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16 Pages Price 10,000 Rials 39th year No.13176 Monday AUGUST 6, 2018 Mordad 15, 1397 Dhi Al Qaeda 23, 1439 Iran condemns 5 new ATR aircrafts Alireza Beiranvand Six foreign plays line assassination attempt on land in Mehrabad reaches agreement up for Tehran puppet Venezuelan president 2 Airport 4 with Besiktas: report 15 theater festival 16 IRGC held war games in Persian Gulf, Strait of Hormuz POLITICS TEHRAN — Brigadier hammad Ali Jafari appreciated the war deskGeneral Ramazan Sha- games and highlighted the importance of Iran awards human rif, the spokesman for the Islamic Rev- promoting readiness to protect security olution Guards Corps, said on Sunday in the Persian Gulf and counter threats. that the IRGC held military exercises in The exercise included naval and aero- See page 2 the Persian Gulf and the strategic Strait space units, the IRGC spokesman added. of Hormuz over past few days. Jafari said in July that the IRGC is “This drill was aimed at protecting ready to implement President Hassan security of the international waterway Rouhani’s threat to block the Strait of rights activists and within the framework of the Guards’ Hormuz if Iran would not be able to ex- annual drills,” he stated. port its oil under threat of Washington’s General Sharif said IRGC chief Mo- sanctions. 2 IRCS dispatches volunteer health practitioners to Sistan-Baluchestan SOCIETY TEHRAN – The Ira- Qasrqand, Fanuj, Nimroz, Mehrestan, Za- desknian Red Crescent So- hedan, Khash, Mirjaweh, Konarak, Saravan, ciety (IRCS) has dispatched 19 groups Iranshahr, Zabul and Delgan, Mehr quoted of volunteer health care providers to the Habib Dargahi as saying on Sunday. southeastern province of Sistan-Baluch- Health practitioners consist of orthope- estan on August 5, head of the Red Crescent dists, cardiologists, internists, neurologists, volunteer organization has said. obstetricians and gynecologists, ophthal- The groups are dispatched to different mologist, dentists and general surgeons, cities of Sistan-Baluchestan province hitting provide financially struggling individuals by drought, including Chabahar, Hirmand, with free educational, health, medical and Zahak, Nikshahr, Sib-o-Suran, Hamoun, dental services, he stated. 12 Iran today is a trans-regional power: Yemeni expert By Fatemeh Salehi to strengthen collaboration with these

Asghar Khamseh TEHRAN — Recently, American and Arab countries in the field of missile defense, sources have been reporting about U.S. military training, counter-terrorism and President Donald Trump’s efforts to forge other issues, such as supporting regional a new political and security coalition with economic and diplomatic relations. some Persian Gulf states (Saudi Arabia, This is a plan that, according to White UAE and Bahrain), Egypt and Jordan to Tehran Times/ Tehran Times/ House officials, is a version of NATO or counter Iran. The White House wants an Arab NATO. 7 EDITORIAL ‘Farzand e Imam’ – a beautiful tribute to Shaheed Arif Hussaini ARTICLE Hanif Ghaffari Mohammad Ghaderi By Syed Zafar Mehdi campaigners of truth and justice who believe Political analyst Tehran Times editor-in-chief TEHRAN — To leave your footprints on the sands in the righteousness of their cause. Like a true @ghaderi62 of time, you ought to walk out of the comfort zone, revolutionary, Shaheed Arif laid down his life overcome insurmountable odds and participate for the sake of truth and justice. in the process of change. Not everyone is capable As a mark of tribute to the great man, MzM Why are Iranians of doing that, especially when it means running Productions has come up with a documentary film Europe and Trump’s the gauntlet and speaking truth to power, without on Shaheed Arif, directed by Mohtashim Ali Naqvi. unhappy with the worrying about the consequences. That’s where The maiden screening of the film ‘Farzand e Imam’ riddle most people retreat. To invoke George Orwell, was held in Tehran on Saturday, attended by a Elysee Palace? during times of universal deceit, telling the truth large number of people from different walks of life. he European Union is still confused becomes a revolutionary act. The film, which took more than two years to by the United States and Donald rench politicians will continue to One such legendary personality, a young revo- complete, quite beautifully chronicles the life and TTrump’s behaviors as President of play their double standard approach lutionary, a change maker, a visionary leader, who ideals and principles. The key to immortality, times of Shaheed Arif, his struggles, his amazing this drawer. On the other hand, the White Ftoward the nuclear deal with Iran. became the symbol of resistance and resilience as they say, is living a life worth remembering. connect with people, his resistance against an- House sends Europe to Europe with dual Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian against evil and oppressive forces, came from a This man had become immortal. ti-revolutionaries, his unflinching stand against parallelism and paradoxal flow. Trump, recently announced that France (along small village in Parachinar Pakistan. His life was Three decades after he was killed in cold imperialists and their backers in Pakistan, and on the one hand, continues its rigid eco- with other European countries) does not brutally cut short by the same cowardly forces blood by armed assailants in Peshawar, Mar- his beautiful relationship with the leader of the nomic policies towards Europe, and, on intend to offer a package in the near future he opposed on the fateful morning of August 5, tyr Arif Hussain Hussaini’s memory and legacy Islamic revolution Imam Khomeini, who famously the other hand, talks about negotiating to preserve the nuclear deal with Iran! 1988 but somehow they could not kill his lofty continues to be a source of inspiration for the referred to him as his ‘son’. 7 with Europe in the security and economic On the other hand, French officials have spheres! been silent about how their economic co- This dual approach has not yet been operation with Iran has been in place in thoroughly scrutinized by European recent days. This issue can be considered Trump has no foreign policy: Professor Onuf authorities. The French PM Emmanuel from a variety of dimensions. EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW Professor of the Florida International Uni- A: It is exceedingly difficult to general- Macron and British prime minister are still Although it was thought that the French, By Javad Heirannia versity, adds that “They will create nothing that ize about functionally specific international trying to look optimistic about the White at least after the departure of the United would count as a new system or new order.” regimes (defense, trade, resources, environ- House. They hope to deal with Trump on States President Donald Trump from the TEHRAN — Professor Nicholas Onuf, a prima- Following is the text of the interview: mental standards, climate change, refugees, various issues. However, people like Angela nuclear deal, would moderate somewhat ry figure among constructivists in international Nowadays we are witnessing great aerial traffic, shipping etc.) because they are Merkel have a more realistic approach to their previous game against Iran, now they relations, tells the Tehran Times that “Trump gaps and differences among G7 member so many, so diverse, and so varied in powers. Tramp and his actions against Europe. In continue to play their direct role in the has no foreign policy, or even any idea what it states while SCO member states are moving Overall, I would say that most such regimes are any case, as long as Europe fails to adopt United States land and the White House. means to have a policy, as opposed to an emo- forward more convergence. Some believe flourishing because they deploy and coordinate a stubborn and powerful approach to the The reality is that Iranians are angry tional reaction to whatever is happening on any that the orders and the regimes created after technical and managerial expertise in dealing United States, Trump will take a firmer at the French president’s game on the given day.” World War II are declining and because with a vast number of problems transcending approach towards Europe. American ground. It was for the first Onuf says “Trump and Putin may develop of this reason the U.S. is not going to pay state frontiers. It should not be forgotten that Tramp is time that President Emanuel Macron a working relationship for tactical purposes, the costs of regimes like NATO, WTO and I am sure your readers are aware of President opposed to the existence of the European said some parts of the nuclear deal could although I doubt that Putin believes Trump is different free trade treaties like NAFTA Trump’s clam that he will ‘drain the swamp’ in Union. Something that some European be amended to include Iran’s missile competent or reliable, and Trump’s domestic and so on. What do you think of this? Why Washington. What he does not realize is that politicians still do not understand! Tramp program and extend limits on Iran’s nu- problems would put significant constraints any the U.S. is not ready to pay the costs of the ‘the swamp’ is global, but not nearly as fluid as has repeatedly called for the destruction clear program beyond 2025. During the such relationship.” regimes and orders as before? the metaphor suggests. 7 of the European Union and the eurozone meeting between Macron and Trump in its speeches and behaviors. The support in New York in 2017 on the sidelines of of the President of the United States and the United Nations General Assembly, his entourage for the withdrawal of Britain France’s dishonesty toward the Joint Ultra-Orthodox from the European Union is also worthy Comprehensive Plan of Action (the of- of consideration. ficial name for the nuclear agreement) draft protesters Many analysts of the international and the Islamic Republic of Iran became affairs have recently had a special focus more and more evident. block entrance on U.S.-EU relations! Some signals and The behavior of Macron and other speeches by the President of the United French officials toward the JCPOA will to Jerusalem States which are addressed to the European never be omitted from the memory of the for three hours authorities indicate the full opposition of Iranian nation. Obviously, in the event the White House to the European Union. Over the past few days, there has been news of a complete cancellation of the nuclear Hundreds of members of a radical about the specific talks between the Pres- deal, there will be no difference between ultra-Orthodox sect crowded into ident of the United States and some of the the presidents of the United States and the streets of Jerusalem, blocking European Union’s member states. Trump France. off major roads at the entrance to called on French President “Emmanuel In any case, it should not be forgotten the city, in their first anti-IDF draft Macron” to leave the European Union that France has been is one of the main demonstration since the death two and thus build wider bilateral relations motivators of Trump’s pullout from the weeks ago of their leader Rabbi with the United States! nuclear deal. If the young French presi- Shmuel Auerbach. On the other hand, Trump has offi- dent had not supported calls by Trump The Chords Bridge entrance to cially asked the British Prime Minister to change the content of the nuclear the capital was blocked for three “Theresa May” to sue the European Union accord since the beginning of 2017, today hours during afternoon rush hour, rather than interacting with it. These are we would not have faced the current snarling traffic at the crucial entrance indications of the wide and extensive situation. Even, since Trump has left to the capital, police said, requesting AFP opposition of the United States to the the nuclear deal, the French have not drivers use alternate routes. revised their behavior! 13 United Europe. 7 I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y POLITICS AUGUST 6, 2018 MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS Rouhani Politician calls for immediate EU to attend parliament at due action as U.S. sanctions loom time POLITICS TEHRAN — An Iranian The European parties to the deal have been desk POLITICS TEHRAN — President Hassan Rouhani politician has called on the reminded that their efforts after sanctions go desksaid on Sunday that he will attend the par- European Union to take an outright measure into force and any initiative for fresh negoti- liament at the due time to respond to questions posed by a before imposition of the new U.S. sanctions ations with Iran will be pointless, he added. number of lawmakers, ISNA reported. if it is really willing to make up for the U.S. Takht Ravanchi, who was involved in In a message to Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani, Rouhani withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear deal. more than two years of nuclear talks with said asking questions from the president could be “fortunate” In an interview with Tasnim published 5+1 nations, stressed that Europe’s failure provided that the questions would be in conformity with the on Sunday, Majid Takht Ravanchi, deputy to neutralize the upcoming sanctions will be constitution and at the right time. director for political affairs at the presidential tantamount to “negotiations for negotiations.” He added that while none of the two conditions are met, office, said the European parties to the Joint “We would not hold negotiations for he will attend the parliament in order to avoid any division Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) – the (another round of) negotiations, not with between the two branches of government and to show his official name for the nuclear agreement, must Europeans and not with any other side. We respect to the parliament. take clear and outright measures immediately want our negotiations to be purposeful and The president further said he’s planning to benefit from the as part of their proposed package for securing fruitful,” he remarked. occasion by speaking honestly to the nation about some matters. Iran’s economic interests under the pact. On May 8, President Donald Trump The first batch of the U.S. sanctions against pulled the U.S. out of the JCPOA, which Iran will go into force on August 6. The first was struck in 2015 between Iran and the Iran condemns batch of sanctions include, among others, five permanent members of the UN Security sanctions on the acquisition of U.S. dollar Council plus Germany. assassination attempt banknotes; sanctions on trade in gold and Following the U.S. exit, Iran and the on Venezuelan other precious metals; sanctions on direct remaining parties launched talks to save or indirect sale, supply or transfer of alumi- the accord. president num, steel, coal and graphite to Iran; and Meanwhile, Leader of the Islamic Revolu- sanctions on automotive sector. tion Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has underlined POLITICS TEHRAN — Foreign Ministry spokesman desk The second batch of sanctions which will Takht Ravanchi said any compensatory action will be totally useless once the U.S. that any decision to keep the JCPOA running Bahram Qassemi on Sunday denounced as- include oil embargo against Iran will go into measure by the EU must take place before sanctions come into force and the customers without the U.S. should be conditional on sassination attempt on Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. effect by November 4. the U.S. sanctions, because any European refrain from buying Iran’s oil. “practical guarantees” from the Europeans. According to the Foreign Ministry website, Qassemi con- demned the attempt and described it as a move to create instability and insecurity in Venezuela. He also said the at- tempt served the interests of the enemies of the Venezuelan Trump says talks are up to Iranians government and nation. Seven National Guard soldiers were injured after explo- POLITICS TEHRAN — U.S. President Donald return to the internationally-backed nuclear deal and desk sions interrupted Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro’s Trump, who unilaterally withdrew stop new sanctions against Iran if it wants negotiations mid-speech during a military event in Caracas, Saturday. The Washington from the UN-endorsed 2015 nuclear agree- with Tehran. Venezuelan government has confirmed that the explosions ment in May, said on Saturday that holding talks with “Respecting the Iranian nation’s rights, reducing were an “assassination attempt” on Maduro. Tehran is up to the Iranians. hostilities and returning to the nuclear deal are steps “Iran, and it’s [sic] economy, is going very bad, and that can be taken to pave the bumpy road of talks be- fast! I will meet, or not meet, it doesn’t matter - it is up tween Iran and America,” Aboutalebi tweeted. ‘U.S., EU must to them!” he tweeted. On the same day Iranian Foreign Minister Mo- First in a joint press conference with Italian Prime hammad Javad Zarif said Trump should try respect negotiate Iran to Minister Giuseppe Conte on July 30 in the White House for the Iranians and also for the international com- prevent $300 oil’ Trump said he is ready to meet with Iranian President mitments. Hassan Rouhani without any pre-conditions. “Iran & U.S. had 2 yrs of talks. With EU/E3+Rus- “It’s good for the country, good for them, good for sia+China, we produced a unique multilateral accord—the us and good for the world. No preconditions. If they JCPOA. It’s been working. U.S. can only blame itself POLITICS TEHRAN — If the U.S. and European want to meet, I’ll meet,” Trump said. for pulling out & leaving the table. Threats, sanctions deskcountries want the crude not to hit $300 Hamid Aboutalebi, an aide to President Hassan & PR stunts won’t work. Try respect: for Iranians & for per barrel they have to come to negotiation table with Iran, Rouhani, said on July 31 that the U.S. would have to int’l commitments,” Zarif tweeted. a member of the Majlis National Security and Foreign Policy Committee has said. “America’s contradictory behaviors indicate its state of confusion and America does not want the oil price to reach JCPOA still ‘robust’ despite U.S. exit: UK diplomat $300, it should negotiate with Iran,” Shahrouz Barzegar POLITICS TEHRAN — The per- is a good deal for Iran. We believe that the overall European package and not the the European countries and Iran. The signal told ILNA on Sunday. deskmanent under-secretary it is in Iran’s interest to stay within the only thing. But it is an important signal that we are sending is that we want our “The European Union also has no option but to negotiate at the UK’s Foreign and Commonwealth JCPOA. The preservation of the deal is on the part of the Europeans and shows companies to continue to be able to do to prevent soaring crude prices,” the lawmaker stated. Office believes that the Iran nuclear deal also in the interest of Europe and that is their support for the JCPOA. It has not business with Iran without fearing that a “Cutting Iran’s oil exports to zero means cutting the region’s is still “robust”, notwithstanding U.S. ef- why we are working so hard to this end,” finally been agreed within Europe. There penalty will be imposed on them for doing oil exports to zero, which will lead to an economic disaster forts to scrap it. McDonald noted. are procedures that are still running. So what is legally right.” for Europe and after that for the whole world…,” he said, Sir Simon McDonald told the Iran Daily He also referred to a law recently acti- we will not know until the end of August The British diplomat went on to stress referring to the Trump administration’s threat of reducing in an interview published on Sunday that vated by the EU to support European com- whether it will be activated or not.” that Iran is an important trading partner Iran’s crude exports to zero by November. together “we will be able to preserve” the panies against U.S. sanctions for working “This, we will see. But the whole point for the UK. “Immediately after the sign- JCPOA, the official name for the 2015 with Iran. “The ‘blocking statute’ is part of is to facilitate continued business between ing of the JCPOA, trade between Tehran Saudi Arabia nuclear agreement. and London increased by 100 percent “Many people, especially in the U.S., to stand at about $500 million. At that issues visa for are surprised that two months after the time, there was a burst of interest and American withdrawal, the agreement is activity which resulted in the 100-percent head of Iran still in robust existence,” the senior dip- increase which was very welcome. The interests section lomat stated. figure was relatively lower before the in- He underlined that the UK is trying to ternational agreement was signed. But POLITICS TEHRAN — An informed source an- make sure of its role to keep the JCPOA now, we have to see what happens next desk nounced on Sunday that Saudi Arabia in place even after Brexit. as it is too early to judge what would be has agreed to grant visa to head of the interests section of “This is important to us because, as we the impact of US withdrawal from the Iran at the Saudi kingdom leave the EU, we want to show that we can JCPOA. Clearly, what has happened so Mohammad Alibak, who serves as the supervisor of the still work closely with our partners on key far this year is causing some turbulence Oman and Yemen office at the Iranian Foreign Ministry, has foreign policy issues, the prime example of in the trading relationship between the been appointed as head of the interest section in Jeddah, which is the JCPOA. Thus, this has not just two countries.” IRNA reported. been British work, this has been European He also touched upon the political sig- Earlier, Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Qassemi had work. We are discussing with Iran, the nificance of Iran, saying “Since Iran is a announced that the Islamic Republic’s plan for the interests sectors of most interest to the country. major Middle Eastern power and the UK section is well underway. He also voiced Iran’s readiness to Oil and gas and the banking sectors are is a P5 country with major interests in the hold negotiations with Saudi Arabia to heal the rift. at the heart of the negotiations.” Middle East, logically, the UK and Iran, “By signing the JCPOA, the Europeans as far as the field of politics is concerned, Iran, Azerbaijan have made a commitment, which is more should work together on regional issues. than an aspiration. However, new mech- Economy-wise, the oil sector is a potential hold consular anisms will have to be put in place and The UK and Iran. should work together on field for expanding mutual cooperation they will take some time to develop. But where British companies can help further meeting I should stress that we think the JCPOA regional issues. develop the oil industry in Iran.”

POLITICS TEHRAN — Iran and the Republic of Iran awards human rights activists deskAzerbaijan held their first joint consular POLITICS TEHRAN — In a ceremony held on united approaches against them. Unfortunately, rulers Islamic countries. meeting in Tehran on Saturday. deskSunday to mark the Islamic Human of certain Islamic countries take actions against the “The human rights has turned into a tool to exert The meeting was co-chaired by directors of the consular Rights and Human Dignity Day, human rights ac- human rights.” pressure against the Islamic countries especially the sections of the two countries’ foreign ministries. tivists from Norway, Palestine and Bangladesh were He noted that the Islamic human rights should countries which are independent and seek to stand In the meeting, the two sides expressed satisfaction over given awards. challenge the West on the issue of human rights, sug- on their own feet,” he said in a panel discussion on the the progress made at easing visa issuance, increasing judicial Addressing the ceremony, Judiciary Chief Aya- gesting that Muslims should take practical actions in occasion of the Islamic Human Rights and Human cooperation, transfer of convicts, extradition of offenders, tollah Sadeq Amoli Larijani said that the West has this respect. Dignity Day. and fighting against drug trafficking and organized crimes, an “inhumane” approach toward the issue of human The judiciary chief also criticized support for riots in ‘Islamic human rights addresses whole the Foreign Ministry website reported. rights, noting that the West is using the issue as a tool. Iran by those who just pay lip service to human rights. human being’ The two sides also stressed the need to continue to fully The top judge cited separation of children from “Those who make claims about human rights shut During his speech at the ceremony, Mohammad implement bilateral agreements, as favored by the high-rank- parents at the Mexican border as an example of human their mouth when children and women are being at- Javad Larijani, secretary of Iran’s High Council for ing officials of the two countries. rights violation. tacked in Bahrain, however, when it comes to Iran, Human Rights, said the Islamic human rights addresses As part of President Donald Trump’s “zero toler- they support rioters and ones who set fire to the shops,” the whole human being and not just the Muslims. Central Bank ance” policy toward illegal immigration, the parents the senior judge lamented. He said that Muslims are duty bound to defend and children were separated at the Mexican border. Hamid Reza Asefi, a former Iranian diplomat, said ideology of Islam. Javad Larijani noted that living forex director Larijani added, “You see what they are doing in on Saturday that the issue of the human rights has based on “Islamic wisdom” should be introduced to arrested Palestine and Yemen. The world of Islam should adopt become a tool to exert pressure against “independent” the entire world.

