One Body Found Aboard Iranian Oil Tanker
BEIJING/SEOUL (Reuters) - Rescue crews wrestled to bring
a blaze on an Iranian oil tanker off China’s east coast under
control on Monday as fire raged for a second day following
a collision with a grain ship, while the body of one of the 32
missing crew members was found on board. Concerns were
growing that the tanker, which hit a freight ship on Saturday
night in the East China Sea and burst into flames, may explode
and sink, the official China Central Television (CCTV) said
on Monday, citing experts on the rescue team. The fate of the
remaining 31 sailors is not known.
VOL NO: LV 10512 TEHRAN / Est.1959
Viewpoint
By: Kayhan Int’l Staff Writer
Days of Debacle for Saudi-US
Aggressors in Yemen
Houthis Down
Saudi Tornado
Jet, Target F-15
SANAA (Dispatches) -- Houthi
fighters said they shot down a
Saudi warplane over Yemen’s
Saada province on Sunday.
A Yemeni military source
said the British-made Panavia
Tornado jet was conducting a
bombing run on residential areas
in the province when the military
shot it down with a surface-to-
air missile, Al-Massriah news
channel reported.
Saudi-owned news channel
Al-Aribayah contradicted the
Houthis, saying that the warplane
crashed because of a technical
failure and that both pilots
survived. The Saudis said a
special operation was carried out
to evacuate the two pilots.
Saudi Arabia is the only country
operating Tornadoes in the
region, according to Al Masdar
News.
Yemeni forces separately said
they successfully targeted a Saudi
F-15 fighter jet just hours after
downing the Panavia Tornado.
According to Al-Masirah, the
F-15 was hit while flying over the
Macron Lends Support to
China’s Silk Road Plan
XIAN, China (AFP) -- French
President Emmanuel Macron
urged Europe Monday to take part
in China’s Silk Road revival plan,
despite some European misgivings
about the massive project, as he
began a state visit.
Macron also called on Europe
and China to team up on curbing
climate change, in the face of U.S.
plans to withdraw from the Paris
accord.
“Our destinies are linked,” he
said in a keynote speech on the
future of Sino-French relations
during a visit to the northern city
of Xian, the starting point of the
ancient Silk Road.
“The future needs France, Europe
and China,” Macron said, adding
he would travel to China “at least
once a year”.
Macron began his three-day visit
in Xian as a gesture to Chinese
President Xi Jinping’s huge New
Silk Road project, an initiative to
connect Asia and Europe by road,
rail and sea.
The $1 trillion infrastructure
program is billed as a modern
revival of the ancient Silk Road
that once carried fabrics, spices
and a wealth of other goods in both
directions.
Known in China as “One Belt, One
Road”, the plan will see gleaming
Iranian
Films Shine at
Dhaka Film
P. 2 Festival P. 3
capital Sanaa.
On Saturday, Houthi fighters
fired a ballistic missile at a Saudi
military base on the border. It
comes after missiles were fired
at Saudi airport King Khalid
International Airport in Riyadh.
The November 4 attack saw
Saudi forces step up its blockade
of Yemen - already on the verge
famine - after describing it as an
“act of war”. It was the deepest
strike inside the kingdom since
the Saudi war began in March
2015.
Since March 2015, more than
14,000 people have been killed in
what the UN has called the worst
humanitarian crisis in the world.
Saudi airstrikes have caused most
of the civilian casualties, but its
blockade of the country has led to
mass starvation as well.
The U.S. has also quietly
supported the Saudi war in
Yemen, for which it has drawn
criticism, and Houti fighters even
appeared to capture a U.S. Navy
underwater drone last week off
the coast of Yemen.
new road and rail networks built
through Central Asia and beyond,
and new maritime routes stretching
through the Indian Ocean and Red
Sea.
The project has elicited both
interest and anxiety, with some
in Europe seeing it as Chinese
expansionism.
While France had been cautious
about the plan, Macron heartily
endorsed the initiative.
“It represents a real opportunity
to create bridges, through
exchange, between countries and
civilizations, just as the ancient
silk routes once did,” he said in an
interview with the Chinese website
China.org.cn.
“I think it’s very important that
Europe and China strengthen their
collaboration on the initiative.
France is ready to play a leading
role in this.”
But Macron warned that it
should be carried out “within
the framework of a balanced
partnership” - a reference to
concerns about China’s trade
surpluses. France has a 36 billion
trade deficit with China.
Macron’s first official visit to
Asia marks a new stage for his
diplomacy, which has so far been
concentrated on Europe and Africa.
