12602

W
W
W
.
T
E
H
R
A
Iran opens talks with
Siemens, Rolls-Royce on
energy investment
N
T
I
M
E
S
.
C
O
M
11
Iran to send 63
athletes to
Rio 2016
A
R
T
&
C U L T U R E
4
S P O R T S
E C O N O M Y
N A T I O N
2
No threats from
Turkish, Armenian
events, Iran says
12
“Immortal” honored at
Yerevan Golden Apricot
film festival
I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y
Iran calls
Ban report
‘biased’ and
‘unbalanced’
2
12 Pages Price 10,000 Rials 38th year No.12602 Tuesday JULY 19, 2016 Tir 29, 1395 Shawwal 14, 1437
Iran to name
international
oil companies
eligible to take
part in tenders
U.S. gets ‘low mark’ in JCPOA: Zarif
POLITICAL TEHRAN — Iranian Foreign Minister Mod e s k hammad Javad Zarif has said that the U.S.
gets a “low mark” in implementing the nuclear deal, officially
called the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.
However, in an interview with the IRIB aired on Monday, Zarif said generally the JCPOA gets a “good mark” given the international atmosphere.
Iran and the 5+1 group - the five permanent members of the
UN Security Council plus Germany) finalized the text of the JCPOA
in Vienna on 14 July, 2015.
2
DUBAI (Reuters) — Iran will issue a
preliminary list of international energy
companies eligible to take part in tenders to develop its oil and gas fields
within the next two weeks, a senior Iranian oil official said on Monday.
“Not all foreign companies active
in the oil industry can participate in
Iran’s tenders,” Ali Kardor, managing
director of the National Iranian Oil
Company (NIOC), was quoted as saying by the oil ministry’s news agency
SHANA on Monday.
“Only those international companies that meet the standards of NIOC
will be chosen.”
Kardor said that, apart from U.S.
companies, there were only around
37 companies in the world that might
meet Iran’s standards.
He said companies would only be
eligible that are registered as exploration and production or international
oil companies and are also rated by
Standard & Poor’s, Moody’s or Fitch
credit rating agencies.
“After creating the first list of international companies, a limited tender
will be held,” Kardor added.
The tenders will be based on Iran’s
new oil and gas contracts (IPCs) which
have yet to be unveiled after some
amendments.
Clashes in
Kashmir: 40 killed,
2000 injured
At least 40 people are now confirmed dead
and over 2,000 others injured following days
of violent clashes between protesters in
Kashmir and Indian forces, but the government has put the number of fatalities at 36.
Clashes erupted after Burhan Wani, a top figure
in the pro-independence Hizbul Mujahideen
(HM) group, was killed along with two others in
a shootout with Indian troops on July 8.
With a curfew entering its eleventh
straight day, medical sources have expressed
serious concern that a severe lack of blood
donations and life-saving medicines could
cause more deaths.
Anti-riot troops have used live ammunition, pellet guns and tear gas to disperse the
crowds and calm down the outrage over the
past few days.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra
Modi sought its cooperation in ensuring the
passage of the Goods and Services Tax (GST)
Bill and commended all parties for speaking
in “one voice” on Kashmir which has been
rocked by protests over the killing of Hizbul
Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani.
9
4
Iran seeks
more aircraft as
questions linger
over earlier deals
Iran has expanded its search for aircraft
and is looking to order dozens more jets
while it continues to try to overcome
hurdles to deals worth some $50 billion
with Airbus and Boeing, Iranian officials
and Western industry sources said.
Iranian airline executives attended
the Farnborough Airshow in Britain over
the past week and held preliminary discussions with several potential sellers
including Japan’s Mitsubishi, which is
developing a new regional jet, they said.
“Iran is planning to buy some 50
more airplanes of various types soon,”
an Iranian official said.
At the same time, Iran is continuing to meet Airbus and Boeing to try
to resolve headaches surrounding the
financing of existing deals to buy some
200 jetliners, needed to renew its fleet.
Earlier this year, the world’s two
largest plane-makers struck provisional deals with Iran Air under an agreement between Tehran and world powers to ease sanctions in exchange for
curbs on Iran’s nuclear activities.
“Yes, there are problems, financial
and political, but there have been several meetings with Boeing and Airbus
top authorities particularly in the past
few weeks in order to resolve the issue and to find a way to overcome the
remaining obstacles,” an Iranian official
close to the talks said.
Boeing representatives are expected
to visit Iran before the end of the month
to discuss the mechanics of their tentative
deal to sell or lease 109 jets to Iran Air.
The U.S. House of Representatives
this month passed a measure that
could, if confirmed by the Senate and
barring a presidential veto, block sales
of Boeing and Airbus aircraft to Iran
because they use a large number of
U.S. components.
4
Iranian-made solar car to take
north-south trip
Evidence suggests World’s first
farmers originated from Iran
PERSPECTIVE
By Heydar Soheyli Isfahani
Children riding on
elephant back
S O C I E T Y TEHRAN
—
d e s k The Ghazal-3,
an Iranian-made solar car, will
take a trip extending 2700 kilometers from north of Iran to south,
IRNA news agency reported.
The journey will start from Anzali free zone, neighboring the
Caspian Sea, and will culminate in
Kish Island in the Persian Gulf.
According to Karen Abrinia,
a professor at Tehran University
School of Mechanical Engineering
and the Ghazal solar car project
manager, the car will take the route
passing the cities of Rasht, Qazvin, Tehran, Qom, Kashan, Isfahan,
Yazd, Shiraz, Bandar-Abbas, and
ending in Kish Island.
The Ghazal-3 is the most recent edition of an the Ghazal-1
which was first designed and built
by a group of university students
in 2004 and received Kharazmi International Award in 2005,
Abrinia explained, adding, the
Ghazal-2 was built in 2009 and
took part in a solar car race held
in Australia.
The four-wheel Ghazal-3 with
two seats which was designed
and built by 40 students of electrical, mechanical and industrial
engineering can ultimately reach
the speed of 130 kilometers per
hour, he added.
Abrinia also noted that it took
a year to provide finance for the
Ghazal-3 project.
Developing such cars will
make a great difference in protecting the environment and
cutting back on the fossil fuel usage which is the primary reason
for metropolises air pollution, he
highlighted.
New evidence reveals skeletal remnants and teeth excavated from the
mountains of Zagros, Iran, from
four prehistoric individuals provides
clues how these humans had a regular diet of native grown crops, as
early as 9,000 years ago.
More specifically, these human
bones found inside the Wezmeh Cave
in Zagros are very well preserved
where the others are discovered from
a site known as Tepe Abdul Hosein
which is also located in Iran, dating
back to 10,000 years old, according to
an international team of scientists from
the University College of London and
Johannes Gutenberg University.
Researchers confirmed that
these four individuals possessed
very similar genomic signatures,
as this new group is now dubbed
as Zagros Neolithics.According
to anthropologist and population
geneticist Joachim Burger from the
Johannes Gutenberg University, their
genetic makeup was very distinct
from modern Europeans and farmer
ancestors from Anatolia and Greece.
Researchers also estimated that
these two populations separated
into two some 46,000 to 77,000
years ago. Even if these two ancient farming cultures did not integrate with each other, Burger adds
that there was a chance that they
exchanged farming knowledge
among the two populations.
Past studies have suggested
how a group of hunter gatherers
in the Middle East have first established the concept of agriculture
and farmlands some 10,000 years
ago, as they migrated to Europe,
Asia and Africa as they integrated
themselves to local groups.
(Source: yibada.com)
Turkey realigning foreign policy with a look to the East: expert
INTERVIEW
By Javad Heirannia
TEHRAN — A professor of international politics from the University of Birmingham says Turkey is
reviewing its foreign policy with a
look to the East and Middle East.
“Turkey is realigning its foreign
policy to pursue the pre-2011 approach of cooperation for “strategic
depth”, in this case, looking to the
East and Middle East,” Scott Lucas
told the Tehran Times in an interview before the attempted military
coup in Turkey.
Following is the text of the interview:
Q: What did motivate the
ruling AKP party in Turkey to drop
some of its preconditions to reconcile with Israel? And why did
Turkey reconcile with Russia too?
A: Turkey is realigning its foreign
policy to pursue the pre-2011 approach of cooperation for “strategic
depth”, in this case, looking to the
East and Middle East.
This explains both its reconsideration of relations with Israel, strained by
the Gaza Flotilla affair, and with Russia,
damaged by the Syrian conflict.
Turkey is hoping both for economic benefits from more settled
trading relationships and a possible
political resolution over issues such
as the Syrian crisis.
Q: Turkey’s “zero problems” foreign policy practically
changed into tensions with its
neighbors. Why?
A: Turkey’s foreign policy was
unsettled primarily --- as was the
case with many countries --- by the
effects of the Syrian conflict. It is not
possible to have “zero problems”
given the problems unleashed by
the Assad regime’s response to the
protests in 2011.
Q: What will be the effect
of these changes on Turkey itself? Are the terrorist attacks
inside Turkey linked to AKP’s
foreign policy?
A: It is too early to tell how the
reconsideration of relations with Israel and Russia will shape foreign
policy beyond the near-future. This
will turn in large part on whether the
situation eases in Syria.
The terrorist attacks by the Islamic State inside Turkey are linked
to the Syrian crisis and the Islamic
State’s belief that its position in the
country is under threat.
Some 20 years ago when I first translated to Persian a book about the activities of Israeli lobbies in various state
bodies in the United States, including Congress, many readers found it
amazing and unbelievable the devotion of many congressmen to Tel Aviv’s
policies and interests.
The ones that could not even digest
a phenomenon called lobby in the legislative body were in disbelief when they
realized that sometimes some American
congressmen put all their effort in ratifying a bill or amending a law that obviously is not in the interest of the United
States and even can cause irreparable
damages to their country.
With the continuation of this trend,
the vast and eye catching influence of
the Israeli lobby, now the situation is
even much worse. The red carpet welcome that congressmen give to the Israeli lobbyists while trying to satisfy their
demands, is for being reelected to the
Congress for next term; and maybe I can
bravely use the vulgar sentence that all
these congressmen do such acts in order to get paid and reelected.
To make it more clear, at a time of
economic depression and meltdown
and while the United States needs
more income and resources, for some
congressmen, blocking a 25-billion
dollar deal between Iran and Boeing
Company, based on childish excuses
is very easy. They only seek to put a
smile of pleasure on the face of Israeli
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
They do not care if such a big business
deal benefits a rival country.
The significance of Netanyahu’s smile
is so important that some congressmen,
who actually appear American, order
the U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry to
come to Congress to ask him: “Mr. Kerry! Did you call the Israeli Prime Minister
naive?” And when Mr. Secretary, puzzled
and astoundingly mutters, the congressman once again, with an imperious tone
that the congressmen used to ask about
the “Pearl Harbor” dossier, reiterates:
“Did you or did not?” To avoid impeachment the minister, with a fallen head,
replies: “No! I did not!”
9
2
I NTE R NATI O NAL DAI LY
MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS
ILNA
Attackers to Saudi
diplomatic posts
stand trial
TEHRAN — A court hearing was held on Monday in
Tehran for 21 of the Iranian citizens accused of being
engaged in the attacks on diplomatic posts of Saudi
Arabia in Tehran and Mashahd, according to ISNA.
The Saudis’ missions were put to torch in a public mob triggered by the hanging of prominent Shiite cleric Nimr al-Nimr in January.
A few weeks ago President Hassan Rouhani had
urged the judiciary to take action. Saudi Arabia
used the attacks as a pretext to severe political ties
with Tehran.
IRNA
Judiciary chief calls for
‘fair’ critique of nuclear
deal
TEHRAN — The Iranian Judiciary Chief Sadeq
Amoli Larijani on Monday called for a “fair” criticism of the nuclear deal, formally known as the
Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).
Amoli Larijani’s call comes days after the first
anniversary of the deal and the Foreign Ministry’s
briefing of the parliament on the process of the implementation of the agreement.
Opponents say the pact has resulted in almost
no economic gains, while Deputy Foreign Minister
Abbas Araqchi has labeled the opponent voices as
“sanctions beneficiaries.”
TA S N I M
Majlis security
committee members
meet chief of staff
commander
TEHRAN — Members of the Parliament National Security and Foreign Policy Committee met on
Monday with Major General Mohammad Baqeri,
the newly appointed Armed Forces chief of staff.
In the session, the latest regional and domestic
developments were discussed.
Most likely on agenda should have been the
recent border clashes between Iranian forces and
militant groups in western and eastern borders Iran
shares with Iraq and Pakistan.
Also, the failed military coup in Turkey should have been
analyzed, following which Iranian forces were on guard.
TA S N I M
Iran reprimands
dissolution of
Bahraini opposition
bloc
TEHRAN — Iran’s Foreign Ministry on Monday deplored a ruling by a Bahraini court which has dissolved
Al-Wefaq National Islamic Society, the main opposition
bloc in the country, saying such unconstructive measures
will only add complexity to the already tumultuous situation in the tiny Arab caliphate.
“Such measures (dissolution of opposition
group) by the Bahraini government indicate that
they (Manama rulers) are not after settling the existing dilemmas and problems, and such conducts
will further complicate the situation,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Qassemi said on Sunday.
I R A N
Protecting environment
impossible without
peace: Ebtekar
TEHRAN — Masoumeh Ebtekar, head of the Environment Protection Organization, said on Sunday
that it is not possible to protect the environment
without prevalence of peace.
Ebtekar made the remarks during a conference
in Tehran at the presence of Klaus Topfer, a German
federal minister for environment, nature conservation and nuclear safety, was present. “One of the
strategies to increase environmental cooperation in
the world is formation of dialogue among the religions in this area and study various religions’ view
on the issue of environment and focus on commonalities in this sphere,” she said, according to the
Iran newspaper.
F A R S
Commander: Iran to
sue Western
companies for selling
faulty cyber war tools
TEHRAN — The commander of Iran’s Civil Defense Organization has said cases have been filed
and submitted to the Foreign Ministry against faulty
devices in cyber war tools that Iran has purchased
from Western manufacturers.
According to Brigadier General Gholam Reza
Jalali, this is while there is domestic capacity to
manufacture such equipment.
Jalali also described the recent cyber-attacks on
Iranian websites as “primitive.”
Learning from the Stuxnet virus that ravaged
Iran’s Natanz nuclear facility, the country has been
beefing up its cyber-attack infrastructure.
N
A
T
I
O
N
JULY19, 2016
h t t p : / / w w w . t e h r a n t i m e s . c o m / i n t e r n a t i o n a l
No threats from Turkish, Armenian
events, Iran says
POLITICAL TEHRAN — The depd e s k uty interior minister for
security affairs clarified on Monday that
the recent developments in Turkey and
Armenia had mounted no threats to Iran
though security forces were on high alert.
As Turkey was emerging securely from
a military coup, gunmen seized a police
station in Yerevan, Armenia’s capital, taking an unknown number of hostages on
Sunday morning.
“Domestic developments in Turkey and
Armenia posed no threats to our country
as we had expected … and from the very
beginning of the Turkey developments,
borderline provinces were prepared for
border controls,” Hossein Zolfaqari told a
press conference.
Hours after the abortive coup in Turkey late on Friday there were rumors that
all Iranian fighter jets had been scrambled
to northwestern provinces where Iran
share borders Turkey.
On extraordinary measures taken by
Iran immediately after the coup in Turkey, Zolfaqari said travelling to Turkey
was constrained and eased up on Sunday
again as of 4 p.m.
No Iranian nationals were reportedly
among hundreds of people who were
killed, wounded, or arrested during the
event.
Kermanshah attack still under
investigation
On the recent attack on a lawmaker
in Kermanshah province, Zolfaqari said
while a lot has been done, no arrest has
been made.
“No one has been apprehended in this
regard yet, but appropriate actions have
been taken and some clues have been
found…”
However he discouraged any speculation about the incident.
The official was referring to a recent
assassination attack on an MP in the village of Rijab, western Iran.
The vehicle carrying Heshmatollah Falahatpisheh, the representative of Eslamabad-e Gharb in Majlis, came under attack by four terrorists as he was travelling
to the village of Rijab on July 10.
While Falahatpisheh and two more
survived the assassination unscathed,
sustaining injuries, the driver and head
of the Veterinary Department of Dalahou
Zolfaqari says: “Domestic developments in Turkey
and Armenia posed no threats to our country as
we had expected … and from the very beginning
of the Turkey developments, borderline provinces
were prepared for border controls.”
County lost their lives in the shooting.
Iran has pointed an accusing finger at
the Party of Free Life of Kurdistan (PJAK)
over the attempt.
Takfiri moves closely watched
amid sabotage plots
It is now two years Iran has been observing Takfiri groups, Zolfaqari said elsewhere in his remarks.