POLITICS TEHRAN — The director of the foreign IRGC held war games in Persian Gulf, Strait of Hormuz desk exchange office at the Central Bank of 1 Addressing a gathering of Irani- “One who understands politics even a portant strategic location for international Iran was arrested on Sunday, local sources said. an diplomats in July, Rouhani warned little bit wouldn’t say ‘we will stop Iran’s trade. About 20% of oil traded worldwide Ahmad Araqchi’s arrest came a day after outlets reported U.S. President Donad Trump about his oil exports’,” he said. moving through the waterway, which is his ouster by the new CBI chief Abdolnasser Hemmati. The hostile stance against Iran, saying, “Mr. Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces about 30 miles wide at its narrowest point. bank, though, did not comment on the ouster. Trump, do not play with the lion’s tail, Mohammad Baqeri also issued a statement in It sits at the mouth of the Persian Gulf The 40-year-old Araqchi had been in the position this would only lead to regret.” July, saying Iran is capable of adopting “any and provides the only maritime passage 4 days short of a year. During his tenure, the U.S. Rouhani also said Iran has control over strategy” in the strategic Strait of Hormuz from the Persian Gulf to the open ocean dollar jumped from around 42,000 to over 120,000 other strategic places other than the Strait and the Persian Gulf region. and is one of the world’s most strategically rials and then down to around 100,000. of Hormuz. The Strait of Hormuz is a highly im- important choke points. I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y AUGUST 6, 2018 INTERNATIONAL

Syrian scientist assassinated Trump declares California wildfires as ‘major in car bombing: report emergency’, orders federal The U.S. president, Donald Trump, has approved declaring A Syrian scientist has reportedly been assas- humanitarian de-mining, including in Raqqa, the California wildfires a major disaster, the White House said sinated in a car bomb attack after he survived and other priority humanitarian issues for on Sunday, and ordered federal aid to be provided. Israeli attacks on his research center. the urgent establishment of peaceful life in His move, which will make federal funding available for the Aziz Azbar, the head of the Syrian Scientific Syria,” the ministry said. most stricken areas, comes after California governor Jerry Brown Research and Studies Center in the city of The proposal illustrates how Russia, called for federal help. It comes as the wildfires in northern Masyaf, was killed along with his driver in having helped turn the tide of the war California have spread to more than two-thirds the size of Los a bombing on Saturday night, Syrian and in favor of President Bashar al-Assad, Angeles as more residents were ordered to evacuate their homes. Lebanese news outlets reported. is now pressing Washington and others In a statement the White House said: “Assistance can include The scientific center, run by Azbar, had to aid the reconstruction of areas under grants for temporary housing and home repairs, low-cost loans been the target of at least two Israeli aerial his control. to cover uninsured property losses, and other programs to help assaults over the past months. “The proposal argues that the Syrian regime individuals and business owners recover from the effects of the Israel frequently attacks military targets lacks the equipment, fuel, other material, disaster. “Federal funding also is available to State, tribal, and inside Syria in an attempt to prop up terror- and funding needed to rebuild the country in eligible local governments and certain private nonprofit organi- ist groups that have been suffering defeats order to accept refugee returns,” according zations on a cost-sharing basis for emergency work and the repair against Syrian government forces. to a U.S. government memo, which was seen or replacement of facilities damaged by the wildfires and high Israel has also been providing weapons to by Reuters news agency. winds in Shasta County.” anti-Damascus militants as well as medical The Russian plan received an icy reception Firefighters endured high temperatures and gusting winds as treatment to Takfiri elements wounded in in Washington. The memo said the U.S. policy they attempted to contain two blazes known as the Mendocino Syria. was only to support such efforts if there was Complex raging around Mendocino, Lake and Colusa counties, Western countries accuse the Syria gov- a political solution to end Syria’s seven-year- about 90 miles (145 km) north of San Francisco. as well as images of his body after his death. started evacuating the Mazor Ladach clinic set ernment of possessing chemical weapons, old foreign instigated war. The fires had grown to cover about 229,000 acres (82,675 The Takfiri terrorist group carried up in August 2017 to provide medical care to an allegation rejected by Damascus. Rukban lies within 55km of the so-called hectares) by Saturday night, and were considered 32% contained, out a series of simultaneous bombing terrorists fleeing Syrian territories to Israel. Syria surrendered its chemical stockpile in de-confliction zone established by the U.S. according to the California forestry and fire protection officials (Cal and armed attacks against Suwayda and Syria and its allies defeated ISIL late last 2013 to a mission led by the United Nations close to the Iraqi-Syrian border. Fire). Brown, who visited some of the burned areas on Saturday, three villages surrounding it, killing more year but the terrorist group’s remnants have and the Organization for the Prohibition of The American presence in Syria has been said the increasingly long fire season was the “new normal, that than 250 people. been trying to regroup and have mounted a Chemical Weapons (OPCW). limited to the north, where the U.S.-backed we’ve got to deal with”. The Suwayda area is mostly inhabited series of hit-and run attacks. Damascus has repeatedly accused the Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces are in con- But he was confident the president he has clashed with over by people from the Druze sect. According to Russia confirms Syrian refugee House of Saud regime, Qatar, and Turkey trol. The U.S. is also present in the south immigration and pollution policies would send aid, which Trump the so-called Syrian Observatory for Human proposal sent to United States of providing militants with banned weapons. along the Jordanian border. did last year when California’s wine country was hit hard. Rights (SOHR), 36 people were kidnapped Elsewhere, Russia’s defense ministry con- ISIL beheads one of hostages Addressing the United Nations Security “The president has been pretty good on helping us in disasters, from one village but four women have escaped firmed it proposed working with the United kidnapped in southern Syria Council (UNSC) last week, Russia urged world so I’m hopeful,” said Brown, a Democrat on Saturday before the ever since while two have died. States on funding the return of Syrian refu- Meantime, the Takfiri terrorist group powers to help Syria’s economic recovery White House announcement. “Tragedies bring people together.” There have been negotiations between gees to their homes in the war-torn country, of the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant and the return of refugees as its Damascus The Mendocino Complex is now considered the sixth-largest Druze authorities and ISIL for the release but the proposition was reportedly rejected. (ISIL/Daesh) has executed one of more ally presses on with a campaign to re-take wildfire in California’s history. Four of the state’s largest six fires of the hostages but they have failed so far. The proposal, which came in the form than 30 people it abducted from the city of rebel-held territory. have occurred since 2012. This year, Californian wildfires have The terrorist group took the hostages of a letter addressed to the senior U.S. mili- Suwayda in southern Syria during a brazen Moscow’s intervention in 2015 tilted the burned more land earlier in the fire season than usual, the Cal in a bid to force the government to halt an tary general in July, referenced an informal attack last month. conflict for Assad’s forces, who have in recent Fire director, Ken Pimlott, told a news conference on Saturday. ongoing military push which has liberated refugee camp in Rukban, the ministry said According to local media and a war mon- months made major territorial gains against “Fire season is really just beginning. What seems like we should much of the Syrian land bordering Jordan in a statement on Saturday. itor on Sunday, images circulated by ISIL armed groups, including the ISIL. be in the peak of fire season, historically, is really now the kind and territories occupied by Israel in the Go- The poorly equipped camp, home to at showed Muhannad Dhouqan Abu Ammar, Since then, Russia has mainly conduct- of conditions we’re seeing really at the beginning,” said Pimlott. lan Heights. least 55,000 Syrians, is located in a desert a 19-year-old student, had been executed ed air strikes against groups opposed to the Californian fires last week had torched about 290,000 acres The operation has returned Suwayda area near the convergence of the Iraqi, Syrian by the group. government, including the Syrian National (117,300 hectares), more than double the five-year average over and the neighboring provinces of Dara’a and Jordanian borders. ISIL kidnapped mostly women and chil- Coalition, ISIL, Hay’et Tahrir al-Sham - pre- that same period, according to Cal Fire. and Quneitra to government control. In the letter, the Russian chief of staff, dren from the village of al-Shabki during its viously known as al-Nusra Front (Jabhat The Mendocino Complex fires cover an area 71% of the size On Friday, the Israeli military said it General Valery Gerasimov, said Moscow deadly rampage on July 25. Relatives said al-Nusra) - and others. of Los Angeles. They have forced the evacuation of more than had shut down a field hospital specialized was ready to discuss with Damascus safety the young man had been taken hostage along The war, now in its seventh year, has killed 20,000 residents and destroyed more than 100 structures. in treating militants as Syrian government guarantees for refugees stranded at Rukban, with his mother. hundreds of thousands of people and created More evacuations were ordered on Saturday afternoon, but forces continued to liberate more areas in as well as creating conditions for their re- His family reportedly received two videos, the world’s worst refugee crisis, driving more no estimate of people involved was released. the Golan Heights. turn home. one showing the victim being decapitated and than 11 million people from their homes. The fires have swelled to become larger than the deadly Carr In a statement, the military said it had “A proposal was also made to coordinate the second of him speaking before being killed (Source: agencies) fire, about 100 miles (160 km) to the north-east, which has killed at least seven people and destroyed more than 1,500 structures. Firefighters by Saturday night had managed to contain 41% of Brazil’s Workers Party launches jailed Lula for president the Carr blaze, measured at 145,000 acres (58,680 hectares), and authorities were allowing some evacuees to return, Cal Fire said. Brazil’s Workers Party (PT) officially named former Presi- allied parties’ candidates. Both areas remained under a “red flag warning” issued by the dent Luiz Inacio Lula de Silva as its presidential candidate The Brazilian Sustainability Network Party (REDE) nom- National Weather Service for strong winds, low relative humidity on Saturday even though he is in prison on a corruption inated former senator and environment minister Marina and temperatures topping 32C (90F). conviction that will almost certainly bar him from running. Silva for her third presidential bid, while the center-right (Source: The Guardian) Lula has been jailed since April but leads in opinion polls Brazil Social Democracy Party (PSDB) launched the candi- when included as a candidate. Unable to attend the conven- dacy of four-time governor of Sao Paulo Geraldo Alckmin. tion, he addressed the party in a letter striking a defiant tone. Silva and Alckmin are polling second and third behind “Today our democracy is threatened,” Lula wrote. “They far-right candidate Jair Bolsonaro in early polling that ex- want to make the presidential election a rigged card game, cludes Lula. Bomb attack kills 3 excluding the name that is ahead in popular preference in Alckmin, who lost to Lula in 2006, said 14 years of Work- all polls.” ers Party rule had left Brazil 13 million unemployed in a NATO soldiers in eastern The convention ended without the PT declaring a vice sputtering economy suffocated by an oversized government. Afghanistan presidential candidate, pushing electoral deadlines to the “Nobody tolerates a state infested by corruption anymore. brink and adding a further degree of uncertainty to what is We are going to unlock the economy by downsizing the state,” Three NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) soldiers have already Brazil’s most wide-open election in decades. he told the party convention in Brasilia. been killed in a bomb attack during a routine foot patrol in eastern Parties have until Sunday to hold conventions and name Alckmin has forged a broad nine-party coalition that will Lula’s place should he be barred from running as is widely Afghanistan. The attack was carried out in the Khalazai area of candidates, although the consequences for missing that dead- give him an advantage in television and radio advertising expected. Election law disqualifies people from standing Charikar, the capital city of eastern Parwan Province on Sunday. line are unclear with a separate filing deadline on Aug. 15 to time when the campaign officially kicks off on August 16. for office if they have corruption convictions held up on Four other soldiers, including two Afghans, were wounded declare nominees to the election authority. He picked former journalist and Senator Ana Amelia as his initial appeal. in the attack. The Taliban — who were ousted from power by the PT leaders, including party president Senator Gleisi running mate, a choice aimed at winning over female voters. At least eight other parties held conventions on Saturday, United States-led invasion of Afghanistan in 2001 — claimed Hoffmann, denied they have a Plan B candidate to stand in (Source: Reuters) largely ratifying expected presidential tickets or backing responsibility for the Sunday bombing attack. The group claimed it had killed eight “U.S. invaders.” Eastern Afghanistan, where units of the U.S. Special Forces Yemeni women rally for ‘resistance’ after Saudi carnage have regularly been deployed against militants, continues to be one of the deadliest areas for the U.S. military since its main Hundreds of Yemeni women have taken into target them, as this is not the first time that combat operation against the Taliban ended in 2014. the streets of the capital, Sana’a, to denounce airstrikes target people.” Despite the U.S.-led invasion of the country, which was con- deadly Saudi-led aerial assaults, the latest of Backed by Saudi-led airstrikes, Emirati ducted as part of Washington’s so-called war on terror, militants which hit the port city of Hudaydah. forces and pro-Hadi militants launched the continue to wreak havoc across the country. The demonstrators marched in Sana’a’s Hudaydah offensive on June 13 despite inter- The Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL/Daesh) terrorist main roads on Saturday while carrying plac- national warnings that it would compound the group, too, has gained a foothold in Afghanistan. ards and Yemeni national flags. impoverished nation’s humanitarian crisis. Both Taliban and ISIL terrorists frequently attack civilian They also chanted slogans in condem- Saudi Arabia claims that the Houthis and government targets. nation of the Saudi war, which has claimed are using Hudaydah for weapons delivery, an The United States has reportedly started direct talks with the lives of thousands of Yemenis over the allegation rejected by the fighters. the Taliban in Qatar. past three years. ’Yemen’s western coast will be (Source: Press TV) Some of the protesters held up rifles to aggressors’ graveyard’ underline the need for resistance against the Separately on Saturday, Houthi spokes- aggressors. man Mohammed Abdulsalam, told Iran’s Saudi Arabia and its allies launched a Tasnim news agency that Yemeni fighters brutal war, code-named Operation Decisive were conducting a military operation against Almost 400 migrants Storm, against Yemen in March 2015 in an the aggressors in the country’s western coast attempt to reinstall former Yemeni President Houthi fighters. Several Western countries the Middle East Eye news portal that the air using tactics that would eventually force the rescued off Spanish coast Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi, a staunch ally have been supplying Saudi Arabia with ad- raids had killed 60 people and wounded more invaders out of the region. this weekend of Riyadh, and crush the popular Houthi vanced weapons and military equipment. than 100 others. So far, he said, Yemeni forces have man- Ansarullah movement. aged to take a total of 60 mercenaries captive. Yemen is now suffering from the worst hu- The source also noted that medics were Almost 400 migrants were rescued in the Mediterranean this The offensive initially consisted of a Abdulsalam further stressed that the op- manitarian crisis in the world due to the Saudi struggling to respond to patients’ needs in weekend as they attempted to make the crossing from Morocco bombing campaign, but was later coupled eration around Durayhimi would continue aggression and siege. Hudaydah. to Spain, Spanish rescue services said. with a naval blockade and the deployment and that the neighborhood in Hudaydah Fatal Hudaydah attack “The hospitals suffer from lack of med- While the overall numbers of migrants reaching Europe by of ground forces into Yemen. as well as other towns on Yemen’s western In its latest war crime in Yemen, Saudi icines, equipment and doctors because of sea is down from the peak in 2015, Spain has witnessed a steady The imposed war, however, has so far coast would be turned into the aggressors’ warplanes struck a hospital and a fishing the war,” he said. “I appeal to international increase in sea arrivals that began more than a year ago and has failed to achieve its goals, thanks to stiff graveyard. harbor in Hudaydah on Thursday. organizations to support the health system surged in recent months. resistance from Yemeni troops and allied (Source: Press TV) A source at Hudaydah’s health office told in Hudaydah, to help people when the Saudis Through Saturday, 395 people were rescued from nine boats in the Strait of Gibraltar and the Alboran Sea, the two principal sea crossings to Spain, the Spanish coastguard said on Twitter. New protests hit southern Iraq Two more people were rescued from a small boat Sunday, it said. Protesters flooded the streets of southern Iraq again Sunday, along with state incompetence and foreign interference. Anti-corruption rallies have also hit Baghdad’s central Spain, which for the first time in years has overtaken Italy nearly a month into a wave of unrest over corruption and While there were no clashes over the weekend, fourteen Tahrir Square, but they too have waned to just a few dozen as the preferred destination for refugees, has registered almost decaying public services. In oil-rich Basra, the southern port people have been killed since the unrest flared, including at protestors. Prime Minster Haider al-Abadi July 29 sacked 21,000 migrants so far this year, almost more than in the whole city where the protests broke out July 8, tribal chiefs and least one person shot dead by security forces. Electricity Minister Qassem al-Fahdawi, whose departure of last year, according to figures compiled by the International Shia religious leaders joined several hundred demonstrators Daily demonstrations have continued despite government had been demanded by demonstrators. Organization for Migration. The mortality rate for the crossing in front of the provincial headquarters. Security forces were pledges to pump billions of dollars into oil-rich but neglected Fahdawi’s dismissal came amid political tensions as Iraq from Morocco is around one in 70, IOM said, lower than that deployed en masse as demonstrators railed against chronic south. But the initially large protests have dwindled, apparently awaits the results of a partial recount of May 12 elections. between Libya and Italy, which is one in 19. power cuts, water shortages and endemic unemployment, weakened by numerous arrests and a heavy security presence. (Source: AFP) (Source: Reuters) I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y 4 ECONOMY AUGUST 6, 2018

STOCK MARKET Iran’s TPO to TEDPIX 128448.0 IFX 1473.92 cooperate with Sources: tse.ir, Ifb.ir

CURRENCIES ITC on near $8m USD 44,120 rials EUR 51,470 rials of joint projects GBP 57,364rials ECONOMY TEHRAN – Managers Nations, ITC has good experiences in AED 12,140 rials deskand representatives of regulating and developing strategies for Source: mehrnews.com International Trade Center (ITC) met with developing exports, supporting small and Mojtaba Khosrotaj, the head of Iran’s Trade medium-sized enterprises and assessing Promotion Organization (TPO), on Saturday the performance and achievements of trade to discuss joint projects. development organizations in different be completed over a two-year period, and The ITC delegation was in Tehran According to Khosrotaj, as a multilateral countries. TPO is seeking to get their fund from the EU until Sunday and discussed the details COMMODITIES agency which has a joint mandate with the As reported, the mentioned projects Economic Commission and award some of of the projects with companies and related WTI $68.49/b World Trade Organization and the United are expected to cost about $8 million and them to Iranian companies. entities. Brent $73.21/b OPEC Basket $71.61/b Non-oil exports to Europe up 11% in 4 5 new ATR aircrafts land in Gold $1,214.55/oz months yr/yr Mehrabad Airport Silver $15.46/oz ECONOMY TEHRAN — The period, with 14.69 percent rise from ECONOMY TEHRAN — Five new company’s deliveries to Iran 13, by the time. desk desk Platinium $836.65/oz value of Iran’s non- $13.471 billion in the same four months ATR-72600 passenger ATR has been lobbying the U.S. oil exports to European countries of the preceding year, according to aircrafts landed in Tehran’s International Treasury to allow it to take advantage of Sources: oilprice.com, Moneymetals.com during the four-month period from Islamic Republic of Iran Customs Mehrabad Airport on Sunday morning the normal wind-down period for Iran March 21 to July 22 rose 11 percent Administration (IRICA). just before renewed U.S. sanctions go into business by giving it temporary new compared to the same period of time IRICA data showed that gas effect, IRNA reported. licenses. NEWS IN BRIEF in the previous year, IRNA reported. condensate valued at $1.864 billion, Making remarks during the receiving The U.S decision on Iran has raised Also, Iran’s weight of non-oil liquefied propane worth $691 million, ceremony of the aircrafts, Iranian Transport question marks over whether ATR can Digging operation exports to Europe increased by 91 low-density oils and their byproducts Minister Abbas Akhoundi called delivering reach a target of stabilizing annual of 53 oil, gas wells percent in the four months of this except for gasoline valued at $555 the ATR passenger aircrafts to Iran as the deliveries at 80 aircrafts in 2018. year from the same time span of the million, polyethylene film grade valued European Union’s positive step towards The planemaker has said it will suffer conducted in 4 past year. at $411 million, and methanol worth fulfilling its obligations. financial damage if it cannot deliver the months Iran has exported $15.45 billion of $470 million were the main exported Iran Air ordered a total of 20 aircrafts aircraft it has already produced following non-oil products to different countries products during the mentioned period from ATR and the newly arrived aircrafts earlier U.S. approvals, and is looking for during the mentioned four-month of time. make the total number of the Franco-Italian alternative buyers, Reuters reported. ECONOMY TEHRAN — National Iranian Drilling deskCompany (NIDC) dug and completed digging operation of 53 oil and gas wells during the first four months of World’s priciest precious metal set to blossom as shortage looms current Iranian calendar year (March 21-July 22), according to an official with the NIDC. The world’s most expensive precious metal in the back of investors’ minds.” Hamidreza Khoshayand, the deputy managing director of is set to get even pricier as a mining retreat Johnson Matthey Plc expects last year’s NIDC, said some 69,377 meters of digging has been conducted in South Africa threatens a supply shortage. small rhodium deficit to become a surplus for the mentioned onshore and offshore wells, Shana news Rhodium -- a byproduct of platinum of 68,000 ounces in 2018. Beyond this year, agency reported. mining that’s used in the chemical sector and the outlook for the metal looks fairly strong by the auto industry in catalytic converters with auto-industry demand particularly -- has more than trebled in value since the supportive, the refiner said. Saffron exports start of 2017. The silver-white element, named Still, getting exposure to one of the rarest rise 56% in a after the Greek word for rose, could go even precious metals isn’t easy. While there are higher as output is squeezed by the woes a few exchange-traded funds backed by quarter on year facing South Africa’s platinum industry. rhodium, they are small and thinly traded. With no primary mines for rhodium, That leaves retail investors with a limited supply will be cut as Impala Platinum Holdings choice of bars or coins from a handful of Ltd. and Lonmin Plc shut unprofitable shafts dealers, or getting minor exposure to the ECONOMY TEHRAN— Iran exported $76.5 million to weather the lower platinum prices brought metal through the shares of South Africa’s deskof saffron during the first quarter of current by the switch from diesel cars. Stable demand platinum miners. Iranian calendar year (March 21-June 21) with 56 percent rise and dwindling supply in a rhodium market Rhodium has held up better than platinum from the figure of the same time span in the previous year, dominated by a small number of active players because it’s primarily used in gasoline cars. Trade Promotion Organization (TPO) announced. is a recipe for another price explosion, said While it should continue to outperform TPO put the country’s weight of saffron exports at 55 tons Gerry Dawson, a consultant who has traded by South African power shortages that curbed It could go to $3,000 an ounce in the near its sister metals, according to Simona in the three-month period of this year, showing 52 percent precious metals for two decades since working mine output. term, said Nikos Kavalis, a founding partner Gambarini, a London-based economist at increase compared to the first quarter of the past year. at refiner Heraeus Metals New York LLC. “There’s a history of big moves here,” of consultancy Metals Focus. Capital Economics Ltd., she is less bullish As platinum miners curb production, Dawson said. Niche market on the price outlook. rhodium output will drop, causing prices Rhodium, which can resist high “Rhodium is a very small market, once Gambarini expects slower economic to rally further, Dawson said. That could temperatures and outperforms other its fundamentals change, there’s limited growth in China and weaker sales in other rekindle visions of the market a decade ago, platinum-group metals in removing nitrogen above ground stocks to meet demand,” core markets to lower the price of the metal Liam Fox says no-deal Brexit when rhodium topped $10,000 an ounce after oxides from car exhausts, recently traded Kavalis said by phone. “The fact that the to $1,950 an ounce by the end of the year. now more likely than an five years of a supply deficit were compounded at a seven-year high of $2,350 an ounce. price once rocketed above $10,000 remains (Source: Bloomberg) agreement Canada ‘very keen’ on wrapping up year-old NAFTA talks The UK appears set to crash out of the EU without a Brexit deal due to the “intransigence” of the Brussels machine, Liam Fox has claimed. Canada is “very keen” on concluding unless major changes are made. of August was a realistic deadline. there are also significant bilateral trading The international trade secretary put the chances of a no-deal negotiations to renew the North American In a renewed push, Mexican and U.S. Mexican and U.S. officials are due to meet issues between each of the countries,” said Brexit at “60-40” despite both sides saying they wanted to reach Free Trade Agreement as soon as possible, cabinet ministers held a series of meetings again next week to work on contentious Freeland, adding that she welcomed bilateral an agreement on the terms of the UK’s departure from the bloc in Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland said in Washington over the past week in a bid issues such as wages and rules governing talks between Canada’s two NAFTA partners. March 2019. on Saturday, amid signs of progress after to work out their differences. One Mexican how much North American produced content The Trump administration, which The prominent Brexiter said he believed the risk of a no-deal months of delays. official expressed optimism that some kind an automobile must contain to qualify for complains NAFTA caused hundreds of scenario had increased, pinning the blame on the European com- Talks to modernize the 1994 trade pact of agreement could be reached by the end duty-free status. thousands of manufacturing jobs to move mission and Brussels’ chief negotiator, Michel Barnier. started in August 2017 but have dragged on of the month. Freeland said she was ready to join the to plants in low-wage Mexico, wants Mexican “I think the intransigence of the commission is pushing us to- much longer than expected as Canada and “I and Canada are very, very keen to get talks at any time but did not give details. workers to be paid more and is demanding wards no deal,” he told the Sunday Times (paywall). “We have set Mexico pushed back against far-reaching it done as quickly as possible,” Freeland told Canadian officials dismiss speculation that more North American content in cars and out the basis in which a deal can happen but if the EU decides that U.S. demands for reform. President Donald reporters on a conference call. She did not she is being sidelined. light trucks produced in the NAFTA nations. the theological obsession of the unelected is to take priority over Trump has said he will walk away from NAFTA answer directly when asked whether the end “While this is a trilateral agreement ... (Source: Reuters) the economic wellbeing of the people of Europe then it’s a bureau- crats’ Brexit, not a people’s Brexit – then there is only going to be one outcome.” Australia’s big banks have stranglehold on consumers He said Barnier had dismissed the UK’s proposals in the Cheq- Australia’s four biggest banks have used their dominant posi- They also sold insurance to people they knew could not uers plan thrashed out by Theresa May and the cabinet because tion to exploit customers, deliver inferior products, charge afford it, and lied to industry regulators, who have generally “we have never done it before”. exorbitant fees and block competition, according to a new been too weak to do much about it, according to the parlia- The government has admitted its proposals are unprecedented, government report calling for more competition and integrity mentary findings and experts. but Fox said Barnier’s response “makes the chance of no deal greater”. in the industry. The cavalier behavior, experts say, is a byproduct of the The prime minister held talks with the French president, Em- The report, released Friday by the Productivity Commis- dominance of Australia’s biggest banks. manuel Macron, on Friday, cutting short her holiday to visit his sion, found that Australia’s four largest banks control more Australia established a policy of prioritizing the country’s summer retreat. than 75 percent of the country’s lending, deposit and credit four largest homegrown banks with a so-called four pillars Cabinet ministers including the foreign secretary, Jeremy Hunt, card businesses. The insurance industry is even more con- policy, which was instituted in 1990 to prevent any merger and the Brexit secretary, Dominic Raab, have also engaged in dip- centrated, leading the country’s biggest financial players into between Australia’s major banks: National Australia Bank; lomatic activity in Europe in recent days as the government seeks habits of abuse and complacency, the report said. the Commonwealth Bank, which was owned by the govern- to deal directly with individual governments in an effort to keep “Power needs to be put back in the hands of the customer,” ment until 1996; Australia and New Zealand Banking Group, the Chequers plan alive. the country’s treasurer, Scott Morrison, said on Friday in A woman using a Commonwealth Bank A.T.M. in Sydney, otherwise known as ANZ; and Westpac. In a sign that member states are being warned of the conse- prepared remarks introducing the report. “Too often, we Australia. Commonwealth is one of the country’s biggest The banking business evolved with all four growing to- quences of the failure to find a deal, Fox said: “It’s up to the EU27 have also become willing participants in a game where the banks, which received a harsh rebuke in a government report gether. They operated with a heavy reliance on mortgages to determine whether they want the EU commission’s ideological deck is stacked against us.” for exploiting customers and other bad behavior. and on neighborhood branches, experts say, making it harder purity to be maintained at the expense of their real economies.” The report calls for more transparency to empower consum- for international players to break in. Meanwhile, the former cabinet minister Priti Patel said May ers, and urges regulators and banks to prioritize competition, tained some of the largest profit margins in the world. Regulators have long complained about lacking the re- must ditch the Chequers plan, which would result in the introduc- not just stability. And now, after 26 years without a recession in the country, sources to police the banks, even as they grew and developed tion of a “common rule book” for goods with the EU, in effect tying The recommendations, however, represent a market- with pressure for growth intensifying as the real estate market a vast array of products that were often hard to differentiate the UK to terms set by Brussels. based tweak rather than a major overhaul, and many legal cools, the banking industry’s everyday practices — along with or understand. Writing in the Telegraph, she said it did not meet the result of and financial experts questioned whether the government’s incidents of malfeasance — have prompted intense outrage “There is evidence that they have sustained prices above the referendum and would “leave us half-in and half-out, still bound approach would be sufficient to restore public trust. and demands for change. competitive levels, offered inferior quality products to some to EU regulations and constraints”. “I suspect we’re going to end up with no major change,” Hearings in Parliament that began in December have groups of customers (particularly those customers unlikely Calling for a looser free trade deal with the EU she said the change said Cameron Murray, an economist at the University of identified patterns of systemic abuse by banks, insurance and to change providers), subsumed much of the broker industry would take “political courage, the kind of courage that appears to Queensland and an author of a book on Australian banking, other financial firms — including, in some cases, charging and taken action that would inhibit the expansion of smaller have been lacking over the past two years”. “Game of Mates.” “We can’t address it — this banking cartel — fees to dead people. competitors in some markets,” the report said. “All are indicators The Labour former cabinet minister David Blunkett used a by imagining there’s some arrangement where it’s not a cartel Banks and other major financial institutions were also of the use of market power to the detriment of consumers.” Sunday Telegraph article to reject claims that people who voted to and that some sort of free-market competition will occur.” found to have charged customers for financial advice when Mr. Morrison put it more bluntly: “Banks have made this leave over immigration concerns were “racist” and said the result The country’s financial sector and government have won they knew it would not be given; to have forged documents; mess for themselves. They should play a key role in clean- would be the same if there was another referendum. praise for their stability, especially after weathering the global and to have repeatedly failed to verify customers’ living ex- ing shop.” (Source: The Guardian) financial crisis of 2008. But Australia’s banks have also main- penses before lending them money. (Source: New York Times) I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y AUGUST 6, 2018 ENERGY 5