(Continued on Page 7)
Tuesday, January 9, 2018, Dey 19, 1396, Rabi as-Sani 21, 1439, Price 15000 Rials
Senior Iranian Negotiator Abbas Araqchi:
World Must Prepare for U.S. Leaving JCPOA
Iran’s Foreign Minister Muhammad Javad Zarif addresses Tehran Security Conference on Jan. 8, 2018.
TEHRAN (Dispatches) — Iran
warned the world on Monday to
prepare for the possible withdrawal of
the United States from the landmark
nuclear deal agreed in 2015.
“The international community
must be prepared for the U.S.
possibly pulling out of the JCPOA,”
said deputy foreign minister Abbas
Araqchi, using the technical name for
the nuclear deal.
The one-day event, held under the
banner of Regional Security in West
Asia; Emerging Challenges and
Trends, was attended by more than
200 Iranian and international political
figures and analysts such as former
British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw.
Iran signed the accord in 2015 with
six world powers, agreeing to curb its
nuclear program in exchange for the
lifting of sanctions.
U.S. President Donald Trump
Zarif: Efforts to Misuse Iran
Unrest Will Backfire
TEHRAN (Dispatches) — Iran’s
foreign minister on Monday warned
neighboring countries over fomenting
insecurity in Iran in a reference to
scattered riots that hit some cities
recently.
The remarks by Muhammad Javad
Zarif at a security conference here
echoed the Iranian authorities’ stance
that foreign sides including Saudi
Arabia stirred up unrest linked to the
protests.
“Some countries tried to misuse the
recent incidents,” Zarif, and added
that “no country can create a secure
environment for itself at the expense
of creating insecurity among its
neighbors.”
“Such efforts” will only backfire,
the official IRNA news agency
quoted Zarif as saying.
Zarif also mentioned an emergency
Iranian Ice
Climber Wins Silver
in World Youth
Championships P. 6
openly despises the deal — a central
foreign policy achievement of his
predecessor Barack Obama — but has
so far continued to waive the nuclear-
related sanctions at regular intervals
as required to stay in compliance.
The next deadline for Trump to
waive sanctions falls on Friday.
“It’s been more than a year that the
U.S. president has sought to destroy
the JCPOA with all his efforts,” said
Araqchi, speaking at the Tehran
Security Conference.
“We in Iran are prepared for
any scenario. The international
community and our region will be
the biggest loser, since a successful
experience in the international arena
will be lost,” he added.
“Our region will not become a safer
region without the JCPOA.”
A withdrawal by the U.S. will
lead to an “appropriate and heavy
session of the UN Security Council
on Friday. The United States had
called the meeting, portraying Iranian
protests as a human rights issue that
could spill over into an international
problem.
The Iranian foreign minister
described the session as a fiasco
and evidence that the Trump
administration is “isolated at the
international level.”
The world “witnessed that (all other)
members of the UN Security Council
spoke about preventing the meddling
in Iran’s internal affairs,” he said.
Zarif also warned that Daesh is still
active and a threat in the region and
beyond, despite the destruction of its
self-proclaimed “caliphate” in Syria
and Iraq and called for a “complete
crush” of the Takfiri group.
(Continued on Page 7)
Russia: Militants Used Drones to Attack Bases
MOSCOW (Reuters) -- Russia said Monday militants
had used drones to attack its naval and air bases in Syria
Saturday, Russian news agencies reported.
The Russian Defense Ministry said there were no
casualties or damage as a result of the attacks, which
involved thirteen armed drones, on its Hmeimim air base
and Tartus naval base in western Syria, the agencies
reported. The ministry said last week that two Russian
service personnel were killed in a mortar attack on the
Hmeimim base on Dec. 31.
Syrian Forces
Inflict Further
Losses on Terrorists
in Idlib P. 8
it was.
“If the United States does not meet
its commitment in the JCPOA, the
Islamic Republic of Iran would take
decisions that might affect its current
cooperation with the International
Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA),”
Iran’s nuclear chief, Ali Akbar
Salehi, was quoted as telling IAEA
Director General Yukiya Amano in a
phone call.
Foreign Minister Muhammad Javad
Zarif is due to travel for talks with
the European parties to the deal —
Britain, France, Germany and the EU
— at the end of the week.
Zarif denied reports that the talks
would focus on the recent protests
in Iran, saying such claims were
“baseless and unfounded”.
“Given the importance of JCPOA
these days, and in particular
considering the U.S. destructive
policies, based on talks we’ve had,
we agreed to have a consultative
meeting between Iran and the three
European Union members,” said
response,” added Foreign Ministry
Zarif, according to state broadcaster
spokesman Bahram Qasemi.