“They are looking for sabotage inside
Iran, but our intelligence and military
superiority has neutralized all their attempts.”
Due to the superiority, terrorist groups
have failed to carry out missions inside
Iran, while almost all regional countries,
including Turkey, have not been secure
from blasts.
Particularly, this level of security has
been possible due to 24/7 patrolling by
the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps
(IRGC) intelligence officers.
Over the past two months they have
thrashed terrorist cells in eastern areas of
the country.
In this regard, Zalfaqari blamed terrorist groups for links with regional intelligence services.
Iran calls Ban report ‘biased’ and ‘unbalanced’
POLITICAL TEHRAN — The Iranid e s k an Foreign Ministry said
on Monday that a draft report prepared
by Ban Ki-moon, the UN secretary general, about the observation of the UN 2231
resolution is “biased” and “unbalanced”.
The UN resolution, approved on July 20,
2105, endorsed the nuclear deal between
Iran and great powers and cancelled all the
Security Council resolutions against Iran.
“The report has been prepared under
the U.S. pressure and its charges against
Iran are unfounded,” ministry spokesman
Bahram Ghassemi pointed out.
The comments came as Reuters quoted Ban as saying in a copy of the report
that Iran’s ballistic missile launches “are
not consistent with the constructive spirit”
of the nuclear deal between Tehran and
world powers.
Ghassemi said that the report is contrary to spirit of the Joint Comprehensive
Plan of Action (JCPOA) and even the 2231
resolution.
He regretted that the report has avoided demanding the 5+1 group to abide by
their commitments to the nuclear deal.
The international community expects
the UN secretary general to report about
the failure of the U.S. and some other 5+1
group states in meeting their obligations,
he added.
He also said that Iran’s ballistic missiles
are not designed to carry nuclear warheads and no one is authorized to comment on Tehran’s defense system.
Ghassemi said the JCPOA was a product of “lengthy collective effort” to resolve
a “fabricated and unwanted crisis”.
All signatories to the JCPOA should
meet their obligations and the UN should
take supportive actions in order to make
it permanent, he added.
Elsewhere, he said that Iran has been
fulfilling its commitments based on the
deal but will take counter action if the
other side violates it.
Iran and the 5+1 group - the United
States, Britain, France, China and Russia
plus Germany - finalized the text of the
JCPOA in Vienna in July 2015. The agreement took effect in January 2016.
Tehran takes first delivery of S-300 air defense system
POLITICAL TEHRAN — Iran has received the first
d e s k batch of the S-300 air defense system,
the Tasnim news agency announced on Monday.
Reportedly, Tehran has purchased the S300-PMU2
model, one of the most advanced models of the S-300
family.
Although Iran has already installed armed eyes and
missile sites in upwards of 3700 point across its mainland, the S-300 system makes the country’s air space
most costly for flying objects to penetrate into.
Iran paraded parts of the advanced missile battery
in Tehran on April 17, ending speculation over Russians’
hesitation to ship the system to Iran.
In May, Iranian Defense Minister Brigadier General
Hossein Dehqan formally confirmed the news, saying
Khatam-ol-Anbia Air Defense Base had received the first
delivery of S-300.
The sale of the S-300, originally concluded in 2007,
was repeatedly delayed due to the Western pressure on
Russia.
In 2010, Dmitry Medvedev, then the Russian president, canceled the deal, citing UN sanctions on Iran over
its nuclear program.
In addition to the UN arms embargo, the U.S.
and Israel heavily lobbied Russia to block the deliver y of the system to Iran, saying it could be used
to shield Iran’s nuclear facilities from possible future
air strikes.
New Foreign Ministry spokesman
meets the press
By Marjan Golpira
TEHRAN — On Monday, the newly appointed Iranian Foreign Ministry
spokesman had an initial meeting over
luncheon with journalists from national
media.
In the working lunch, held at the
Foreign Ministry, Bahram Ghassemi,
who replaced Hossein Jaberi Ansari on
June 19, expressed hope to continue
close cooperation, as was set by his
predecessor, with the local media on
regional and international affairs.
“I hope to be a good colleague to
you all during my incumbency.”
About a month ago, Ghassemi received his mandate from Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif as the
Foreign Ministry press secretary.
Ghassemi had been Iran’s ambassador to the Republic of Ireland, Italy, and
Spain. He also held posts at the Foreign
Ministry departments dealing with the
Commonwealth and Western European affairs.
He also served as international research deputy chief at the Strategic
Research Center of the Expediency
Council.
Angry by Moscow’s lack of commitment to the pact,
Iran sued Russia in the International Court of Arbitration,
asking for $950 million of compensation for the contract
cancelled by Russia arms export agency Rosoboronexport.
Later in 2015 the two sides buried the hatchet
as Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree lifting a ban on the deliver y of the S-300 systems to Iran.
Since that time, there were conflicting reports as to
when Iran would actually receive the system.
While it is not clear where battalions of the air defender will be installed, it seems security of sensitive locations, including nuclear sites, are a priority.
Govt. quick to clamp down on financial
corruption: intelligence chief
POLITICAL TEHRAN — Inteld e s k ligence
Minister
tion,” Alavi said during a meeting with
Hojatoleslam Seyyed Ahmad Alamolhoda, the Friday prayer leader of
Mashhad.
It is necessary to fight corruption if
the public trust in the performance of
officials is not going to be undermined,
Alavi noted.
So far, he said, the Intelligence Ministry has fulfilled its duties in the best
way in this regard.
Alamolhoda praised efforts being
made by the Intelligence Ministry in
line with maintaining the country’s security.
Seyyed Mahmoud Alavi said on
Monday that the Rouhani government shows no hesitation in
cracking down on financial corruption immediately af ter noticing it.
“We (at the Intelligence Ministry)
have the responsibility to fight massive economic corruption based on
the Leader ’s remarks and the minor
issues are upon the other bodies
such as the Supreme Auditing Court
and the State Inspectorate Organiza-
U.S. gets ‘low mark’ in JCPOA: Zarif
1
On July 20, 2015, the UN Security
Council turned the JCPOA into international law by endorsing a resolution,
setting the stage for the lifting of the Security Council sanctions against Iran. The
deal went into effect on January 16, 2016.
The Iranian foreign minister also said
that a “national consensus” is required to
gain benefits from the nuclear deal.
He said that the JCPOA “maintained
the people’s dignity, recognized their
rights, canceled resolutions of the UN Security Council and prevented imposition
of new sanctions against the country”.
The greatest achievement of the nuclear deal was that the Iranian people
proved that nothing can be imposed on
them through pressure, the chief diplomat noted.
On implementation of the JCPOA, he
said that Iran is “serious” in meeting its
obligations under the deal and preventing the other side from violating it.
Elsewhere, he said that the JCPOA is a
“defendable document”.
“On the anniversary of reaching the
JCPOA, we can tell the Iranian people
that the agreement has made them
proud at the international arena. The
world knows the Iranian people as a nation that resist against pressure and simultaneously is ready to negotiate and
meet its obligations and do not allow
the other side to renege on its promises,” he stated.
h t t p : / / w w w. t e h r a n t i m e s . c o m / i n t e r n a t i o n a l
JULY 19, 2016
INTERNATIONAL
Suspected militants kill four in attacks
in Kazakhstan
Suspected extremist militants killed at
least three policemen and a civilian in
Kazakhstan’s financial capital Almaty on
Monday, security sources and witnesses
said, and authorities said one gunman
was still at large.
The attackers targeted a district police
station and an office of the KNB (Kazakh
National Security Service) state security
service. Another shootout occurred on a
busy central street where police wounded and detained one of the attackers.
President Nursultan Nazarbayev convened an emergency meeting of his security council to discuss the attacks, his
office said.
The attacks will stoke fears of a growing extremist threat to the oil-producing
nation of 18 million. Last month men the
authorities described as the Islamic State
in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL/Daesh) terrorist group sympathizers attacked gun
stores and a National Guard facility, killing seven people.
One security source told Reuters the
authorities believed extremist militants
were behind Monday’s attacks.
Hundreds of nationals from Kazakhstan and other Central Asian nations are
known to be fighting alongside the ISIL
terrorists in Syria and Iraq and the authorities have long warned they could return and carry out attacks on home soil.
Kazakhstan is far more prosperous
than its post-Soviet neighbors and has
been ruled with a firm hand by Nazarbayev since 1989.
But the fall in global oil prices has hit
its economy hard and there have been
rare outbreaks of violence and public
protests since April, initially caused by
discontent over proposed land reforms
but swiftly attracting others unhappy
about wider issues.
Five witnesses told Reuters they heard
gunshots in three parts of Almaty, the
mainly Muslim nation’s largest city, on
Monday.
“We saw a man with a rifle,” one shop
worker said by phone. Footage uploaded
to the internet showed a man pointing
an assault rifle at a car he tried and failed
to stop.
The Interior Ministry said one attacker shot a policeman guarding a police
station and then took his automatic rifle.
He then shot two more policemen who
chased him.
The same man then tried to hijack a
car, killing its civilian driver. He shot and
wounded two more police officers before
being wounded himself and detained on
a busy street.
The ministry did not name the gunman but said the 27-year-old was also
suspected of murdering a woman last
weekend and had an accomplice who
remained at large.
A Reuters reporter saw a car that
had been rammed by another vehicle
in the area where the detention was reported to have taken place. The scene
was cordoned off by police carrying assault rifles.
Last month, the KNB, successor to
the Soviet-era KGB (Komitet gosudarstvennoy bezopasnosti/Committee for
State Security), said it had detained
several members of a group planning
“terrorist acts using improvised explosive devices.”
(Source: Reuters)
Mosul residents revolt against ISIL
Sadr says U.S. troops are targets
Residents in several neighborhoods in the Iraqi city of
Mosul have reportedly staged an uprising against the
Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL/Daesh) terrorist
group — which holds the city — killing at least five terrorists.
Armed clashes erupted between the residents of the
Bab al-Jadid neighborhood in central Mosul and ISIL terrorists late on Sunday, a local source told Iraq’s al-Sumaria news website on Sunday.
The uprising has led to the expulsion of the ISIL terrorists from their positions in the area and the death of
two terrorists.
Two vehicles belonging to the terrorists were also
burned, according to the report.
The source, who spoke on condition of anonymity,
further said that the residents of Mosul’s southern district
of Hammam al-Alil also clashed with ISIL in the center of
the district, killing three terrorists.
The source added that the residents seek to take full
control of the district and to purge it of the terrorists.
According to the report, the residents have already
raised the Iraqi flag over a number of the district’s buildings.
The northern and western parts of Iraq have been
plagued by gruesome violence ever since ISIL terrorists
began a campaign of terror in the country in June 2014,
when they overran Mosul and declared it their so-called
headquarters in Iraq.
ISIL terrorists have gained notoriety for their barbarity, heinous atrocities and sacrilegious acts. The militants
have been accused of committing gross human rights
violations and war crimes in the areas they control in Iraq
as well as in neighboring Syria.
U.S. troops are targets
Meanwhile, Iraqi Shia cleric Moqtada al-Sadr has told
his followers to target United States troops who are to
be deployed in Iraq as part of Washington’s alleged fight
against the ISIL terrorist group.
On Monday, U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter announced that 560 more U.S. troops will be sent to Iraq as
part of an upcoming operation aimed at retaking the key
city of Mosul from ISIL.
A comment was posted on Sadr’s official website after
one of his followers asked for the cleric’s response to the
announcement.
“They are a target for us,” replied Sadr, without further
elaborating, Reuters reported on Sunday.
The move to increase the number of U.S. troops
comes despite growing concerns among the Iraqi public that the U.S. is planning to use battle against ISIL as
a pretext to return to Iraq. U.S. forces invaded Iraq in
2003 to topple long-time dictator Saddam Hussein but
the large-scale military operation deteriorated security
in the country and gave birth to various militant groups.
The increase announced on Monday will bring the
number of U.S. troops in Iraq to more than 4,647.
The U.S. and allies formed a so-called international
coalition against ISIL in late 2014, with the ostensible aim
of targeting positions of the group in northern and western Iraq. The coalition air strikes were later expanded to
purported ISIL-held territories in neighboring Syria, despite criticism by Damascus that the attacks violate the
Arab country’s sovereignty.
(Source: agencies)
African Union fails to elect new leader
Morocco asks to rejoin the union after 32 years
African heads of state meeting in Kigali failed on Monday to elect a new head
of the African Union and will try again in
January, an official said.
Current AU Commission President
Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma was due to
stand down but leaders were unable to
agree on a successor to lead the executive branch of the continental body during its 27th summit meeting, being held
in the Rwandan capital, AFP reported.
“Black smoke billows from the 27th
AU Summit as no winner emerges ...
Commission elections postponed till next
summit,” Dlamini-Zuma’s spokesman, Jacob Enoh Eben, said on Twitter, referencing the smoke signal that precedes the
naming of a new pope.
None of the three candidates was
able to muster the two-thirds majority required to win in the secret ballot.
Ahead of the vote many states had
expressed dismay at the “lack of stature” among the little known candidates
from Botswana, Equatorial-Guinea and
Uganda and, in the end, 28 of the 54
member states abstained from the final
round of voting thus forcing a postponement of the election and an extension of
Dlamini-Zuma’s term.
Morocco request
Elsewhere, Morocco has asked to rejoin the African Union (AU), 32 years after
it quit the bloc in protest over a decision
to make the disputed territory of Western
Sahara a member, AP reported.
In a message sent to an AU summit
in the Rwandan capital Kigali on Sunday,
King Mohammed VI said it was time for
Morocco to retake its place.
“For a long time our friends have been
asking us to return to them so that Morocco can take up its natural place within
its institutional family,” he said in a speech
to African leaders as they began a twoday meeting.
“The moment has now come.”
According to MAP, the official Moroccan news agency, the monarch said that
although his country had left the organization, “it never quit Africa”.
Morroco considers Western Sahara an
important part of the kingdom. The Sahrawi people’s Polisario Front movement,
which demands self-determination for
Western Sahara, wants a referendum on
independence.
Earlier this year, Morocco ordered
the United Nsations to pull out several
of its staff members and to close down
a military liaison office for the MINURSO
peacekeeping mission in response to UN
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s use of
the term “occupation” to describe Morocco’s presence in Western Sahara.
In his message, King Mohammed urged
the AU to reconsider its stance on what he
called the “phantom state”, saying that a
political solution was being worked on under the supervision of the UN.
Western Sahara is not a member of either the UN or the Arab League, he said,
adding that “at least 34 countries do not
recognize it”.
“On the Sahara issue, institutional Africa can no longer bear the burden of a
historical error and a cumbersome legacy,” the King said.
“Through this historic act and return,
Morocco wants to work within the AU to
transcend divisions.”
Morocco’s return to the AU would
need to be validated by a vote.
(Source: agencies)
Baton Rouge: Three U.S. police officers shot dead
Three police officers have been killed and three injured
in a shooting in the southern U.S. city of Baton Rouge.
A suspect shot dead at the scene was thought to be
the only gunman involved, police said. Reports earlier
suggested there was more than one gunman.
President Barack Obama said nothing justified attacks
on police officers.
It is not clear what the motive is, or whether there is
any link to the killing by police of a black man in the city
nearly two weeks ago.
The shooting of Alton Sterling and another killing of
a black man in Minnesota, led to widespread protests
across the U.S.
It also triggered a revenge attack by a black army veteran who shot dead five officers in the city of Dallas.
Law enforcement officers have converged on a house
in Kansas City, Missouri, that is listed for a man named
Gavin Long - the man U.S. media named earlier as the
suspect in Sunday’s Baton Rouge shootings.
In a live broadcast from the White House, President
Obama called upon all Americans to unite and refrain
from divisive language.
“Regardless of motive, the death of these three brave
officers underscores the danger that police across the
country confront every single day, and we as a nation
have to be loud and clear that nothing justifies violence
against law enforcement,” he said.
Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards told a news
conference it was an “absolutely unspeakable, heinous
attack.”
Mobile phone footage from Baton Rouge showed
police cars arriving at a road intersection. Several shots
were then heard.
Officers were responding to a report of a man carrying a rifle along a major motorway, Colonel Mike Edmonson told a news conference. He said the gunman
was dressed all in black.
Witnesses reported a man firing indiscriminately.
“We believe that the person who shot and killed our
officers, that he was the person that was shot and killed
at the scene,” Col Edmonson said.
U.S. media outlets are naming the gunman as Gavin
Long, 29, of Kansas City, Missouri.
(Source: BBC)
INTERNATIONAL DAILY
3
Turkey widens purges
to police after coup bid,
Europe warns on rule of law
8,000 police removed from posts
Turkey suspended thousands of police officers on Monday,
widening a purge of the armed forces and judiciary after a
failed military coup, and raising concern among European
allies that it was abandoning the rule of law.