OPEC July crude oil output surges Squeeze on UK energy providers raises fear 340,000 bpd from June: survey of shake-out Saudi Arabia pumped close to its all-time month-on-month to 670,000 b/d, its lowest Iresa, one of Britain’s independent energy suppliers, finally ran out high in July and several of its OPEC brethren since April 2017, the survey found, as it dealt of power last month. The company, which had regularly offered the posted their largest crude oil output figures with a militia blockade of its eastern ports cheapest deals and received the most complaints for poor service, in more than a year and a half, as the bloc that was resolved July 11 and a kidnapping at stopped trading. appears to be following through on its the Sharara field in the country’s southwest. Its 90,000 customers have been transferred to a larger sup- agreement to unleash more barrels on the Angola’s production remained steady plier but Iresa’s demise has sparked renewed concerns about the market. at 1.45 million b/d in July, a 190,000 b/d sustainability of some of the smaller players and prompted fresh OPEC produced 32.66 million barrels year-on-year decline, according to the calls for a tougher licensing regime. per day (b/d) in July, a 340,000 b/d rise survey, as its mature fields continued to With wholesale gas and electricity prices rising and the gov- from June, including newest member the deplete. But the African country should see ernment’s cap on household energy tariffs looming the industry Republic of Congo, according to the latest its production rebound in the coming months is facing an unprecedented squeeze on profits, leading to fears S&P Global Platts survey of industry officials, with the offshore Kaombo field beginning of another shake-out among the smaller providers. Many in the analysts and shipping data. first production in late July. industry believe barriers to entry have been too low and enabled Saudi Arabia, OPEC’s largest member, Major gainers besides Saudi Arabia companies to win customers purely based on offering low prices. produced 10.63 million b/d, the kingdom’s include Nigeria, which boosted its output Although customers are protected if a supplier goes bust some of highest since August 2016, when it produced to 1.80 million b/d as the force majeure on the associated costs of the collapse are currently spread across its record 10.66 million b/d, according to key export grade Bonny Light was lifted the industry. Platts survey archives. mid-month, and the UAE and Kuwait, both Colin Crooks, chief executive of First Utility, one of the larger Its Persian Gulf allies Kuwait and the of whom had signaled their intent to loosen independents that was bought by Royal Dutch Shell last December, UAE pushed their output to their most since their taps. compares the current market structure unfavorably with Las Vegas December 2016 -- the last month before OPEC UAE output rose to 2.97 million b/d, casinos. “Unlike casinos, which need to have enough money in their and 10 non-OPEC allies agreed to implement while Kuwait produced 2.78 million b/d vaults to cover every bet on the table, energy suppliers currently supply cuts that are now being eased -- as did in July, the survey found. don’t have to honor their customers’ credit balances in the event Iraq and Algeria, the survey found. Iraq also raised crude exports from its that they fail,” he said. Those gains were more than enough to OPEC’s July compliance among the 12 sanctions snapping back in November. southern terminals to a record high in July, offset output declines in sanctions-hit Iran, members with specified quotas stands at Venezuela, suffering from crushing with its production coming in at 4.57 million crisis-wracked Venezuela and conflict-torn 105%, down from 131% in June, according debt, crumbling infrastructure, worker b/d, according to the survey. Libya. to Platts calculations. unrest, hyperinflation and U.S. sanctions, Newest member Congo produced 310,000 OPEC on June 23 agreed with its partners Gainers and strugglers continued its output slide to 1.24 million b/d in July, a drop from 330,000 b/d in June. to end over compliance with their production Iran, which has warned other members b/d, a 670,000 b/d drop in a year and the The Platts OPEC figures were compiled cuts and boost output by a collective 1 million against encroaching on its market share, lowest in the 30-year history of the Platts by surveying OPEC and oil industry officials, b/d to replace barrels expected to be shut in saw its production fall to 3.72 million b/d OPEC survey, except a debilitating worker traders and analysts, as well as reviewing by the reimplementation of U.S. sanctions in July as European buyers began winding strike in late 2002 and early 2003. proprietary shipping data. on Iran and Venezuela’s economic quagmire. down their purchases in advance of U.S. Libya’s output dropped 30,000 b/d (Source: Platts) Saudi Arabia is starting to stockpile oil again The key OPEC oil producers seem to be finding rises during the hot months as demand for grees Fahrenheit is plenty hot enough. Still, There’s clearly room for them to keep rising it harder than expected to sell their output electricity to run air conditioners outstrips there’s unlikely to have been an abnormally and good reason too. Customers are protected by industry regulator Ofgem’s “supplier overseas. The probable resulting build-up the amount available from gas-fired power big upswing in oil consumption for power The return of U.S. sanctions on Iran has of last resort” process, which spreads the cost of a supplier failure in their stockpiles should at least help them stations. The use of crude in power gener- generation. already hit the country’s oil exports, and it’s across the rest of the industry. Instead, said Crooks, suppliers offset the drop in Iranian supplies as U.S. ation can rise by as much as 600,000 daily If the oil hasn’t been consumed or left the almost certainly going to get worse. Bloomberg should have to post a bond to insure the excess credit balances of sanctions start to bite deeper. barrels, according to figures from the Joint country, it must have gone into local storage tanker tracking in July shows the country’s their customers should they fail. Ofgem has launched a review of Crude oil exports from the five Persian Organizations Data Initiative. But that has tanks – historical data suggest Saudi Arabia crude and condensate exports have already its licensing regime and will publish its proposals in late summer. Gulf Arab members of OPEC fell by about been reduced in the past couple of years as has plenty of capacity. The kingdom’s stored fallen by about 430,000 barrels a day, or 15 It recognized that “low entry barriers, and more participants active 1.1 million barrels a day last month, after more gas becomes available. Last year it was crude has been falling for almost three years percent, from their April peak. in the market, could increase the likelihood of companies enter- surging in June, according to Bloomberg about 430,000 barrels. and continued to drop as Riyadh cut pro- I’ve written before about how producers ing the market who are not meeting expectations with respect to tanker tracking. In any case, much of the seasonal increase duction last year. will struggle to make up for the drop in Iranian customer service and of supplier failure”. Some of the spare barrels may have been in oil demand would already have happened Saudi stockpiles fell by 95 million barrels, exports on top of the decline in Venezuelan Other failures such as that of GB Energy in 2016 and Future used locally, either processed in refineries by June and summer temperatures in Sau- or 29 percent, between October 2015 and the flows and disruption in Libya. Building up Energy at the start of this year had already raised questions about or burnt in power stations. But probably di Arabia haven’t been that high this year. end of April 2018, according to JODI data. stockpiles might not have been its deliberate the sustainability of some of the minnows with market shares of less not as much as would have been the case in Bloomberg data show temperatures this year That’s the lowest since 2011. Yet this depletion intention, but it will help Riyadh take maximum than 1 percent. Some have also sold out. Flowgroup sold its energy previous summers. dipping below their average for the prior may be coming to an end. Inventories rose advantage when Donald Trump’s sanctions supply arm to Co-op Energy in May, warning the government’s Take Saudi Arabia, whose oil consumption five years from mid-July, although 91 de- for the first time in seven months in May. really hit. (Source: Bloomberg) looming cap on household tariffs as well as higher wholesale prices were making trading conditions increasingly difficult. Centrica, owner of market leader British Gas, last week reported lower operating profits for the first six months of the year. Chief Is Nigeria’s oil industry on the road to recovery? executive Iain Conn said the company was keeping “wholesale Over the past few years, Nigeria, Africa’s top oil exporter, has and offshore piracy.” Weli said the company recorded 60 energy prices and their impact on our cost of supply under review”. been beset by a multitude of problems, notably decreased cases of theft in 2017 and 10 in the first two months of 2018. It was very different just four years ago when the government and crude production and exports, oil theft and pipeline attacks, A resurrection of the wave of violence in 2016, which Ofgem launched an “action plan” to reduce barriers to growth for stalled economic reforms and recovery, and the threat of pushed the Nigerian economy into a recession from which so-called challenger companies. The aim was to tackle the dom- oil price volatility. While the Nigerian oil industry has been it has yet to fully recover, would be devastating for the inance of the “big six” and offer consumers more choice. It has cautiously optimistic about overcoming these upheavals nation. In 2016, attacks on pipelines and other oil facilities worked. The incumbents’ market share has dropped to about 80 in 2018, the nation has and will continue to face several in the Niger Delta plunged crude production from a peak percent while the number of active suppliers has gone from 27 in acute challenges. of 2.2 mbpd to below 1.4 mbpd—the lowest production rate December 2014 to 72 in March this year. In May 2018, the Nigerian petroleum industry underwent for Nigeria in the last three decades. This, in combination However, industry executives believe it has now become too easy production complications as outages at key pipelines with low oil prices, caused a budget crisis and a massive to set up as an independent supplier simply by using off-the-shelf supplying Forcados and Bonny Light grade crudes were out recession. billing and offering a cut-price deal on a price comparison website. of commission. In particular, the shutdown of the Nembe With the Nigerian presidential election upcoming in Also, suppliers with less than 250,000 customers are exempt from Creek Pipeline in mid-May, which transports 150,000 bpd February 2019, many have speculated whether NDA and paying certain environmental and social costs. Rising wholesale of Bonny Light to the Forcados terminal, caused Shell of the Nigerian Association for Energy Economics, has other groups will renew their campaign of violence and prices are adding to the pressure. Many of the smaller companies Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria to declare called for the central government to take steps to boost vandalism. Ben Payton, head of the Africa Research Program do not hedge all of their purchases and so are forced to buy some a force majeure on Bonny Light crude exports. Although Nigeria’s production capacity in order to support future at Verisk Maplecroft, believes that while these groups will of their energy on the spot market, exposing them to price swings. Shell has declined to comment, there is speculation this participation in OPEC supply increases. If Nigeria is unable not entirely abandon the ceasefire, which provides them This can become an issue if they offer fixed-price tariffs to their shutdown was due to sabotage. Shell lifted the force majeure to boost production in the wake of this meeting, the supply with amnesty payments, “militants will carry out one or customers so their costs go up but they are unable to pass these on. on July 13th, when repairs were completed. increase could affect the central government’s revenue, two attacks to demonstrate their continued relevance and “The question about the sustainability of some of the business This shutdown has, in conjunction with the closure of which relies on crude sales for 2/3rds of its budget, and push the government into making further concessions.” models is a fair one in a rising market and I think we will see the leaking Trans-Forcados pipeline, which transports thus the Nigerian economy as a whole. For a nation over- Any return of instability to the Niger Delta would have more consolidation among the smaller players,” said Ryan Thom- 200,000-240,000 bpd, led to further delays and an reliant on oil and rated by Brookings to be the poorest in serious consequences for Nigeria’s oil industry, economic son, energy and resources partner at consultancy Baringa. Tom accumulation of unsold crude. According to S&P Global the world, this and other changes to the oil market could recovery, and political stability. Marzec-Manser, gas analyst at ICIS, the market data group, said Platts, these factors caused Nigeria’s oil production to have massive domestic ramifications. With the risk of instability in the Niger Delta still present, today’s prices had been driven higher in particular by the rising drop by 150,000 bpd from 1.88 mbpd in April, dropping For over two decades, oil production in the Niger Delta and the damaging effect this entails on the region’s oil oil price and lower than usual storage levels for the time of year it to 1.73 mbpd in May and 1.72 mbpd in June. has faced an insurgency from militants demanding a more production, Nigeria adds more supply concerns to an following the cold snap in February and March. Despite the calls Facing these supply concerns, oil exports are expected equitable distribution of oil revenues and a solution to oil market already saturated with instability. If Nigerian on Ofgem to toughen its regime some industry executives believe to decline further to 1.43 mbpd throughout July. According widespread pollution. The Niger Delta Avengers (NDA), and production decreases to 2016 levels, this development could the market itself needs to change.Greg Jackson, chief executive of to Reuters, 48 cargoes of oil exports are expected to be other insurgency groups have attacked pipelines and stolen compound with U.S. sanctions against Iran, Venezuela’s Octopus Energy — which has taken on Iresa’s customers, argued loaded in July, compared with 60 cargoes in June. In crude in order to impact Nigeria’s economic growth and the rapidly declining industry, bottlenecks in the Permian the debate should not be the size of companies or about hedging July, 20-34 million barrels of Nigerian oil has gone unsold central government’s oil revenues. In August 2016, NDA Basin, and political risks in other producers to cause a but about whether suppliers have “good or bad practices”. as traders have sought alternative supplies. Marketing reached a tenuous ceasefire with the Nigerian government, substantial price increase. With Saudi Arabia and Russia’s “The real issue is a broken market in which everyone from the Nigerian crude grades has become difficult due to the price but in January 2018, the group pledged to launch attacks spare capacity diminishing following the 22nd June OPEC regulator to the media to the politicians tells people to switch to the spread between Brent and the West Texas Intermediate, on Nigeria’s oil infrastructure. production increase, this price hike becomes more likely as cheapest tariff,” he said. The cheapest tariffs, however, are invari- which gives an advantage to WTI petroleum over Brent- While oil flows from Nigeria have begun to recover the supply-demand balance becomes tighter. It is unlikely, ably priced below cost. What people should be asking instead, said priced ones. since 2016, security threats have continued. In June 2018, however, that Nigeria will suffer the economic devastation Jackson, was: “Are you well run and do you have a reason to exist?” With unsold crude inventory, Nigeria was less cooperative Igo Weli, general manager for external relations of Shell’s it endured in 2016. That said, any decrease in production (Source: Financial Times) than its Persian Gulf OPEC compatriots to raise production Nigeria operations, stated “Security in parts of the Niger could have major effects on global oil markets and cause but acquiesced to Saudi-led efforts to dampen the market. Delta remains a major concern with persisting incidents of the country to lose the hard-earned steps toward a full Following this decision, Professor Wumi Iledare, President criminality, kidnapping and vandalism as well as onshore recovery. (Source: oilprice.com) Oil price boom helps Petrobras increase profits thirtyfold

India’s renewable investments near $20 billion Rising crude prices boosted Petrobras’s earnings in the second For the first time in history, investing in India’s renewable nataka, home of the booming tech city Bengaluru and locus power expenditures, it’s a no-brainer. In 2017 India, China, quarter of the year helping the Brazilian national oil company energy sector surpassed that of traditional fossil fuel-based of the subcontinent’s renewable energy frontlines. Over the the United States and Europe together account for a whopping to increase its net profit thirtyfold. Higher oil prices averaged power production. India achieved this groundbreaking feat last 12 months the region became India’s biggest renewable two thirds of worldwide electricity network investments. $74.35 per barrel during the quarter, the company said, com- in 2017 according to the recent numbers released in the power producer, boasting an installed power capacity of 12.3 By all accounts, this is just the beginning of the renewables pared to an average of $49.83 a barrel in the year ago period, International Energy Agency (IEA)’s World Energy Invest- gigawatts (GW). This is comprised of 5 GW of solar energy, revolution in India. A few years ago, the nation publicly set offering a cushion over government-imposed fuel price controls. ment 2018 report. nearly 5 GW of wind energy, and 2.6 GW of other renewable what was, at the time, an ambitious goal to reach 175 GW of Petrobras on Friday said net profit was R$10.07bn ($2.68bn) in Ringing in at nearly $20 billion, last year’s investment in power sources like hydro and biomass. wind and solar energy by March of 2022. This was already the three months to the end of June versus just R$316m in the Indian renewables accounted for over a third of investments Reflecting the national trend, Karnataka’s renewable a lofty plan, but in June India increased that target to 227 same period last year. in the power sector thanks to nearly double the money being energy has far outstripped coal, which currently stands at GW -- a staggering 28 percent bump. In the time that the Over the first half of the year, the company reported its biggest poured into solar and wind projects. By comparison, in 2017 around 9.8 GW of capacity in Karnataka. Another striking goal was originally announced, India has so far managed to profit since 2011. Net earnings rocketed to R$17.03bn, up from all investments in power projects based on coal, gas, and oil comparison can be found in the state’s production numbers add about 70 GW, and they’ve announced a plan to auction R$4.76bn in the same period last year. as fuel reached totaled just $16 billion altogether. just 5 years ago. In 2013, Karnataka had a coal capacity of off 40 GW of renewables every year until 2028. The results come just two months after a nationwide trucker’s India’s rising investments in the renewable energy sector 6.8 GW, far less than the current capacity, but dwarfing the As India charges ahead, the rest of the world is falling strike over rising diesel prices brought Latin America’s largest has dovetailed with a fall in coal power investments and mere 4 GW of renewables capacity at the time. behind on energy sector investing. In 2017 global energy economy to its knees, arm-wrestling Petrobras to subsidies die- thermal power generation. Investment for new coal plants This sweeping change is thanks in large part to the recently investments were just $1.8 trillion after three consecutive sel sales to placate the situation. The move cornered the mar- plummeted to their lowest numbers in 15 years, according decreasing prices of wind and solar power. At the same time, years of decline. This is a fall of 2 percent as compared to ket-friendly Pedro Parente, who turned around a company mired to the IEA report. India’s thermal power sector is collapsing, and coal prices 2016, and the IEA projects that the decline will continue in corruption, to step down as chief executive. Leading the charge is the southern coastal state of Kar- are rising. For a nation that makes up a huge part of global over the next few years. (Source: oilprice.com) (Source: Financial Times) I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y 6 INTERNATIONAL AUGUST 6, 2018