IRIB.
“The U.S. administration will
“Together with the EU’s foreign
definitely regret it,” he said on state
policy chief (Federica Mogherini),
television.
we agreed to invite the Iranian foreign
Another senior official said Iran
minister, if possible next week,”
might reconsider its cooperation
with the UN nuclear agency if the German Foreign Minister Sigmar
United States failed to respect its Gabriel told public broadcaster ZDF
commitments in the nuclear deal. on Sunday.
Trump must decide by mid-January “We very quickly affirmed that we
whether to continue waiving U.S. support the freedom to demonstrate
sanctions on Iran’s oil exports under
the terms of the nuclear pact.
and that the state should support
this,” he added.
Qasemi said Tehran “would not At the same time, Gabriel said
prejudge the decision that America Berlin would not follow the lead
would take on January 13,” but said of the U.S. president, who pledged
it was ready for all possible outcomes to help Iranians “take back” their
and “all options were on the table.” government.
In October, Trump refused to certify Germany and France have “warned
that Iran was complying with the against attempts at instrumentalizing
deal, even though the International the domestic conflicts in Iran,” he
Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said added.
At Least One Protester Killed:
Nigerian Police Violently
Attack Pro-Zakzaky Rally
ABUJA (Dispatches) -- A “In the course of doing that,
member of the Islamic Movement there was an altercation between
in Nigeria was reportedly killed on the protesters and the police
Sunday during a protest against the leading to two civilians and one
continued detention of their Shia policeman being injured,” Aliyu
Muslim leader Sheikh Ibrahim al- said.
Zakzaky in Kaduna. “However the situation had been
The “Free Zakzaky Protests” brought under control, following
broke out at 5 pm local time. some arrests,” he said.
The spokesman of Kaduna Islamic Movement in Nigeria
police command Mukhtar Aliyu spokesman Ibrahim Musa,
confirmed that two civilians were however, confirmed that one
injured but rejected any death in person was killed while several
the clashes. others were injured.
Police moved to disperse the “It has been confirmed that one
protesters after receiving reports person was killed and several
that Zakzaky’s supporters were others were injured by the police,”
about to hold a protest march he said.
when the clash occurred. (Continued on Page 7)
 2 January 9, 2018 DOMESTIC NEWS

Rouhani: U.S. Abuse of

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Tehran – Islamic Republic of Iran The Holy Qur’an (14.10)

In the Name of the Most High

Viewpoint PRAYER TIMINGS
Noon (Zohr) 12:11
Evening(Maghreb)17:28
Days of Debacle for Saudi-US Dawn(Fajr)“ Tomorrow”05:45

Aggressors in Yemen Sunrise “Tomorrow” 07:14

However, Rouhani’s signature

By: Kayhan Int’l Staff Writer record -- the 2015 nuclear accord
with world powers -- is yet to
The past few days have been disastrous for the aggressors in Yemen
deliver the economic benefits the
as the defenders despite their limited resources in the face of relentless
President Rouhani chairs a cabinet session in Tehran, Jan. 8, 2018. government promised Iranians.
bombardment of their homes and hearths, inflicted telling blows on The recent riots started with
both the Saudis and the Americans. a rally in Mashhad on Dec. 28,
State-of-the-art military technology cannot dent the resolve of a TEHRAN (Dispatches) -- mandate. proof that Rouhani’s economic
President Hassan Rouhani said Meanwhile, several members policies have failed to improve with demands initially focused
nation determined to defend itself from unprovoked aggression, as the on economic grievances but it
popular Ansarallah Movement has shown. on Monday the U.S. shamed defended Iran’s 2015 nuclear living standards for the majority
itself by trying to target the agreement with world countries but in comments to his cabinet on turned ugly when seditionists
On Monday, the Yemenis shot down a F-15 American aircraft of the used it wreak havoc as they
Islamic Republic at a UN Security and warned the U.S. against Monday, he attempted to ascribe
Saudi air force near the capital Sana’a, a day after they had intercepted attacked public and private
Council meeting following foreign- attempts to exploit the recent the rallies to other factors.
and brought down a British-built twin-engine multi-role Panavia property as well as police.