A senior security official told Reuters 8,000 police officers,
including in the capital Ankara and the biggest city Istanbul,
had been removed from their posts on suspicion of links to
Friday’s coup bid by a faction in the army.
Thirty regional governors and more than 50 high-ranking
civil servants have also been dismissed, CNN Turk said.
Thousands of members of the armed forces, from foot
soldiers to commanders, were rounded up on Sunday, some
shown in photographs stripped to their underpants and
handcuffed on the floors of police buses and a sports hall.
Several thousand prosecutors and judges have also been
removed.
More than 290 people were killed and around 1,400
wounded in the violence on Friday night, as soldiers commandeered tanks, attack helicopters and fighter jets in a bid
to seize power, strafing parliament and the intelligence headquarters and trying to seize the main airport and bridges in
Istanbul.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday told crowds
of supporters, called to the streets by the government and
by mosques across the country, that parliament must consider their demands to apply the death penalty for the
plotters.
“We cannot ignore this demand,” he told a chanting crowd
outside his house in Istanbul late on Sunday. “In democracies,
whatever the people say has to happen.”
He called on Turks to stay on the streets until Friday, and
late into Sunday night his supporters thronged squares and
streets, honking horns and waving flags.
The bloodshed shocked the nation of almost 80 million,
where the army last used force to stage a successful coup
more than 30 years ago, and shattered fragile confidence in
the stability of a NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization)
member state already rocked by the Islamic State in Iraq and
the Levant (ISIL/Daesh) terrorist group suicide bombings and
an insurgency by Kurdish militants.
European Union Foreign Policy Chief Federica Mogherini
warned the Turkish government on Monday against taking
steps that would damage the constitutional order.
“We were the first... during that tragic night to say that
the legitimate institutions needed to be protected,” she
told reporters on arrival at an EU foreign ministers meeting, which was also to be attended by U.S. Secretary of
State John Kerry.
“We are the ones saying today rule of law has to be
protected in the countr y,” she said in Brussels. “ There
is no excuse for any steps that take the countr y away
from that.”
Austrian Foreign Minister Sebastian Kurz said it would be
unacceptable for Turkey to reintroduce the death penalty,
which it abolished in 2004. Abolishing capital punishment
was a prerequisite for talks with Turkey on membership of
the European Union, to which it still aspires.
Turkey’s pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP/
Halklar?n Demokratik Partisi)opposition, parliament’s third
largest party, said it would not support any government
proposal to reintroduce the death penalty. The main Republican People’s Party (CHP/Cumhuriyet Halk Partisi)
opposition said the response to the coup attempt must
be conducted within the rule of law and that the plotters
should face trial.
Saudi arrests Turkish military attaché to Kuwait
over coup plot
Elsewhere, the House of Saud regime officials have reportedly detained the Turkish military attaché to Kuwait at
Ankara’s request for his alleged involvement in a recent attempted coup in Turkey.
The attaché, identified as Mikail Gullu, was arrested at
an airport in the eastern Saudi city of Dammam on Sunday
as he was taking a transit flight to Amsterdam, reports
said.
“Saudi authorities are holding the military attaché for the
Turkish Embassy in Kuwait,” Saudi daily Asharq al-Awsat reported, quoting what it described as a foreign diplomatic
source.
“He was stopped based on a Turkish request and was detained during his attempt to flee over his likely links to the
coup in Turkey,” it said.
The Saudi-owned al-Arabiya news channel confirmed the
report from “Saudi sources” adding that Gullu was heading
to Dusseldorf in Germany via Amsterdam.
Kuwait’s al-Qabas daily said that Gullu had fled Kuwait by
land to Saudi Arabia.
Turkey’s Ambassador in Kuwait Salih Morat Tamer told
al-Qabas that the attaché is suspected of involvement in the
coup attempt but stressed that “accusations against him are
yet to be investigated once he is handed over to Turkey.”
(Source: agencies)
4
I NTE R NATI O NAL DAI LY
NEWS
Trade between Iran, EU
witnesses 42% growth in May
E CO N O M Y TEHRAN — Trade between Iran and Eurod e s k pean Union (EU) member states witnessed a
major leap in the fifth month of 2016 compared with the same
month in the preceding year, Tasnim news agency reported on
Monday according to the latest figures from EU's statistical office, Eurostat.
The report indicated that Iran-EU trade stood at €929 million
in the said month, registering a 42 percent-rise from its previous
€653 million in May 2015.
Iran's imports from EU countries in the said time reached
€626 million showing an 11 percent-increase from its previous
€562 million in May 2015, while its exports to EU increased three
folds from the previous €91 million and stood at €303 million.
The report further said that in May 2016, Iran’s imports from
Germany was €204 million, from Spain was €36 million, from
France reached €49 million, from England stood at €11 million,
from Italy touched €123 million, and from the Netherlands was
€37 million.
In the named month, Germany imported more than €20
million of goods from the Islamic Republic, while Spain, France,
England, Italy, and the Netherlands imported €12.7 million, €65
million, €21 million, €24 million, and €42 million respectively.
Tehran hosting 2
international exhibitions
E C O N O M Y
Central bank official says
China has room to increase
fiscal deficit to 5% of GDP
China has room to increase its fiscal deficit ratio to between 4 and
5 percent to more effectively boost the economy, official media
quoted a central bank official as saying.
China's current fiscal deficit target is 3 percent of gross domestic product (GDP), up from an actual 2.4 percent in 2015.
But there is room for a slight increase, the Shanghai Securities
News quoted Sheng Songcheng, director of the Survey and Statistics Department at the People's Bank of China (PBOC), as saying
at a forum on Saturday.
While monetary policy is effective, it is limited and requires
coordination with a proactive fiscal policy, Sheng was quoted as
saying at the forum, where he also suggested that China increases
its government bond issuance.
Sheng also reportedly warned that China already fallen into a
"liquidity trap", where increased money supply is being absorbed
by firms that are not in turn investing the cash.
Data on Friday showed that China's economy grew 6.7 percent from a year earlier in the second quarter, slightly faster than
expected as higher government spending and a housing boom
boosted industrial output and construction-related activity and
services.
But the numbers also fueled concerns that China's growth is
becoming ever more dependent on government spending and
debt. First-half bank lending hit a record and government spending jumped 20 percent in June.
(Source: Reuters)
Iran is stepping up the search for overseas investment in its energy infrastructure after talks with Siemens and RollsRoyce that point to the gradual opening
of the country’s economy following the
lifting of international sanctions.
Hamid Chitchian, Iran’s energy minister, met representatives of both companies in London last week to discuss
collaboration in power generation technology.
The talks were focused on so-called
decentralized power generators that can
provide more localized and flexible supplies of electricity than big power stations.
No deals were struck but Chitchian
told the Financial Times that Siemens
and Rolls-Royce were interested and he
hoped to “reach a result” soon.
Rolls-Royce said last week’s talks with
Chitchian involved the potential use of
piston engines made by the group’s
power systems business in Germany.
“The minister requested a meeting with Rolls-Royce to discuss the renewal of Iran’s energy infrastructure
and whether our diesel and gas power
generation systems have a role to play,”
it said.
Siemens said: “We have a close dialogue with the Iranian government and
local partners in the area of infrastructure, energy and technology. We have
been active in Iran for about 150 years
and we have never left the country.”
Any deals would add to a provisional
E CO N O M Y TEHRAN — Iran’s
d e s k Saipa Group CEO and
Executive Member of the Board Mehdi
Jamali told IRNA on Monday that his
company will conclude an agreement
with the major French automobile manufacture, Citroën, soon.
He underscored that the contract
Iran has promised IPCs will offer more flexible terms
and end a system known as buy-back contracts that foreign companies say give them a limited return on investment while denying them any rights to the oil, with the
Iranian government taking the bulk of the profits.
However Kardor reiterated on Monday that alongside
IPCs, oil fields could still be developed through buy-backs,
engineering, procurement, and construction and engineering, procurement, construction and financing contracts.
fully accords with ‘Resistance Economy’,
a set of policies outlined by the Supreme
Leader, calling on the government to
secure the utilization of the country’s
resources, struggle to promote a knowledge-based economy, take efforts to
increase energy consumption efficiency,
and finally, boost domestic production.
infrastructure companies have been
quicker to move in. Turkey’s Unit International last month struck a $4.2bn agreement with Iran’s energy ministry to build
seven gas power plants.
Chitchian said he expected more
deals in future. “We have received various proposals for investment inside our
country; some for building power stations and some to manufacture power
plant equipment.”
Many companies and banks remain
wary of Iran. While international sanc-
As Jamali told Tasnim news agency
in early March, the Iranian car company
has had some plans for cooperation with
the world’s major automakers and it has
been in talks with France’s Citroen but
not with Peugeot.
He also informed that Saipa has also
entered in negotiations with Kia Motors
Corporation headquartered in South
Korea.
“In addition to the two companies, we
are also in talks with Renault,” he said at
the time, adding that Renault was not
going to work in joint production with
Iran Khodro, Saipa’s rival company in
Iran.
Iran targets oil sales to China teapots via Trafigura: sources
SINGAPORE/BEIJING (Reuters) — An Iranian crude
cargo loaded by trading house Trafigura is set to arrive
in east China this week, heating up the race among oil
suppliers to meet the rise in demand for imports from
China's independent refineries, trade sources said.
Only last year, China's independent oil refiners, known
as teapots, were granted licenses to import crude in line
with Beijing's efforts to boost competition in a sector
dominated by state-run groups. Frenzied buying by the
teapots followed, drawing in rare supplies from both
Saudi Arabia and Kuwait.
Now, Iran is eyeing the new group of Chinese buyers, located mainly in eastern Shandong province, as it
rebuilds its global market share after western sanctions
were lifted in January.
The National Iranian Oil Co (NIOC) sold a 2-million
barrel Iranian Heavy crude cargo to Trafigura, which was
loaded in late June onboard supertanker Olympic Target.
Trade sources with knowledge of the deal say this cargo is heading to Shandong, putting Trafigura ahead of
other major trading firms in being the first to sell Iranian
oil to teapots.
Trafigura, the world's second-biggest independent oil
trader, declined to comment on this, while NIOC could
not be immediately reached for comment.
But sources told Reuters the sale was agreed on
condition Trafigura would market the crude to Chinese
teapots, which are outside NIOC's usual Chinese clients
- state refiners Sinopec and PetroChina, and that the oil
would be offloaded at Shandong.
Iran, OPEC's No.3 producer, needed to sell through
a trader given logistical constraints and credit risks involved when dealing with small non-state buyers, the
sources said.
"No single teapot could absorb a VLCC (Very Large
Crude Carrier) cargo. Without crude storage operation
in China, it is hard for NIOC to sell into teapots," said
a Beijing-based trading official with knowledge of Iran's
Chinese oil sales.
Saudi Aramco for instance sold its first spot cargo
to a teapot from its storage in Okinawa, while Kuwait
supplied oil to privately-controlled Shandong Hongrun
Petrochemicals, via state-run oil trader Sinochem Corp.
NIOC's sale via Trafigura will help Iran to also avoid
demurrage costs at congested Shandong ports, the
sources said.
Demand from the teapots have accounted for more
than half of China's incremental crude purchases this
year and have led to long lines of tankers waiting to unload at ports.
The Olympic Target, carrying Iranian crude, is expected to arrive later this week, shipping data on Thomson
Reuters Eikon showed. Trafigura is expected to move the
cargo into storage tanks and then sell it in smaller parcels to teapots, the sources said.
Iran seeks more aircraft as questions linger over earlier deals
1
The latest contacts between Iran and
Western plane-makers come as questions
hover over part of the $27 billion deal between Airbus and Iran, signed in January.
People familiar with the matter said recently that Iran was cooling towards the purchase of 12 A380 superjumbos that were part
of the provisional deal.
Airbus subsequently announced a cut in
A380 production.
"Some Iranian critics of the deal argue that
we don't need big planes that will only be
used by those traveling to America or similar
destinations," a senior Iranian official said.
"We will evaluate that part when the time
SoftBank to buy UK
chip designer ARM in
$32 billion cash deal
NEWS IN BRIEF
1
licensing agreement in March to allow
Mapna Group, an Iranian energy and infrastructure conglomerate, to manufacture Siemens’ F-class turbines in Iran for
use in gas-fired power stations.
The lifting of international sanctions
related to Iran’s nuclear activities in January has removed many barriers to foreign investment in the country, with its
energy sector one of the areas of greatest interest.
Deals with western oil and gas groups
are yet to fully materialize but energy
tions have been lifted, some unilateral
U.S. sanctions remain.
Chitchian acknowledged there were
“still some problems” because of the
“slowness” of banks in resuming relations with Iran but he said the “trend is
positive”.
“Those companies and countries that
can immediately adapt to the new situation will be the winners,” he added.
Iran needs investment to modernize
and expand its power network to ensure
the country has enough electricity to
support economic growth.
It plans to add 26,500 megawatts
of generating capacity in the next five
years on top of the current 75,000MW,
according to Chitchian. Almost a fifth of
the new capacity will come from renewable sources such as wind turbines as
part of carbon-reduction commitments
at the UN climate talks in Paris last year.
Dalga Khatinoglu, an expert on the
Iranian energy market for the Natural Gas Europe news service, said Iran
would need $15 billion of investment
in new generating capacity in the next
five years and a further $5 billion in the
transmission network.
“Iran strongly needs immediate foreign investment because the country
has no choice but to boost rapidly its
power generation capacity,” said Khatinoglu. “Iran’s electricity export plunged
during the past two years due to the
rapid increase of domestic demand.”
(Source: Financial Times)
Iranian auto maker Saipa to finalize deal with Citroën soon
JUMP
Iran to name international
oil companies eligible to
take part in tenders
h t t p : / / w w w . t e h r a n t i m e s . c o m / e c o n o m y
Iran opens talks with Siemens,
Rolls-Royce on energy investment
E CO N O M Y TEHRAN — The 8th Iran Stone Exhibition
d e s k (IRSE 2016) on natural stones, mine, machin-
ery and equipment and the 14th Kitchen, Bath, Sauna and Pool
Industries and Equipment International Exhibition of Iran kicked
off at Tehran’s International Permanent Fairgrounds on Monday.
As IRIB news reported, the four-day IRSE (2016), which started operation in the presence of the Iranian Labor Minister Ali
Rabiee, hosts 210 Iranian and 40 foreign companies from nine
countries namely Italy, Germany, India, Spain, Portugal, Russia,
South Korea, China, and Turkey.
Also, according to Trade Promotion Organization of Iran’s
(TPO) Public Relations Department, some 162 Iranian and 76
foreign companies from 14 countries including Turkey, China,
Spain, Greece, Germany, Czech Republic, Italy, England, Finland, Switzerland, the United States, Russia, the Netherlands,
and the United Arab Emirates are taking part in the 14th Kitchen, Bath, Sauna and Pool Industries and Equipment International Exhibition.
JULY 19, 2016
SoftBank Group Corp. has agreed to buy UK
chip designer ARM Holdings PLC. in a 24.3 billion
pound ($32.2 billion) deal, the two companies said
on Monday, in an ambitious bet on mobile internet
that will transform the Japanese tech group.
ARM, the most valuable tech company listed in
London by market value, is a major presence in
mobile processing, with its processor and graphics
technology used by Samsung, Huawei and Apple
in their in-house designed microchips.
The Cambridge-based group also stands to be
central to the tech industry's shift to the 'internet
of things’, a focus for SoftBank founder Masayoshi
Son.
comes ... One solution is to buy around 50
other planes instead."
The official urged Western governments
and manufacturers to help "resolve their side
of problem, including the financing issue".
Asked what types of aircraft Iran could
buy, he said, "It will be similar, but on a smaller
scale, to what we have bought so far".
ExxonMobil launches
bidding war for
InterOil in PNG gas
push
ExxonMobil Corp has made a bid worth at least
$2.2 billion for InterOil Corp and its stake in a rich
Papua New Guinea gas field, winning the support of
its target and topping an offer from Australia's Oil
Search Ltd.
The bid pits ExxonMobil, the world's biggest oil
company, against Total SA, which is backing Oil
Search, as the French giant looks to push forward
with its planned Papua LNG project to rival ExxonMobil's existing PNG LNG project.
Oil Search, which owns a stake in both projects,
bid for InterOil in the hopes of tying the two LNG
projects together to help cut costs and speed up development of the new gas field.
Many Western banks are reluctant to back
the aircraft deals, fearing their money could
be at risk if sanctions are restored.
The senior Iranian official said Italian and
German banks had expressed interest in taking part, while aircraft industry sources say
financiers in the UAE and China could play a
role.