Trump’s grand strategy The farcical Saddam’s WMDs By Mark Hodge able and readily understood our technical arguments.” A former UN weapons inspector lifts the lid on The American described another useless the farcical hunt for Iraq’s WMDs including tip off which turned out to be a terrifying bogus intelligence and being shown a biologi- experience in which he feared for his life. cal graveyard which once had enough deadly He said: “We got a tip that a scud missile agents to wipe out the entire human race. was being hidden in a school yard in Tikrit Rocco Casagrande told The Sun Online near Baghdad. We went to the site and found, how he was tasked with probing Saddam with ground penetrating radar, a very large Hussein’s regime from December 2002 until metal object which was buried and it was March 2003 – before the U.S. launched its about the length of a scud missile. controversial invasion. So we got the Iraqi officials to get some The American scientist, who led the UN’s workmen to come and dig this thing up. But biological analysis laboratories, explained while they were doing this an angry mob how “dead end” intelligence tips led his team of a couple hundred Iraqis surrounded the By Brahma Chellaney to chicken farms which were believed to be playground. facilities hiding scud missiles. There were some Iraqi police and intelligence He said: “Every single one of those tips – officers there to ‘protect us.’ But as they’re dig- Not only can U.S. President Donald Trump not be blamed for which I believe were supplied mostly from ging I’m thinking if this is a scud missile then America’s relative decline; he may actually be set to arrest it. As the Israeli and German governments but that’s it - then that’s evidence that they’re not unpredictable as Trump can be, several of his key foreign-policy also from the U.S. and UK- turned out to cooperating and that’s bad news for this whole decisions suggest that his administration is pursuing a coherent be a complete dead end.” process from an Iraqi perspective. Then I start vision aimed at reviving America’s global standing. “We were told that one facility in a central thinking if we find a missile then they’ll prob- U.S. President Donald Trump’s inability to think strategically is part of Baghdad was a secret lab - but it turned ably let this whole mob tear us apart. But after undermining longstanding relationships, upending the global order, out to be a residential property with shag an hour of waiting, it turned to be a section of and accelerating the decline of his country’s global influence – or so carpet on the floor and old people watching a big metal sewer pipe which was buried but the increasingly popular wisdom goes. But this assessment is not The team searching for R-400 fragments in the testing range in Aziziyah. television game shows.” wasn’t connected to anything.” nearly as obvious as its proponents – especially political adversaries “Obviously not the scene of a biological “The mob were probably told to turn up and critics in the mainstream U.S. media – claim. weapons program. We got tips about facilities “We got tips about facilities which were and make us feel uncomfortable. That one America’s relative decline was a hot topic long before Trump took which were hiding scud missiles - but they all hiding scud missiles - but they all turned incident sums up how frustrating and nerve- office. The process began when the United States, emboldened by its turned out to be chicken farms. Why was the wracking my time in Iraq was. emergence from the Cold War as the world’s sole superpower, started out to be chicken farms” Casagrande says. same mistake made so many times? I guess Throughout the entire inspection process, to overextend itself significantly by enlarging its military footprint it was the shape of the farm buildings, the He said: “In the first Persian Gulf war, Asked how much biological agent was in dictator Saddam insisted that Iraq did not a and ramping up its global economic and security commitments. length and the fact that they were low-lying. Iraq deployed nearly 200 biological bombs originally in the pit, the U.S. scientist made nuclear weapons program.That being said, America’s “imperial overreach” was first identified during Presi- We did so many of those type of inspections on the ground near Baghdad. They were filled a startling admission. Casagrande reveals that the UN inspection dent Ronald Reagan’s administration, which oversaw a frenetic we had T-shirts made up that said UN Ballistic with anthrax spores, botulinum toxin, and He said: “With that much agent, if Iraq team happened upon lots and lots of radio- expansion of military spending. It reached crisis levels with the Chicken Farm Inspection Team.” aflatoxin bio-agent. Right after the first war, had a system to disseminate it well - they logical sources in Iraq.” 2003 U.S.-led invasion and subsequent occupation of Iraq under He said that while some of these tips were Iraq denied, denied, denied that it had a bio- could have killed millions. It is enough, if you He said: “During an inspection, we came President George W. Bush – a watershed moment that caused ir- generated from aerial imagery, such as from logical weapons program. But then in the divided it equally amongst everybody and across a house which looked like someone reparable damage to America’s international standing. satellites, other information was obviously mid-90s when enough evidence was collected gave everyone the exact dose they needed had left it just before we got there. There was On President Barack Obama’s watch, China rapidly expanded provided by people. to show that they did - the Saddam regime from the bombs - it could have been enough lunch on the table and a kettle on the stove its global influence, including by forcibly changing the status quo in Casagrande continued: “One tip we got finally admitted it. They said ‘ok, you got to kill everyone on the planet.” but there was no one in the house. We went the South China Sea (without incurring any international costs). By was ‘go to this academic campus - then go to us but we destroyed a lot of it and now you When discussing the three bombs still upstairs to a balcony which overlooked the that point, it was unmistakable: the era of U.S. hegemony was over. this specific building. Go into the basement have to believe us’.” “intact” in Aziziyah, Casagrande said the agent ground floor. On this balcony was a whole It is not just that Trump cannot be blamed for America’s rela- and go into the men’s room and go into the Casagrande said that in 2002, Iraqi offi- inside would have “long since gone south.” load of scuba equipment such as wet suits tive decline; he may actually be set to arrest it. As unpredictable as last stall in that room and then there’s a panel cials took inspectors to the location of where He added: “Biological weapons are an - and it was all very radioactive. We never Trump can be, several of his key foreign-policy moves suggest that on the wall that hides a key pad. Push in these they destroyed the biological bombs from active culture, and, like yogurt, go bad, so figured out what that was about. Why it was his administration is pursuing a grand strategy aimed at reviving numbers on the key pad and the wall will move the first war. there was really nothing left.” in a house, why it was radioactive.” America’s global power. to reveal a secret weapons lab. Real James He continued: “Turns out, they had dug a During his three months in Iraq, the Casagrande admits that despite the UN not For starters, the Trump administration seems eager to roll back Bond-type stuff. But we go to that building huge pit in a bomb testing range in Aziziyah in then-28-year-old expert met with some of finding enough evidence of an existing biologi- America’s imperial overreach, including by avoiding intervention and it doesn’t even have a basement. It’s on eastern Iraq.They had put about 180 of these the Saddam regime’s most infamous figures. cal weapons program in Iraq – he believes in faraway wars and demanding that allies pay their fair share for a flat foundation and obviously never even R400 bombs – which were huge, roughly the He describes Dr Rihab Taha, nicknamed the regime was not telling the whole truth. defense. The fact is that many NATO members do not fulfill their had a basement.” size of a person – and used artillery rounds Dr Germ who spearheaded Saddam’s bio- He said: “We felt like they were hiding spending commitments, effectively leaving American taxpayers Dr Casagrande, who obtained a PHD to blow them up. We found many bomb frag- logical weapons program, as “gentile” and something - but we needed something to back to subsidize their security. These are not new ideas. Before Trump in biology from MIT in 2001, described ments consistent with their story including “evasive” during their meeting. that up with and we had nothing. Knowing even decided to run for office, pundits were arguing that the U.S. how inspectors were taken to the site a three bombs that still contained liquid agent The U.S. academic also met with Iraq’s top their history and knowing that I was lied to needed to pursue a policy of retrenchment, drastically reducing its massive biological weapons graveyard in that did not get destroyed but were buried general Hossam Mohammed Amin who he several times during the process.” international commitments and transferring more of its defense eastern Iraq. with the others.” said was “very professional and knowledge- (Source: The Sun) burden onto its allies. But it was not until Trump, who views run- ning a country much like running a business, that the U.S. had a leader who was willing to pursue that path, even if it undermined the values that have long underpinned U.S. foreign policy. Osama bin Laden’s mother breaks her long silence Trump’s focus on containing China – which FBI Director Chris- topher Wray recently labeled a far bigger challenge than Russia, By Peter Bergen attacking the United States. even in the area of espionage – fits nicely into this strategy. Succes- Bin Laden’s mother confirmed to The Guardian that she sive U.S. presidents, from Richard Nixon to Obama, aided China’s For the first time, Osama bin Laden’s mother, Alia is an Alawite from Syria. Alawism is a branch of Shia Islam. economic rise. Trump, however, regards China not as America’s Ghanem, has given an interview. Conducted in Jeddah, This had long been suspected, but this helps fill in a key economic partner, but as “a foe economically” and even, as the Saudi Arabia, by Martin Chulov of The Guardian, the aspect of bin Laden’s background. official mouthpiece China Daily recently put it, America’s “main interview is noteworthy because bin Laden, the archi- The fact that bin Laden’s beloved mother is an Alawite strategic rival.” tect of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, and his mother were may help explain why bin Laden never advocated for or In general, Trump’s tariffs aim to put the U.S. back in control exceptionally close. fought wars against the Shia, as have other Sunni terrorist of its economic relationships by constraining its ballooning trade What Ghanem says in the interview is largely credible groups, such as ISIS. deficits, with both friends and foes, and bringing economic activity and tracks with the little that is publicly known about her Ghanem says that within the first 48 hours of the 9/11 (and the accompanying jobs) back home. But it is no secret that, relationship with her son. Ghanem recalls bin Laden as “a attacks, she learned her son Osama was responsible, and above all, Trump’s tariffs target China – a country that has long very good kid and he loved me so much.” said she was “shocked. ... We all felt ashamed of him. We defied international trade rules and engaged in predatory practices. According to Ghanem, who is now in her mid-70s, she knew all of us were going to face horrible consequences.” Meanwhile, Trump is also working to ensure that China does not was divorced from Mohammed bin Laden, the enormously The bin Ladens were questioned by Saudi authorities catch up with the U.S. technologically. In particular, his administra- wealthy bin Laden family patriarch, when Osama was three. and for a period could not leave the country. tion seeks to thwart China’s “Made in China 2025” program, the Osama was the only child of their union. Ghanem is in regular touch with the three widows of bin blueprint unveiled by the Chinese government in 2015 for secur- Mohammed bin Laden had 53 other children with some In the interview with The Laden who survived the 2011 U.S. Navy SEAL operation that ing global dominance over ten strategic high-tech industries, from 20 wives. He died in a plane crash when Osama was 10. killed al Qaeda’s leader in Abbottabad, Pakistan. robotics to alternative-energy vehicles. After his parents’ divorce, Ghanem’s second husband, Guardian, bin Laden’s They are now living in Saudi Arabia but cannot leave Trump’s diplomatic activities seem intended to advance this Mohammed al-Attas, raised Osama. mother says outsiders the country. larger strategic vision of reversing America’s relative decline. He Ghanem and her family live in a well-to-do section of Jed- “brainwashed” her son and Bin Laden’s mother allowed herself to be photographed has tried to sweet-talk autocratic leaders, from North Korea’s Kim dah, a testament to the fact that the bin Laden construction for The Guardian story, which is surprising because the Jong-un to Russia’s Vladimir Putin, into making concessions – business is one of the largest in the Middle East. converted him to terrorism photography of women’s faces in Saudi Arabia is still not an approach that has garnered its share of criticism. But Trump’s According to The Guardian, Ghanem is speaking out when bin Laden was a young common. compliments have not translated into kowtowing. for the first time because the Saudi government, led by the The last time that Ghanem said she saw her son was in For example, despite all the controversy over Russia’s interference 32-year-old Saudi Crown Prince Mohamed bin Salman, al- man in his 20s fighting in the city of Kandahar in southern Afghanistan in 1999, the in the 2016 presidential election, the fact is that, since Trump took lowed the interview. Afghanistan against the year after al Qaeda’s attacks on two U.S. embassies in Africa office, the U.S. has expelled Russian diplomats, closed a Russian The Saudi interest in permitting the interview is clear: Soviets in the mid-1980s. that killed more than 200 people. consulate, and imposed three rounds of sanctions on the country. They want to make the argument that bin Laden received Unmentioned in the Guardian interview is that, accord- His administration is now threatening to apply extraterritorial sanc- no Saudi state support, despite the claims in an ongoing In the interview with The Guardian, bin Laden’s mother ing to bin Laden’s chief bodyguard, Abu Jandal, bin Laden’s tions to stop other countries from making “significant” defense lawsuit by some of the families of the 9/11 victims. And, blames outsiders such as bin Laden’s Palestinian mentor, mother went to Kandahar at the behest of the Saudi govern- deals with Russia, a leading arms exporter. the newspaper noted, a Saudi government minder sat in Abdullah Azzam, who purportedly “brainwashed” her son ment in an effort to persuade her son to abandon his life Trump has not flattered any foreign leader more than Chinese during the interview. and converted him to terrorism when bin Laden was a young of terrorism. President Xi Jinping, whom he called “terrific” and “a great gentle- The case remains unresolved, but there is little hard man in his 20s fighting in Afghanistan against the Soviets Bin Laden’s bodyguard recalled that bin Laden treated man.” Yet, again, when Xi refused to yield to Trump’s demands, the evidence that the Saudi state supported bin Laden. After in the mid-1980s. his mother with great respect but told her he could not stop U.S. president did not hesitate to hit back “using Chinese tactics,” all, bin Laden’s principal goal was overthrowing the Saudi Azzam was killed by an assassin in Pakistan in 1989. While fighting his terrorism. including suddenly changing negotiating positions and unpredict- monarchy. he was certainly bin Laden’s mentor, he was not focused on (Source: CNN) ably escalating trade tensions. Even Trump’s direct approach with North Korea undermines China’s position by bypassing it. Trump is right that transforming the U.S.-North Korea relationship matters more than securing com- A departing president’s lesson for peace plete denuclearization. If he can co-opt North Korea, China’s only Colombia’s war with the rebel group FARC important lesson, one that he had to learn justice of prison sentences for perpetrators ter winning, he has softened his tone. His formal military ally, northeast Asian geopolitics will be reshaped ended when President Santos found out during more than four years of difficult ne- than in knowing what happened to the miss- officials told the UN that he will “guarantee” and China’s lonely rise will be more apparent than ever. what the victims of the war really wanted: gotiations with the rebel group known by its ing, in being given reparations, and in helping the ongoing peace process with demobilized There are plenty of problems with Trump’s methods. His brassy, a deal that put mercy and forgiveness ahead Spanish acronym, FARC. prevent similar violence. FARC rebels. theatrical, and unpredictable negotiating style, together with his of harsh justice. The lesson was that he had to listen to They put truth, mercy, and an end to the By studying other peace processes around China-like disregard for international norms, are destabilizing inter- When he steps down as Colombia’s presi- the 8 million victims who lost loved ones or conflict far ahead of punishment. As a result, the world, Santos knew that he had to come national relations. Domestic troubles like political polarization and dent on Tuesday, Juan Manuel Santos will who suffered at the hands of armed groups the victim groups were key in gaining politi- up with one that would be irreversible. Few legislative gridlock – both of which Trump has actively exacerbated take with him a medal for the Nobel Peace on all sides. cal support for the peace plan’s main result: in Colombia are now ready to return to – also weaken America’s hand internationally. Prize, given to him for an agreement in 2016 An estimated 265,000 people were killed rehabilitation and reintegration of rebels who war even though parts of the deal remain But there is no denying that Trump’s muscular “America First” that ended a half-century of war with a leftist during Colombia’s civil war. By giving a seat confessed their crimes. unpopular. approach – which includes one of the most significant military build- guerrilla army. at the negotiating table to the organizations This type of forgiveness lies at the heart of And the agreement has proved an in- ups since World War II – reflects a strategic vision that is focused In addition, his historic achievement will representing victims, Santos found out that the deal. In return for leniency, some 7,000 centive for a much smaller leftist group, squarely on ensuring that the U.S. remains more powerful than have the strong endorsement of the United their thinking can soften the hearts of nego- FARC rebels have now laid down their arms known as the ELN, to negotiate with the any rival in the foreseeable future. Nations Security Council. tiators, create trust and empathy, and make while many of their superiors have started to government. Perhaps more important, the transactional approach to interna- On Thursday, the Council voted unani- compromise possible. appear before a special tribunal for restora- Santos will now be giving lectures around tional relations on which Trump’s strategy relies is likely to persist mously that the peace process designed by “The victims have taught me that the ca- tive justice. The ex-guerrillas have also been the world about what he learned from negotiat- long after he leaves office. Friends and foes alike must get used to a Santos is “a source of inspiration for efforts pacity to forgive can overcome hatred and encouraged to run for political office and ing peace. His key lesson – how forgiveness more self-seeking America doing everything in its power, no matter in many parts of the world to end conflicts rancor,” he said in a recent talk. seek their leftist aims peacefully. can bring peace – will find a home in other the cost, to forestall its precipitous decline. and build peace.” To the surprise of many in his government, The incoming president, Iván Duque, world conflicts. (Source: Project Syndicate) Yet Santos will also be taking with him an the victims were less interested in the harsh ran against parts of the agreement. But af- (Source: The CSM) I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y AUGUST 6, 2018 ANALYSIS & INTERVIEW 7 Trump has no foreign policy: Trump and Putin would like to create new world order: Professor Onuf Prof. 1 The vast, functionally differentiated thinks things have gotten any better. In my complex of international regimes co-exists view, Trump has no foreign policy, or even with innumerable governmental ministries any idea what it means to have a policy, as and agencies in every state (for the most part, opposed to an emotional reaction to whatever functionally oriented), non-state special-in- is happening on any given day. I’m pretty terest institutions (many of them informal sure that Mearsheimer would agree with this and unseen), and financial and commercial assessment. enterprises (including his own), all operating While there are undoubtedly ranking together in relatively stable, durable patterns. officials in the government who have well- As a general matter, governments pay formed policy preferences, they have neither for these international regimes, and accept the standing nor the courage to speak publicly, limitations imposed on themselves and their or even privately to Trump. So, in answer many constituencies because there are de- to your specific questions: nobody knows monstrable benefits in doing so. whether the U.S. will decrease its presence in It is a truism in international relations the Middle East, and least of all the President. theory that the U.S. government has always The U.S. government will continue to express paid disproportionately more than other great animosity toward Iran because it is an governments to achieve these benefits for easy way to enflame Trump’s supporters, not the country as a whole; this is an entirely because it is policy. EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW rational course of action because the benefits And there will be inconsistencies because By Javad Heirannia exceed the costs and there is no cheaper way there is no policy. No one is Washington has to achieve these benefits. any idea how to rein in Iran as a regional Now it may be that Trump simply does power, because it cannot be done without TEHRAN — Nader Entessar, Professor Emeritus of Political not believe this to be the case—he has many catastrophic costs. Science from University of South Alabama is the opinion that beliefs that simply defy reason. It may be Reacting to President Trump’s remarks Both Trump and Putin would like to create a new world order, that this is a negotiation tactic that he used calling EU as the U.S. foe, Donald Tusk, pres- albeit for different reasons. in business—make dire threats in order to One of the distinguishing characteristics ident of the European Council asked Trump Professor Entessar, who was the Chair of Department of Po- make a marginally better deal. of the Trump administration after one and Putin not to disturb world order. Do litical Science and Criminal Justice at the University of South It may be that he just likes to shake things year is its incompetence. you think that Trump and Putin are going Alabama, also says that “However, neither Trump nor Putin have up and see his name in the headlines all the to create a new world order? If your answer a clear idea of how the desired new world order should look like time—he is, after all, narcissistic far beyond retreating from the old orders and regimes, ancing and reduction of troops and increasing is yes, how will the new polarization be in beyond the vague notion of creating a space where the interests the norm for political leaders. China is trying to impose its own orders and of animosity with Iran. Do you agree with the new order? of Washington and Moscow are enhanced.” Or it may be the he is appealing to his regimes by reviewing ancient Silk Road pro- this? Will the US decrease the number of its A: Trump and Putin may develop a working He adds that “the new world order will still be a polarized world so-called ‘electoral base’—people who are ject. To what extent the developments in the troops in Middle East? If we accept that the relationship for tactical purposes, although I order, but the major players may be different from the current ones.” angry about everything. Middle East especially in Syria are affected mentioned elements be the base for Trump’s doubt that Putin believes Trump is competent Following is the complete text of the interview: While the U.S. president Donald Trump by international systems structure which is foreign policy, how will Washington confront or reliable, and Trump’s domestic problems Nowadays we are witnessing great gaps and differences attended the NATO and G7 summits with an changing? with Iran’s regional influence? would put significant constraints any such among G7 member states while SCO member states are moving aggressive approach toward Washington’s A: What you call structural change rep- A: Here’s what Mearsheimer said exactly relationship. They will create nothing that forward more convergence. Some believe that the orders and the allies, he is trying to improve relation with resents as challenge to theory. Are shifting one year after Trump’s inauguration: would count as a new system or new order. regimes created after World War II are declining and because of North Korea and Russia with a reconciling relations among the great powers a sign that A year ago I was optimistic because I Both face domestic decline and disorder, this reason the U.S. is not going to pay the costs of regimes like approach. Why? the structure is changing or that the structure thought Trump represented a force for whatever their efforts to have the world be- NATO, WTO and different free trade treaties like NAFTA and so A: In my opinion, Trump sees himself is working (the way that the realist balance change, and I was pessimistic because he lieve otherwise. on. What do you think of this? Why is the U.S. not ready to pay as a strong, decisive leader at the top of a of power theory says it will)? To what extent hardly knew anything about foreign policy, And China’s decline will not be many dec- the costs of the regimes and orders as before? hierarchy or chain of command. As such, is ‘structure’ a misplaced metaphor, when he was not a good listener, and he tended to ades behind the U.S. and Russia. I argued in A: I agree with the general thrust of this argument. Many of he demands deference from friends and al- what we are seeing are long-term processes shoot from the hip. an earlier interview that the capitalist world the post-World War II structures and institutions may not be lies, all of whom he takes to be subordinates, playing out over a period of decades? If this I think if you look at where we are today, economy has created insurmountable global sustainable in a chang- and compliance with his wishes, which he is so, then we are likely to give day-to-day there’s no question that he did not disappoint problems. Just one is climate change—con- However, ing world of today and tomorrow. Also, the U.S. correctly sees them as resisting. He admires developments more importance than they regarding his tendency to shoot from the hip sider this summer’s record heat waves in neither Trump other strong men who seem to get their way deserve. and to display great ignorance about foreign Iran, Japan, Northern Europe and the U.S. is no longer in a financial no matter what. As a matter of temperament Some theoreticians including John policy. One of the distinguishing character- The functional machinery I talked about is nor Putin have position to shoulder the and aspiration, he is an autocrat. Mearsheimer believe that one of the most istics of the Trump administration after one unlikely to solve these problems. It is even a clear idea of overwhelming financial International community is experi- important elements of president Trump’s year is its incompetence. less likely that a consortium of autocrats can burden of the post-War encing a new area in which while the U.S. is foreign policy is to move toward offshore bal- I have no reason to think that Mearsheimer solve them. how the desired order. However, the world new world order order of the post-World War II period will linger should look like on in one form or another Iran today is a trans-regional power: Yemeni expert beyond the vague until enduring substitutes notion of creating are found to replace it. 1 The Trump administration hopes the coalition, coalition is linked to America›s strategy against Iran and While the U.S. which has been called tentatively the Middle East Strategic the strengthening of sanctions against the country, as well a space where president Donald Trump Alliance (MESA), will be examined and unveiled at a meeting as efforts to isolate Tehran and weaken its economy and the interests attended the NATO and in Washington DC in October. stimulate domestic protests. The strategy seems to be un- G7 summits with an ag- MESA seeks to fend off the influence of Iran in the Middle successful. Iran has passed these sanctions and lived with of Washington gressive approach toward East. By drawing on long-established NATO, the security it and has a psychological readiness to break the blockade. and Moscow are Washington’s allies, he is treaty idea was introduced by Saudi officials before Trump’s More importantly, Iran has succeeded in the region despite enhanced. trying to improve relation- trip to Riyadh a year ago. devastating policies over three decades of media, political ships with North Korea Taleb al-Hassani, a Yemeni writer and analyst said in an and military efforts against the country. Iran has resisted and Russia with a reconciling approach. Why? interview with Mehr News correspondent, on the formation at all levels.” A: We should not confuse tactical theatrics with the long-term of this coalition against Iran: “Washington, announcing the He continued: “Trump looks to the Persian Gulf Arab strategy of the U.S. Notwithstanding sending feelers toward North formation of Arab-American NATO against Iran, once again states as the rich countries that can respond to their needs Korea and Russia and criticizing NATO from time to time, Wash- revealed the U.S. defeat in the Middle East, and it looks like in the region. U.S. policy in this regard is based on three ington’s long-term strategy of maintaining the stability and primacy an Arab coalition against Yemen, too.” issues; encouraging Arab countries to build strong relations of the transatlantic alliance will survive Mr. Trump’s volatility and “In fact, the countries that joined this anti-Iranian coalition with the Zionist regime, persuade these countries towards undiplomatic outbursts towards its major allies in Europe and Asia. are unprepared, even if their garrisons are full of military hostility against Iran and getting huge amounts of money The International community is experiencing a new area in forces, unless these countries allow the Zionist regime to from the so-called U.S. support. which while the U.S. is retreating from the old orders and regimes, use their territory. But the question here is whether Israel the Saudi coalition in Yemen.” With these policies, the Saudi economy has still been China is trying to impose its own orders and regimes by reviewing is daring to do so?” Al-Hassani states: “Countries with political weight like declining every year, and the country will be isolated if it ancient Silk Road project. To what extent the developments in He added: “These Persian Gulf countries themselves Malaysia, Turkey and Pakistan will avoid any coalition in continues to follow the U.S.” the Middle East, especially in Syria, are affected by international also know that they are being driven by the U.S. and are which Saudi Arabia is present. Saudi Arabia tries to include Al-Hassani emphasized that the U.S. should review the systems structure which is changing? not prepared to enter a regional war; a war that does not these countries in its alliances, but now the conditions are defeat of the Zionist regime during the 2006 invasion of A: The developments in the Middle East are certainly a part of even guarantee any results. The member states of this new different, and the fate of all these military alliances is failure. Lebanon and successive violations of the Gaza Strip, and the jigsaw puzzle that is evolving in the world today. There is no coalition are heterogeneous, and we should remember the On the contrary, we should understand that the country will then the Yemeni war, which turned into a nightmare for the question that China is emerging as a major political and economic coalitions that were formed in the past and have not been be invaded by Iran. Iran is a country that has now become a invaders, and after three and a half years Riyadh and Abu player in the world today, including in the Middle East. But China successful; those were militarily defeated in Syria, Iraq and trans-national power and has a strong military along with Dhabi have become insecure capitals. If these countries is still not a global power on par with the United States. It is hard Yemen and politically in Lebanon. Announcing a new co- the support of its people.” become a battlefield with Iran, the outcome will be a cata- to determine when China will emerge as a truly global power, but alition is laughable. To all of this one should add the fall of This Yemeni analyst emphasized: “It›s clear that the strophic conflict for these countries, he claims. as of now, Beijing has nor replaced Washington as the preeminent player on a global scale. Some theoreticians, including John Mearsheimer, believe ‘Farzand e Imam’ – a beautiful tribute to Shaheed Arif Hussaini that one of the most important elements of president Trump’s foreign policy is to move toward offshore balancing and reduction 1 With exclusive footage of his public Islamic revolution had deep impact on Sha- nize the community and fostered Shia-Shia to pass his message on.” of troops and increasing of animosity with Iran. Do you agree rallies, his speeches, his prayer meetings, and heed Arif and he strived to awaken people brotherhood in Pakistan, which was seen The film ‘Farzand e Imam’ is a perfect with this? Will the U.S. decrease the number of its troops in the his funeral, this film has virtually brought in Pakistan and around the world. as a threat by Pakistan’s then ruler General tribute to the man who considered his prin- Middle East? If we accept that the mentioned elements be the Shaheed Arif back to life. It also features His astounding popularity in Pakistan, Zia ul Haq and his foreign backers. They ciples dearer than his life. Inspired by Imam base for Trump’s foreign policy, how will Washington confront interviews with many notable personalities however, was a matter of grave disquiet for tried all suppressive measures to crush his Khomeini’s struggle, Shaheed Arif walked with Iran’s regional influence? of Pakistan who knew Shaheed Arif closely. the rulers in Pakistan and for Riyadh, Wash- movement but failed miserably. on the same path and left behind a glorious A: I agree with Mearsheimer’s theory. President Trump has They provide rare insight into his revolu- ington and Tel Aviv. At the age of 42, after offering morning legacy. talked at length about the need to disengage U.S. troops from tionary ideas, his never-say-die-spirit, his Shaheed Arif, who was known for call- prayers at his small seminary in Peshawar, Speaking after the screening, Mohtashim many conflicts. However, implementing such an idea may be intellectual pursuits, and his remarkable but ing spade a spade, strongly and vocally two gun-toting men barged inside and shot said MzM Productions had vowed to keep very difficult, especially in the Middle East where the neocons short-lived journey. spoke against the sinister conspiracies him dead. His death was widely condoled alive the rich legacy of Shaheed Arif and this around Trump have such a major influence in drafting foreign Shaheed Arif, who spent years in the sem- of imperialists and Zionists against the across the world. film was a step in that direction. «Shaheed policy. Also, the history of the post-World War II indicates that inaries of Najaf and Qom, was a student of Islamic revolution. He minced no words In his message, Imam Khomeini hailed Arif lived, he lives and he will always live in once the U.S. deploys troops and builds bases in a foreign country, Imam Khomeini. in denouncing the anti-Islamic and an- Shaheed Arif as a great revolutionary and an our hearts,» Mohtashim said, flanked by his it keeps its military presence in that country. In this context, the Owing to his close association with Imam, ti-revolution forces. example for youngsters. “Pakistan’s blessed wife Maryam Jomaa and brother Mohsin U.S. is akin to a guest who never leaves. It may become a less Shaheed Arif had imbibed the revolutionary He knew the path he had taken was people are from a pro-revolution nation. They Naqvi, both of whom played key role in the bothersome guest, but it will not leave without being physically spirit. In his fiery speeches, he often invoked riddled with risks but nothing could cow aspire to live according to Islamic rulings, completion of the project. evicted by the host. the struggle of Imam against the autocratic him down. with which we have an ancient, deep, and Farzand e Imam is a must watch for those Reacting to President Trump’s remarks calling EU as the Pahlavi regime of Iran and the success of Within four years as the head of Millat faithful relationship. It is imperative for them who believe in the idea of resistance against U.S. foe, Donald Tusk, president of the European Council asked Islamic revolution. As the film depicts, the e Jafariya Pakistan, he managed to galva- to keep martyr Syed Arif’s thoughts alive and the evil forces. Trump and Putin not to disturb world order. Do you think that Trump and Putin are going to create a new world order? If your answer is yes, how will the new polarization be in the new order? A: Both Trump and Putin would like to create a new world Europe and Trump’s riddle order, albeit for different reasons. However, neither Trump nor 1 This confrontation can become a full-fledged dis- cellor “Angela Merkel, have not yet used their capacities to mised with regard to the Trump government. In general, Putin have a clear idea of how the desired new world order should pute in the future. However, the European Union has not confront the Trump’s government’s actions and policies. they have forgotten that the confrontation between Trump look like beyond the vague notion of creating a space where the yet made a firm response to the United States, and it has It has reached a point where the British prime minister and Europe is fundamental! interests of Washington and Moscow are enhanced. Also, Trump’s adopted a policy of “having interactions with Tramp,” but has asked other European countries to be silent against Undoubtedly, if European officials do not or cannot ideal new world order will most likely will have elements that will this policy can’t be adopted for a long time! Washington regarding the imposition of tariffs on steel and understand this fact, they will face crises in the near be an odds with those of Putin’s world order. In other words, the EU member states, under the policies of politicians such aluminum imported from Europe! future: the crises that the Tramp government will cre- new world order will still be a polarized world order, but the major as Theresa May, Emmanuel Macron, and even German Chan- The fact is that some EU officials have been compro- ate for them. players may be different from the current ones. I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y 8 ADVERTISEMENTS AUGUST 6, 2018