orchestrated riots in the country. developments inside Iran to “Some believe that people only
Tornado combat aircraft of the Saudi-led military alliance over Kitaf Iranians “are rightfully saying,
“Over the past days, the United undermine the accord. want money,” Rouhani said. “But
wa al-Boqe’e district in the mountainous province of Sa’ada. ‘see us, hear us and address our
States’ political reputation Rouhani said the anger that led would someone be fine having
This latest string of success follows the successful operations of has been destroyed at the UN to protests exposed the need for a good monthly pay and have needs,’” Rouhani said, according
Ansarallah diving units in locating and capturing the US navy’s spying Security Council,” Rouhani said the greater freedoms as well as a internet access fully blocked, or to Students News Agency. They
drone Remus Model 600 in the Red Sea several nautical km away from here. stronger economy. have his movements outside the “have demands that are partly
the coast of Yemen. Washington, he said, “abuses Critics have portrayed the house restricted, or not have the economic, cultural, social and
It was indeed a telling blow to the military prestige of the US, which its permanent membership at the scattered demonstrations as right to speak?” security-based.”
uses such drones for a variety of jobs, including mine-clearing and Security Council and calls for a
testing the coastal waters for possible amphibious operations.
The Ansarallah’s dexterity has shocked Washington, and the
Bahrain-based US 5th Fleet which also patrols the Bab al-Mandeb
meeting on Iran and there, the
world countries slap the U.S. in
the face.”
Judiciary Chief Calls for Discretion
Strait between Yemen and the Horn of Africa, has chosen to keep its
mouth shut for the moment, although some media horns of the West are
again blaring the lies that Iran helped Yemenis in their sophisticated
On Friday, the Security Council
gave into a U.S. push to meet on
Iran but it turned into a session
in Unrest Cases
TEHRAN (Dispatches) – Iranian linked to the enemies. dealing with the cases of those arrested
operations. by members to chide Washington Judiciary Chief Ayatollah Sadeq Amoli Speaking at a meeting with high- during the riots to make distinctions
How could Iran or Iranian experts help a nation which for the past for using the UN for something Larijani said Monday not all those ranking judiciary officials here, among the culprits according to their
three years has been under total air, sea, and land blockade by Saudi outside the world body’s arrested during recent protests were Ayatollah Larijani called on the judges backgrounds.
Arabia and the US? “There are some individuals among
This filthy propaganda is akin to what the Saudis and the Americans them who have been deceived, those
had said about the ballistic missiles fires on Riyadh, of which the
Yemenis have abundant stocks accumulated during the 34 years that
Iranians Hold Fresh Rallies to who have no criminal records and did
not play a major role in the incidents,”
the now slain President Ali Abdullah Saleh was in powers.
Brushing aside this trash, the fact is, the joint Saudi-UAE forces in Condemn Riots he said.
Tehran’s prosecutor general
meanwhile said scores of the rioters
southern Yemen, unable to advance overland in the face of stiff Yemeni
arrested during the recent unrest have
resistance, were planning a surprise storming of the long blockaded TEHRAN (Dispatches) -- Iranians on Monday property, mosques and police stations.
been released, but the instigators and
Hodeida port, when the capture of the US marine drone, made their staged demonstrations in several cities and towns for A police spokesman said on Sunday that a total of
leaders of the melee should stand trial
plans go haywire. the sixth consecutive day to reiterate their support for 20 people were killed in the violence, adding the main
and expect severe punishment.
The alertness of the Ansarallah has shattered the dreams of the the Islamic establishment and decry recent riots that plotters of the unrest had been identified and arrested.
Speaking at a judicial meeting here,
aggressors, and once again proved to the world that American military hit some parts of the country. The U.S. and the occupying regime of Israel were
Abbas Jafari Dowlatabadi said 70
The mass rallies were held in the cities of Sanandaj quick to voice support for the riots, sparking anger
technology, which Donald Trump likes to boast as the “best and people arrested in the riots have been
and Qazvin as well as a number of cities in the among the Iranian people and prompting authorities
beautiful in the world” is no match for the ingenuity and military released from custody over the past two
northern province of Golestan. in the Islamic Republic to censure foreign interference
prowess of brains on the battlefield. days following detailed investigations.
National flags were carried by the participants, who in the country’s domestic affairs.
This was proved by the direct hit that Yemeni missiles frequently score The process of releasing other
also chanted slogans as they censured acts of sedition Parliament met behind closed doors Monday to
on Saudi targets by penetrating the costly American-supplied patriot detainees, excluding the main leaders
and violence. discuss the unrest with the ministers of interior
missile defences, despite the propaganda of Riyadh to intercept them. of the riots, is also in progress, he
Over the past few days, Iranians have staged similar and intelligence, Iran’s police chief and the deputy
added.
Years earlier, this very same patriot system, along with Israel’s own demonstrations across the country in protest at violent commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps.