(Source: Reuters)
Chinese $1.2 billion
takeover of Norway's
Opera fails, but
alternative deal set
A $1.24 billion agreed takeover of Norwegian
online browser and advertising company Opera
Software by a Chinese consortium of internet firms
has failed, Opera said on Monday, after warning last
week the deal had yet to win regulatory approval.
As an alternative, the consortium, which includes
search and security business Qihoo 360 Technology
Co. and Beijing Kunlun Tech Co., a distributor of online and mobile games, will take over certain parts of
Opera's consumer business for $600 million, Opera
said in a statement.
The Norwegian firm did not specify the reasons
on Monday for the scuttling of the deal other than
to say that conditions to close the public offer were
not met.
h t t p : / / w w w . t e h r a n t i m e s . c o m
HISTORY & HERITAGE
JULY 19, 2016
Iran’s Lut Desert inscribed on
UNESCO World Heritage List
T O U R I S M TEHRAN — The World
d e s k Heritage Committee of
the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
registered Iran’s Lut Desert on World
Heritage List during 40th session of the
World Heritage Committee on Sunday.
“The Lut Desert is located in the
south-east of Iran. Between June and October, this arid subtropical area is swept
by strong winds, which transport sediment and cause aeolian erosion on a colossal scale.
Consequently, the site presents some
of the most spectacular examples of aeolian yardang landforms (massive corrugated ridges). It also contains extensive
stony deserts and dune fields,” the UNESCO website described.
Earlier on Friday, the committee inscribed eleven Persian qanats, gently
sloping underground channels with a
series of vertical access shafts, used to
transport water from an aquifer under a
hill, on the World Heritage List.
The session was opened on July 10 in
Istanbul and closed on Sunday. The session was suspended yesterday due to the
attempt on Friday to overthrow the Government of Turkey.
Lut Desert and its universal records
The big desert of Lut with the area
of 5,400 square kilometers is situated in
the east and southeast of Iran .In a major part of this desert, there is no animal
and vegetable life of any kind. The very
beautiful and typical phenomena abound
in this desert. This desert has a few universally unique specifications. Due to its
vastness only a part of this area (in the
vicinity of the historical city of Shahdad),
that includes the most of its phenomena
is taken in to consideration.
Due to the rough environmental conditions and the limited facilities of life is almost
deserted. Also, because of limited number
er doubles as a kickstand case for watching videos on
the plane, and is on sale (at time of publication) for just
$14.99. It also comes in an array of colors and sizes.
Bury your beach items
Beach safes aren’t always the most discrete way to hide
your wallet and other valuables, but one that you can bury
right beneath you will put all your items out of sight. The
Beach Vault is meant to be hand-drilled into the sand under
your blanket, so even the most observant thieves won’t be
able to locate any of your personal items.
SlotFlops
If the age-old trick of hiding emergency money in shoes
is more your style, stop stashing cash in your smelly socks
and get some summer-friendly SlotFlops. These travel flip
flops have a built-in section big enough for your cards and
Turkey’s military coup
attempt overthrows
tourism revival hopes
of roads passing through, the problems
and difficulties of urban development resulting from civil industrial activities do not
face it and it is perfectly intact and virgin.
Its natural and various phenomena have
remained intact since far years and it is the
only natural changes which lives their usual
effect on this desert.
It enjoys three probably four universal
records; the place has the longest widespread system of yardangs in the world
(120 km long in 80 km wide), it has the
tallest sand pyramid of the world (nearly
500 m high) and it is the hottest point of
the world, based on the studies on the
satellite images and data and it has the
biggest nebkas in the world.
Communities are limited to its edges; a
writer for Telegraph Travel once described
it as one of Iran’s last homes to big cats,
including lynx and cheetah.
Summer temperatures exceed 50C.
There are not many places to stay - it is
one corner of the world Telegraph Travel
has yet to venture to - but travelers could
try Ateshooni, a guest house in the oasis of Garmeh, which offers trekking and
camping tours into the desert!
money, and come in an array of colors for about $25. As
an added bonus, you can get a card-sized travel tool that
includes a metal wrench, saw, ruler, bottle opener, and sun
compass. Just be careful about where you take this—the
TSA could confiscate it from your shoe or carry-on, but it’s
perfect for fishing trips and camping.
KangaROOS
For a sturdier shoe with compartments, try the original sneaker made with an outer money pocket: KangaROOS. The hidden compartment is big enough for
some emergency bills and a spare key, and thieves won’t
notice the tiny outer pouch beneath the ROOS logo. On
sale (at time of publication) for $73, these durable walking sneakers will last long enough to prove their worth.
(Source: Smarter Travel)
Amira Gharib booked a three-week family trip to Turkey months
ago, excited about seeing Ottoman mosques and the lush
green landscapes of Bursa. Then she saw the images of Turkish
soldiers trying to wrestle power from the government.
“It’s like they’re saying ‘don’t come’,” Gharib, a seasoned
traveler from Dubai, said by phone. “I didn’t see this coming.
I heard about the bombs but the coup was a surprise.”
The unsuccessful uprising within Turkey’s military over the
weekend dashed hopes of reviving travel bookings for what
remains of the peak mid-year travel season, following a 10
percent decline in visitors to the country in the first quarter
of this year. The number of international visitors to Turkey this
year is expected to decline 5.2 percent this year to 32.9 million, according to Euromonitor International.
Tourism is an essential source of foreign currency to finance Turkey’s current-account deficit and employs 8 percent
of the nation’s workforce. The industry had looked for an improvement in bookings from efforts to mend relations with
Russia and Israel, but those were sabotaged by a series of
terrorist bombings from Ankara to Istanbul and then the insurrection over the weekend that left more than 200 people
dead before the government regained control.
“The main impact of the coup attempt, taken together with
the last attacks, means Turkey’s efforts to revitalize tourism will
become largely ineffective,” Ali Sokmen, a London-based associate analyst for the European Union and Turkey at consultancy
Control Risks, said by phone. “We are in the middle of the tourism season. The expected pick-up in tourism is from last-minute
bookings and that’s highly sensitive to such events. The expectation for improvement from last-minute bookings is largely over.”
Questions about the safety of traveling to Turkey “could
continue mid to long term if adequate security measures are
not taken by the Turkish government,” Diana Jarmalaite, research analyst at Euromonitor, said by e-mail.
(Source: Bloomberg)
TAJ MAHAL HOTEL
Proudly introduces the First class luxurious
hotel apartment located in the heart of the city
Tehran. The newly constructed section has an
enormous segments of rooms with all the
amenities, Experience the TAJ MAHAL
advantage & Hospitality 24/7
TAJ MAHAL INDIAN RESTAURANT
Enjoy the authentic North Iranian unique culinary,
Experience the home made country style recipes!!
Enjoy the original taste of India !! The professional
chef prepares the amazing varieties of kebabs ,
Tandoori nans, Biryani, veg or non-veg curries and
the famous Indian desserts.
ak Sq. Tehran – Iran
aei Ave. Mollasadra Ave., Van
bah
ikh
She
uth
So
.29
No
s:
Adres
.ir
E-mail: info@tajmahalhotel
.ir
Http: //www.tajmahalhotel
: (+98910) 789 52 83
: (+9821) 88057399 Cellphone
Tel: (+9821) 88035444(20) Fax
5
NEWS
Genius ways to hide valuables while traveling
Nothing ruins a once-in-a-lifetime trip quite like losing
your wallet, phone, or passport—yet many tourist destinations are rife with talented pickpockets.
Disguise your money belt
Forget about the fanny pack-esque money belts of yesteryear. Leather smuggler’s belts like this Duluth Trading Co.
option have inner zipper-closure compartments perfect for
hiding emergency money and spare keys. This versatile
men’s option comes in brown and black, and boasts a 19inch hidden pocket. It costs $70, but there’s no telling how
much trouble it could save you on your travels.
Stash cards in a phone case
Consolidating your phone and credit cards into one
easy-to-hide case will lighten your load and keep your
most important cards out of sight. Incipio’s Wallet Cov-
INTERNATIONAL DAILY
TAJ MAHAL ANNOUNCES ITS SECOND RESTAURANT MAHI – MAHI
6
I NTE R NATI O NAL DAI LY
INTERNATIONAL
JULY 19, 2016
h t t p : / / w w w . t e h r a n t i m e s . c o m
The America he knows - Obama on the nation’s fractured racial landscape
By Peniel E. Joseph
P
resident Barack Obama proclaimed to
the nation, “We are not as divided as we
seem,” in a soaring and mournful address
in Dallas, Texas, to honor the lives of five police officers killed by sniper fire Thursday night
when a peaceful protest went horribly awry.
“This is the America I know,” said Obama,
pointing out the way in which the Dallas Police
Department has been on the cutting edge of
criminal justice reform and community-polic-
ing initiatives nationally.
Adopting his role as the nation’s chief eulogizer, Obama elegantly touched on contentious truths about race, class and violence in
America that exploded into national tragedy
last week.
The deaths of Officers Brent Thompson, Patrick Zamariripa, Michael Krol, Lorne Ahren and
Michael Smith threw into sharp relief patterns
of racial injustice, poverty, violence and bias in
our criminal justice system, historic trends that
continue into the post-civil rights era.
New Apt. in Velenjak
6th Fl., 370 sq.m, 4 bdrs, furn
& unfurn, City view, balcony, nice
lobby, SPJ, nice design,
Good access to highway, Suitable
for Residency, $9000
Diba: 09128103206
Luxury Villa in Niavaran
Duplex, 450 sq.m built up, 4 bdrs,
modern & unbelievable furn,
remodeling & renovated, pool, green
garden, Suitable for Residency, 8000
USD
Diba: 09128103206
Apt. in Jordan
3rd Fl., 130 sq.m, 2 bdrs,
unfurn but could furniture,
New & Diplomatic, $2000
Diba: 09128103206
Duplex Villa in Mahmoudieh
600 sq.m, 5 bdrs, semi furn,
nice garden, Pkg, servant quarters,
Suitable for Embassies & Residency,
10000 USD
Diba: 09128103206
Black Lives Matter protests have revealed
the depth and breadth of America’s fractured
racial landscape, a place where poverty and
institutional racism have turned into a combustible force that threatens our democracy’s stability. Black people who are routinely harassed,
profiled and brutalized by police in major cities
and smaller hamlets reside on the outskirts of
the “one American family,” Obama eloquently
noted in his speech.
Black communities
In too many cases, law enforcement ap-
proaches poor black communities as if entering
another country, one that stands far apart from
the unified family Obama imagines America, at
its best, to be.
In Dallas, Obama suggested that, rather
than viewing each other as enemies, Black
Lives Matter activists and police would do better to see each other as allies in the larger fight
against social injustice. That would demand not
just substantive policy changes but also a cultural shift that starts at the personal level.
9
Whole Bldg. in Zafranieh
3 levels, each level 400 sq.m, totally 14
rooms, 2 entrances, pool, nice garden,
renovated, 18000 USD
Diba: 09128103206
Apt. in Jordan
2nd Fl., 150 sq.m, 3 bdrs,
fully furn, Pkg, lobby, Good access to
highway, 1800 USD
Diba: 09128103206
Commercial Bldg. in Vozara
2nd Fl., 500 sq.m, flat, renovated,
Suitable for Companies
Diba: 09128103206
Apt. in Jordan
4th Fl., 125 sq.m, 2 bdrs,
semi furn, Good access for
gust house, 1600 USD
Diba: 09128103206
Whole Bldg. in Zafranieh
3 levels, each level 400 sq.m, totally 14
rooms, 2 entrances, pool, nice garden,
renovated, 18000 USD
Diba: 09128103206
Apt. in nice Tower in Elahieh
6th Fl., 200 sq.m, 3 bdrs, unfurn, nice
Triplex Villa in Farmanieh
lobby, unbelievable gym salon with
600 sq.m built up in 900 sq.m land,
SPJ, meeting room, Good access to
6 bdrs, 2 kitchens, furn & unfurn,
highway, $4000
renovated, outdoor pool, Pkg,
Diba: 09128103206
Suitable for Ambassador & Embassy,
12000 USD
Apt. in Jordan
Diba: 09128103206
Near to Jam-E-Jam
4th Fl., 180 sq.m, 3 bdrs, furn, Pkg,
Duplex Villa in Pasdaran
nice & cozy, $2500
1800 sq.m built up in 2200 sq.m land,
Diba: 09128103206
5 bdrs, furn & unfurn,
big salon, meeting room, Pkg, outdoor
Apt. in Kamranieh
pool, completely renovated, green
15th Fl., 250 sq.m, 3 bdrs, furn
garden, Suitable for Embassy &
& unfurn, balcony, SPJ, lobby,
Residency
Diplomatic Tower, $5000
Diba: 09128103206
Diba: 09128103206
Whole Bldg. in Niavaran
8 apts, 4800 sq.m built up, 6500 sq.m
land, lobby, 3 level Pkg, SPJ, Suitable
for Embassy & Residency
Diba: 09128103206
Nice Office in Jordan
220 sq.m, renovated, lobby, Pkg
lots, Suitable for Foreign Company
$40 per each sq.m
Diba: 09128103206
Apt. in Qeytarieh
150 sq.m, 3 bdrs, fully furn, Pkg,
Diplomatic, 1700USD
Diba: 09128103206
Apt. in Jordan
90 sq.m, 2 bdrs, fully furn, Pkg,
Diplomatic Bldg., 1500 USD
Diba: 09128103206
Apt. in Andarzgoo
2nd Fl., 120 sq.m, 2 bdrs, fully furn,
nice garden, 1300 USD
Diba: 09128103206
Apt. in Jordan
4th Fl., 125 sq.m, 2 bdrs,
semi furn, Good access for
gust house, 1600 USD
Diba: 09128103206
IraniaHOME
Real Estate
villa in reclusive area (Velenjak)
SH.LAVASANI
2500 sq.m with the beauful old trees and lush courtyard,
swimming pool, gym and tennis court
“25 years
years of
of experience”
experience”
“25
Registered & Authorized Office
Mede Shah 09372748090 - 021-22051919 - [email protected]
Mobile: 09123103526
Tel: 88888007
Fax: 88675936
Soheil Neighborhood
170 sq.m, three bedrooms, Fully Furnished, Rent to Foreigner
E-mail: [email protected]
Mr. Amir Ghasemi 0912-7610700
‫ ﻭﻳﻼ ﻭ ﺁﭘﺎﺭﺗﻤﺎﻥ ﻣﺒﻠﻪ ﺷﻤﺎ‬:‫ﻣﺎﻟﻜﻴﻦ ﻣﺤﺘﺮﻡ‬
‫ﺭﺍ ﺟﻬﺖ ﺍﺟﺎﺭﻩ ﺑﻪ ﺩﻳﭙﻠﻤﺎﺗﻬﺎ ﻧﻴﺎﺯﻣﻨﺪﻳﻢ‬
APARTMENT :
Apartment velenjak
1-2-3 bedroom starts at $1200
160sqm-three bedrooms
fully farnished-2parking
Rent to foreigner-2500$
Advertising Dept:
Villa:
3-4-5 bedroom starts at $5500
narsis09190076536
Hit line
Location & panoramic view &fair prices
88101088
Sh.lavasani 09123103526
Offices are available in best
BUILDING FOR RENT
[email protected]
( ADMINISTRATIVE POSITION)
+9821 430 51 450
-TOTAL SQ.METER: 610 m2
-3 FLAT APARTMENTS
-EACH FLAT: 4 BEDROOMS + 3 BATHROOMS + KITCHEN + HALL&DINING ROOM
- ELEVATOR - PARKING - JANITOR/GUARD ROOM
ZAFAR ST. BETWEEN NAFT ST.& MODARES HIGH WAY
FOR OFFICE OR HOME OFFICE
w w w . t e h r a n t i m e s . c o m
TEL: +98 912 12 14 103
Since: 1969
Address: No
No.52,
52
5
2 Darya-Noorani
Darya-Nooran
ni Blv.Crossroad,
Blv C
Farahzadi Blv, Shahrak-e-Gharb
Tel:
88562040 - 88562050
h t t p : / / w w w . t e h r a n t i m e s . c o m / e c o n o m y
JULY 19, 2016
WORLD
ECONOMY
Coups don't depress economic growth
As the chaos in Turkey is starting to clear, investors are
asking what the failed coup might mean for the country’s economic future. The news stories show many conflicting elements in play, and right now it is hard to make
specific verifiable claims about what the country can
expect. We can, however, turn to the broader historical
record, and that suggests failed coup attempts against
democratic governments don’t much lower subsequent
rates of economic growth in those countries.
