. 5, 13th St., Karim Khan Ave.

Painting Negar Gallery is hosting an Former TV host Rashidpur launches celebration to honor movies on Iran’s attractions exhibition of paintings by Saba ARTTEHRAN — Reza Rashidpur, clear,” Rashidpur said. Bahrami, Zahra Shamsi, Mitra Nasr, deskthe former host of the popular TV He noted that he received no compensation for Rozita Sarraf, Nader Mehranfar, programs “Shabe Shishei” and “Hala Khorshid”, has organizing the celebration, which went on with honoring Hamidreza Ghafuri and several launched a celebration to honor movies and cineastes a number of movies and cineastes. other artists. promoting Iran’s natural and cultural attractions. Director Abbas Amini received an award for depicting The exhibit entitled “Contemporary “Most Iranian films that are a box office success parts of Hormoz Island’s attractions in his drama Human 3” will run until August 7 or win honors at international events portray Iran as “Hendi and Hormoz”. Actor Hamed Alipur was also at the gallery located at 33 Delaram a rundown place full of drug addicts, and neglect to honored for his collaboration in the movie. Alley, Roshanai St. in the Qeitarieh depict even a minimum of the natural attractions of Director Hamid Nematollah’s drama “Flaming” was neighborhood. the country,” Rashidpur said on Thursday during the also celebrated for developing people’s awareness of A collection of paintings by Sepideh opening ceremony of the first edition of the Cinema the environment in Iran’s Sistan-Baluchestan region. Ahmadi Monfared is on view in an Tours Festival, which was held on Kish Island in the “Main Idea” by Azita Mugui and “The Underwater exhibition at Saye Gallery. Persian Gulf. Cypress” by Mohammad-Ali Bashe-Ahangar also The exhibit named “Until Mordad” He lamented the large supply of dubious money received awards. will be running until August 7 at the in Iranian cinema and noted the travel agency Top Actor Ali Nasirian (L) receives an award for his lifetime Actors Ali Nasirian and Reza Kianian and gallery that can be found at No. 21, 13th Tours Group sponsors the celebration. achievements from Information and Communication Tech- cinematographer Mahmud Kalari were honored for Alley, Sanai St. off Karim Khan Ave. “I’ve been seeking to organize the celebration nology Minister Mohammad Javad Azari Jahromi during their lifetime achievements. An exhibition of paintings by Shadi over the past five years and I received proposals the Cinema Tours Festival on Kish Island on August 1, 2019. Information and Communication Technology Ejbari is underway at Homa Gallery. to accept both clean or dirty moneys to hold the Left to right, CIO director Hossein Entezami and actors Minister Mohammad Javad Azari Jahromi and Cinema Entitled “Manifestation of Monsters”, celebration, but finally I agreed to collaborate with Amin Tarokh and Atila Pesyani are seen in the background. Organization of Iran director Hossein Entezami also the exhibit runs until August 13 at the Top Tours Group, whose source of incomes is (Mehr/Mohammad Khodabakhsh) attended the star-stud event. the gallery located at No. 8, Fourth Alley, Sanai St., Karim Khan Ave. Paintings by Donya Abdollahi are on view in an exhibition at Sheis Gallery. Woodstock 50 music festival called off Judge narrows Woody Allen lawsuit The exhibit will be running until due to ‘unforeseen setbacks’ against Amazon for quitting movie deal August 7 at the gallery, which can be found at Shirzad Alley, near LOS ANGELES (Reuters) — The Organizers last week made a last ditch NEW YORK (Reuters) — A federal judge Lawyers for Allen did not immediately Daneshju Park. troubled Woodstock 50 anniversary attempt to put on a free, scaled down event in Manhattan on Wednesday narrowed respond to requests for comment. Amazon’s music festival planned for August at an amphitheater in Maryland, but Woody Allen’s $68 million lawsuit against lawyer Moez Kaba declined to comment. Multimedia was officially canceled on Wednesday, several of the 80 or so acts began pulling Amazon.com Inc for backing out of a Cote said Allen and his Gravier Paintings, photos and calligraphy with organizers blaming a series of out despite having already been paid. four-picture production and distribution Productions Inc failed to allege an works by Maryam Qodsi, Afsaneh “unforeseen setbacks.” Lang said in his statement that the agreement and refusing