The prosecutor said the legal
locally assembled anti-missile batteries that the Zionist entity boastfully riots in some towns and cities, which followed a Interior Minister Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli and
proceedings related to the cases of the
called the ‘iron dome’ turned out to be rusted tin vis-à-vis the primitive series of peaceful protests over the country’s overall Intelligence Minister Mahmoud Alavi presented a
main instigators, like those who set
missiles fired from Gaza by the Palestinian liberation groups. economic situation. report on the root causes of the riots, while the police
fire to the national flag or a fire engine
Imagine, if the Zionist entity and its US godfather were to pick Law enforcement forces and ordinary people chief and the head of the Islamic Republic of Iran
or attacked police stations, have to be
up a fight with Lebanon’s legendary anti-terrorist movement, the intervened to put an end to the violence after vandals Broadcasting (IRIB) briefed the lawmakers on the
expedited.
and armed elements launched attacks on public unrest.
Hezbollah, which possesses sophisticated missiles, how would the
‘iron dome’ fare?
Analysts point out, it will melt like plastic.
As for the capture of the Remus 600, this will certainly provide the Municipality Plans New 10-Story Plasco Building
Yemenis with the ability to clone the device and improvise upon it to
TEHRAN (Dispatches) – Nearly municipality has held talks The new Plasco building will incident.
manufacture drones of their own to cause havoc amongst the enemies’
a year after the iconic Plasco with Mostazafan Foundation of have 10 floors and a parking lot The structure had been
fleets.
building in the capital collapsed the Islamic Revolution on the with a capacity for 1,300 cars, the inaugurated in 1962 and named
Hopefully, the Yemeni defenders whose arsenal holds enormous in a ball of fire, the Tehran construction of a new building official added. after a plastics manufacturing
amounts of weaponry which is being constantly upgraded by committed municipality plans to start building and reached some agreements in Top stories of the building caught company. It was the tallest
Yemenis will blast in midair more Saudi bombers in order to deter the of a new 10-story high-rise at the this regard. fire on January 19, 2016 before building in the Iranian capital
aggressors from further bombing. location later this month. He said the construction of the the building crumpled four hours at the time of its construction. It
The cowardly enemies, whether the Saudis or the Americans, or for Tehran’s deputy mayor Mahdi new tower is planned to start in a later. According to authorities, 22 included shopping centers and
that matter the Zionists, only understand the language of forceful Hojjat said Monday that ceremony on January 19. people were killed in the tragic garment workshops.
resistance that so brilliantly succeeded in Syria, Lebanon, and Iraq.
 Art & Culture January 9, 2018 3

This Day in History

(January 9)
Iranian Films Shine at
Dhaka Film Festival
Today is Tuesday; 19th of the Iranian month of Dey 1396 solar hijri; corresponding to 21st
of the Islamic month of Rabi as-Sani 1439 lunar hijri; and January 9, 2018, of the Christian
Gregorian Calendar.
1337 solar years ago, on this day in 681 AD, the Twelfth Council of Toledo was initiated by
King Erwig of the Visigoths of Spain, and enacted twenty-eight laws against the Jews. The
TEHRAN (ISNA) – The cluding Iranian films like
bishops ordered the reading in all the churches of the canons against the Jews and conserved
all acts of abjuration and conversion of Jews, prohibiting the ‘conversos’ from returning to 18th Dhaka international film “Asphyxia” directed by Fe-
Judaism. Christians have historically hated, persecuted and massacred the Jews, because of festival will host 30 Iranian reydoun Jeyrani, “Take Off”
their complicity in the plot to handover Prophet Jesus to the Romans, as well as their continued films and four foreign prod- by Ehsan Abdipour, “The Hot
slandering of the Messiah and his pure and chaste mother, the Virgin Mary, in whose honour
there is a Surah or chapter in the holy Qur’an. ucts with Iranian- origin direc- Summer” by Ebrahim Irajzad
891 solar years ago, on this day in 1127 AD, during the Jin–Song Wars, invading Jurchen tors. and “Only Men Go To the
soldiers of the Jin dynasty besieged and sacked Bianjing (Kaifeng), the capital of the Song The 18th Dhaka internation- Grave” by Abdulla Kaabi.