Assistant Professor and economist Erik Meyersson
of the Stockholm Institute for Transition Economics has
produced the most comprehensive look at this question,
in a 2016 working paper titled Political Man on Horseback Coups and Development. His data allow us to look
at autocratic versus democratic coups, and also at successful versus failed coups from 1955 to 2001. The early
cut-off point is necessary to estimate the subsequent
growth effects of coups.
In autocracies, successful coups often improve economic performance, perhaps by replacing an incompetent or malevolent leader. In democratic countries,
however, a successful coup is associated with lower per
capita growth rates by an average of 1 to 1.3 percentage
points per year over the following decade. On average,
these coups reverse beneficial economic reforms, especially for the financial sector.
When a coup does overthrow a democratically elected government, it tends to bring a military leader and
significant changes in policy, and not usually for the better. There are long-run correlations of such successful
coups against democracies with lower investment, lower
schooling and higher infant mortality.
The recent coup in Turkey failed in less than 24 hours,
and for failed coups in democracies the more general
historical results are quite different. In fact, they are difficult to distinguish from no economic growth effects at
all. Given the various imprecisions of statistics, this does
not prove that failed coups will have no growth effects,
but it can be said that the numbers give us no clear
reason to be worried, at least not over the 10-year time
horizon chosen by Meyersson. This may be one reason
why asset markets do not seem to be panicking over the
failed Turkish coup attempt.
To be sure, there are some possible or even likely
short run effects of the recent turmoil, such as declines in
tourism or foreign investment. Still, the data as a whole
are showing that the long-run fundamentals of democracies with failed coups tend to reassert themselves
within the 10-year time horizon, and those short-run
disruptions end up mattering less than we might think.
Coups in democracies and coups in autocracies have
different consequences on average. In an autocracy,
a coup is sometimes a normal or an accepted way of
INTERNATIONAL DAILY
7
NEWS IN BRIEF
ADB trims 2016 growth
forecast for developing Asia
on weak global outlook
The Asian Development Bank lowered its 2016 growth forecast for developing Asia on Monday, citing the slowing U.S.
economy and near-term shocks from Britain's decision to
leave the European Union.
Developing Asia, which groups 45 countries in the Asia
Pacific region, is now expected to expand 5.6 percent this
year, slightly weaker than a March forecast of 5.7 percent, the
ADB said in a supplement to its Asian Development Outlook
2016.
The ADB believes China is still on track to grow 6.5 percent
this year and 6.3 percent in 2017, with government plans to
cut excess industrial capacity in the world's second-largest
economy expected to weigh on growth next year.
China's economy expanded slightly faster than expected
in the second quarter but private investment growth shrank
to a record low, suggesting future weakness which could
pressure the government to roll out more support measures.
India's economy is still forecast to grow 7.4 percent this
year and 7.8 percent in 2017, the ADB said.
(Source: Reuters)
changing power from one set of hands to another. But
when a coup succeeds in a democracy, it is a signal that
the normal institutions for transitions of power are dysfunctional, and the coup is also a sign they cannot be repaired simply. A coup in a democracy is therefore a more
significant event, at least for economic growth, and so it
is especially important that such an attempt fail.
When a coup in a democracy fails, there are two conflicting signals. The negative news is that such a coup
was thought possible at all. The more positive news, at
One myth about coups
is that they follow long
periods of economic
decline. This is often true
for coups in autocracies,
but not in democracies.
If anything, coups in
democracies often follow
periods of significant
economic growth.
least for stability, is that the democratic government was
in fact able to beat back the rebellion, as indeed was the
case in Turkey. At least on average, there seems to be a
balancing effect here.
One myth about coups is that they follow long periods of economic decline. This is often true for coups
in autocracies, but not in democracies. If anything,
coups in democracies often follow periods of significant economic growth, though sometimes with a crisis
at the very end of the positive run. That was the case
for the Chilean coup of 1973 and also the Turkish coup
of 1980. As of late, Turkey has been growing at rates
in the neighborhood of 4 percent, hardly a miserable
performance.
The economic angle does not capture all of the social and political effects of coups, including for instance
on religion, gender, legal systems, international standing,
and many other variables. Furthermore, what is true for
other countries with coups, viewed on average, won’t
necessarily be true for Turkey today. Still, if we are looking for a reason to feel some smidgen of reassurance,
Meyersson’s study can give us some comfort in what is
otherwise a troubling time for both Turkey and its region
more generally.
(Source: Bloomberg)
EU to invest €263 million in
energy infrastructure
European Commission (EC) announced Friday that member
states agreed on commission’s proposal to invest €263 million in key trans-European energy infrastructure projects.
In total, nine projects were selected under the Connecting
Europe Facility (CEF), an EU funding program for infrastructure, according to a statement by EC.
The lion's share of the money will go to the building of
gas infrastructure in the Baltic Sea region and electricity infrastructure through the union.
Of the 9 proposals selected for funding, five are in the
gas sector (EU support worth €210 million) and four in the
electricity sector (EU support worth €53 million) while three
of the projects relate to construction works (€236 million) and
6 to studies (€27 million).
European Commission proposal to select these projects
was supported by the CEF Coordination Committee, which
consists of representatives from all Member States.
According to the commission's web site, a total of €5.35
billion has been allocated to trans-European energy infrastructure for the period of 2014-2020 under CEF.
(Source: Today.az)
8
I NTE R NATI O NAL DAI LY
NEWS IN BRIEF
Super telescope finds
hundreds of previously
undetectable galaxies
A South African radio telescope has revealed hundreds of galaxies
in a tiny corner of the universe where only 70 had been seen before.
The images, taken by MeerKAT telescope, are an indication
of the detail the southern hemisphere's most powerful radio
telescope may be able to provide when it is fully operational
later this year.
At present, 16 of MeerKAT's
64 dishes are scanning the
skies. As well as its scientific
goals, the project serves as a
technological demonstration
of South Africa's capability
to host the Square Kilometer
Array, a huge multiradiotelescope project to be built
in Australia and South Africa
comprising dozens of dishes.
"Based on the results being shown today, we are confident that after all 64 dishes are
in place, MeerKAT will be the
world's leading telescope of its kind until the advent of SKA," Professor
Justin Jonas, SKA South Africa chief technologist, said in a statement.
The SKA, intended to be operational by the 2020s, will consist of around 3,000 dishes spread across a one square kilometer (0.4 square mile) area and will allow astronomers to peer
deeper into space than ever before.
SKA says it will have a discovery potential 10,000 times that
of the most advanced modern instruments and will explore black
holes, supernovae, dark energy and look into the origins of the
universe. More than 20 countries are members of SKA, with Australia and South Africa being the main bases of operation.
(Source: The CNN)
Cell research could
help with heart tissue
transplants
A new technique developed by a UBC researcher could make
tissue regeneration cheaper and safer for health-care systems
and their patients.
A study, conducted by UBC researcher Keekyoung Kim while
at Harvard University, has identified new ways in which proteins
and various biological molecules -- known as growth factors -can work together to turn cells on the surface into cells that form
the middle layer of the heart valve.
"Science has long been working towards ways to minimize or
eliminate the rejection risks faced by tissue transplant patient,"
says Keekyoung Kim, assistant professor of engineering at UBC's
Okanagan campus. "While the goal of using a patient's own genetic material to grow a body tissue is still a long way off, this
study has moved us further towards that goal.
"This new technique essentially allows us to use less material
to study heart-valve regeneration process more quickly and at a
lower cost."As part of his study, Kim used a microarray (technology that allows various groups of microscopic materials to be
"printed" on a slide) to place proteins, growth-influencing biological molecules and simple cells in various combinations on
top of a gel-like substance, known as hydrogel.
Kim then looked at which combinations influenced the transition of a simple cell into a more complex cell used in heart-valve
growth. He found there were specific patterns of proteins and
molecules that promoted growth.
"We're confident this process can be used for other types of
tissue, so we are currently in the process of building a microarray
in the Okanagan so we can continue testing," he says.
(Source: EurekAlert)
Europe’s largest 3D-printed metal
pieces are bound for space
Europe’s two largest qualified 3D-printed metal parts have been
successfully created thanks to a collaboration between French
aerospace company Thales Alenia Space and Poly-Shape SAS.
The massive pieces are aluminum antenna supports for two
South Korean satellites, which between them will provide communications for South Korea,
the Philippines, Indonesia, India, Japan, Indochina, Korea,
and the Middle East. Both
satellites, the Koreasat-5A and
7, are set to launch into orbit
next year.
The 3D-printed antenna
supports measure around 45
x 40 x 21 cm each. They were
printed using a technique
called “powder bed-based
laser melting,” on a 3D printer
called the Concept Laser X
line 1000R.
Boasting a build volume of
630 x 400 x 500 mm, this printer was considered the only one
big enough to allow the parts to be printed. “There are currently no other alternatives, unless you use smaller build envelopes and then join the parts together,” said Stéphane Abed,
CEO of Poly-Shape.
The size isn’t the only impressive thing about the pieces,
though. They also weigh less than 2.5 lbs — which is a whole
22 percent lighter than previous comparable pieces, not printed with additive manufacturing.
“As a rule of thumb, the actual costs of putting 1 kg (2.2 lbs)
into orbit are around 20,000 euros ($22,000),” said Florence
Montredon, Head of AM at Thales Alenia Space. “So every
gram really does count.”
(Source: DT)
M E D
&
S C I
JULY 19, 2016
h t t p : / / w w w . t e h r a n t i m e s . c o m
Soyuz-U successfully sends Progress
MS spacecraft en route to ISS
A Soyuz-U rocket soared into the sky on
Saturday, carrying the third Progress MS
spacecraft loaded with supplies for the International Space Station (ISS). Liftoff took
place at 05:41 P.M. EDT (21:41 GMT) from
Site 31/6 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in
Kazakhstan.
After launch, the rocket started its routine short vertical ascent before turning
northeasterly, heading toward the KazakhRussian border. Powered by four strap-on
boosters fitted with RD-117 engines and
its core stage with one RD-118 engine, the
launch vehicle flew for nearly two minutes
until the boosters were jettisoned. Then the
core stage continued the flight for about
three minutes. This phase of the mission
was concluded at about four minutes and
47 seconds after liftoff when the core stage
separated from the launch vehicle.
At approximately five minutes after
launch, the payload fairing was jettisoned,
exposing the Progress MS cargo vessel.
With its payload revealed, the launch vehicle continued the flight for about four
minutes. Then, at eight minutes and 47
seconds after liftoff, the spacecraft was deployed into space.
Shortly after separation, the Progress MS
vehicle deployed its two power-generating
solar arrays and navigation antennas,
commencing its two-day trek to the ISS.
Solar arrays
Shortly after separation, the Progress
MS vehicle deployed its two power-generating solar arrays and navigation antennas,
commencing its two-day trek to the ISS.
A series of engine burns is planned to be
conducted in order to correct the craft’s
course and align it with the orbital laboratory. On its way to the ISS, the vehicle will
complete 34 Earth orbits.
The spacecraft is expected to dock with
the space station’s Pirs module at 08:22
P.M. EDT July 18 (00:22 GMT July 19). It will
remain at the ISS for more than six months
before departing in mid-January. After departure, it is expected to burn up on reentry over the Pacific Ocean.
The mission, designated Progress MS03 (Progress 64P in NASA’s numbering
system), was initially planned for April 30.
However, it was delayed due to the postponement of the manned Soyuz MS-01
mission to the ISS that eventually took
place last week.
The spacecraft was shipped to the Baikonur Space Center on Jan. 25. After a series of tests and checkouts in February and
March, it was ready for integration with the
launch vehicle. However, due to rescheduling in the ISS launch manifest, the spacecraft
was kept in storage longer than expected.
(Source: Spaceflight Insider)
Scientists take another step towards creating an invisibility cloak
First, it’s worth pointing out that this invisibility cloak isn’t
like the one made famous in J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter
novels. Sadly, recent research found that a human-sized
invisibility cloak is theoretically impossible.
Still, researchers at Queen Mary University of London
(QMUL) managed to make an object disappear with a
composite material with nano-size particles that enhance
certain properties on the object’s surface — demonstrating
for the first time that a practical cloaking device can make
curved surfaces appear flat to electromagnetic waves.
Publishing their work in Scientific Reports, the researchers coated a curved surface with a nano composite medium that contains seven distinct layers.
The electric property of each layer varies depending on
its position, and the effect “cloaks” an object which would
have normally caused a wave to be scattered.
The "design is based upon transformation optics, a con-
cept behind the idea of the invisibility cloak,” study co-author Professor Yang Hao, from QMUL’s School of Electronic
Engineering and Computer Science, said in a press release.
Previous research
"Previous research has shown this technique working at
one frequency. However, we can demonstrate that it works
at a greater range of frequencies making it more useful
for other engineering applications, such as nano-antennas
and the aerospace industry.”
Further, the researchers say the underlying design approach has even wider applications, from microwave to using
optics to control any kind of electromagnetic surface waves.
"We demonstrated a practical possibility to use nanocomposites to control surface wave propagation through
advanced additive manufacturing,” first author Dr. Luigi La
Spada, also from QMUL's School of Electronic Engineering
and Computer Science, said in the release.
“Perhaps most importantly, the approach used can be
applied to other physical phenomena that are described
by wave equations, such as acoustics. For this reason, we
believe that this work has a great industrial impact."
(Source: The Science Explorer)
Fish venom unveiled: Toxins evolved
many times, study shows
How NASA's Pluto mission
'revolutionized' planetary science
The research, which analyzed the evolution of venom and its delivery mechanisms
among freshwater and saltwater fish, also
found that venom glands arose 18 separate times among fish. (In contrast, snake
venom arose just once during snake evolution, in an animal that was an ancestor
to all of today's snakes. Since then, snake
venom has changed over time in different
snake lineages.)
This means that more research on the
relatively vast array of fish venoms may
one day help scientists figure out how to
use fish venom in treatments for certain
medical conditions, the researchers said.
"For the first time ever, we looked at
the evolution of venom across all fishes,"
lead author William Leo Smith, assistant
curator at the University of Kansas Biodiversity Institute, said in a statement.
Fish venom is known to cause "incredible pain and swelling" in humans, but it may
also break down tissue, prevent blood from
clotting, cause blood cells to burst, and affect blood pressure and neurons, he said.
Medical reports
In the study, the researchers looked at
medical reports of people who had been
exposed to the venom of certain fish species. The researchers then assembled and
examined the family trees of these fish
species, based on specimens from natural history museums, and looked at how
their abilities to inject venom might have
evolved over time.
The scientists found that venom and
One year ago this week, NASA’s New Horizon’s mission made its closest approach
to Pluto, nine years after the mission’s
launch in 2006. That mission shattered
any misconceptions that scientists or the
public might have had about dwarf planets, revealing an immensely interesting
and complex world.
Although Pluto was demoted from full
planetary status (it has been considered a
dwarf planet since 2006), NASA said that exploring Pluto and its neighborhood, the Kuiper
Belt, remained one of their highest priorities.
The “data that New Horizons sent
back about Pluto and its system of moons
has revolutionized planetary science and
inspired people of all ages across the
world about space exploration,” said Alan
Stern, New Horizons principal investigator, in a NASA press release. “It’s been a
real privilege to be able to do that, for
which I’ll be forever indebted to our team
and our nation.”
The New Horizons mission was the
capstone to NASA’s decades-long effort to explore the Solar System, as The
Christian Science Monitor's Pete Spotts
has highlighted. For 53 years, between
Mariner 2’s Venus flyby in 1962, and New
Horizon’s Pluto approach last summer,
NASA has been gathering information on
the planets of the Solar System.
Life on the planet
“It’s of fundamental importance for
the survival of life on this planet that we
know what our neighborhood is,” Jim
its delivery mechanisms evolved four
times among cartilaginous fishes (those,
such as sharks and rays, whose skeletons
are made of cartilage rather than bone).
It also arose once in eels, once in catfishes and 12 times in spiny-rayed fishes,
a group of fish with sharp and rigid fin
spines, the researchers found.
About 95 percent of venomous fishes
use their venom to defend themselves
when other animals attempt to swallow
them, rather than to attack other animals,
the researchers said.
Moreover, about 95 percent of fish
gather their venom within their dorsal
spines, the researchers found. While many
other animals, such as lizards and snakes,
have venomous fangs, only about 2 percent of venomous fishes have evolved
such teeth, the researchers found.
(Source: Live Science)
Green, who heads NASA’s Planetary Science Division, told the Monitor last year.
From the beginning of its Pluto flyby
last summer, New Horizons shocked scientists with images that revealed a more
complex planet than they had expected.
Pluto featured massive mountains and a
dynamic geological past and present.
On Pluto, New Horizons discovered evidence that the dwarf planet’s atmosphere
underwent great pressure changes over
time, and that there may have once been
some sort of liquid on the planet’s surface.