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‘Homegrown hepatitis B vaccine Even low air pollution may cause you serious heart problems reduces prevalence to 1.5%’ A new study that appears in the journal Circulation looks at the effects of low levels of pollution on the anatomy of the heart. HEALTH TEHRAN — Domestic The perils of air pollution are real and plentiful. Two years deskproduction of Hepatitis ago, a study published in The Lancet Neurology claimed that air B vaccine in Iran has decreased the virus pollution was one of the leading risk factors for stroke worldwide. prevalence in the country to 1.5 percent, head Also, even low levels of pollution seem to be very harmful. of Pasteur Institute of Iran Alireza Beiglari Medical News Today recently reported on a study that linked levels has said. of air pollution deemed “safe” by the Environmental Protection Hepatitis B is a viral infection that at- Agency (EPA) with a high risk of diabetes. tacks the liver and can cause both acute Now, Steffen Petersen — a professor of cardiovascular medicine and chronic disease. According to the U.S. at Queen Mary University of London in the United Kingdom — National Center for Biotechnology Infor- has led a new study that suggests that low levels of air pollution mation Hepatitis B prevalence is highest may cause changes in the heart that are similar to those seen in in the sub-Saharan African and western heart failure. Pacific regions, considered high-interme- Dr. Nay Aung, who is also affiliated with Queen Mary Univer- diate to high endemicity countries (5% to sity, is the first and corresponding author of the paper. 8% prevalence), and prevalence estimates Air pollution may cause heart enlargement exceed 15% in several countries. Dr. Aung and colleagues examined data on over 3,900 healthy Moreover low-intermediate regions people enrolled in the UK Biobank study. (2%–4.99%) include the eastern Mediter- The participants volunteered information about their ranean and European regions. The Americas health, residential area, and lifestyle, and they allowed the and Western Europe regions are considered researchers to take measurements of their hearts’ size, weight, low endemicity, with hepatitis B prevalence and function using MRI. generally less than 2%. There has been an The study revealed a strong correlation between living next overall decrease in hepatitis B prevalence to a busy road and therefore being exposed to nitrogen dioxide over time in most countries, but with notable (NO2) and developing enlarged right and left heart ventricles. increases in African and eastern European The researchers note that ventricle enlargement of this type countries. is often seen in the early stages of heart failure. “With domestic production of hepatitis Furthermore, Dr. Aung and team found a dose-response rela- B vaccine over the past 15 years the virus tionship between pollution exposure and changes in heart anatomy. prevalence decreased from 3.5 percent to Using fine particulate matter (PM2.5) to measure air pollution 1.5 percent,” YJC quoted Beiglari as saying With domestic production of hepatitis B vaccine over the past particles, the scientists found that the heart ventricles enlarged on Saturday. by 1 percent for every microgram of PM2.5 per cubic meter and This year, as per the Ministry of Health or- 15 years the virus prevalence decreased from 3.5 percent to for every 10 micrograms per cubic meter of NO2. der, Pasteur Institute has produced 11 million 1.5 percent. This year, as per the Ministry of Health order, Air pollution just as important as cholesterol dose of HBV vaccine, he said, highlighting Dr. Aung comments on the findings, saying, “Although our that the institute is capable of producing 20 Pasteur Institute has produced 11 million dose of HBV study was observational and hasn’t yet shown a causal link, we million dose of the vaccine annually. vaccine, however, the institute is capable of producing 20 saw significant changes in the heart, even at relatively low levels Pasteur Institute of Iran (IPI) was founded million dose of the vaccine annually. of air pollution exposure.” in Tehran in the 1920s to pave the way for “Air pollution should be seen as a modifiable risk factor,” the advanced research and to provide innovative Alavian as saying on July 30. from infected mothers to their newborns, effective in preventing infection and the first author adds. programs in basic and applied medical scienc- An estimated 257 million people are living accounts for the majority of HBV transmission development of chronic disease and liver “Our future studies,” says Dr. Aung, “will include data from es, and production of biopharmaceuticals with hepatitis B virus infection (defined as hep- worldwide. Horizontal transmission can occur cancer due to hepatitis B. those living in inner cities like Central Manchester and Lon- and diagnostic kits with special emphasis atitis B surface antigen positive) worldwide. through open cuts and scratches; transfusion However, there is no specific treatment for don, using more in-depth measurements of heart function, and on infectious diseases. In 2015, hepatitis B resulted in 887 000 of blood products; breaks in good practices to acute hepatitis B. Therefore, care is aimed at we would expect the findings to be even more pronounced and Hepatitis B prevalence deaths, mostly from complications (including prevent blood-borne infections in the health maintaining comfort and adequate nutritional clinically important.” World Health Organization (WHO) ex- cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma). care setting; sexual transmission and risky balance, including replacement of fluids lost Prof. Jeremy Pearson, the associate medical director at the plains that hepatitis B virus is transmitted Hepatitis B is a potentially life-threatening behavior, including injecting-drug use or from vomiting and diarrhea. British Heart Foundation — a nonprofit organization that partially through contact with the blood or other body liver infection and is a major global health tattooing, body piercing, and scarification Chronic hepatitis B infection can be treat- funded the study — also weighs in on the findings. fluids of an infected person. problem. It can cause chronic infection and procedures without the use of sterilized ed with medicines, including oral antiviral “We can’t expect people to move home to avoid air pollution,” he Some 1.4 million are infected with hep- puts people at high risk of death from cirrhosis equipment and needles. agents. Treatment can slow the progression says. “Governments and public bodies must be acting right now to atitis B in Iran, IRNA news agency qouted and liver cancer. A vaccine against hepatitis B has been of cirrhosis, reduce incidence of liver cancer make all areas safe and protect the population from these harms.” Head of Iran›s Hepatitis Network Moayyed Perinatal transmission, occurring at birth available since 1982. The vaccine is 95% and improve long term survival. (Source: Medical News Today)

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How voice technology will How to use technology to make our re-shape business Everybody expects voice tech and virtual assistants like Google planet more sustainable, not less Assistant, Alexa and Cortana to make a big splash in the enter- prise. Here’s what to expect. The controversial demographer Paul Ehrlich previous 30 across key climate change mit- A huge gulf exists between what businesses know about distilled the essence of his somewhat apoca- igation technologies, or CCMTs (biofuels, voice-enabled technologies, and what they do about it. lyptic 1968 book, The population bomb, into solar thermal, solar photovoltaics and wind a simple equation: impact (I) = population energy). While the average global rate of patent (P) x affluence (A) x technology (T). Twenty filing grew by 6% between 2006 and 2011, years later, Ray Anderson, the sustainability these CCMTs have experienced a combined pioneer and then-CEO of Interface, asked growth rate of 24% over the same period. the question: what if it were possible to move Contrary to what some may think, emerging T to the denominator, so that technology markets cannot automatically be assumed to reduces, rather than increases, impact on lag on sustainable technological innovation. the environment and society? China and the Republic of Korea have filed Anderson’s challenge is the Apollo mission the most patents in recent years across all of the 21st century – a near impossible project four CCMT technology areas, while in solar that, if achieved, will inspire generations to PV, the top 20 technology owners are based come. The only difference is that achieving in Asia. a sustainable technology revolution – let’s What does the future hold? call it Mission SusTech – is playing for much The sustainable technology innovation higher stakes than JF Kennedy’s space race. wave is only just building. Research by Failure is an option and it’s called “overshoot McKinsey shows that improvements in re- and collapse”. source productivity in energy, land, water To illustrate that fact, Globant surveyed more than 600 senior The good news is that Mission SusTech is and materials – based on better deployment decision makers and found that while huge majority of respondents well underway. This article is the first in a series of current innovative technologies - could see big benefits to voice technology, only 31% use it daily at work. that will spotlight trends, breakthroughs, cases meet up to 30% of total 2030 demand, with It’s no secret that voice technology is valuable. Just look at the and lessons on the development and transfer of 70% to 85% of these opportunities occurring sustainable technologies around the world. But A solar park in Sanlucar La Mayor, near Seville. In 2013 the world installed more new in developing countries. Capturing the total consumer smart speaker market. More than 43 million Ameri- solar photovoltaic generating capacity than wind power. (Marcelo Del Pozo/REUTERS) cans now own one. Many of the people who will eventually use be warned: it won’t focus on the latest touted resource productivity opportunity could save voice technology at work are already using it every day at home. miracle technologies but on the challenges of electronics and photovoltaics. report. Biofuels remain the largest market $2.9tn in 2030. Google says some 20% of all searches today are voice searches. sharing, implementing and bringing to scale The 2012 Global Green R&D Report found ($98bn), followed by solar ($91bn) and wind We are living through the birth of what Within two years, 30% of all web browsing will be done without existing sustainable technologies. that private investments in clean technology ($58bn). In what Clean Edge hails as a tipping David King, director of the Smith School of a screen, according to Gartner, along with half of all searches, What are the trends? and green economic and commercial solutions point, in 2013 the world installed more new Enterprise and the Environment at Oxford according to ComScore. Not only is technological innovation reached $3.6tn for the period 2007-2012. solar photovoltaic generating capacity (36.5 University, calls “another renaissance” in the And yet only a tiny fraction of this is being done at work for booming, but it is rapidly shifting towards This included more than $2tn in renewable gigawatts) than wind power (35.5 GW). industrial revolution: “Human ingenuity is professional purposes. sustainable solutions. For example, many of energy, $700bn in green construction, $241bn This rapid growth is being fuelled by sig- the answer”, says King. Smart speakers - such as the Amazon Echo line and related the World Economic Forum’s top 10 most in green R&D, $238bn in the smart grid and nificant investment in research and devel- “We created the science and engineering devices, Google Home devices and the Apple Home Pod - are promising technologies have a clear environ- $231bn in energy efficiency. opment and breakthroughs in sustainable technological revolution on which all our directly aimed at consumers. But all the major companies are mental and social focus, such as energy-effi- For specific clean energy technologies technologies, as indicated by a spike in patent wellbeing is based. That same keen intelligence working on developing platforms for businesses and enterprises. cient water purification, enhanced nutrition – including wind, solar and biofuels – the applications. can point to the solutions to the hangover Over the next three years, enterprises will increasingly adopt to drive health at the molecular level, carbon market size was estimated at $248bn in 2013 According to the World Intellectual Prop- challenges and this requires nothing less voice-enabled technologies. In advance of this change, it’s time we dioxide (CO2) conversion, precise drug deliv- and is projected to grow to $398bn by 2023, erty Organization (WIPO), more patents have than another renaissance.” stop thinking about voice tech as a great boon to search - it’s not. ery through nanoscale engineering, organic according to the 2014 Clean Energy Trends been filed in the last five years than in the (Source: theguardian.com) And we should also stop thinking about it as nothing more than a user interface - it’s not that, either. In reality, voice-enabled technology is part of a total and largely The tech powering the 2020 Olympic Games positive shift in how enterprises will operate, how business people From the city streets to the top of the podium, the 2020 Intel will also light up the sky above the stadium with interface with both data and each other and how customers are Olympic Games in Tokyo promise to be a showcase of the its Shooting Star drones, which can create 3D images as ultimately served. best tech Tokyo has to offer. an alternative to traditional fireworks. Once programmed, (Source: computerworld.com) Japan is famed for its engineering and manufactur- an entire light show can be launched with a press of a ing expertise, but the technology at the Olympics won’t button – and because the drones are re-usable, there’s just be for show – the city and the International Olympic none of the usual waste. SOCIALLY SAFE Committee (IOC) are using it to make the games more If that doesn’t sound spectacular enough, Japanese accessible to athletes and fans at the venues, and more research company ALE might be putting on an artificial fun for viewers watching the action at home. meteor shower for the opening ceremony. If it goes ahead, Grandparents guide to Mobility for all this will involve sending a satellite loaded with ‘source par- online safety Toyota, the Olympic Games’ official mobility partner, ticles’ into orbit. Once the satellite is stable, the particles is planning to use its battery-operated e-Palette vehicles will be discharged and enter the atmosphere, where they A recent study found that 4 in 10 grandparents help out with to ferry guests and competitors around the 2020 Athletes’ will begin plasma emission. childcare in what has been dubbed ‘granannying’. Village (which the organizers hope will be powered com- Like fireworks, particles containing different elements To help grandparents get to grips with life online, we’ve created pletely by hydrogen). The robot olympics are coming to Japan in 2020, the will produce different colors as they burn (potassium for a new Grandparents Guide to Online Safety – offering practical Toyota describes these odd, bus-like vehicles as a “mobility same year that the eyes of the world will be on the purple, copper for green, and so on). advice to keep kids safe this summer. ecosystem”. Early concepts have shown how they could be summer games in Tokyo Trash to treasure Know the rules and stick to them used as a restaurant or store on wheels, but at Tokyo 2020 Carbon-free cars and reusable fireworks won’t be the Get to grips with what rules are in place for your grandchild they’ll serve a more mundane (but useful) job, acting as a conversation like an unusually empathetic taxi driver. 2020 Olympics’ only step towards sustainability – the city when it comes to their technology. Try and keep consistent short-range shuttle service. VR and Shooting Stars is planning to use recycled e-waste in its medals, and has messaging while you’re looking after your grandchild so they The e-Palette’s low floor makes it a great option for Paralym- You won’t have to travel to Japan to benefit from the placed collection boxes in offices for workers to donate old have the same rules surrounding their technology use and what pians and guests with limited mobility. “The freedom of tech at Tokyo 2020. Like Toyota, Intel is a partner of the phones and other small electronics. they can and can’t do online. being mobile is at the heart of being able to participate in International Olympic Committee, and claims it will bring In 2014 alone, Japan discarded 143kg of gold, 1,566kg Screen time – How much time are they spending society,” said Akido Toyoda, president of Toyota. “new levels of fan interaction” to the games. of silver and 1,112 tons of copper (the main component of online? “If someone wants to take on a challenge and moving For fans watching at home, that means live VR broadcasts bronze) in the form of waste electronics – just a fraction of Being aware of how much time your grandchild spends is what is preventing them doing so, Toyota would like powered by Intel’s True VR platform, with 360-degree re- which would be enough to produce all the medals needed online will help you make the most of your time together to help tackle that problem. We want mobility to be a plays, so you can feel totally immersed in the action within for the 2020 games. this summer. possibility, not an obstacle.” your living room. Intel has exclusive rights to broadcast “There’s a limit on the resources of our earth, so recycling Discuss their screen time limits; are there any family rules To that end, the company will also be demonstrating the games in VR, and debuted this technology at the 2018 these things will make us think about the environment,” about how much time they can spend online or are there areas fully automated cars in the Toyota Water Front City and Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang. said Tokyo 2020 sports director Koji Murofushi. that have been designated screen-free zones in their house? Haneda areas in Tokyo. These vehicles have level-four “Really what we’re doing around this experience is Hopefully that sort of resourcefulness means that Areas normally include the dinner table or their bedrooms automation, which means they can handle all aspects of not try to take television and put it into VR, and we’re the only thing left behind after the 2020 Olympic – depending on their age. driving without human intervention. not only trying to transport the fan to be at the event,” Games will be a raft of new technology that can benefit Screen time can be very useful to children as it helps them Toyota’s Concept-i will make an appearance at the Olympics David Aufhauser, managing director of Intel Sports, told Japan and the rest of the world – at future sporting learn, create and socialise. During the holidays, it can help too. This automated car features an AI assistant that picks TechRadar. “We’re creating an entirely new way for fans events and beyond. them stay connected to their friends but making sure they are up on passengers’ emotions and preferences, and makes to experience the virtual world.” (Source: techradar.com) getting a varied diet of online and offline activities is crucial. If you are struggling to engage your grandchild offline click A checklist for your startup What is a valuation cap? here for more advice. Parental controls – setting digital boundaries Parental controls are the names for a group of settings that put you in control of what content your grandchild can see. Combined with privacy settings these can help you protect your children from the things they shouldn’t see or experience online. It’s important to get to grips with the parental controls that your grandchild is used to in case you are caring for them in your own home. Many parents install controls on their broadband to help limit what their children have access to. Not having the correct parental controls applied could leave your grandchild open to potential risks online such as viewing inappropriate content, having inappropriate contact or engaging in inappropriate conduct online. See our So you want to start a business – congrat- on computers and devices that you want If you are contemplating raising money same series of preferred stock as is issued Set up Safe guides. ulations! Once you get over the initial protected. Protect it from intrusions and through the issuance of convertible notes, in the Qualified Financing at a conversion Having regular conversations with your grandchild about excitement, it’s time to break down the disasters. Back it up! IT problems can you might be wondering – what is a val- price equal to the lesser of (a) the price what they get up to online will also help you keep on top of who process of launching your startup into derail a fledgling company. uation cap? obtained by multiplying (i) the price per they’re talking to and what they’re doing online. manageable chunks. Get a salesperson or sales team Convertible notes are designed to con- share paid in the Qualified Financing by (ii) Reviewing locations settings You might get overwhelmed with the in place vert into equity of the issuing company upon the applicable Conversion Percentage (as Many apps and tech automatically offer the opportunity to sheer number of items on your to-do list. In many startups the business owner a subsequent financing (usually referred defined below); or (b) the price obtained share your location while sharing posts. Encourage your grand- But not to worry; I’ve broken down this starts out as the chief sales person. But to to in the note as a “qualified financing”; by dividing (i) [VALUATION CAP] (the child to not share their location or images in real-time to not give startup checklist into the primary tasks grow you need a dedicated sales function, e.g., when the company raises more than “Valuation Cap”). away their location. There are apps and technology however that you need to do now, and those that you so you can focus on activities other than $1M dollars in new capital). Without a In the TechStars note, you can find the offer live-location sharing including Snapmaps -which is part of can defer until later. day-to-day sales. cap or discount (not discussed here), the language is as follows: photosharing app Snapchat. Refine your pitch Get a mentor notes would typically convert into the is- outstanding principal balance of this On Snapchat, users have their own personal avatar; when You need a good elevator pitch for many It’s all to easy easy to work “in” your suing company’s equity in the subsequent Note shall automatically convert in whole you click on the map section of Snapchat you can see where reasons: potential investors, customers, pro- business rather than “on” it. As Michael financing at the same price as the equity without any further action by the Holder all your friends are around you. This location sharing can be spective new hires, bankers. If you can’t Gerber tells us in The E-Myth, we need to issued in that financing. into such Equity Securities at a conversion very damaging to children, not just because it reveals their persuasively and clearly pitch your business, be working “on” our businesses if we want A “valuation cap” entitles note holders price equal to [the lesser of (i)] ____% of location to their whole friends’ list, but it can also make your how can you expect key stakeholders to buy in? them to grow and flourish. A mentor who to convert into equity at the lower of the the per share price paid by the Investors grandchild feel like they are missing out. Refine your product, and mar- has succeeded in your industry can provide valuation cap or the price in the subsequent [or (ii) the price equal to the quotient of On Snapmaps you can see when your friends are hanging keting and sales approach you with priceless advice and serve as a financing. You can find an example of this $____ divided by the aggregate number out together, in the summer holidays, this could lead to As you go along you will learn more sounding board. provision in both of the above documents. of outstanding shares of the Company’s your grandchild feeling left out as they can see their other about the marketplace. Use customer feed- Your checklist might be longer than In the Alliance of Angels note, you can Common Stock as of immediately prior to friends hanging out without them. To stop this you should back to refine your product and service this, but organizing what needs to be done find the valuation cap language in Section the initial closing of the Qualified Financing encourage your grandchildren to turn off the location services offerings, and your go-to-market approach. before you launch and what you can take 4. The pertinent language reads as follows: (assuming full conversion or exercise of all on Snapchat, for a step by step guide on how to do this see Secure your IT care of down the road makes it easier to the outstanding Principal Amount and convertible and exercisable securities then the controls page. Whether you’re running a tech com- prioritize your tasks. accrued interest under the Notes shall outstanding other than the Notes)] (Source: internetmatters.org) pany or not, you likely have sensitive data (Source: smallbiztrends.com) automatically convert into shares of the (Source: startuplawblog.com) I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y AUGUST 6, 2018 SCIENCE 11 Earth’s soil is hyperventilating thanks Human’s just created the coldest spot in space, to climate change, new study finds scientists say

According to a new study published on Au- global temperatures rise, microbes in the soil Despite decades of ongoing research, scientists are trying to gust 1 in the journal Nature, there’s about have been releasing CO2 faster than plants understand how the four fundamental forces of the Universe fit together. twice as much carbon dioxide (CO2) stored can snatch it up again. Previous studies have Whereas quantum mechanics can explain how three of these forces in Earth’s soil as there is floating around the indicated that tree roots and certain microbes things work together on the smallest of scales (electromagnetism, atmosphere, and for the last few decades, both respire more frequently at higher tem- weak and strong nuclear forces), General Relativity explains how that underground greenhouse gas has been peratures (up until a certain point, when the things behaves on the largest of scales (i.e. gravity). In this respect, leaking out at a significantly increased rate. intense heat causes the organisms to stop gravity remains the holdout. Based on more than 2,000 sources of cli- functioning completely). To understand how gravity interacts with matter on the mate data taken from ecosystems around the Rising global temperatures tiniest of scales, scientists have developed some truly cutting- world, a team of soil scientists found that To better understand the potential links edge experiments. the rate of CO2 released from Earth’s soil between rising global temperatures and soil One of these is NASA’s Cold Atom Laboratory (CAL), located has increased globally by about 1.2 percent respiration, a team of researchers led by Ben aboard the ISS, which recently achieved a milestone by creating in just 25 years — and you can blame that Bond-Lamberty at the Joint Global Change clouds of atoms known as Bose-Einstein condensates (BECs). on hot, hungry microbes. Research Institute at the University of Mary- This was the first time that BECs have been created in orbit, “We’re talking about a huge quantity of land, College Park, examined data from two and offers new opportunities to probe the laws of physics. carbon,” study co-author Vanessa Bailey, a huge global nature surveys. Originally predicted by Satyendra Nath Bose and Albert soil scientist at Pacific Northwest National The data showed that the rate of global Einstein 71 years ago, BECs are essentially ultracold atoms that Laboratory in Washington state, said in a soil respiration had increased by about 1.2 reach temperatures just above absolute zero, the point at which statement. “Microbes exert an outsize influ- percent in the 25-year window between 1990 atoms should stop moving entirely (in theory). ence on the world that is very hard to measure and 2014. Most of that growth was due to These particles are long-lived and precisely controlled, which on such a large scale.” increased microbial action; the tiny creatures makes them the ideal platform for studying quantum phenomena. Releasing CO2 in Earth’s soil are freeing more and more This is the purpose of the CAL facility, which is to study ultracold Dirt doesn’t actually breathe, of course, plants turn CO2, water and light into energy world running smoothly. greenhouse gases from our planet’s surface. quantum gases in a microgravity environment. but it sort of looks that way when tiny, un- — helping to keep ecosystems around the But lately, researchers have found that as While a 1.2 percent increase might not It is designed to advance scientists’ ability to make precision derground organisms help release the CO2 seem significant on its face, the researchers measurements of gravity and study how it interacts with matter stored in plant roots, dead leaves and other This process is known as “soil respiration,” made it clear that even a modest change like at the smallest of scales. natural detritus. Hungry microbes gorge on and it’s an important complement to this represents a “massive” ecosystem shift “Having a BEC experiment operating on the space station is the tasty carbon stored in this plant matter, over a relatively short time. And while the full a dream come true. It’s been a long, hard road to get here, but and then release carbon dioxide as a natural photosynthesis — the process by which effects of this microbial huffing and puffing completely worth the struggle, because there’s so much we’re byproduct of this feeding, just as you do when are hard to estimate, it’s possible that all that going to be able to do with this facility.” (Source: sciencealert.com) you exhale after a deep breath. plants turn CO2, water and light into energy extra CO2 will feed a self-intensifying loop This process is known as “soil respira- — helping to keep ecosystems around the of atmospheric warming and soil respiration tion,” and it’s an important complement world running smoothly. over the years to come. to photosynthesis — the process by which (Source: Live Science) Moonless night makes Perseid meteor shower High-resolution imaging of nanoparticle New study shows some corals might 2018 more spectacular, surface structures is now possible adapt to climate changes say astronomers