dynasty of China. They abducted Emperor Qinzong of Song and others, ending the Northern
Song dynasty. al film festival will be held The Iranian films in the
736 solar years ago, on this day in 1282 AD, Spanish Muslim scholar, Sa’eed ibn Hakam January 12-20, 2018 in Ban- World Cinema category are
al-Qurashi, who was also ruler of the Mediterranean Balearic island of Minorca (Manurqa in gladesh and 216 films will “Walking On The Wire” di-
Arabic), passed away at the age of 77. Born in what is now Portugal in the city of Tavira (Tabira
in Arabic) in the Algarve region (al-Gharb or the west, in Arabic), he studied philology at participate in different cate- rected by Ahmadreza Mota-
Seville (Ishbiliya in Arabic) and took part in literary reunions of famous Arabic poets. He was gories of this festival. medi, “Kupal” by Kazem
well versed in Islamic law and medicine, in addition to being a philologist, grammarian and Iranian director Mohsen Mollaie, “Rag-e Khab” by
poet. After the occupation of the Balearic Islands by the Christian forces of Aragon, Sa’eed ibn
Hakam took the title of Ra’ees and declared Minorca independent. He built a strong political Amiryoussefi is one of the Hamid Nematollah and “The
apparatus in Madinat-al-Jazira (modern Ciutadella) with a council of ministers, secretaries jury members in the Asia Migrants” by Arash Riahi.
and clan representatives. On 17 January 1287, five years after his death, following five Cinema Competition catego- It is worth noting that many
glorious centuries of Muslim rule, the Christians occupied this Muslim island, killed many of
its inhabitants, sold several of them as slaves in Ibiza, Valencia and Barcelona, and forcibly
ry who will judge 16 films other Iranian films participate
Christianized the rest. A Scene from Iranian movie “Kupal” by Kazem Mollaie. from different countries in- in the festival.
669 solar years ago, on this day in 1349 AD, the Jewish population of Basel, Switzerland,

Artcurial to Auction Manuscript of Dehlavi’s Collected Poems

believed by the residents to be the cause of Black Death, was rounded up and incinerated by
Christians, who are notorious for their frequent bloody persecution of the followers of Judaism
throughout history.
258 solar years ago, on this day in 1760 AD, Afghans defeated the Marathas in the Battle of TEHRAN (IBNA) - A manuscript with the manuscript would fetch much more
Barari Ghat, in one of a series of victories to gain control of the decaying Moghal Empire,
calligraphy of Collected Poems (Divan) of than that.
which gave the crafty British time to consolidate their power in Bengal, after they had contrived
with traitors to defeat Nawab Siraj od-Dowlah (of Iranian ancestry) in 1757. At Barari Ghat on the Persian language, Indian poet Amir The Divan of Dehlavi consists of five
the banks of River Jamna, 16 km north of Delhi, the Maratha chief Dattaji Sindhia, retreating Khusrow Dehlavi will be auctioned at Art- chapters containing his entire poems com-
from the Punjab before the army of Ahmad Shah Durrani, was surprised by Afghan troops who, curial Auction House in Lyon, France. posed since the age of 16.
concealed by high reeds, crossed the river. Dattaji was killed and his army routed. His defeat
opened the way to the Afghan occupation of Delhi. The next year, Ahmad Shah as a veteran According to IBNA correspondent, Art- Amir Khusrow Dehlavi was the poet lau-
general of Nader Shah Afshar of Iran, completely broke the power of the Marathas by his curial Auction House is scheduled to begin reate of the Indian subcontinent and en-
resounding victory in the 3rd Battle of Panipat. its work in 2018 by putting this exquisite joys ever-lasting fame as one of the most
226 solar years ago, on this day in 1792 AD, a peace agreement was signed between the
Ottoman and Russian Empires to end the wars that had started in August 1787, because of Persian work under hammer on January versatile poets and prolific prose-writers
the Russo-Austrian plot to break up the power of the Turks in Europe. At the end of the war, 10. As well as calligraphy, this manuscript of the 13th and 14th centuries.
Russians occupied vast lands of the Ottoman Empire, including the Crimea Peninsula in what of Collected Poems by Dehlavi is embel- He is traditionally considered to be the
is now Ukraine.
145 solar years ago, on this day in 1873 AD, Napoleon III, the first elected President of the lished with illumination. The version fea- founder of Qawwali and lyrical poetry in
Republic of France and the last Emperor of the French Empire, died in exile in London at the tures 21 miniature paintings and was writ- Hindustani (Urdu), credited with enrich-
age of 65, three years after losing power, following his disastrous defeat in the Battle of Sedan ten in 1558 in Shiraz. ing Hindustani classical music by intro-
with Prussia (Germany).
102 solar years ago, on this day in 1916 AD, the Battle of Gallipoli – also known as the The precious book is estimated to be ducing Persian and Arabic elements in it.