Images captured by New Horizons
show an equatorial tectonic belt on
Pluto’s moon, Charon that indicates that
Charon’s now-icy core was liquid long
ago. Charon also has a red polar cap that
may have been formed by escaped atmospheric gases on Pluto.
(Source: The CSM)
Artificial light exposure risks becoming global health problem by causing 'frailty'
Constant exposure to artificial light may have a number
of negative health consequences, scientists have warned.
They say that to be in good shape, switching off the lights
at regular intervals may be as important as eating healthy
food or exercising frequently.
Previous studies have indicated that light pollution and
the use of artificial lighting around the world at night disrupts our circadian rhythm our 24-hour cycle of physiological processes and is a risk factor for bone deterioration.
This recent study, published in Current Biology and conducted on mice, comes up with similar findings, suggesting
that prolonged exposure to artificial light can lead to proinflammatory activation of the immune system, muscle loss
and early signs of osteoporosis.
"Our study shows that the environmental light-dark cy-
cle is important for health," says lead author Johanna Meijer of Leiden University Medical Center in the Netherlands.
“We showed that the absence of environmental
rhythms leads to severe disruption of a wide variety of
health parameters."
Health parameters
The scientists worked with mice in their lab, exposing
them to light around the clock for 24 weeks and then assessing several major health parameters.
They first measured the brain activity and found out that
constant light exposure had an impact on the suprachiasmatic
nuclei – the brain cells that control the circadian cycles. The
normal rhythmic patterns in the suprachiasmatic nuclei were
indeed reduced by 70% after prolonged light exposure.
Light pollution seen on the horizon is created by artifi-
cial lights that cause 75% of the world's population not to
experience full darkness at night.
Such a disruption to the circadian rhythm was correlated to a reduction in the animals' skeletal muscle function.
Their bones showed signs of deterioration and the animals
started developing osteoporosis.
The animals also entered a pro-inflammatory state
normally observed only in the presence of pathogens or
other harmful stimuli. This frailty is normally only observed
in ageing animals.
The scientists thus say light exposure matters when it
comes to thinking about the global health of populations.
They will now investigate the influence of distorted lightdark cycles on the immune system.
(Source: ibtimes.co.uk)
h t t p : / / w w w . t e h r a n t i m e s . c o m / i n t e r n a t i o n a l
JULY 19, 2016
WORLD IN FOCUS
Erdogan likely using recent coup bid to
eliminate enemies: Assad
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad says
the Turkish president may be using the
recent coup attempt in Turkey to eliminate his opponents in government institutions.
Assad was speaking at a meeting
with a visiting delegation of Lebanese
politicians headed by Najah Wakim,
the president of the Lebanese People’s
Movement, in the Syrian capital, Damascus, according to Lebanese daily Al-Akhbar.
Referring to the recent developments in Turkey, Assad said there is no
clear picture of what is going on in Turkey yet and there are many speculations
about the coup attempt.
First comes a coup and then a purge?
The attempted putsch in Turkey began on Friday night and the violence
and fighting between the rebel soldiers
and government loyalists dragged into
Saturday, when the coup was largely
defeated.
Following the coup attempt, the
Turkish government has arrested thousands of people on suspicion of involvement in the putsch, and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has hinted
that the country may modify the Turkish
constitution so as to allow the execution of those involved in the coup bid.
Capital punishment is banned under the
current Turkish constitution.
“One cannot ignore the possibility
that Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the Turkish
president, is using these developments
to eliminate his opponents in Turkey’s
military, judicial and political institutions,” Assad said in his Sunday remarks,
according to Al-Akhbar.
Various Turkish officials, including Erdogan, have said those deemed to have
played a role in the coup attempt will
pay a heavy price.
The crackdown that has been
launched in Turkey following the coup,
including the mass arrests of suspects,
has raised international concern.
France on Sunday warned Erdogan
not to use the coup attempt as a “blank
check” to silence opponents.
“There cannot be purges… Those
who tried to violate Turkish democracy
must be pursued within the framework
of the rule of law. It’s not for an arbitrary
power to carry it out,” said French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault.
‘No compromise on the battlefield’
Elsewhere in his remarks, Assad referred to the armed conflict in his own
country and said the fate of Syria will
have to be determined on the battlefield.
“In the ongoing battle on Syrian soil,
no compromise can be made because
armed groups that are being managed
by foreign parties can only be handled
with the military,” the Syrian president
said.
He also expressed gratitude for
Iran as well as the Lebanese resistance
movement of Hezbollah for their assistance to the Syrian government and
people in the fight against terror.
Iran has been offering Damascus
advisory military help, and Hezbollah
fighters have been assisting the Syrian
military in areas close to the Syrian-Lebanese border.
Russia, another Syrian ally, has been
conducting an aerial military campaign
against militant groups in Syria on an
official Syrian request since September
2015.
Assad said political, diplomatic, military and security cooperation continues
firmly between his government and that
of Russia.
West in contact with Syria behind the scenes
The Syrian president also said Western governments have had secret contacts with his government seeking security cooperation and even the opening
of security missions in Damascus.
He said Syria has informed them that
it will accept security cooperation with
those governments only if they restore
normal ties with Damascus.
“Some countries and Arab parties
have secret contacts with us and say explicitly that they do not publicize their
stances toward the Syrian developments lest the US and Saudi Arabia are
angered,” President Assad said.
He had said previously too that Western countries seek to secretly cooperate
with Syria on security matters.
“They attack us politically and then
they send officials to deal with us under the table, especially [on] security,” he
said in previous remarks in early July.
Western countries have supported
the militants fighting to overthrow Assad in a war now in its sixth year, which
has claimed some 400,000 Syrian lives,
according to estimations by the United
Nations special envoy to Syria.
The Syrian government is fighting
militants, including from scores of countries.
Western calls for Assad’s ouster have
become relatively muted as they become preoccupied with the rise of the
Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL/
Daesh) terrorist group and other Takfiri
groups striking at the heart of Europe
and as they realize the importance of
Damascus’ fight against terrorism.
(Source: Press TV)
Israeli forces shoot Palestinian in West Bank over alleged stabbing attack
The Israeli regime forces have shot and injured a Palestinian for an alleged stabbing attempt in the occupied
West Bank.
The incident took place on Monday when Israeli military forces claimed that the Palestinian man wielding a
knife had planned to carry out a stabbing attack against
two Israeli forces that were patrolling an area near the
al-Arroub refugee camp, located south of Bethlehem in
the occupied West Bank.
An army statement released by the Israeli military
said the Tel Aviv forces shot and detained the assailant,
adding that the wounds of the two Israeli troopers were
not serious.
Reports said ambulances transferred the two Israeli
troopers to the hospital, but the medics were prevented
from approaching the Palestinian whose health condition is still unknown.
The Palestinian Health Ministry identified the man as
Mustafa Baradeah, whose brother, Ibrahim Baradeah,
was also shot and killed in a similar incident in southern
West Bank in April.
Ibrahim Baradeah was shot after he allegedly tried
to attack an Israeli trooper with an axe. He succumbed
to his injuries after Israeli forces prevented ambulances
from reaching the scene of the incident.
Israeli forces demolish Palestinian house in
West Bank
Meantime, Israeli troops have razed the house of a Palestinian in the occupied West Bank despite international
condemnation of the regime’s demolition campaign.
Witnesses and local residents said that Israeli soldiers
and bulldozers rolled into in Qabatiyah town, south of
Jenin, in the northern West Bank and leveled the house
of Bilal Abu Zeid to the ground during the pre-dawn
hours of Monday.
Kamal Abu al-Rub, the deputy governor of the city of
Jenin said at least five young men were wounded by live
ammunition during clashes with Israeli forces, with one
in serious condition.
Tel Aviv accuses the owner of the house of being involved in a deadly attack on an Israeli paramilitary police
officer back in February.
The Tel Aviv regime routinely demolishes the houses
of Palestinians it accuses of assaults against Israelis.
Tel Aviv has stepped up its demolitions of Palestinian
homes over the past months.
In a report in April, the United Nations said the Israeli
military has tripled its demolitions of Palestinian-owned
structures in the occupied territories since January.
There has been a monthly average of 165 demolitions
since January.
The demolished structures include houses and
schools.The demolitions have raised alarm among diplomats and human rights groups over the Tel Aviv regime’s sustained violation of international law.
Israeli rights group B’Tselem has condemned the
practice as “court sanctioned revenge” and collective
punishment.
The occupied territories have witnessed heightened
tensions since August 2015, when Israel imposed restrictions on the entry of Palestinian worshipers into the
al-Aqsa Mosque compound in East al-Quds.
More than 220 Palestinians have lost their lives at the
hands of Israeli forces since the beginning of last October amid the tensions.
The provocative demolitions by the Israeli regime,
as well as its refusal to stop illegal settlement construction on occupied Palestinian territories, have dimmed
hopes for any attempts aimed at bringing peace to
Palestinians.
Over half a million Israelis live in more than 230 illegal
settlements built since the 1967 Israeli occupation of the
West Bank, including East al-Quds. The settlements are
considered by the international community as illegal.
(Source: Press TV)
Children riding on elephant back
1
The story doesn’t end with these
romantic gestures. A large portion of
people across the world find it hard to
believe when they notice Congress ratifies major financial, economic and military aid to a regime that is smaller than
many American cities. While a large
number of people in many U.S. cities
are unemployed or live in poverty the
government has not been able to gain
the unconditional agreement of Congress to provide social welfare for cit-
izens. However when it comes to fundraising and collecting money for Israel,
the same Congress acts completely in
a different manner and collects money
for Israel. It brings excuses for its own
nation and raises the issue of lack of
budget to help the needy.
And again the same Congress, with a
hint from Tel Aviv, seeks to create chaos
and crises in the Middle East. The crises
that have cost the U.S. dearly, putting
700 billion dollars on the shoulders of
the American taxpayers, jeopardizing the
U.S. economy and putting it on the verge
of collapse. Again the move has no winner except Tel Aviv.
The same Congress is blocking the
way of implementing the nuclear accord
that was reached between Iran and the
E3+3 group of states last year. It is worth
mentioning that it was the Congress that
had initiated and put forward the case
to compromise with Iran in a peaceful
manner in order to resolve the issue.
Congress is now trying to satisfy Israel by
neglecting the nuclear agreement. The
surprising issue is that it does not mind
if the reputation of the U.S. is damaged
in case the agreement fails. For them the
most important thing is to keep the Israeli
lobby satisfied and collect money for future campaigns.
For many people across the globe it is
very hard to realize that issues that could
be referred to as treason and can cause
indictment of a person in his own country, is just a deal for election and whenever and wherever anything relates to
money, then it turns to be legal!
Clashes in Kashmir: 40 killed, 2000 injured
At an all-party meeting on Sunday, Modi wel1
comed remarks by Ghulam Nabi Azad, Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha, who said no issue was more topical today than that of Kashmir. Agreeing with calls for a
discussion on the Kashmir situation, the Prime Minister
said: “Various parties have given statements on Kashmir
events which benefited the country. This has sent a right
message and I thank all the parties for the same.”
Noting that important Bills including the GST will be
taken up during the session, Modi expressed the hope
that there will be meaningful discussions and outcomes.
Around 2,000 more Central Reserve Police Force
(CRPF) personnel were being sent to Kashmir, a government official said. About 2,800 troops of the CRPF were
sent to assist the state police last week.
Internet and mobile networks have already been suspended in the region, and authorities have halted cable
television broadcasting.
The state government has ordered restrictions on the
movement of people and traffic in several parts of the
valley. It said in a statement that only people involved in
medical emergencies would be allowed to travel across
the troubled region.
Kashmir has been at the heart of a bitter territorial
dispute since India and Pakistan became independent
in 1947.
New Delhi and Islamabad both claim the Himalayan
region in full, but rule parts of it. The two countries have
fought two wars over the disputed territory.
India is blinding young Kashmiri protesters
Meantime, two sets of images have haunted me
these last few days. One is a series of photos of people splashing bucket loads of water to wash away blood
from the streets of Kashmir, where Indian forces have
shot dead at least 45 people since 9 July. Thousands
came out to protest and mourn the death of a rebel
leader who was killed in an encounter with the Indian
army and police.
The other set of images is that of scores of young
men with bandages on their eyes, before or after undergoing surgery to remove tiny steel pellets from their
retinas. Indian forces deployed in Kashmir now routinely
use pellet guns to stymie roadside demonstrations.
The second set of images is relatively new, as it’s the
fruit of “non-lethal” weapons introduced in Kashmir in
2010. But the pictures haunt you nonetheless, as you
peer into the bloodied, plum-sized eyes of those who
suspect they may never see again.
I N T E R NAT I O NALDAI LY
9
JUMP
The America he knows
- Obama on the nation’s
fractured racial landscape
Obama acknowledged the presence in Dallas of so6
cial-justice advocates, who grieved alongside law enforcement officials. He cited this display of unity as a national example for all Americans in what has been a mean season of
racial tension, violence and recrimination, one that echoes the
political and social turmoil associated with the 1960s.
The president recognized the limits of rhetoric: “I’ve seen
how inadequate words can be in bringing about lasting
change.”
Insurmountable divide
Obama’s speech demanded accountability from both sides
of the seemingly insurmountable divide between law enforcement and poor and working-class black communities. “We
know that an overwhelming majority of police officers do an
incredibly hard and dangerous job fairly and professionally,”
the president observed. “They are deserving of our respect
and not our scorn.”
He discussed how the legacies of slavery, racism and Jim
Crow continue to haunt American society. “If we’re honest
perhaps we’ve heard prejudice in our own heads and felt it in
our own hearts,” said Obama. “None of us is innocent and no
institution is entirely immune.”
Shifting to his professor-in-chief mode, Obama cited ways
in which the criminal-justice system continues to discriminate
against people of color. “We can’t simply dismiss” protests and
demonstrations as “political correctness or reverse racism.”
Such denials by “white friends and co-workers,” and larger
democratic institutions, is painful and wrong.
The president observed that society asks “police to do too
much and asks too little of ourselves,” while refusing to invest
in good schools, mental health care and social services required to build thriving communities.
Obama placed the Dallas violence within the larger context
of a divided political system that lacks the will to change the
conditions of abject poverty, institutional racism, easy access
to guns and racial tensions, which contributes to a seemingly
endless cycle of violence, resentment and anxiety.
(Source: Reuters)
PROMOTIONAL ITEM
Golgohar Mining &
Industrial Co. distributes
Rls.220 DPS
Golgohar Mining & Industrial Company distributed Rls.200
rials Dividend per Share (DPS). The company has approx.
170,000 billion rials worth of projects at hand, construction
operation of which is underway.
Announcing the above in an interview with our reporter,
Chief Executive of Golgohar
Mining & Industrial Company
Eng. Naser Taghizadeh said:
“Balance sheet of the company was approved by the
majority of its shareholders
unanimously.”
After reading the financial
statements of the company
for the fiscal year closing on
March 19, 2016, Rls.220 rials dividend was distributed
among its shareholders, he
maintained.
In the Annual Ordinary
General Assembly of Golgohar Mining & Industrial Company (P.J.S), which was held in
the presence of approx. 85 percent of its shareholders, it was
decided to increase capital of the company amounting to
1,080 billion rials out of cumulative dividend.
With having rich iron ore mines, Golgohar Mining & Industrial Company is considered as one of the most salient
industrial and mineral hubs in the Middle East region which
enjoys high capabilities for being turned into a large and
competitive industrial company both in national and international levels.
Khatam University hosts 8th
“Resistance Economy” Seminar
The 8th Joint Seminar of Iran Management Association and
Khatam University was held on July 17 at the venue of the
university entitled “Scientific an Applied Seminar of Resistance Economy” in the presence of distinguished and prominent university lectures, economists, members of scientific
associations and a number of university students.
The prestigious seminar was first addressed by Member
of Expediency Council and Head of Commission to Supervise
Secretariat of Expediency Council Dr. Davood Danesh-Ja’fari.
In the beginning, he said: “The adopted decisions will turn
out to be successful when all decision makers have positive
approach on the decisions.”
“Resistance Economy” is defined as follows: “How can
economy resist against unpredicted or unanticipated shocks?”
When an irregular shock is incurred in a resistance economy, suitable way should be paved for showing rapid reaction,
he maintained.
In the end, senior advisor to the Ministry of Health and Medical Education pointed to the approaches of estimating probability of occurrence of impact and improvement of resistance
[which include “risk management and “resistance engineering”
approaches] and stated: “As far as “risk management” is concerned, it is tried to minimize the probability of occurrence of
impact while in “resistance engineering” approach, it is tried to
minimize damage incurred as a result of impact.”