Using scanning tunneling microscopy New research shows that not all corals The Perseid meteor shower 2018 will peak on the moonless nights (STM), extremely high resolution imaging respond the same to changes in climate. of Aug. 11, 12, and 13. The celestial event will be visible worldwide. of the molecule-covered surface structures The University of Miami (UM) Rosenstiel Stargazers across the world have the best reason to wait for of silver nanoparticles is possible, even down School of Marine and Atmospheric Sci- the Perseid meteor this year as the dark moonless night will to the recognition of individual parts of the ence-led study looked at the sensitivity of make the streaks of lights more magnificent. Astronomers say the molecules protecting the surface. This was two types of corals found in Florida and Perseids may shower as much as 50 or more meteors per hour. the finding of joint research between Chi- the Caribbean and found that one of them In the case of most meteor shower events, the best time to na and Finland, led in Finland by Academy — mountainous star coral —possesses an watch is between midnight and dawn. The best location will be Professor Hannu Häkkinen of the University adaptation that allows it to survive under those far from the glaring city lights. of Jyväskylä. high temperatures and acidity conditions. The Perseids is visible in the northern sky soon after sunsets The research was recently published in “Stressful periods of high temperature during the month of August of every year. This year though, it the prestigious Nature Communications and increasingly acidic conditions are be- has already been slightly visible since July 17. series and the publication was selected by coming more frequent and longer lasting Perseids’ best peak will be between the moonless summer the journal editors to the journal’s monthly in Florida waters,” said Chris Langdon, nights of August 12 and August 13, from 04:00 P.M. to 04:00 collection of highlighted papers. marine biology and ecology professor and A.M. (EDT), according to NASA. Since the moon will be out of Studying the surface structures of na- ticles has 374 silver atoms and the surface lead author on the new study. “Howev- The researchers found that the staghorn sight, stargazers can already see significant meteor showers in the noparticles at atomic resolution is vital to is protected by a set of 113 TBTT molecules. er, we found that not all coral species are coral was more sensitive to heat stress. It nights and in the days that lead to the 12th and 13th of this month understanding the chemical properties of TBBT (tert-butyl-benzene thiol) is a molecule equally sensitive to climate change and experienced 100 percent mortality after The space agency also suggests watching from a few hours their structures, molecular interactions with three separate carbon groups on its end. there’s hope that some species that seemed 25 days at the elevated temperature of after twilight until dawn to maximize the experience. Perseid will and the functioning of particles in their The particle’s outer surface has a to- doomed may yet develop adaptations that 1.5 degrees Celsius above the historical somewhat fade but will remain visible until Aug. 24. environments. tal of 339 such groups. When this type of will allow them to survive as well.” maximum monthly mean temperature Perseid meteor showers have a broad peak because it hap- Experimental research on surface struc- nano-particle sample was imaged at low The researchers exposed two threat- for the Florida Keys. South Florida wa- pens while Earth takes more than three weeks to travel through tures has long involved imaging techniques temperatures in the STM experiment, clear ened Caribbean reef-building coral species, ters could begin to experience hot spells the wide trail of cometary dust coming from the Swift-Tuttle suitable for nanometer-level resolution, the sequential modulations were observed in the staghorn coral (Acropora cervicornis) and of this intensity and duration once every comet. Perseid’s broad peak is what sets it apart from most of most common of which are based on electron tunneling current formed by the image (see mountainous star coral (Orbicella fave- five years by 2035, which according to the the meteor showers. tunneling, the abovementioned scanning left part of the image). Similar modulations olata), were exposed to combinations of researchers suggests that the species could (Source: Tech Times) tunneling microscopy (STM), and atomic were noted when individual TBBT molecules normal (26 degrees Celsius) and elevated become increasingly rare within 20 years. force microscopy (AFM) based on the meas- were imaged on a flat surface. temperature (32 degrees Celsius) and in- End of the experiment urement of small, atomic-scale forces. Based on density functional theory (DFT), creased carbon dioxide levels (pH 7.8/800 The mountainous star coral survived Team finds plants can tell the However, achieving molecular resolution the simulations performed by Häkkinen’s ppm) for nine weeks. 62 days at the elevated temperature and in imaging has proven highly challenging, for research team showed that each of the three Genetic and physiological data quickly recovered when temperature was time using sugars example because the curvature of the object carbon groups of the TBBT molecule provides Genetic and physiological data such reduced at the end of the experiment. Re- to be imaged i.e. the nanoparticle’s surface, its own current maximum in the STM image. as skeletal growth was then collected on duced pH did not affect survival but did A new study has found that plants adjust their daily circadian is of the same order as the curvature of the This confirmed that measurement was the corals to determine if stress events significantly impact growth under normal rhythm to the cycle of day and night by measuring the amount scanning tip. Measurements are also sensitive successful at sub-molecular level. The sim- are recorded in a coral’s skeletal history. temperatures. of sugars in their cells. to environmental disturbances, which may ulations also predicted that accurate STM At the end of the nine weeks any corals “Based on these results we predict that A new study by an international team of scientists, including affect the thermal movement of molecules, measurement can no longer be successful at that were still surviving were recovered at mountainous star coral will very conserv- the University of Bristol, has discovered that plants adjust their for example. room temperature, as the thermal movement the cool temperature and normal pH to atively be able to tolerate any warming the daily circadian rhythm to the cycle of day and night by measuring Silver nanoparticles of the molecules is so high that the current determine the capacity of these corals to Florida Keys is likely to experience now the amount of sugars in their cells. The researchers used previously charac- maxima of individual carbon groups blend bounce back once environmental condi- until 2060 and very possibly to the end terized silver nanoparticles, with a known into the background. tions became more hospitable as naturally of the century,” said Langdon. atomic structure. The metal core of the par- (Source: Newsweek) occurs as summer transitions into fall. (Source: phys.org) Bank Mellat, Bank Mellat’s Mobile Plus, Unique of Its Kind in Country Bank Mellat and mobile plus of the bank are unique of its with the construction of five parking lots in its first phase.” kind in the country, the Public Relations Dept. of the bank The new Mobile Bank system of the bank enjoys more reported. than 120 services and capabilities, he said, adding, “presently, For his part, Bank Mellat’s Planning Affairs Manager more than 2.5 million customers of the bank use the new Hadi Sepanloo made the above remark on the sidelines of version of the bank’s new mobile plus system.” 24th Iran International Electronics and Computer dubbed With regard to the upcoming development of Mobile ‘ELECOMP’. Plus system of the bank, he added, “the new services of the He pointed to the macro plans of this bank in the field of bank include smartwatch-based mobile bank app in android modern services and added, “the first phase of Bank Mellat’s and IOS systems, the possibility of using Voice service for Mobile Plus has been put into operation and a new version recalling services and also sending Short Message System Plants, animals, fungi and some bacteria can estimate the of this package will be unveiled in the very near future.” (SMS) (special of beneficiary/recipient) of draft with the time of day through their circadian rhythms. Turning to the money transfer using QR Code in Mobile tandem with the products of the bank concurrently.” mobile phone number of customer up to the end of the These rhythms are regulated by an internal ‘circadian clock’, Plus system of the bank, he reiterated, “the download volume Elsewhere in his remarks, Sepanloo pointed to the new current Iranian calendar year (to end March 20, 2019), and how these clocks operate is a topic of importance for both of the bank’s new system in early days of launching this service of Mobile Plus of the bank in the field of paying total of which have been put atop agenda. agriculture and medicine. project and the questions asked from the Center on the new parking bill using Electronic Money Bag and said, “this In the end, he said, “planning is underway to materialize In the study in the journal Current Biology, the research team services of this system show that customers are moving in outstanding service of the bank will become operational most objectives of the bank by the yearend.” involving the Universities of Bristol, Cambridge, Campinas, Sao Paulo and Melbourne has discovered a process that adjusts the timing of the plant body clock so that it stays in tune with the Salafchegan Special Economic Zone Hosts Seminar on “EDFI Services” environment. They found that sugars made from photosynthesis are sensed, A grand seminar on familiarity with the services of Export to say that ‘we could not establish synergy and interaction and this leads to the plant falling into rhythm with changes in Development Fund of Iran (EDFI) was held in Salafchegan between public and private sectors in this field.” energy provision throughout the day. Special Economic Zone, Qom Province, on Wednesday, Such expert-level meetings will be constructive in the Dr. Antony Dodd of the University of Bristol’s School of Bi- the Public Relations Dept. of the Export Development field of acculturization in this field, he noted. ological Sciences, said: “Our findings show the first mechanism Fund of Iran reported. He called on the officials at Export Guarantee Fund of in plants that shifts the circadian rhythm backwards or forwards Deputy Qom Province Governor-Generalship for Iran (EGFI) to raise awareness of exporters on the various to synchronize it with the environment. Economic and Resources Development Affairs Mehrdad services they provide. The “plant continuously measures the amount of sugar in the Ghazanfari was the first speaker in this prestigious semi- Then, he pointed to the export volume of products in cells and uses this information to make the required adjustments.” nar who said, “evermore familiarity of economic activists the past year (ended March 20, 2018) at $45 billion and Plants need circadian their rhythms to be correctly synchro- and exporters with the Export Development Fund of Iran said, “with the coordination made in this regard, country’s nized with the timing of day and night, so their activities are will boom export and spur export activities in the country export volume will increase up to $53 billion, showing a matched to the time of day. significantly.” considerable 21 percent hike.” For example, circadian rhythms control the time when plants Although the country faces critical problem in the fields Elsewhere in his remarks, he pointed to the government’s package, salient incentives have been predicted for the grow, when their flowers open and release scent, and allow plants of insurance and insurance culture, it is a matter of regret supportive packages and added, “in this comprehensive materialization of objectives of resistance economy.” to carefully use energy reserves so they do not starve in the night. (Source: Science Daily) I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y 12 SOCIETY AUGUST 6, 2018

IRCS dispatches volunteer Official warns of Tehran’s low health practitioners to Sistan-Baluchestan levels of disaster preparedness 1 He also noted that arrangements has been made to establish a field hospital and supply medicines for SOCIETY TEHRAN — Ismail most prevalent diseases in the region. deskNajjar, head of National Dargahi went on to say that health professionals are Disaster Management Organization, has volunteers from different provinces across the country, warned of low levels of disaster prepared- including Gilan, Semnan, Khorasan Razavi, Kordestan, ness in Tehran, YJC reported on Sunday. Qazvin, Tehran, Isfahan and etc. “Despite all the efforts we exerted we estimate that the level of disaster prepared- ness in Tehran is not more than 15 percent,” Najjar regretted. Najjar made the remarks on the sidelines of the disaster management council’s monthly meeting here on Sunday. He explained that there is chance that the capital will be hit by a magnitude-7 earth- quake and that the level of preparedness for emergency response is very low in the city. The magnitude 5.2 earthquake which jolted Tehran on December 20 indicated that “we” were not prepared and could not react appro- priately, he lamented, adding that science is the means to prevent the [catastrophic Referring to a campaign aiming at soliciting water outcomes] of a disaster and “that’s what we donations for the regions suffering severe water scarcity, should do and can do”. he said that IRCS launched the campaign on August 5 He went on to say that “we are prepar- in Sistan-Baluchestan province, and people can par- ing guidelines for all other provinces to ticipate with donating bottled water, water tankers or be prepared [for providing Tehran with cash, nationwide. emergency services] in case of an earth- Earlier in July, head of Tehran Province Water and quake in the capital.” Following the magnitude 5.2 earthquake which jolted Tehran on December 20, 2017, many spend the night outside their Wastewater Company Mohammadreza Bakhtiari said that The shrine of Imam Khomeini, south- houses for fear of a more powerful earthquake. (Photo by Majid Asgaripour/Tehran Times) Sistan-Baluchestan province is the first worst province ern Tehran, can both provide people with in water shortage and is in an unfavorable situation due emergency accommodation and has the The magnitude 5.2 earthquake which jolted Tehran on to the tremendous loss of per capita renewable water capacity for setting up some 200 field regarding its population, Mehr reported. hospitals, the official said. December 20 indicated that “we” were not prepared and On June 24, director for drought and crisis management Storing water supplies, setting up shelters, could not react appropriately. department at Iran’s Meteorological Organization Sadeq identifying spaces for helicopters landing are Ziaeian also said that in a 9-month period (September of the measures which must be taken at the rently “we don’t have such a space,” he said. 20 when Tehran was hit by an earthquake, he disaster will minimize,” the mayor concluded. 23, 2017- June 21, 2018), time of disaster, he highlighted. Importance of training for dis- warned, adding that’s why aerial emergency In an interview with YJC in December province of Sistan-Bal- Considering the extent of the disaster only aster preparedness services must become a priority. 2017, Geologist Vida Khaki explained that uchestan facing rainfall IRCS launched helicopters can offer emergency services, he Tehran Mayor Mohammad Ali Af- “Garrisons which are located inside the Iran is located in the Alpine-Himalayan shortages by 71 percent the campaign stated, explaining that Iran’s Red Crescent shani, for his part, also explained that at city can be best places for offering aerial orogenic belt, where more than 95 per- has hit the record high for on August Society is in possession of 27 helicopters. the time of earthquake, people who are emergency services. cent of the world earthquakes occur, which the first province with the “Additionally armed forces helicopters injured and those who intend to take care “Each province of Iran must be tasked means Iran is a seismic country. Being lowest precipitation rate. 5 in Sistan- can offer emergency services at the time of the injured ones would impede relief with providing one of districts of Tehran with crossed by several major faults that cover Moreover, the Hel- Baluchestan of disaster. operation since they are not trained for emergency services. at least 90 percent of the country Iran’s mand River, the long- Should an earthquake hit Tehran there disaster preparedness. “If Tehrani citizens are informed about earthquakes normally hit at a shallow depth est river in Afghani- province, and must be enough space for accommodating Another problem is traffic congestion the measures they should take at the time of less than 25 kilometers and that’s why stan stretching to the people can 10 million people who are displaced and cur- which was easily noticeable on December of disaster the problems resulted from the they are so destructive. Sistan marshes and the participate Hamoun-e-Helmand lake region around Za- with donating Wildfire incurs loss of $13,000 per ha to forests nationwide bol at the Afghan-Iranian bottled water, ENVIRONMENT TEHRAN — Forest wildfire brings heavy Khuzestan, Kohgiluyeh-Boyerahmad, Chaharmahal-Bakh- border, has been used water tankers deskeconomic burden amounting to 560 mil- tiari, Isfahan, Kerman and Hamedan, sustained the most extensively for irriga- lion rials (about $13,000) per hectare for the country, the damages due to the highest rate of wildfires. tion. Its waters were or cash, commander of the forest protection unit of the Forests, In the northern regions, Golestan province was one of essential for farmers in nationwide. Range, and Watershed Management Organization has said. the most haunted areas by wildfire, he also added. Afghanistan, but it feeds “Wildfire sweeping rangelands brings a total cost of 170 He went on to say that firefighting stations are located into Lake Hamoun in Iran and was also important to million rials (nearly $4,000) per hectare,” ISNA quoted in most of the areas prone to wildfire, and it is planned to farmers in Iran’s southeastern Sistan-Baluchestan Qasem Sabz’ali as saying on Sunday. develop and expand the number of stations throughout the province. “On average, some 10,000 hectares of natural lands burn country regarding recurrent drought hitting the regions. When droughts occur in Afghanistan, or the water in wildfires annually in Iran that 15-20 percent of them takes Any individual contributing to wildfires will face 3-6 in watersheds that support lake is drawn down by place in forests and the rest in pastures,” he stated. months of imprisonment, and the violators would be fined, other natural or human-induced reasons, the end Since the beginning of the current [Iranian calendar] he highlighted. result is a dry lake bed in Sistan, which has hurt people year (March 21), some 500 wildfires have erupted mostly In some cases, farmers burn pastures after the first culti- gaining income through fishing and farming around in 1,500 to 2,000 hectares of natural resources across vation, and cannot control the fire due to the severe winds, the wetland. the country, he added. so fire ignites forests and pastures, he regretted. Pointing to a drop in the number of wildfires happened According to the Ministry of Agriculture, contributing LEARN ENGLISH in natural lands compared to the same period last year, he to wildfire after farming is prohibited and the violators will noted that pastures in Zagros forest and provinces of Fars, also be punished by judicial system, he concluded. New Year’s Resolution A: Did you read this? It says that the number one new year’s Dried up wetlands major cause of SDSs in Tehran resolution make is to spend more time with friends and family. ENVIRONMENT TEHRAN — The he said, adding that a two-year restoration B: Why would that be funny? deskdrought-ridden wetlands plan has been assigned to each provincial A: Well, think about it. We are a society that is always on the around Tehran province are the major hot- [department of environment]. go, not because we have to, but because we want to. spots giving rise to sand and dust storms These drained wetlands known as main B: Why? (SDSs) in the capital, deputy environment hotspots of SDS must be managed for the A: We work hard and spend less time at home because we are chief Masoud Tajrishi has said. next 3-4 years, but regarding their vastness Some wetlands around provinces of covering 18 million hectares of land area, trying to provide for our family with goods and services that Tehran and Qom have been dried due to the restoration process including shred- are usually unnecessary. drainage or lack of rainfall which result- ding, mulching or planting, takes longer B: I don’t agree, but anyways, I think you should start thinking ed in total disappearance of plant species to go into effect, he concluded. of a new year’s resolution yourself. and severe soil erosion, Tajrishi said, YJC Earlier in June, Masoud Baqerzadeh, A: What’s the point? We always make a new year’s resolution reported on Sunday. the deputy environment chief for the wet- and by February we will have forgotten about it. It’s pointless. “Namak Lake located in [the central] lands, said there are some 105 wetlands in Qom province, is not an SDS hotspot due Iran, stretching over 3 million hectares of B: Well then maybe you should resolve to sticking to your its salt crystals which are resistant to wind,” lands; about 1.3 million hectares of these goals and objectives. he said. wetlands are affected by drought, which led A: What about you? Your gym bag is gathering dust and you still He also noted that overgrazing is an- vegetation in pastures which also leads to All dry wetlands and pastures were to the total dryness of some 60 wetlands, have brand new running shoes that are yet to be jogged in. other main cause of depleting rangeland dust generation. identified in 31 provinces of the country, ILNA reported. B: Well, I would go if you kept your promise of going to the gym with me every day! A: Yeah, yeah, whatever. ENGLISH IN USE Key vocabulary LEARN NEWS TRANSLATION new year’s resolution: new year›s decision or plan on the go: very busy and active افزایش همکاری های فرهنگی و اجتماعی کمیسیون ملی point: idea you try to make people understand National commission for UNESCO, Tehran resolve: bring to an end یونسکو و شهرداری تهران brand new: completely new Municipality to expand social, cultural co-op معــاون اجتماعــی و فرهنگــی شــهرداری تهــران و دبیــرکل کمیســیون ملــی یونســکو در ایــران در محورهــای Supplementary vocabulary Tehran Municipality and the Iranian National Commission for UNESCO فرهنگــی اجتماعــی تفاهــم نامــه همــکاری امضــا کردنــد. a commitment: to make a pledge to do something signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to expand cooperation in clean slate: a new start by clearing the record social and cultural areas. در نشســتی مشــترک بیــن معاونــت امــور اجتماعــی و فرهنگــی شــهرداری تهــران و کمیســیون ملــی یونســکو to implement: to put into effect by means of a definite plan The secretary general of the commission Hojjatollah Ayoubi and the deputy در ایــران ولــی اهلل شــجاع پوریــان معــاون اجتماعــی و فرهنگــی شــهردار تهــران، و حجــت اهلل ایوبــی دبیــرکل to reform to change for the better Tehran mayor for social and cultural affairs Valiollah Shojapourian discussed کمیســیون ملــی یونســکو در ایــران در راســتای توســعه همــکاری در محورهــای فرهنگــی و اجتماعــی بــه lifestyle change: a change in the way a person lives ways to increase cultural and social cooperation during a joint meeting held بحــث و گفــت و گــو پرداختنــد. .on Monday