to distribute a film “actionable breach” of his so-called multi- Qorbani, Zahra Alizadeh, Fahimeh The three-day festival, meant to mark smaller event in Maryland would have he had already completed. picture acquisition agreement, or MAA. Ariadoost, Bardia Haddad, Mehdi the 50th anniversary of the famed 1969 been aimed at raising funds for non U.S. District Judge Denise Cote’s “The MAA provides certain benefits to Hosseini and several other artists celebration of peace and music, was profits fighting climate change and dismissal of four of Allen’s eight claims Amazon, such as an exclusive ‘first look’ are on display in an exhibition at planned for Aug. 16-18. organizations encouraging Americans to means the filmmaker will have to show that at Allen’s subsequent literary and visual Khorshid Gallery. “Woodstock 50 today announced that vote in the 2020 U.S. general elections. Amazon wrongly abandoned agreements materials and the right to publicize the The exhibit named “Eternal Growth” the three-day festival to celebrate its Woodstock 50 was first planned for individual films. parties’ agreements, but the plaintiffs runs until August 7 at the gallery 50th anniversary has been canceled,” for the Watkins Glen motor racing She dismissed claims covering two do not allege that they suffered damages located at 70 Tur Alley, off Africa Blvd. the organizers said in a statement. venue in upstate New York, but the site alleged breaches of the Aug. 2017 multi- from the termination of these provisions,” Paintings, sculptures and “We are saddened that a series pulled out in June. Organizers then picture agreement, an unjust enrichment the judge wrote. calligraphic paintings by Mojgan of unforeseen setbacks has made it attempted in vain to seek permits in claim, and an alleged breach related to Allen had originally sued Amazon Dabaghizadeh, Mona Sefidari, impossible to put on the festival we Vernon, New York. the first film, the completed “A Rainy Content Services LLC and Amazon Studios Farshid Abdi and Sudabeh imagined with the great lineup we had The nonprofit Bethel Woods Center Day in New York.” LLC. The latter is no longer a defendant Naderbabai are on view in an booked and the social engagement for the Arts, the current owner of the field Allen, 83, had sued two Amazon units because it had faced only the now-dismissed exhibition at Shalman Gallery. we were anticipating,” said Michael where the 1969 Woodstock festival took in February, claiming they could not unjust enrichment claim. The exhibit titled “Evolution” will run Lang, one of the original producers place, also scaled back plans earlier this abandon their distribution plans because of Allen has won four Oscars, including until August 7 at the gallery located of the 1969 event. year for a three-day anniversary event. a “baseless” allegation against his adopted best director for 1977’s “Annie Hall”, which at 27 Kavusi Alley, West Rudbar St., The cancellation was widely expected It will instead host separate concerts by daughter Dylan Farrow in 1992. also won best picture, and several actresses off Mirdamad Blvd. after a troubled five months in which Ringo Starr, Santana and the Doobie The allegation had gained renewed have won Oscars for work in his movies. An exhibition displaying sets of organizers were turned down at two Brothers. prominence in the #MeToo movement, But the filmmaker has seen modest installation, photos and videos by Raufeh proposed sites in upstate New York, “My thoughts turn to Bethel and its which began in late 2017. commercial returns for many of his Rostami is underway at Ag Gallery. lost funding and headliners including celebration of our 50th Anniversary Allen has long denied the allegation, films since his bitter breakup with Mia The exhibit named “The Second rapper Jay-Z and pop star Miley Cyrus to reinforce the values of compassion, which was also made by Farrow’s mother Farrow. Some actors and actresses have Time” runs until August 8 at the pulled out. human dignity, and the beauty of our Mia Farrow, who appeared in a dozen of expressed regret for appearing in his gallery located at 43 Azodi St., Karim Tickets never went on sale for the differences embraced by Woodstock,” his films and was his longtime partner. films after Dylan Farrow’s allegation Khan Ave. festival. Lang said in his statement on Wednesday. He has not been charged. gained renewed attention.