10
I NTE R NATI O NAL DAI LY
FOOD FOR THOUGHT
W
O
M
E
N
JULY 19, 2016
h t t p : / / w w w . t e h r a n t i m e s . c o m / s o c i e t y
Conference held on women’s role
in resistance economy
W O M E N TEHRAN — The first
d e s k conference on wom-
“No matter how old you are, you always want your
mother ’s love and acceptance. I guess I’m hoping one
day I’ll get it back.”
Hilary Grossman
NEWS
Gender inequality continues
as women numbers low in
parliament, Bendigo
It would be easy to think the recent federal election was a watershed moment for women in public office.
The vote saw West Australian Labor candidate Anne Aly become the country’s only female Muslim federal MP, while Linda
Burney’s lower house win was unprecedented for an indigenous
woman.
In Bendigo, the three highest-tallying parties were all
represented by women.
But as the final few victors
fall across the line, an examination of parliament’s gender
make-up sees inequality set to
pervade Canberra for at least
another three years.
Just 13 women will occupy
seats on the government’s side
of the lower house, five fewer
than when Tony Abbott took
the prime ministership in 2013.
Twenty-seven Labor women might sit in the House of Representatives this term, but that
figure is still a long way from the party’s goal of 50-50 representation by 2025.
Even with two female independents, the new parliament has
about the same proportion of women as Afghanistan’s national
assembly.
It is an alarming fact and one worth considering as Bendigo
residents prepare to vote in council elections later this year.
Women make up just one-third of the current nine-person
council. But bridging the gender divide is easier said than done
and requires both candidates and their constituents to overcome deeply entrenched attitudes about gender.
For a start, the perception that parliaments and councils are
places in which a boys’ club culture prevails might be enough to
deter a woman from launching a campaign.
Women who still choose to run for office must then steel
themselves against an almost inevitable wave of misogynist derision which has little to do with their policies and everything to
do with their gender.
Some of those successful candidates will have to balance
their work with pregnancy and motherhood in a workplace historically ill-equipped to handle such matters.
There are women in Bendigo who have successfully navigated this treacherous route. Elise Chapman and Helen Leach will
re-contest their council seats in 2016, while newcomers Jennifer Alden and Yvonne Wrigglesworth have also thrown their hat
into the ring. Only time will tell if they are able to win enough
seats for the council to accurately reflect the number of women
living under its jurisdiction.
(Source: Bendigo Advertiser)
RECIPE OF THE WEEK
production and creating added value have
always played a main role, though unappreciated, in the economy, he noted.
Enriching the concept of resistance economy is essential, said Farshad
Mo’meni, a faculty member of Allame
Tabatabayee University, adding, a pivotal factor in resistance economy is having
the ability of proper reaction to inside and
outside changes or shocks.
However, women who are one of the
main groups of the society are subjected to
loss at the time of these shocks, if they are
not empowered, Mo’meni added.
Vice-president for women and family affairs Shahindokht Molaverdi, for her
part, hoped that these gatherings would
bring about enriched theories in resistance economy considering the pivotal
role of women.
en’s role in resistance economy was held
in Tehran on July 13.
Resistance economy calls on the government to secure the utilization of the
country’s resources, struggle to promote
a knowledge-based economy, take efforts
to increase energy consumption efficiency,
and finally, boost domestic production.
The term was introduced into the political rhetoric of the country after international sanctions brought it to the attention of Iranian officials the importance of
self-sufficiency.
Creating equality in women’s share as
production factors was an important issue
raised by Hossein Raghfar, a faculty member of the women-only Alzahra University.
Women, as one of the main factors in
10 percent of drug addicts in Iran
are women: official
W O M E N TEHRAN — Women make up 10
d e s k percent of drug addicts in Iran, the
chairman of State Welfare Organization of Iran said
here on Saturday.
The statistics is worrying, Anoushiravan Mohseni-Bandpei said, adding, rehabilitating female addicts is one of the
priorities of the organization.
If a man is addict, his wife can control the family properly, but if a woman is addicted the foundation of the family
will be ruined, IRNA quoted Mohseni-Bandpei as saying.
The official put emphasis on keeping women away from
addiction rather than rehabilitating them.
The society should be informed of consequences of addiction, he noted.
‘Direct discrimination’: EU court advocate backs Muslim woman fired for wearing headscarf
A Muslim woman in France who was fired for refusing to
remove her headscarf should have been allowed to cover
her head at work, a legal advisor to the EU’s top court has
stated, adding that the request amounts to “unlawful direct
discrimination.”
“There is nothing to suggest she was unable to perform
her duties as a design engineer because she wore an Islamic headscarf,” Advocate General Eleanor Sharpston said
in a written opinion on Wednesday, as quoted by Reuters.
The case arose in 2009, when Asma Bougnaoui was
asked by her employer, Micropole SA, to remove her
headscarf when dealing with clients. When she refused,
she was fired.
The worker took the case before a French court, which
referred it to the European Court of Justice (ECJ).
Although companies can impose strict rules for appearance if it is a “genuine and determining occupational
requirement,” Sharpston said it was hard to see why the
restriction was valid in this particular case.
While opinions offered by advocates general are advisory, the ECJ generally follows their advice in drawing up
its final ruling. An ECJ ruling is binding on member states.
Sharpston’s statements come just one week after a
Muslim law trainee in Germany won the right to wear a
headscarf at work when a court ruled that there was no
legal basis for the state of Bavaria to prevent her from doing so. However, State Justice Minister Winfried Bausback
has said the regional government will appeal the decision.
Meanwhile, Austria’s Supreme Court has ruled that employers are allowed to ban face veils if they prevent communication and interaction between employers, employees, and clients.
The Austrian ruling came after a Muslim woman was
sacked from her job for telling her bosses that she want-
ed to wear a full face veil in the future. She also accused
her boss of making discriminatory comments, including a
remark joking that she was carrying out an “experiment in
ethnic clothing,” The Local reported.
Although the Supreme Court agreed that her boss’
comments were likely discriminatory, it upheld the employer’s right to ban face veils, stating that leaving the face
uncovered is one of the “undisputed basic rules of communication” in Austria.
The court also ruled that the woman’s “stubborn”
refusal to comply with her employer’s rules meant it
was not discriminatory to dismiss her. She was awarded
€1,200 (US$1,329) of the €7,000 ($7,758) that she had
been seeking.
The debate surrounding female Muslim clothing has
been ongoing in Europe for some time now. In May,
a Danish education center told six students that they
could no longer attend classes unless they removed
their face veils. Burqas and face veils have also been
banned in parts of Switzerland and Italy, and both
Belgium and France have placed nationwide bans on
wearing face veils and burqas in public.
(Soure: RT)
UN women’s rights committee reviews status of women in Turkey
Turkey’s performance in implementing the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) was reviewed
by a United Nations committee on Wednesday,
as a Turkish delegation provided official figures
and answered the committee’s questions on a
wide range of women’s issues in the country.
In an opening address at the committee
meeting, the Turkish delegation, which was
comprised of representatives from Turkey’s
permanent representation in addition to the
family, foreign affairs, interior, justice, labor,
education, health and agriculture ministries,
provided a brief account on recent developments on the status of women in Turkey.
IN FOCUS
Women are now able to solely use their
maiden name after they get married, said
delegation head Gülser Ustaoğlu, who is also
the general manager of the Family and Social Planning Ministry’s status of women program, adding changes were being made to
the Turkish criminal code to introduce penalties against discrimination and hate crimes.
“Turkey has been one of the countries
that supported ‘gender equality’ as a standalone goal,” she stressed, although the term
“gender justice” was being employed increasingly more commonly in the country.
She added that the budget of the Family
and Social Planning Ministry had increased
15-fold and now included social services for
women as part of its work.
Reports suggested, however, that the
CEDAW committee criticized changing the
name of the Women and Family Affairs Ministry into its current title following the 2011
general elections and questioned the delegation on a number of thorny issues including child brides, femicides, girls’ education,
equal pay and abortions.
Members of the committee also questioned women’s representation in politics,
according to reports, to which Ustaoğlu responded by saying that some 15 percent of
the Turkish parliament were women – corre-
Mehr/ Leila Ghodratollahi Fard
Chocolate chip cookie ice
cream cake
“Vary this dessert by using different flavors of ice cream.”
Ingredients:
1 (18 ounce) package small chocolate chip cookies
1/4 cup margarine, melted
1 cup hot fudge topping
2 quarts vanilla ice cream
1 cup whipped cream
12 cherries
Directions:
Crush half the cookies
(about 20) to make crumbs.
Combine crumbs with melted margarine and press into
the bottom of a 9-inch spring
form pan or pie plate. Stand
remaining cookies around
edge of pan. Spread 3/4 cup
fudge topping over crust.
Freeze 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, soften 1 quart
of ice cream in microwave or on countertop. After crust has
chilled, spread softened ice cream over fudge layer. Freeze 30
minutes.
Scoop remaining quart of ice cream into balls and arrange
over spread ice cream layer. Freeze until firm, 4 hours or overnight. To serve, garnish with remainder of fudge topping,
whipped cream and cherries.
Northern province of Golestan is economically dependent on agriculture and women play a key role in running the
industry though in a traditional way.
sponding to a total of 81 lawmakers.
“A 10 percent increase in these numbers
since the year 2002 is a significant development,” the delegation said in a written response.
The CEDAW committee also listed a
number of issues related to the seventh periodic report of Turkey to be answered by the
Turkish delegation, including matters related
to the legislative framework, violence against
women and women’s participation in education, the job market and political affairs.
“As of February 2016, 101 shelters with
a capacity of 2,656 in 79 provinces serve
under the coordination of the ministry,” the
delegation said in response to a question
on violence against women, saying that an
amendment to the municipalities law now
rendered it mandatory for all municipalities
with a population of over 100,000 citizens to
open shelters for women and children.
The delegation’s answers also provided
striking figures on the extent of violence, as
they said 36 percent of women were reportedly subject to violence from their partners
or spouses at some point in their lives while
44 percent of women were victims of psychological or emotional violence.
Turkey also defended the increase in the
number of religious vocational schools for
contributing to girls’ schooling.
“The establishment of girls’ imam hatip
[religious vocational] high schools and dormitories in some areas in order to prevent
prejudices from keeping girls away from enrolment are contributing towards the enrolment rates of girls in these areas,” it said.
The committee was set to announce its
officially-termed concluding observations on
July 25, which will be an important indicator
of the status of women’s rights in Turkey, Prof.
Feride Acar, former chairperson and current
member of CEDAW, told Turkey’s state-run
Anadolu Agency.
“The evaluation by the CEDAW committee will provide hints regarding how well our
state complies with our international undertakings on women’s rights policies,” Acar said.
(Source: hurriyetdailynews.com)
h t t p : / / w w w . t e h r a n t i m e s . c o m / s p o r t s
S P O R T S
JULY 19, 2016
Iran to send 63 athletes to Rio 2016
INTERNATIONAL DAILY
11
FOOTBALL
FIFA says Russia’a Alfa
Bank is first regional World
Cup sponsor
S P O R T S The Iranian Olympic mission comprises 63
d e s k athletes representing 14 sports federations
including the Athletics, Archery, Boxing, Cycling, Fencing, Judo,
Rowing, Shooting, Swimming, Table Tennis, Taekwondo, Volleyball, Weightlifting, and Wrestling federations.
The Iranian delegation looks forward to outdo its
performance at London 2012, when it won four gold
medals, five silvers and three bronzes.
Iran left London finishing seventeenth in the overall medal standings. This was also the most successful
Olympics for the Middle East, winning the largest number of medals at a single games, and surpassing by just
double the record from Athens.Notable accomplishments included the nation’s first gold medals in men’s
Greco-Roman wrestling, and the nation’s first ever medal
in athletics, won by discus thrower Ehsan Haddadi.
The 2016 Summer Olympic Games will begin on August 5 and runs until August 21.
Archery:
Zahra Nemati
Athletic:
H a s s a n Ta f ti a n , M o h a m m a d Ja f a r M o r a d i ,
H amid Rez a Zo uravand, Mahmo ud Samimi,
E h s a n H a d d a d i , L e y l a R a j a b i , Pej m a n G h a l e noei, Reza Ghasemi, Kaveh Mousavi, Mohammad Ar z andeh
Boxing:
Ehsan Rouzbahani
Cycling:
Ghader Mizbani, Arvin Moazami Goudarzi, Mirsamad
Pourseyedi
Fencing:
Ali Pakdaman, Mojtaba Abedini
Judo:
Alireza Khojasteh, Javad Mahjoub, Saeed Molaei
Rowing:
Mahsa Javar
Shooting:
Najmeh Khedmati, Mahlagha Jambozorg, Pouya Norouzian, Golnoush Sebghatollahi, Elaheh Ahmadi
Swimming:
Aria Nasimi-Shad
Table Tennis:
Nima Alamiyan, Noshad Alamiyan, Neda Shahsavari
Taekwondo:
Kimia Alizadeh, Farzan Ashourzadeh, Mehdi Khodabakhsh, Sajjad Mardani
Volleyball:
Saeid Marouf, Mehdi Mahdavi (setter), Amir Ghafour, Shahram Mahmoudi (opposite), Mohammad
Mousavi, Adel Gholami, Mostafa Sharifat (middle
blockers), Milad Ebadipour, Farhad Ghaemi, Hamzeh
Zarrini, Mojtaba Mirzajanpour (wing spikers), Mehdi
Marandi (libero)
Weightlifting:
Behdad Salimi, Kiasnoush Rostami, Sohrab Moradi (the fourth and fifth weightlifters will be selected
from Mohammadreza Barari, Bahador Molaei and Ali
Hashemi)
Wrestling:
Freestyle: Hassan Yazdani, Alireza Karimi, Meysam
Nasiri, Hassan Rahimi, Komeil Ghasemi, Reza Yazdani
(Amir Mohammadi)
Greco Roman: Saeid Abdevali, Bashir Babajanzadeh,
Hamid Sourian, Omid Norouzi, Ghasem Rezaei, Habibollah Akhlaghi (Ramin Taheri)
I’ll try my best to earn a place on
FIFA Council, says Ali Kafashian
S P O R T S Former Iran Football
d e s k Federation President
Ali Kafashian stated that he will make
every effort to book a place on the new
FIFA Council.
“After more than eight years as the
president I need rest. Actually I’m more
focused on my duties at AFC now as
I’m currently Vice President of the Asian
Football Confederation from the Central
Region. I’ll try my best to be selected as
one of Asian candidates on FIFA Council.
If I’m selected I will try to benefit from
that for Asia and also my country,” Kaf-
ashian said.
Kafashian, who is currently Iran Football Federation Vice President, served
as Iran Football Federation President for
more than eight years from 1 March 2008
to 7 May 2016.
Zhang Jian (China PR), Ali Kafashian (Islamic Republic of Iran), Mong
Gyu Chung (Korea Republic), Saoud
A.Aziz Al-Mohannadi (Qatar) and
Zainudin Nordin (Singapore) are five
male candidates who will compete
for two Asia places on the new FIFA
Council. Asia has three places on the
Thousands arrested in
global football gambling
raids: Interpol
new FIFA Council but at least one of
those three places must be filled by
a woman.
The election will be held at the AFC
Extraordinary Congress on September
27 in Goa, India.
I have 18 reasons to select these 12 players, says Raul Lozano
S P O R T S Iran national team volleyball head
d e s k coach Raul Lozano stated that he has
Iran has been pitted against London 2012 gold
medalist Russia, World Championship 2014 winner Poland, Argentina, Cuba and Egypt in Pool B of the Rio
2016 Olympic Games.
The Rio 2016 Olympic Games men’s volleyball tournament runs from August 6 until August 20.
Iran national volleyball team final squad for 2016
Olympic Games in Rio is as follows:
Saeid Marouf, Mehdi Mahdavi (setter), Amir Ghafour,
Shahram Mahmoudi (opposite), Mohammad Mousavi,
Adel Gholami, Mostafa Sharifat (middle blockers), Milad
Ebadipour, Farhad Ghaemi, Hamzeh Zarrini, Mojtaba
Mirzajanpour (wing spikers), Mehdi Marandi (libero)
a lot of reason to select the final 12 players for the 2016
Olympic Games in Rio.
“I have 18 reasons behind selecting these 12 players
as the final squad for 2016 Olympics in Rio. I would like
to thank Farhad Zarif, Alireza Mobasheri, Armin Tashakori and Mohammad Javad Manavinejad who were fantastic at the trainings but unfortunately we have to take
just 12 players for Rio. We will definitely use them again
after Olympics. I believe that the Iranian team will have
something to say at the Olympics with Amir Ghafour
and Farhad Ghaemi,” Lozano told reporters.
Leicester City 6,000-1 to win 2016-17 Premier League title - Claudio Ranieri
Leicester City’s primary target this season
is to avoid relegation, according to their
coach Claudio Ranieri.