Without water, PREFIX/SUFFIX PHRASAL VERB IDIOM everything “-ling” Jerk somebody around Carve out a niche Meaning: young, small or specified quality Meaning: to waste someone’s time or deliberately Explanation: to concentrate on a particular segment withers For example: The duckling was still trapped and make things difficult for them of the market and develop their expertise in that area it needed to be rescued. For example: But then she jerked her horse around For example: In today’s competitive market it is better savagely, and wheeled off with her escort in pursuit. to carve out a niche and try to become the best in that area. I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y AUGUST 6, 2018 WORLD IN FOCUS 13 Kushner seeking to strip Palestinians of Pro-Trump demonstrators refugee status, disrupt UNRWA work: report clash with counter-protesters Jared Kushner, the United States President The detained activists come from Sweden, in Portland Donald Trump’s senior adviser and son- Germany, Britain, Spain, France and Canada. in-law, has reportedly pressured Jordan A spokeswoman for the Israeli immigra- Police have arrested some protesters in the U.S. city of Portland to remove the refugee status of millions of tion authority said the activists were still in after scuffles broke out following a far-right demonstration and Palestinians in a bid to disrupt the United custody and would be put on flights home. a counter rally. Nations relief agency’s work. The seized vessel was one of the four The far-right protesters gathered in a riverfront park on Saturday American magazine Foreign Policy has ships on the “Freedom Flotilla” which set sail as part of a rally organized by two groups, Patriot Prayer and the obtained emails written by Kushner to sen- from Denmark in May to draw the world’s Proud Boys, both supporters of U.S. President Donald Trump. ior United States officials, in which he has attention to the suffering of Palestinians Protesters were marching to back Republican nominee for blasted the UN Relief and Works Agency under an inhumane Israeli blockade on the U.S. Senate, Joey Gibson when faced with hundreds of rival for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA). the Gaza Strip. Two of the ships, however, demonstrators, made up of a collation of labor unions, immigrant One of those emails is dated January 11, remained behind after a recent stop in the rights advocates, democratic socialists and other groups. five days before the Trump administration Italian port of Palermo. The counter protesters were holding banners and signs with withheld $65 million of a $125 million aid Last Sunday, the Israeli navy seized a opposition messages such as “Alt right scum not welcome in installment to the UN agency. Norwegian-flagged boat called “Return” with Portland,” and some were chanting “Nazis go home.” “It is important to have an honest and almost two dozen activists on board. It was Self-described anti-fascists have been organizing anonymously sincere effort to disrupt UNRWA,” Kushner also part of the Gaza “Freedom Flotilla,” online to confront Patriot Prayer and the Proud Boys. wrote in the email. “This [agency] perpetu- which was taking medical supplies to the The organizers argue that while Patriot Prayer says it is not ates a status quo, is corrupt, inefficient and coastal enclave. a white supremacist group, it affiliates itself with known white doesn’t help peace.” The International Committee for Breaking supremacists, white nationalists and neo-Nazi gangs. “Our goal can’t be to keep things stable the Siege of Gaza announced on Wednesday “Patriot Prayer is continuing to commit violence in our city, and as they are… Sometimes you have to The Trump administration wants rich and the issue of refugees, the statement that the Israeli authorities had begun de- and their events are becoming more and more violent,” said Effie strategically risk breaking things in order Persian Gulf Arab states to cover the costs added. porting several of the detained campaigners. Baum of Pop Mob, a coalition of community groups organizing the to get there,” he added. Jordan might incur in the process, she said, The U.S.-Palestine ties deteriorated last Divina Levrini, a Swedish human rights counter-demonstration. “Leaving them a small group to attack in The report quoted Palestinian officials warning that it is “a really irresponsible, December when Washington recognized al- activist arrested on board the “Return” boat, the streets is only going to allow them to perpetuate their violence.” as saying that Kushner had pressed Jordan dangerous decision and the whole region Quds (Jerusalem) as the “capital” of Israel said that she had been “tortured” while in Police intervened and ordered the demonstrators to disperse to strip its more than 2 million registered will suffer.” and announced plans to transfer its embassy Givon Prison. after they had thrown rocks and bottles at officers. Palestinians of their refugee status so that Additionally, Palestinian chief negoti- from Tel Aviv to al-Quds (Jerusalem). After her deportation to Sweden, she “Failure to comply with this order may subject you to arrest or UNRWA would no longer need to operate ator Saeb Erekat said after Kushner’s visit The contentious move led Abbas made an interview with the Palestinian citation, and may subject you to the use of riot control agents or impact in the Middle Eastern country. to Jordan that the U.S. official’s delegation to formally declare that Palestinians Ma’an news agency, demanding interna- weapons,” police said on Twitter and on a loudspeaker at the scene. He raised the issue with Jordanian of- had expressed its readiness to stop funding would no longer accept the U.S. as a tional action in the face of “genocide going Four people were arrested during the protests, according to the ficials during a visit to the region in June, UNRWA altogether and instead direct the mediator to resolve the conflict because on by an apartheid regime.” Portland Police Bureau, which also said officers seized “multiple along with the U.S. Middle East envoy Jason money—$300 million annually—to Jordan Washington was “completely biased” The fresh seizure of Gaza-bound ships weapons throughout the day.” Greenblatt. The U.S. officials discussed the and other countries that host Palestinian towards Tel Aviv. follows a number of failed attempts by ac- (Source: agencies) so-called peace plan meant to resolve the refugees. The U.S. embassy relocation took place tivists to reach the coastal sliver of land in Israeli-Palestinian conflict with officials “All this is actually aimed at liquidat- on May 14, the eve of the 70th anniversary recent years. in the occupied territories, Saudi Arabia, ing the issue of the Palestinian refugees,” of the Nakba Day (the Day of Catastrophe), In 2015, a flotilla of four boats bound for Egypt, Jordan and Qatar. They, however, Erekat said. sparking deadly clashes in Gaza. Gaza was forcibly redirected to Ashdod by Nicolas Maduro survives did not meet with Palestinian authorities U.S. after taking Palestinian Gaza-bound activists remain Israeli forces. drone ‘attack’ during their regional tour. refugee issue off negotiating table in Israeli custody for 2nd day Back in May 2010, an Israeli raid on Hasan Ashrawi, a member of the Pal- Meanwhile, the office of Palestinian Pres- The development follows as, a dozen another Gaza-bound aid flotilla, called A drone loaded with explosives detonated near a military event estine Liberation Organization’s executive ident Mahmoud Abbas said in a statement pro-Palestine activists, who were arrested Mavi Marmara, killed 10 Turkish activists where Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro was giving a speech, committee, said that Kushner’s initiative for that revelations about Kushner’s latest at- by Israeli forces on board a Gaza-bound in high seas and sent Ankara-Tel Aviv ties but he escaped unharmed in what the embattled leader called Palestinian refugees was part of a broader tempts proved the U.S. administration’s plot ship on Saturday, remain in custody of the into a tailspin. an assassination attempt. push by the U.S. to render UNRWA irrel- to take the Palestinian refugee issue off the regime for the second day. The two sides normalized relations in Seven people were wounded on Saturday in the apparent evant and halt its work in Jordan and in negotiating table. On Saturday, Israeli forces seized the June 2016, but their ties sank to a fresh low attack, which came as Maduro celebrated the National Guard’s other regional countries. It also reiterated that Trump’ much-touted Swedish-flagged vessel “Freedom for Gaza” in May 2018 after the expelling of envoys 81st anniversary in the capital, Caracas. “[Kushner said] the resettlement has to “deal of the century” is aimed at depriving the and took it to the port of Ashdod. amid growing tensions over the killing of Maduro later said “everything points” to a right-wing plot that take place in the host countries and these Palestinian people of their legitimate rights. The Israeli army said in a statement that dozens of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip at an initial investigation suggested was linked to Colombia and the governments can do the job that UNRWA The Palestinian people and their leader- all the 12 activists on board the ship had the hands of Israeli forces. United States state of Florida, where many Venezuelan exiles live. was doing,” she said. ship remain firm on their call for statehood been taken for “further inquiry.” (Source: Press TV) Several perpetrators were caught, he said, without elaborating. “This was an assassination attempt, they tried to assassinate me,” Maduro said in a televised address. “That drone was com- ing for me but there was a shield of love. I am sure I will live for Bangladesh clashes continue as protests intensify many more years.” Violent clashes continued in Bangladesh as authorities fired two fellow students on Sunday, reports said. A little-known group called the National Movement of Soldiers tear gas and shut down mobile internet connections after Emergency ward doctor Abdus Shabbir told AFP they in T-shirts claimed responsibility for the attack. In a series of a week of student protests that brought tens of thousands had treated more than 115 injured students, some of whom posts on social media, the group said it planned to fly two drones to the streets. had injuries consistent with rubber bullets. but snipers shot them down. By 1pm (07:00 GMT) on Sunday, thousands of students “A few of them were in very bad condition,” Shabbir said. “We demonstrated that they are vulnerable. We didn’t have from various schools and colleges started controlling traf- The Daily Star reported that up to 25 people had been success today, but it’s just a question of time,” said the group. fic in the capital, Dhaka, for the eighth consecutive day. injured in the protests. It said it was founded in 2014 to bring together all of Vene- Bangladeshi police fired tear gas at students occupying an Police denied they fired rubber bullets or used tear gas. zuela’s “groups of resistance”. intersection in central Dhaka. “Nothing happened at Jigatala”, a spokesman told AFP, State television was broadcasting Maduro’s speech at the A number of journalists were also beaten and had their referring to the Dhaka neighborhood where the clashes National Guard anniversary live when the incident took place. cameras taken away, reportedly by ruling Awami League reportedly took place. “We are going to bet for the good of our country,” Maduro party members. TV stations showed footage of protesters throwing declared triumphantly moments before the sound of an explosion Telecommunications companies were ordered to sus- stones at police. pierced the air. “The hour of the economic recovery has come.” pend 3G and 4G services for a period of 24 hours on late Protesters were reportedly also attacked by alleged Seconds later Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, looked up Saturday, the English-language Dhaka Tribune reported, pro-government activists. to the sky and winced. hours after dozens of demonstrators were injured during Obaidul Quader, road transport minister, rejected al- dalized since the protests started. Bus companies have The cameras then turned to a wide shot of uniformed military street battles with police on Saturday. legations that cadres from the ruling Awami League party taken their vehicles off the road to prevent them from being officers standing at attention in neat lines as they broke rank and Jahirul Haq, chairman of the Bangladesh Telecommu- had attacked the students. He said the party office closes damaged. began running. The transmission then cut off. Images shared on nications Regulatory Commission, told AFP news agency to Jigatala was vandalized by unidentified youths wearing Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan on Wednesday prom- social media showed officers surrounding Maduro with what regulators received an order from the government, but school uniforms before the clashes erupted. ised that the government would launch a public transport appeared to be black bullet-proof shields as they escorted him didn’t give further details. “We all are feeling threatened here. We wanted a peaceful safety campaign and urged the protesters to go home. from the site. Dozens of students injured in Bangladesh protest. We don’t want any trouble occurring around here. The education ministry shut down high schools on Thurs- Smoke could be seen coming out a building window. road safety protests Yet rubber bullets were shot at our brothers,” a student day in an effort to quell unrest, promising students their Firefighters at the scene of the blast disputed the government’s Dozens of people have been injured in Bangladesh’s told AFP. demands for reforms to road safety would be considered. version of events, The Associated Press reported. The news agency capital after student protests over road safety turned violent, Thousands of students have been taking to the streets Bangladesh’s transport sector is widely perceived as cited three local officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, marking a major escalation on the seventh day of unrest. after a speeding bus killed teenagers Diya Khanam Mim unregulated and dangerous. as saying the incident was actually a gas tank explosion inside Police on Saturday fired rubber bullets at student pro- and Abdul Karim Rajib on the roadside on Sunday. According to the National Committee to Protect Ship- an apartment near the site of Maduro’s speech. testers in Dhaka, AFP news agency reported, citing wit- The deaths incensed students who have since brought ping, Roads and Railways, a private research group, more The president didn’t comment on the firefighters’ accounts. nesses and a doctor. parts of the country to a standstill checking drivers’ licenses than 4,200 pedestrians were killed in road accidents last Maduro named Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos They also fired tear gas and used batons to disperse and marching through the streets. year, a 25 percent increase from 2016. as being behind the attack, but gave no evidence to back that up. hundreds of young people angry over the traffic deaths of Authorities say more than 300 vehicles have been van- (Source: agencies) “The name of Juan Manuel Santos is behind this attack ... the initial investigations point to Bogota,” Maduro said. A Colombian government source told Reuters news agency that Maduro’s allegation was “absurd”, and that Santos was cel- ebrating his granddaughter’s baptism on Saturday. DRC: New Ebola deaths confirmed, dozens believed infected Venezuela’s government routinely accuses opposition activists Ebola is suspected to have caused as many as Beni, last month. of plotting to attack and overthrow Maduro, a deeply unpopular 33 deaths during the latest outbreak of the After her “unsecured burial”, relatives leader who was recently elected to a new term in office in a vote virus in the Democratic Republic of Congo of the woman also displayed symptoms of decried by dozens of countries. (DRC), the health ministry said. the virus, seven of whom died. (Source: agencies) Thirteen cases of the virus were confirmed Ebola is a virus-caused hemorrhagic fever across northeastern North Kivu province and that in extreme cases causes fatal bleeding from neighboring Ituri province, DRC’s health internal organs, the mouth, eyes or ears. The minister said in a statement on Saturday, average fatality rate among those infected is Why are Iranians unhappy with another 30 “probable” cases registered. about 50 percent, according to WHO. Three people were confirmed killed by The latest outbreak comes after DRC with the Elysee Palace? the virus and 30 suspected Ebola deaths officials declared an Ebola crisis in north- 1 The French are eying the mid-term Congressional are being investigated since the outbreak western Equateur province over on July 24. elections; they also plan to take more benefit from our country was declared on Wednesday. That outbreak in May killed 33 people with under the pretext of secondary U.S. sanctions. Laboratory examinations aimed at deter- 54 confirmed cases. Now that the U.S. has exited the JCPOA, Macron con- mining whether the “probable” cases tested Health officials said a quick international tinues to play his paradoxical game. Another point is that positive for Ebola, which has no proven cure, response and the vaccination of more than in this equation, the main difference between the French were ongoing. 3,300 people were decisive factors in con- and the American officials is the “tactic” employed by the Almost 900 “contacts” - meaning people taining the virus. White House and the Elysee Palace. During the presidential who may have come into contact with an The worst Ebola epidemic occurred be- campaigns in 2016, Trump called the JCPOA “the worst deal infected person - have been registered by tween 2013 and 2016 when it killed about ever” and threatened to either “change” it or “withdraw” the the health ministry. fund for emergencies to help fund DRC’s “Even though we have access to the towns 11,300 people in West Africa as it surged U.S. from it. However, the French have chosen the policy Vaccinations were being deployed to the response to the newest outbreak. of Mangina and Beni, we don’t know to what through Guinea, Sierra Leone, and Liberia. of “playing with ambiguous words”. The vocabulary used city of Beni, in North Kivu province, the North Kivu, which borders Uganda and extent we’re going to have to rely on armed Ebola is passed from human-to-human by the French authorities is wider than Americans in this statement said. Rwanda, is a resource-rich province in which escorts for broader contact tracing outside by contact through the mouth, nose, or bro- regard: from “commitment to the JCPOA” to “completing However, an “active conflict” in the more than 100 armed groups operate, ac- those small towns,” Jasarevic said. ken skin with blood or other bodily fluids the JCPOA”! area could prove to be a “major barrier” to cording to Human Rights Watch. More than “That’s going to be a critical determining by those infected. Finally, the French authorities have a hard time to gain the health workers safely accessing the affected one million people are displaced there. factor in our ability to respond.” Humans contract the virus - which takes confidence of the Iranians. If Macron really wants to remove this population, Peter Salama, a senior World The security situation in the province Authorities were alerted to the DRC’s its name from the DRC’s Ebola River - from negative image of himself and his country from the memory of Health Organization (WHO) official, warned made any response planning “complex”, most recent Ebola outbreak - its tenth since infected animals, typically fruit bats, chim- the Iranians, Paris must enter a real struggle with the U.S. in last week. WHO spokesman Tarik Jasarevic told Al 1976 - by the death of a 65-year-old woman panzees, gorillas and monkeys. defense of the JCPOA. However, there seems to be no such a will WHO released $2m from its contingency Jazeera on Sunday. in Mangina, a town about 30km west of (Source: Al Jazeera) by the French authorities to defy the United States. I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y 14 WORLD SPORTS AUGUST 6, 2018

Liverpool’s Milner has 15 Melania Trump backs NBA star stitches in ‘crazy cut’ to head LeBron James after Trump insults US First Lady Melania Trump has backed basketball player LeBron James, hours after her husband made insulting remarks about him on Twitter. James had said in an interview that Mr Trump was divisive and had emboldened racists. In response, Mr Trump questioned James’ intelligence, saying it was not easy to make the NBA player “look smart”. However, Mrs Trump’s spokeswoman said James was “working to do good things” with a school in his Ohio hometown. She said Mrs Trump wanted “to have an open dialogue about issues facing children”. Earlier this week, James told CNN during Liverpool midfielder James Milner had 15 stitches after sustaining an interview with Don Lemon that sport had a “crazy cut” to his head during his side’s 5-0 friendly win over offered him the opportunity to meet people Napoli in Dublin. of different backgrounds and race. Milner, 32, left the field in the second half after a collision “Sports has never been something that with Portuguese defender Mario Rui. divides people. It’s always been something “He’s quite positive because he’s not been given a mirror yet,” that brings someone together,” he said. said Reds boss Jurgen Klopp. “He [Mr Trump] is dividing us and what Liverpool’s first Premier League game of 2018-19 is against I noticed over the last few months is that West Ham at Anfield on 12 August (13:30 BST). he’s kinda used sport to divide us and that’s It is not yet clear whether Milner, who scored the first goal something I can’t relate to, because I know against Napoli, will miss that game. that sport was the first time I was ever around “I knew that he would get stitches because we saw it on the someone white.” pitch,” added Klopp. He also argued that Mr Trump’s actions had “He’s in the dressing room so I have to see him first before I encouraged racists, saying: “I think [racism’s] can say more. That’s obviously the big shadow over that game.” always been there. But I think the president Lakers star. The president’s endorsement of Zurcher suggests the first lady’s statement ileged children in his home town of Akron, (Source: BBC) in charge now has given people - they don’t basketball star Michael Jordan was perhaps contains veiled criticism of her husband’s Ohio, which offers free meals and bikes to care now, they throw it to your face.” a reference to the long-standing debate over tweet. Mr Trump has taken a harsh stance students, as well as job placement assistance On Saturday, the president responded whether Jordan or James is the better all- on the ongoing debate over players in the for parents and an on-site food bank. on Twitter by saying: “Lebron James was time player. National Football League (NFL) who refuse Interviewer Don Lemon criticized Mr Serena Williams pulls out just interviewed by the dumbest man on However, Jordan also expressed support to stand for the national anthem in protest Trump’s tweet, and responded by referring television, Don Lemon. for James. He told media outlets through against racial injustice and police brutality. to the separation of child migrants from their of Rogers Cup for personal “He made Lebron look smart, which isn’t his spokesperson: “I support L.J. [LeBron He has repeatedly said that anyone who parents: “Who’s the real dummy? A man easy to do.” James]. He’s doing an amazing job for his kneels during the anthem should be fired. who puts kids in classrooms or one who puts reasons Mr Trump also suggested that he pre- community.” During the interview, James also discussed kids in cages?” fers NBA legend Michael Jordan over the LA BBC North America reporter Anthony a new school he has opened for underpriv- (Source: BBC) Serena Williams has withdrawn from next week’s Rogers Cup in Canada for personal reasons. Jurgen Klopp ‘really pleased’ with Modric staying at Real Madrid, The American 23-time Grand Slam singles champion was beaten 6-1 6-0 by Briton Johanna Konta at the most recent Silicon Alisson’s debut in goal Lopetegui claims Valley Classic event - the worst defeat of her career. “We are disappointed Serena will not be joining us,” said tournament director Eugene Lapierre. “Fans were very much looking forward to seeing her in action.” German Tatjana Maria will now get a wildcard spot in the main draw and faces Alize Cornet of France in the first round. “Beyond the disappointment, the tournament as a whole re- mains a high-level competition,” Lapierre added. “The entire top 10 is here, along with 22 of the top 25. There are exciting matches in store from the outset.” (Source: BBC)

Cristiano Ronaldo’s shirts Jurgen Klopp said he was “really pleased” “He was very, very aware of all situations Real Madrid have no intention of allowing return to action after his involvement in are sold out, the figures with Alisson Becker’s Liverpool debut, call- when he was needed behind a high last midfielder Luka Modric to leave the club, the tournament. “What I told him is ulti- ing it an “all-round good performance” in line. We involved him a lot in our build according to head coach Julen Lopetegui. mately private but what I feel is that he’s a the 5-0 thrashing of Napoli on Saturday. up, but we need to get used to that a little Widely regarded as one of the best player that I love watching and I’m thrilled Alisson played the full 90 minutes of bit more still -- that’s clear [and] he needs midfielders in the world, Modric helped to have him and ultimately I think he’ll be Liverpool’s penultimate friendly of the to get used to it a little bit more, but there Croatia reach the World Cup final in Russia, very happy to be on the team. preseason, recording a clean sheet and were a lot of good build-up situations, so where they lost the decider 4-2 to France “He is our player… We’ve been able impressing the Aviva Stadium with a good that helps. last month. There had been suggestions to enjoy watching him play and we will range of distribution throughout. “But at the end he’s there to catch balls Madrid would be open to offers for the continue to enjoy watching him.” The Brazil international, who joined and he did that in all the decisive moments 32-year-old playmaker, with Inter rumored Lopetegui is instilling his ideas from Roma for £65 million last month, had today, so I’m really pleased.” to be among the potential suitors. Marco Asensio, who scored twice as a relatively quiet evening as James Milner, Meanwhile, Klopp revealed Milner had However, speaking after the 3-1 Inter- Madrid came from behind to cruise past Georginio Wijnaldum, Mohamed Salah, to receive 15 stitches after a clash of heads national Champions Cup victory over Ju- the Serie A title-holders, offered an encour- Daniel Sturridge and Alberto Moreno all during the second half of the Napoli game. ventus in Maryland on Sunday, Lopetegui aging assessment of the team’s progress got on the scoresheet in Dublin. The midfielder was forced off in the 55th insisted the former Tottenham star will not early in the reign of the new boss. “He’s quite a good footballer -- probably minute following a nasty aerial collision be leaving the Santiago Bernabeu. “Lopetegui is instilling his ideas and we as good as the goalie he is!” Klopp told with Mario Rui. Lopetegui awaits Modric with are accepting them well,” he said. a news conference. “An all-round good Klopp believes the injury to the 32-year- open arms “We like his style of play and, although performance for the first game, especial- old was the one negative of a day where his “I think the president said it, I don’t think there are things to be improved, we are Juventus have completed the sales of the entire stock of t-shirts ly because I think everyone can imagine team delivered an extremely encouraging there’s much more to add,” he told a news gearing up well for the UEFA Super Cup ordered for the 2018/19 season according to Tuttosport. what happens inside a human being in a display. Speaking to the club’s official web- conference. “He’s made it concise and clear. against Atletico, where we play for the first As the order for the new jerseys was made a year ago, Juventus situation like that, playing the first game site, the Liverpool manager said: “I knew Luka Modric is an extraordinary player trophy of the season.” placed an order with their normal amount of sales as they had after all the things that were written about that he would get stitches because we saw and we’re waiting for him with open arms And Lopetegui refused to be drawn no idea they will sign the most popular athlete on social media. it and all that stuff. it on the pitch. “I talked to Modric after the great World on suggestions Madrid must try to sign About 55,000 T-shirts have been sold by Juventus since 10 “Playing against Napoli, it was the “He’s in the dressing room so I have to Cup that he had. We will see him when we a player of the calibre of Neymar or Eden July. In both online and official stores in Turin there are only strongest side we played so far, 100 percent see him first before I can say more. That’s get back on August 8 and we’ll see if he is Hazard as a replacement for the departed extreme sizes (XXL sizes or those for children). -- they had nearly a full squad here and it obviously the big shadow over that game.” available on the 15th in our first key match,” Cristiano Ronaldo. The new t-shirts should be available in about a month, between can look completely different. (Source: ESPN) he added, referring to Modric’s delayed (Source: AS) the end of September and the beginning of October. As of today the Bianconeri have gained a gross profit of about €6.5 million. If the Old Lady keeps selling shirts at this rate she’d cash in between €55 and €65 million by the end of the season. Bayern Munich’s sale of Arturo Vidal is a calculated risk worth taking (Source: Calcio Mercato) Arturo Vidal has been a mainstay of Bayern Munich’s midfield Vidal’s exit could get other deals over the line. for the last three seasons, so his move to Barcelona comes as The Bundesliga holders have yet to spend a single Euro something of a surprise. But the German champions have on a first time player since the end of last season, leaving the means to replace him without spending. some fans a touch nervous. While the first XI still looks It feels like Arturo Vidal has been patrolling the middle of strong, there are issues of depth in certain positions. Buffon thanks Juventus the park for Bayern Munich for much longer than three years. Errors by the otherwise impressive Sven Ulreich and The mohawked-midfielder’s bursting runs, driven per- Rafinha in the Champions League semifinal loss to Real Gianluigi Buffon thanks Juventus, after winning the French Super sonality and tightrope-walking approach to tackling have Madrid prove the importance of capable deputies to a team Cup with Paris Saint-Germain. made him a fan favorite and a key cog in the title-winning expected to challenge on all fronts. The Ligue 1 winners triumphed 4-0 over Monaco in the Trophée machines created by Pep Guardiola, Carlo Ancelotti and Rafinha looks an inadequate replacement for Joshua des Champions this afternoon, and the veteran took to Instagram Jupp Heynckes. Kimmich, Arjen Robben and Franck Ribery are another after the match to reflect on the triumph. “He always turned up in important games and we could season closer to retirement and with constant speculation “Even at the age of 40 you can still be happy to win a Super always rely on him,” said Bayern’s chief executive Karl- over the futures of Robert Lewandowski and Jerome Boateng, Cup,” Buffon wrote. Heinz Rummenigge when Vidal’s move to Barcelona was several areas could require strengthening. “Thanks again to Juventus who, with their culture of work, confirmed on Friday. Kovac proved at Eintracht Frankfurt that he could bring allowed me to reach this age in optimal condition to keep per- But the arrival of Leon Goretzka and the return of Re- sistency, that has made him so highly sought-after for so success without too much money but despite Rumminigge’s forming. nato Sanches means Vidal’s style is not as different to his long as Schalke claimed second place last term. While he claims in May that “we will go into the new season with this “Thanks to PSG, who found the necessary arguments to push positional rivals as it once was. Sanches, at least when he doesn’t quite have the all-action style of Vidal, Goretzka is squad and will see what Niko Kovac makes of it”, the new me even further. Thanks to my new teammates who allowed shot to prominence two years ago, is similar in style to the also fond of breaking from deep and is a better defensive man may well want to bring in at least one or two of his own me to win another trophy and welcomed me with enthusiasm, man more than a decade his senior. player than he’s sometimes given credit for. players before the transfer window shuts. courtesy and respect. The Portuguese midfielder has struggled since excelling With 11 and eight years on Sanches and Goretzka re- It’s unlikely that they’ll be central midfielders. And while “And thanks to Kevin Trapp who, despite what I offered a at Euro 2016 but Rummenigge expects his new coach to get spectively and, presumably, a higher wage to boot, once an Vidal will be missed, his sale makes plenty of sense. few days ago, wanted me to find the number 1 shirt in my place the most out of a player signed for €35 million ($40 million) acceptable offer for Vidal came in, selling him made sense. On the face of it, those words beg the question as to [in the dressing room]. two years ago. “Niko Kovac will try to bring him back to his Issues elsewhere why Bayern are selling one of their key men to a side who “Thank you Kevin, from my heart, and thanks to all those former glory. This is an exciting task,” he said. While Bayern’s central midfield options remain plentiful, are rivals for the trophy that seems to occupy the club’s who allowed me to feel these emotions again.” Goretzka can also expect a prominent role under Kovac. that isn’t the case across the whole squad and there is the thoughts the most. (Source: Football Italia) The 23-year-old showed the talent, if not always the con- suggestion that the transfer fee and wages saved through (Source: Deutsche Welle) I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y AUGUST 6, 2018 SPORTS 15