Battle of Janakkale Savashi – took place near Gelibolu in Turkey during World War I, with worth between 20,000 to 40,000 euros The invention of the sitar and the musical
the Ottomans achieving a great victory over the Allied forces made up of British, French, (24000 to 48000 U.S. dollars), however, styles known as Khyal and Tarana are also
Australians and New Zealanders. The battle is perceived as a defining moment in the history
of the Turkish people — a final surge in the defence of the motherland as the aging Ottoman
the sales expert of Artcurial believes that attributed to him.
Empire was crumbling.
100 solar years ago, on this day in 1918 AD, the Battle of Bear Valley, the last battle of the
three centuries-long wars against the native Amerindian people by the white-skinned Anglo-
Saxon occupiers from Europe, took place. The Battle of Bear Valley was a small engagement
New Device May Help Ease Tinnitus Symptoms
between a group of Yaquis and a detachment of the US Army in Arizona near the Mexican
border as part of Washington’s genocidal policy to wipe out the native Amerindian people. WASHINGTON (Dispatch- “When the main neurons in
54 solar years ago, on this day in 1964 AD, in protest to the US control over the Panama Canal es) - A new study shows an this region, called fusiform
region, disturbances broke out, leading to the death and injury of a number of people at the experimental device could help cells, become hyperactive
hands of the US troops.
40 solar years ago, on this day in 1978 AD, the first mass rally was held in the holy city
quiet the phantom sounds by and synchronize with one an-
of Qom against the despotic regime of the British-installed and US-supported Pahlavi Shah, targeting unruly nerve activity other, the phantom signal is
some 15 years after the June 5, 1963 uprising. The huge rally, attended by the ulema, students, in the brain. transmitted into other centers
businessmen and people of walks of life, was in protest to the publication of an insulting article
Millions of people across where perception occurs.
in the Persian daily, Ettela’at, against the Father of the Islamic Revolution, Imam Khomeini
(RA). It demanded the end of monarchial rule and once again proved the devotion of the the world suffer from a con- “If we can stop these signals,
Iranian nation for their beloved leader, who was in exile in holy Najaf, in Iraq. The regime’s dition called tinnitus which is we can stop tinnitus. That is
forces attacked the peaceful demonstrators, martyring and wounding a large number of them. hearing ringing in their ears. what our approach attempts
In its aftermath, many ulema were banished to remote areas of the country, but this failed to
dampen the spirit of resistance of the people, who would stage similar mass rallies in other In a new study, a team from to do, and we’re encouraged
cities of Iran until the return home from exile of Imam Khomeini and the ultimate victory of the University of Michigan by these initial parallel results
the Islamic Revolution over a year later in February 1979. reports the results of the first in animals and humans.”
31 solar years ago, on this day in 1987 AD, “Operations Karbala-5” was launched during the
8-year Holy Defence by Iran’s Muslim combatants, east of the Iraqi city port city of Basra animal tests and clinical tri-
against the invading forces of Saddam’s repressive Ba’th minority regime. In view of the al of the approach, including
importance of the region, Saddam had erected numerous barricades that seemed impossible data from 20 human tinnitus
to surmount. Iran’s courageous defenders through their trust in God, overcame the obstacles
and dealt a heavy blow to the Ba’thist war machine, to the extent that the enemy forces lost patients.
more than 80 warplanes and 700 tanks, while thousands of Iraqi soldiers were killed, wounded, Based on years of scientific
and captured. The operations showed that despite the support of the Capitalist West and the research into the root causes
Communist East for Saddam, as well as his backing by the oil-rich Persian Gulf Arab regimes,
the armed-to-the-teeth B’athist army was no match for Iran’s brave Islamic combatants. of the condition, the device
12 solar years ago, on this day in 2006 AD, heroic military commander of Iran, Brigadier- uses precisely timed sounds
General Ahmad Kazemi, whose prowess on the battlefronts of the 8-year US imposed war and weak electrical pulses
(through Saddam in the 1980s), earned him several medals of honour, attained martyrdom at
the age of 47, along with ten others, when his aircraft en route to Oroumiyeh from Tehran, crash
that activate touch-sensitive
landed in a field because of engine failure in poor weather conditions. He was serving as ground nerves, both aimed at steering
forces commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC). Born in Najafabad, at the damaged nerve cells back to
age of 17, along with his father, a former military officer, he moved to Lebanon and joined
normal activity.
resistance fighters against the illegal Zionist entity. With the start of the Islamic Revolution, he
returned to Iran to struggle against the British-installed and US-backed Pahlavi regime. On the Human participants reported
Islamic Revolution’s victory, he joined the IRGC and saw service in Kurdistan against anti- that after four weeks of daily
revolutionaries. When the US ordered Saddam to invade Iran, Kazemi served at the warfront use of the device, the loud-
and during the 8 years on the frontlines in various capacities, he suffered injuries to his leg,
hands and back, while one of his fingers was cut. He later completed his university education, ness of phantom sounds de-
writing his doctoral studies in the field of national defense. He also served as presidential creased, and their tinnitus-re-
defence advisor. His funeral prayer was led by the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah lated quality of life improved.