Leicester defied odds of 5000-1 by
claiming a shock Premier League title last
season, finishing 10 points ahead of their
nearest rivals Arsenal.
Ranieri says it is even more unlikely
that they will emerge on top in 2016-17
and is therefore setting safety as the No.
1 objective, although he is not ruling out
delivering more success for the Foxes
while keeping a low profile.
“The fundamental concept is to
start from scratch,” Ranieri told Italy’s La
Gazzetta dello Sport. “We’ve won the
title and it was beautiful and fantastic,
it was maybe an unrepeatable achievement, but now we turn the page.
“If at the start of last season the bookmakers had us down as 5000-1 shots,
then this time we start at 6000-1. Our
objective to start the season with is to
reach 40 points and stay up.
“Then, once we’ve reached that objective, we can raise the bar: finish in the
top 10, [qualify for] the Europa League,
a place in the Champions League. And
maybe we can win one of the five trophies will be challenging for: Community
Shield, Premier League, FA Cup, League
Cup and Champions League. That is our
running order, step by step.”
Ranieri is aware of how difficult the season will be, though, not only with every-
body keen on deposing his team from
their throne. And then there is the added
burden of Champions League football
which his squad have got to get used to.
“The Champions League is a fascinating adventure, but it burns copious
amounts of energy, particularly psychologically,” the 64-year-old said. “Were going to have to learn to live with this extra
distribution of strength and be good at
lifting ourselves up again.
“We might therefore lose a few more
games and that’s where we will see how
capable we are of reacting.”
(Source: ESPN)
Man City target Leroy Sane still eyed by Bayern Munich, Real Madrid - father
Bayern Munich and Real Madrid are still in the race to
sign Leroy Sane, the young Schalke star›s father has said
amid reports that Manchester City are close to sealing a
move for the Germany attacker.
Sane, 20, has been strongly linked with a switch to
the Premier League club this summer, with Bild reporting late last week that he has already agreed terms on
a four-year contract to join new boss Pep Guardiola at
the Etihad Stadium.
The German tabloid added that only the transfer fee
still needs to be negotiated, with Schalke hoping to at
least get €50 million for their biggest asset.
But at the weekend, Sane›s father, Souleymane, told
Sky News in Germany his son›s future could still lie elsewhere.
FIFA, which has struggled to find commercial partners since it
was battered by a corruption scandal last year, named a Russian bank as its first regional World Cup sponsor on Monday.
The global soccer body said Alfa Bank would “activate
sponsorship initiatives” around the 2018 World Cup, which is
being hosted by Russia.
FIFA said that, under a new commercial strategy for the
World Cup, up to four packages were being offered for regional sponsors in each of
five regions it listed as Europe, North America, South
America, Middle East and
Africa, and Asia.
It said there was a growing interest in the approach.
FIFA was thrown into turmoil last year after criminal
investigations were launched
into the sport in the United
States, where several dozen
former soccer officials have
been indicted, and Switzerland.
It was also forced to reform its bidding process after a December 2010 vote awarded the 2018 and 2022 tournaments
to Russia and Qatar respectively.
Gianni Infantino was elected to the FIFA presidency in February after promising greater funding for FIFA’s 211 member
associations during his campaign.
He said increasing sponsorship revenue would be a priority for his presidency.
FIFA sources have said the federation faces a shortfall of
about $500 million in its predictions if it fails to reach sponsorship revenue targets.
(Source: Reuters)
«Real Madrid and Bayern are also still in mix,» Sane
Snr., a former Bundesliga forward, said.
Bayern Munich have been3 interested in the Germany winger for some time, but previous reports had
the defending Bundesliga champions considering triggering a €37m release clause in Sane›s contract which
becomes valid next summer.
Speaking to Bild, Bayern CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge did not comment on the latest rumour, saying only:
«I don›t want to stir speculations.»
However, Bayern may step up their interest after
winger Arjen Robben suffered a new injury blow at the
weekend which is expected to keep him out for around
six weeks.
(Source: ESPN)
More than 4,000 people have been arrested worldwide and
more than $13 million seized across Asia in operations targeting illegal gambling during the Euro 2016 football tournament, Interpol said on Monday.
The global police cooperation agency, which called
the operation the “most significant in recent years”, said
more than 4,000 raids were
carried out across China,
France, Greece, Italy, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and
Vietnam during Operation
SOGA VI (short for soccer
gambling) on dens estimated to have handled $649
million worth of bets.
“The number of seizures
is the highest and most
significant amongst similar operations in recent years. The
SOGA operations are important for tackling not just illegal
gambling, but also the organised networks behind this and
other types of crime,” said Chief Superintendent Chan Lokwing, Head of Hong Kong’s Organised Crime and Triad Bureau.
A second operation targeted transnational networks behind illegal websites and call-center type operations, Interpol
said in a statement from Bangkok.
Reuters was not able to immediately reach Thailand’s Interpol director for comment.
The arrests come amid a record spike in illegal online
gambling in China with millions of yuan placed in bets on
Euro 2016, a side-effect of a surge in Chinese interest in global soccer.
Portugal were crowned the Euro 2016 champions on July
10, defeating host nation France 1-0 to win their first major
championship.
(Source: Reuters)
Ronaldinho open to Indian
Super League transfer
Former Barcelona forward Ronaldinho has not ruled out
playing in the Indian Super League.
Ronaldinho, 36, is currently without a club following a two-month loan spell
at Brazilian side Fluminense
last year.
The two-time FIFA World
Player of the Year plays in
India’s Premier Futsal League
for Goa, and he is open to
joining an Indian Super
League outfit.
“I am uncertain but I will
go to a place where I feel
very comfortable and will
consider this possibility [the
Indian Super League],” he said.
In March, Ronaldinho’s brother and agent, Roberto Assis,
said the playmaker will not play in Brazil and is likely to join
Major League Soccer or the Chinese Super League.
(Source: Soccernet)
b
Poem of the day
I N T E R N AT I O N A L D A I L Y
http://www.tehrantimes.com/culture
NEWS
100 Works, 100 Artists
exhibit to open Friday
A
d
e
R
s
T TEHRAN — Golestan Gallery in Tehran
k will once again be hosting the exhibit
“100 Works, 100 Artists”, which will open on Friday.
The 24th edition will be hosting about 200 artists with
about 220 artworks including paintings, sculptures and
calligraphic paintings, gallery director Leili Golestan said
in a press release published on Monday.
The highest-priced item belongs to Sohrab Sepehri,
she said, adding that works by younger artists at lower
prices will be offered at the exhibit to encourage the
youth.
The exhibit will be running until August 17 at the venue
of the gallery located at 42 Kamasaii St. in the Darus
neighborhood.
Franco-Iranian comedy
“Les Pieds dans le Tapis”
ready to premiere
A
d
e
R
s
T TEHRAN — Franco-Iranian comedy
k “Les Pieds dans le Tapis” is ready for
its Iranian premiere, the Persian median announced on
Monday.
The movie was directed
by
the
France-based
Iranian filmmaker Nader
Takmil-Homayun who also
co-wrote it with Philippe
Blasband from Belgium.
Majid
Barzegar
produced “Les Pieds dans
le Tapis” with the ARTE TV
network.
The film tells the story of
an Iranian carpet salesman
who dies in France after
which his family in Iran puts
in a great deal of effort to
bring his body back.
“Oblivion Season”,
“Hotchpotch” win awards
at U.S. festival
A
d
e
A flower endures but five or six days
But this rose-garden is always delightful.
Sadi
No. 18, Bimeh Lane, Nejatollahi St., Tehran, Iran
P.o. Box: 14155-4843
Zip Code: 1599814713
SINCE 1979
R
s
T TEHRAN — Iranian directors Ebrahim
k Foruzesh’ “Hotchpotch” and Abbas
Rafei’s “Oblivion Season” won awards in various
categories at the Love International Film Festival, the
organizers announced on Sunday.
“Oblivion season” received nominations in seven
categories while it won
the best actress award
for Sareh Bayat and the
award for best director of
photography for Alireza
Barazandeh.
“Oblivion Season” tells
the stor y of Fariba, an
ex-prostitute who starts
a new life by marr ying
her lover but leaving the
shadow of her dark past
turns out not to be as
easy as it had seemed
beforehand.
“Hotchpotch”,
which
received eight nominations, was honored in three
categories as it brought the award for best actress
to Leila Otadi, the award for the best youth actor
to Hossein Qasemi-Honar and the award for best
screenwriter to Foruzesh and Mohammad MiraliAkbari.
Starring Hedayat Hashemi and Otadi, “Hotchpotch”
is about the challenges of a man who lost his wife in
her first childbirth.
Iranian director Hassan Najmabadi’s short film
“Copper Wire” was also screened at the international
short film section of the festival.
NEWS IN BRIEF
New director
selected for Iran’s
House of Cinema
A
d
e
R
s
T TEHRAN – Iranian producer
k Manuchehr Shahsavari has
been selected as the new managing director of
Iran’s House of Cinema.
Reza Mirkarimi, the director of acclaimed
drama “ Today”, held the position for over a
year.
Managing Director: Ali Asgari
Editor-in-Chief: Hassan Lasjerdi
Editorial Dept.: Fax: (+98(21) 88808214 [email protected]
Switchboard Operator: Tel: (+98 21) 43051000
Advertisements Dept.: Telefax: (+98 21) 43051450 [email protected]
Public Relations Office: Tel: (+98 21) 88805807
Subscription & Distribution Dept.: Tel: (+98 21) 43051603
www.eshterak.ir Distributor: Padideh Novin Co. Tel: 88911433
Webmaster: [email protected]
Prayer Times
Noon:13:11
Evening: 20:39
Dawn: 4:22 (tomorrow)
Sunrise: 6:03 (tomorrow)
Printed at: Kayhan - ISSN: 1017-94
Ayenedar Regional Music
Festival honors winners
A
d
e
R
s
T TEHRAN — Winners of the Third
k Ayenedar Regional Music Festival
were honored during a ceremony held at Tehran’s
Vahdat Hall on Sunday.
Musicians Parvin Bahmani, Hemmat-Ali Rezai,
Shokr-Ali Rezai, Aziz Bastaq, Asadollah Musavi,
Feizollah Arefi, Gholam-Shah Qanbari, Abolqasem
Dehqan, Ebrahim Salmansur and Ali-Mardan Asgari
were the winners who received the plaque of the
festival at the ceremony.
Artistic secretary of the festival, Ali Maghazei, in his
short speech talked about the high potential of Iranian
regional music.
“We tried to introduce the respected musicians of
regional music to people”, Maghazei said, asking the
officials to support and help promote regional music.
Kamancheh virtuoso Ali-Akbar Shekarchi was also
called upon stage to speak, where he paid his respects
to the organizers of the festival.
“Nothing like music can polish the spirit of mankind.
Music is very precious and can provide the element
of creativity in the industrial world of today. Music can
make people feel proud, among which the regional
music is one of the highlights,” he added.
The director of the festival, Ehsan Rasulov, in his
brief words paid tribute to musician and expert on
Iran’s regional music Mohammadreza Darvishi for his
help and support.
Mohammad Ansari, Alidust Falahati, Heidar
Parniyan, Qodratollah Fat’hi, Mohammad Behdarvand,
Alireza Shahbazi, Sohrab Shafiei and Ahmad Ahmadi
Musician Parvin Bahmani (C) holds the award that she received for her lifetime achievements during the Third Ayenedar Regional
Music Festival at Tehran’s Vahdat Hall on July 17, 2016. (Mehr/Asghar Khamseh)
were also honored at the program.
The ceremony was brought to an end with live
performances by several groups, which were warmly
received by the participants.
“Immortal” honored at Yerevan Golden Apricot film festival
A
d
e
R
s
T TEHRAN
—
Iranian
director
k Hadi Mohaqeq’s acclaimed movie
“Immortal” won the Silver Apricot for best feature at
the 13th Golden Apricot -- Yerevan International Film
Festival, the organizers announced on Saturday.
Mohaqeq and producer Majid Barzegar dedicated
the award to the legendary Iranian filmmaker Abbas
Kiarostami who died earlier this month.
The film also received the Ecumenical Jury Prize at
the event.
“Immortal” is about Ayaz, a sixty-year-old man who
detests his life. He feels guilty about the death of his
family and is constantly in search of ways for ending his
life.
The
film
and
Kazakh
director
Yerlan
Nurmukhambetov’s “Walnut Tree” shared the best film
PICTURE OF THE DAY
A scene from “Immortal”
award in the New Currents section at the 20th Busan
International Film Festival in last October.
The Golden Apricot for best film went to “Ungiven”
by Branko Schmidt from Croatia while “The Prosecutor,
the Defender, the Father and the Son”, a joint production
of Bulgaria, the Netherlands and Sweden by Iglika
Triffonova received a special mention in this section.
The Golden Apricot for best documentary was
presented to “Across the Don” by Evgeny Grigorev from
Russia while “Don Juan”, a joint production of Sweden
and Finland by Jerzy Sladkowski, won the Silver Apricot
in this section.
This year, the Golden Apricot Yerevan International
Film Festival (GAIFF) paid tribute to Kiarostami by
organizing an exhibition of his photos from the series
“The Road” at the Dalan Art Gallery on July 12.
Honaronline/Alireza Farahani
Adaptation of “A Lover’s
Discourse” coming to
Tehran theater
A
d
Members of a troupe led by director Ali Pilevar performs English playwright Sir Peter Shaffer’s “Black Comedy” at Tehran’s Pendar Theater on
July 17, 2016. The play takes a humorous look at the antics of a group of characters feeling their way around a pitch black room.
R
T TEHRAN
k adaptation
—
An
of French
essayist Roland Barthes’ “A Lover’s
Discourse” (1977, “Fragments d’un discours
amoureux”) will go on stage at the House
for Dialogue Between City and Architecture
on Friday.
A cast of four actors will perform the
play titled “Turn to See Me”, which will be
co-directed by Shirin Farshbaf, Nasim Riazi
and Saeid Behnam. It will run for 30 nights.
Banipal Shomon, Maral Ebadi, Nilufar
Nedai and Mohsen Rastegar are the
members of the cast, and parts of the play
will be narrated by veteran actor Reza
Kianian.
An account of a painful love affair,
“A Lover’s Discourse” was so popular
in France that it quickly sold more than
60,000 copies.
Barthes was also a social and literary
critic whose writings on semiotics, the
formal study of symbols and signs
pioneered by Ferdinand de Saussure,
helped establish structuralism and the
New Criticism as leading intellectual
movements.
e
s
“Ghostbusters” holds its own, but “Life of Pets” still no. 1
NEW YORK (AP) — After months of
prerelease debate, Sony Picture’s femaleled "Ghostbusters" reboot arrived in
theaters as neither a massive success nor
the bomb some predicted, as the muchscrutinized film opened with an estimated
$46 million in North American theaters,
second to the holdover hit "The Secret Life
of Pets."
"The Secret Life of Pets" stayed on
top with $50.6 million in its second week,
according to studio estimates Sunday.
But all eyes were on Paul Feig’s
"Ghostbusters," which resurrects the 1984
original with a cast of Melissa McCarthy,
Kristen Wiig, Leslie Jones and Kate
McKinnon. Sony, noting it was the best
opening for a live-action comedy in more
than a year, called the result "a triumph."
Audiences, which broke down 46 percent
male and 54 percent female, gave it a solid
B-plus CinemaScore.
"There was a lot of scrutiny on the film
going up to release, but the movie in the
opening delivered," said Josh Greenstein,
president of marketing and distribution for
Sony. "We’ve successfully restarted a very
important brand and we’re just ecstatic at
the results."
Yet given its hefty price tag - the film cost
$144 million to make, after rebates, plus
more than $100 million to market - it’s a
relatively tepid start for "Ghostbusters"
that will put pressure on the film to
perform well overseas. And that could
be a challenge in some territories that
don’t have the same familiarity with the
original "Ghostbusters" films. It began
with $19.1 million internationally.
A release in China, the world’s
second-largest film market, is also in
question. China has regulations against
depictions of the supernatural in movies.
Greenstein said Sony will submit the
film for release "and we’ll see if we get
accepted or not."
Among new releases, "Ghostbusters"
had the weekend largely to itself. The
true-story crime drama "The Infiltrator,"
starring Bryan Cranston, supplied a
counterprogramming option from the
usual summer fare, and took in $5.3
million. Woody Allen’s 1930s Hollywood
drama "Cafe Society" opened in limited
release with $355,000 in five theaters.
For Sony, the stakes for "Ghostbusters"
were extremely high. Greenlit by the sincedeparted Amy Pascal, the film is intended
to kick off several future "Ghostbusters"
installments.