Alireza Beiranvand reaches Zob Ahan’s Habibzadeh sidelined for two months

SPORTS TEHRAN — Zob Ahan striker Reza Habib- agreement with Besiktas: report desk zadeh is expected to be sidelined for up to two SPORTS TEHRAN — Iran national months after sustaining a broken jaw. deskfootball team and Persepolis Habibzadeh injured after being kicked in the face by Esteghlal goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand has reportedly winger Vouria Ghaffouri in front of the goal. reached an agreement with Turkey’s Besiktas. Habibzadeh was immediately rushed to hospital and under- Beiranvand has remained an unused substitute went surgery in hospital. in Persepolis’s two previous matches in Iran Zob Ahan coach Omid Namazi has confirmed that Habibzadej Professional League. is not able to accompany the team at least for two months. Beiranvand represented Iran in three matches Ghaffouri apologized to Habibzadeh for the incident on his in the 2018 World Cup and blocked a penalty Instagram account. kick from Cristiano Ronaldo to deny Portugal a 2-0 lead in Group B. Beiranvand had been also linked with a move to Eto’o in talks with unnamed Turkey’s Caykur Rizespor and Ukrainian Dynamo Kyiv. Persepolis are not permitted to sign new player Iranian club: report until January due to transfer ban and Beiranvand’s departure will be a huge blow to the team. PLDC — Samuel Eto’o is negotiating with an unnamed Iranian The Iranian giants will have to face Qatari football club, Mehr news agency reported. powerhouse Al Duhail in the 2018 AFC Champions He had traveled to Tehran as TV pundit for Iran and Morocco League quarter-final and goalkeeper’s presence match in the 2018 World Cup. in the gate will boost their confidence. Persepolis are also looking to win Iran Professional League (IPL) title for the third year in a row. Persepolis free agent midfielder Vahid Amiri has already joined Trabzonspor, while Farshad Ahmadzadeh and Sadegh Moharrami have joined Slask Wroclaw and Dinamo Zagreb respectively. Iran beat Indonesia in FIBA U18 Asian Championship SPORTS TEHRAN — Iran started the FIBA U18 The 2018 FIBA Under 18 Asian Championship is being The ex-Cameroon striker, who has most recently played for deskAsian Championship 2018 on a high note, held in Nonthaburi, Thailand from August 5 to 11. Konyaspor, was a member of Chelsea and Barcelona teams. defeating Indonesia 80-50 on Sunday. The top four teams will qualify and will represent FIBA The veteran Cameroonian striker has had his contract with Ali Kashani led the way for Iran with 16 points, four Asia in the 2019 FIBA Under 19 Basketball World Cup. Konyaspor terminated by mutual consent. rebounds and one assist. Pools: The 37-year-old former Indomitable Lions captain had only Indonesian Aldy Izzatur Rachman scored 12 points and • Group A: Iran, Japan, Kazakhstan, Indonesia joined the Turkish side in January on a two-and-a-half-year added six rebounds. • Group B: China, Philippines, Lebanon, UAE contract, and scored six goals in just 14 appearances to help the Iran will face Kazakhstan and Japan respectively on • Group C: Australia, New Zealand, Bahrain, Thailand club survive relegation. Monday and Tuesday in Pool A. • Group D: Korea, Chinese-Taipei, India, Syria Eto’o is a three-time UEFA Champions League winner, two- time African Cup of Nations champion, and four-time African Player of the Year. Jahanbakhsh believes he made ‘best Khatam in Asian Club Volleyball choice’ joining Brighton Championship final French trio interested in Saman Ghoddos

Iran international winger Saman Ghoddos has caught the eyes of three French clubs. French trio Bordeaux, Amiens and Rennes have shown interest in signing the 24-year-old player. Manchester City’s scout has already watched the player in the match against Elfsborg. Ghoddos plays for Östersunds FK in the Allsvenskan, Swe- den’s top flight. Ghoddos can play in several attacking roles. He has scored 8 goals in 14 appearances for his club this season, and was also at the World Cup with Iran, appearing as a substitute against Morocco, Spain and Portugal. (Source: City Watch)

TASNIM — Iran international winger progress slowly and constantly,” he added. Indomitable Khatam Ardakan stormed However, Ardakan picked things up and Brazilian striker Claudir Alireza Jahanbakhsh has made it clear that “I opted to join Brighton & Hove Albion into the final showdown of the 2018 Asian clawed back into game to catch the spirited the best option for him is to move Brighton after asking people that I trust, and most Men’s Club Volleyball Championship after Vietnamese at 22-22, thanks hugely to ex- joins Padideh & Hove Albion. of them were really positive about joining powering past Vietnam’s Sanest Khanh Hoa cellent offensive combination of explosive The 2017/18 Eredivisie top goalscorer them. I spoke a lot with my management in straight sets 25-18 25-23 25-19 in the attacks from Mahmoudi and Zarini and TASNIM — Brazilian striker Claudir Marini Junior has joined highlighted the positive feeling he received Amir Hashemi Moghaddam, my parents, semi-finals at the Wunna Theikdi Indoor solid blocks by Mehdi Mahdavi and Adel Iranian football club Padideh on Saturday. when considering a move to the Seagulls. our coach Carlos Queiroz and my idol Mehdi Stadium Hall B on Sunday. Gholami. The Vietnamese won a crucial The 25-year-old forward has penned a one-year contract with The winger, who scored 21 goals and Mahdavikia. I had told Brighton’s officials Shahram Mahmoudi scored a team-high point from a Mahmoudi’s misfire before Mashhad-based football club for an undisclosed fee. claimed 12 assists last season, had so many three years ago it was a great feeling to play 14 points for Ardakan including 9 attacks Ardakan sealed the deal 25-23 in the set. Marini, who started his career in Flamengo SP in 2011, most option on the table but finally decided to there. I had told them as a joke they would from 19 attempts, while Adel Gholami added In the third set, Mahmoudi and Zarini recently played for Iran’s Esteghlal Khuzestan. join Brighton on a £17 million contract , win promotion to the Premier League and 11 points. Tran Trien Chieu chipped in with came up with huge attacks to help Arda- Padideh, who leads by ex-Iran captain Yahya Golmoham- making him the most expensive Iranian I would return here as a better player,” 11 points for the losing side. kan establish a 12-8 lead. As Sanest Khanh madi, lost to Persepolis in its first match and defeated Esteghlal player of all time. Jahanbakhsh said. Khatam Ardakan and Sanest Khanh Hoa fought back with an aim of making Khuzestan in its following match. “I thank God for moving in right direction “I was also linked with a move to Leices- Hoa entered the court in confidence as a comeback, the Iranians stormed on to after two years in NEC. Three years ago I ter City. They had a better financial sit- both sides have yet lost a match to their win the set 25-19, match and a final berth. wanted to join Brighton & Hove Albion but uation but I preferred to join Brighton. respective rivals heading to the Sunday’s “Vietnam are a good team fighting for it wasn’t the right moment for me to move I joined Brighton to help them and be semi-finals. The Iranians started strongly every ball and they have a good teamwork. Iran wushu fighters rank 1st to England. I went there and understood important for the team. It’s always been in the first set, but the Vietnamese, thanks They came up with good serves and were they have the big goals and good facilities important for me to do my best for the to their efficient blocks led by Tran Trien successful in combination and attacks. at Macau World Champs but I opted to stay in the Netherlands. It club and the fans. It’s exactly the same Chieu and Tran Xuan Tan, managed to keep They played better than us in the second wasn’t the right moment for me to play in here. Finally everything is done and I am composure which saw they level at 5-5. set, but when we lost our rhythm, I told my IRNA — Iranian wushu fighters with 4 gold medals stood first England. I needed to stay in the Netherlands a member of them. I have a really good Ardakan, powered by terrific Mahmoudi players that they are more experienced and at World University Wushu Championships held in Macau. because I thought, as a 21-year-old player, feeling about their tactics and the way and hard-attacking Hamzeh Zarini, were could beat the rivals. My players believed The event was held with the attendance of 250 fighters from I can improve more in the country and the team play,” he stated. dangerous from spike range. The Iranians in what I told them and that’s what counts 26 countries. moved to AZ,” Jahanbakhsh said. “One of my reasons I opted to join notched some blistering spikes to take a for the win. In the final clash, we will play Iranian athletes received 4 gold medals in Sanda category. “I played three seasons in AZ Alkmaar. Brighton was our coach Chris Hughton. six-point lead at 23-17 and allowed Sanest either Kazakhstan or Pakistan. Both teams This is the first time that Iran ranked first in this field. In the first season, I had problems in the big He was following my performance in AZ. Khanh Hoa only one more point to wrap are strong sides heading to semi-finals. Sanshou (Wushu Sanshou), also known as Sanda (Wushu team but in the second season I started to Also, they respect me as an Iranian player up the first set 25-18. However, I think we are stronger team. We Sanda), Chinese boxing or Chinese kickboxing, is a Chinese perform better and I never forget my third and respect our culture. All of these helped Going down one set, the Vietnamese have players from the Iran national team self-defense system and combat sport. season in AZ. I helped AZ and they helped me make a better decision. I am very gave it al to turn the tide in the second and our players competed in several major The World University Wushu Championships is a single sport me get to this point. AZ helped me a lot in happy since our first match in the new set. With precision-on-the-line serving and tournaments before. We set our sights on competition organized for university athletes and falls under my way to professional football and helped season has coincided with my birthday. exceptional attacks by Tran Trien Chieu winning the Asian title and we will fight the International University Sports Federation (FISU) World me become a better person as well. AZ had However, I know that I have recently mixed by incredible blocking ability, Sanest for every point in the final,” Ardakan head University Championships Sports Programme. a huge impact on my football. I always try joined Brighton and I am in no hurry to Khanh Hoa made a great start to capture coach Abbasali Mirhosseini commented move quickly to take that first step, then play,” Jahanbakhsh conclude. the pole position with a 6-point clear at 7-1. after the match. Iraq claim friendly win over Celtic set to sign Australian youngster Daniel Arzani Palestine BRENDAN RODGERS last night confirmed Celtic were Aberdeen’s Scott McKenna and continuing hopes to sign the clubs are working hard to get him here. poised to tie up a two-season loan deal for Australian Daniel John McGinn, he was happy to elaborate about Melbourne “It would be nice to have another Australian about the place. Arzani, the youngest player to play at the World Cup. City’s teenage star Arzani. “He has got bags of potential, as we saw in Russia. He Iraq defeated Palestine 3-0 in an international friendly on But there was also some bad news for Hoops fans with “I can say something about him. He is obviously finalising was a bright spark for Australia and we need as many as Saturday as both teams gear up for the AFC Asian Cup Olivier Ntcham a doubt for Wednesday night’s Champions his deal with Manchester City and there are talks with our- we can get. UAE 2019. League tie against AEK Athens. selves in order to for him come in as a possibility,” he said. “If we can get him here, it will be a great learning ex- Some 2,000 people attended the match in Al Ram, where The French midfielder, a key player in Rodgers’ side, “He is an exciting young talent and we’ll see if we can perience for him. Raad Fanar bagged his first international goal with new Al Shorta suffered an ankle injury in the champions win over Liv- get that organised over the next few days.” “He is going to come from playing in the A league where signings Mustafa Nadhim and Mohammed Shokan adding two ingston yesterday. Tom Rogic, Arzani’s Australian team-mate in the World you have 27 games and he is going to come here where we more goals via headers. “Olivier took what looked a sore one on the ankle,” said Cup in the summer, predicted that would be good news for have 60-plus games and are fighting in four competitions For the 2019 AFC Asian Cup in the UAE next January, Palestine the Celtic boss. Celtic supporters. and playing in front of 60,000 every week, so it will be a are drawn in Group B, alongside Australia, Syria and Jordan, “He will be assessed, but they can be OK once the swell- “Daniel is a good kid, he is only young, 19-years-old, but great challenge for him. while Iraq will look to continue their fine form as they go up ing goes down.” he is definitely a talent,” Rogic said. “He will need a bit of time, but his future is bright.” against Islamic Republic of Iran, Vietnam and Yemen in Group D. Declining to comment on reports about any interest in “As an attacking player, he will excite the fans and I know (Source: Sunday Post) (Source: the-afc) Prayer Times Noon:13:10 Evening: 20:24 Dawn: 4:42 (tomorrow) Sunrise: 6:17 (tomorrow) AUGUST 6, 2018 ART&CULTURE I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y www.tehrantimes.com Managing Director: Ali Asgari Editor-in-Chief: Mohammad Ghaderi Six foreign plays line up for Editorial Dept.: Fax: (+98 21) 88808214 — 88808895 [email protected] Switchboard Operator: Tel: (+98 21) 43051000 Advertisements Dept.: Telefax: (+98 21) 43051450 Public Relations Office: Tel: (+98 21) 88805807 Tehran puppet theater festival Subscription & Distribution Dept.: Tel: (+98 21) 43051603 www.eshterak.ir Distributor: Padideh Novin Co. ARTTEHRAN – Six foreign Tel: 88911433 desktroupes will be partic- Webmaster: [email protected] ipating in the 17th Mobarak Interna- Printed at: Rooztab - ISSN: 1017-94 tional Puppet Theater Festival, which No. 18, Bimeh Alley, Nejatollahi St., Tehran, Iran is scheduled to be held in Tehran from P.o. Box: 14155-4843 August 23 to 29. Zip Code: 1599814713 Croatian director Morana Dolenc will stage “Wanda LaVanda” written by Je- lena Tondini. The play is about Wanda, a sheep that due to its wool of many colors and unu- sual appearance stands out among other animals, her surroundings and friends. A French group is scheduled to per- form “A King without an Answer” by playwright and director Jean-Baptiste Puech. “The Small Theater from the End of the Yase Tamam to perform World” from the French director Ezequiel Garcia-Romeu will also be performed at “Count to One” the festival. Garcia-Romeu has co-written the play with Laurent Caillon. at Japanese festival Dutch director Charlotte Puijk-Joolen ARTTEHRAN – The Iranian troupe Yase Tamam will stage “Exuvia”. The play written by deskis scheduled to perform their acclaimed play Puijk-Joolen and Ananda Puijk is about “Count to One” at the Iida Puppet Festa, which will take place the search for our inner possibilities and in the old castle town in the Japanese region of Nagano from limitations. August 3 to 12. The festival will also host a Taiwanese group, which will perform “Journey to the West: Mayhem in the Crystal Pal- ace”. Yung-Chih Lin will direct the play written by Sheng-Chieh Wu. Afghan director Mohammad (Kaveh) Ayreek has also been invited to stage A scene from “Exuvia”, which will be performed by a Dutch troupe during the 17th Mobarak International Puppet Theater Festival “The Black Hair and Jalali”. in Tehran Iran Cinema Celebration announces nominees ARTTEHRAN – Actor Ali “Asphyxia”, Mani Haqiqi “The Pig” and Reza deskNasirian, the president of Dormishian “I Am Not Angry”. 20th edition of Iran Cinema Celebration has Mohadesseh Heirat “The Home”, Shab- announced the nominees of this year’s edition. nam Moqaddami “Don’t Feel Shy”, Elnaz The nominees are competing in differ- Shakerdust “Asphyxia”, Fereshteh Hosseini Yase Tamam members perform “Count to One” in an undated photo. ent categories including best film, director, “Parting”, Ghazal Shakeri “Sara and Aida” actor, actress, screenplay, editing, music, and Zahra Davudnejad “No. 17 Soheila” are The group that is led by director and writer Zahra Sabri will stage design and several more, the Iranian the nominees for the best actress. give three performances on August 7 and 8, the organizers have House of Cinema as the organizer of the event The nominees for best actor are Amir announced. announced on Sunday. Aqai “No Date, No Signature”, Navid Mo- Sabri has composed the play based on a work by Persian poet The nominees for best film are “No Date, hammadzadeh “Asphyxia” and “I Am Not Omar Khayyam. It tells the story of three soldiers who decide to No Signature” (producer Ali Jalilvand), Angry” , Hassan Majuni “The Pig”, and Hamed cease fighting in an unknown land. To express themselves, they “Damascus Time” (Mohammad Khazaei), Behdad “Blockage”. begin making sculptures with mud. “The Pig” (Mani Haqiqi), “I Am Not Angry” The Iranian House of Cinema organizes “Count to One” has been performed at several international (Reza Dormishian), and “Ferrari” (Jahangir the celebration every year to commemorate events, including the 16th International Festival of Puppets and Kowsari). Iran’s National Day of Cinema, which is Sep- Animated Forms in Lisbon in 2016, at the 30th International The best director nominees are Asghar tember 12 this year. Theatrical Festival Valise in Lomza, Poland in 2017 and at the Yusefinejad for the film “The Home”, Vahid However, they have canceled the award Théâtre d’argile in French city of Frouard in May 2018. Jalilvand “No Date, No Signature”, Ebrahim ceremony of the celebration due to the current The play brought Sabri the award for best director at the Hatamikia “Damascus Time”, Fereidun Jeirani Amir Aqai acts in a scene from “No Date, No Signature” by Vahid Jalilvand. economic climate in the country. Polish festival. Over 20 troupes from 16 countries are attending the Iida Puppet Festa this year. Ai Weiwei says China authorities raze Patrick Stewart to reprise “Star Trek” Persian stories illustrate his Beijing studio role in new series BEIJING (AP) — Chinese artist Ai Weiwei NEW YORK (AP) — Patrick Stewart is boldly Afghan women clashing with says authorities have begun razing his going where he’s been before — “Star Trek”. their patriarchal society Beijing studio. CBS All Access said Saturday Stewart has The frequent government critic says been tapped to headline a new “Star Trek” CULTURE TEHRAN – A collection of Persian stories that on his Instagram account the demolition series, reprising his “Star Trek: New Gener- deskillustrate Afghan women fighting against fettering began Friday without prior notice and ation” character, Captain Jean-Luc Picard. traditions in their patriarchal soci- posted videos of an excavator smashing The new series is not a “New Generation” ety has been published in Persian. the windows of his “Zuoyou” studio. reboot but will tell the story of the next chapter Zahra Nuri, an Afghan woman The studio in the northeast Beijing of Picard’s life. No title or air date was revealed. who lives in Tehran, is the au- suburbs has been Ai’s primary work space Stewart headlined his “Star Trek” series thor of “Red Thread Instead of since 2006, although his has mostly been for seven seasons and portrayed Picard in Chinese artist Ai Weiwei Patrick Stewart has been tapped to headline Her Lips”, which is composed of based in Europe in recent years. the movies “Star Trek Generations” (1994), a new “Star Trek” series, reprising his “Star eleven short stories. It’s unclear whether the demolition Ai, who has called attention to human “Star Trek: First Contact” (1996), “Star Trek: Trek: Next Generation” character, Captain In the collection, she tells is targeting Ai. Beijing authorities have rights violations and government Insurrection” (1998) and “Star Trek: Nem- Jean-Luc Picard. (AP/Michael Sohn) stories about the shackles of a demolished large swaths of the suburbs in corruption in China, was held for more esis” (2002). patriarchal society, which are seen the past year in a building safety campaign, than two months in 2011 on alleged tax In a statement, Stewart says he thought his so he considers it a delightful surprise to be in Iran and other countries in the typically giving at least several days’ notice. evasion. “Star Trek” days “had run its natural course” playing Picard again. Middle East. Reading between the lines, the stories also feature problems Russia tasks Hollywood actor Seagal with improving U.S. ties facing the Afghan men who live in exile. MOSCOW (Reuters) —Russia’s Foreign Ministry said “It’s a case of people’s diplomacy intersecting with Front cover of Afghan writer The stories also are also full of on Saturday it had made U.S. actor Steven Seagal its traditional diplomacy,” the ministry said. Zahra Nuri’s short story Afghan proverbs and terms, which special representative for Russian-U.S. humanitarian Seagal, who sometimes appears on Russian state TV collection “Red Thread Instead have been explained by footnotes. ties, a role it said was meant to deepen cultural, art to talk about his views and career, was cited by Kremlin- of Her Lips”. Paydayesh publishing house and youth ties between the two countries. backed TV station RT as welcoming the appointment. in Tehran is the publisher of “Red Thread Instead of Her Lips”. President Vladimir Putin presented a Russian passport “I’ve always had a very strong desire to do all I can to U.S. actor Steven Seagal in 2016, saying he hoped it to help improve Russian-American relations,” RT cited would serve as a symbol of how fractious ties between Seagal as saying. “I have worked tirelessly in this direction Moscow and Washington were starting to improve. for many years unofficially and I am now very grateful Book City Institute to review “The Since then, U.S.-Russia relations have only got worse for the opportunity to do the same thing officially.” however with U.S. intelligence agencies accusing Moscow For more than a decade Seagal, who according to History of World Literature” of interfering in Donald Trump’s White House run, an his own website is 66, has been a regular visitor to CULTURE TEHRAN – Tehran’s Book City Institute plans allegation Russia denies. The two countries are also at Russia. His movies, including such titles as “Under deskto review American scholar Grant L. Voth’s odds over Syria and Ukraine. Siege” and “Sniper: Special Ops”, are popular with “The History of World Literature” during a session on Tuesday. The Russian Foreign Ministry likened Seagal’s new U.S. actor Steven Seagal watches the Victory Day parade, Russian audiences. Published by Nilufar Publications, the book has been role to that of a U.N. goodwill ambassador and said that marking the 73rd anniversary of the victory over Nazi President Putin is also a fan of the kind of martial rendered into Persian by a the actor, who is known for his martial arts prowess, Germany in World War Two, at Red Square in Moscow, arts that Seagal often practiced in his Hollywood action team of translators under the would receive no salary. Russia May 9, 2018. (Reuters/Maxim Shemetov) movies. supervision of Azim Tahmasbi. The book contains a series of 48 half-hour lectures by Voth, a professor emeritus at New York art turns Bulgarian village into outdoor gallery Monterey Peninsula College STARO ZHELEZARE, Bulgaria (Reuters) — With husband Ventzislav who decided the theme this time should in California. The course as a fewer than 500 inhabitants, Staro Zhelezare in southern be the New York gallery. whole covers the evolution of Bulgaria is a world away from the mean streets of Manhattan, “We always want to make our projects on the basis of storytelling. It explores cross- but its houses and barns have now been painted with some contrast and absurdity, connecting them with special places,” cultural themes, techniques of the most famous images from New York’s Museum of said Piriankov, from the Polish city of Poznan. and modes of representation Modern Art (MoMA). “So, we decided to invite New York to Staro Zhelezare over nearly 5000 years of Andy Warhol’s banana, Salvador Dali’s clocks and Ed- and its people. They also deserve to see the beauty of Mo- history. vard Munch’s “The Scream” are among the murals that MA’s art works.” Scholars Amir-Ali have turned the village into a spectacular open-air gallery As well as the locals, foreign visitors have come to see Nojumian, Bahram Parvin in what is becoming an annual event. the street art. Front cover of the Persian Gonabadi, Azim Tahmasbi It is the fourth year that students from Poland have “It is just amazing”, said Englishman Nigel Thompson. A local villager looks at murals on the wall of a house in version of “The History of World and Masud Farahmand are painted the walls of Staro Zhelezare, a project launched by “I’ve never imagined something like that, you can even see the village of Staro Zhelezare, Bulgaria, August 4, 2018. Literature” by Grant L. Voth. expected to attend the session. Polish woman Katarzyna Piriankov and her Bulgarian-born Marcel Duchamp’s bicycle wheel.” (Reuters/Stoyan Nenov)