Seyyed Ali Khamenei, who informed the audience in an emotional tone, how Kazemi during a
meeting barely two weeks back had said his desire was to attain martyrdom. A sham “treatment” using just
One solar year ago, on this day in 2017 AD, Ayatollah Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, one of sounds did not produce such
the senior statesmen of the Islamic Republic of Iran, who served for two terms as President and effects.
before that as Speaker of the Majlis (parliament) for two terms, passed away at the age of 82
while serving as Chairman of the State Expediency Council. Born in Bahreman near Rafsanjan “The brain, and specifically
in Kerman Province, he enrolled in the Islamic seminary of Qom at a young age. Influenced the region of the brainstem
by the Father of the Islamic Revolution, Imam Khomeini (RA), he became active against the called the dorsal cochlear nu-
British-installed and US-backed Pahlavi regime, braving imprisonment. On the triumph of the
Islamic Revolution, he played prominent roles and during the 8-year war imposed by the US cleus, is the root of tinnitus,”
through Saddam, he was appointed by the Imam as his representative in the armed forces. As said Susan Shore, the U-M
a firm supporter of the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, he Medical School professor The 72nd birthday anniversary of Mohammad Reza Lotfi, a Persian classical musician renowned for his
was a senior elected member of the Assembly of Experts. mastery of the Tar and Setar, was held on Monday beside his grave.
who leads the research team.
(Courtesy: IRIB English Radio – http://parstoday.com/en) Courtesy: Mehr News Agency
 4 January 9, 2018
Rouhani Urges Diversification
of Iran’s Non-Oil Exports
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iranian
President Hassan Rouhani has
called for efforts to reduce the coun-
try’s economic vulnerability by di-
versifying exports of non-oil goods.
In a meeting with Iran’s major
exporters of non-oil commodities
here, Rouhani warned of the risks
of focusing on the export of a sin-
gle product, saying diversification
of non-oil exports would lower
the economy’s vulnerability.
He also praised the exporters for
Russia Sanctions Have Led to Loss of
Many Jobs in West: Adidas Chief
MOSCOW (Sputnik News) -
Adidas chief Kasper Rorsted is
calling on Europe to restore rela-
tions with Russia.
Speaking to German media,
the head of the popular foot-
wear, clothing and accessories
company stressed that sanctions
harm the West just as much as
Russia.
“Anyone who thinks that
sanctions only punish Russia
is wrong,” Rorsted said, speak-
ing to Germany’s Frankfurter
Allgemeine Zeitung newspaper.
“They’ve led to the loss of many
jobs in the West. Politicians pre-
fer to keep silent about this fact.”
Oil Steadies Above $61 Following Pullback
in U.S. Drilling
NEW YORK (Bloomberg) -
Oil rose after drilling activity in
the U.S. eased, adding to signs the
global crude surplus is abating.
West Texas Intermediate futures
gained 0.4 percent, following a
1.7 percent increase last week,
when they hit a three-year high.
Rigs drilling for crude in the U.S.
fell by five to 742 in the seven
days ended Jan. 5.
“A drop in active oil rigs is usu-
ally bullish for oil prices,” said
Michael Poulsen, an analyst at
Global Risk Management Ltd.
Oil had its strongest opening
week for any year since 2013
as U.S. stockpiles continue to
shrink. While output curbs by
the Organization of Petroleum
Exporting Countries and its al-
lies have driven up prices, it has
also taken crude to a level where
profits are high enough to encour-
age shale producers in America to
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani
creating trust in Iranian brands,
stressing the need for maintaining
the quality of products to secure
the country’s position in interna-
tional markets.
The president also assigned the
Industry Ministry, the Central
Bank of Iran and the Economy
Ministry to devise plans to enable
producers of non-oil goods in the
state-run and private sectors to
export their products directly and
get paid directly too.
Noting that European coun-
tries need “to find a solution to
the tense relationship with Rus-
sia,” the CEO remarked that the
blame for the present tensions
doesn’t lie exclusively in Mos-
cow. “Vladimir Putin said ten
years ago that we need a free
market from Portugal to Mos-
cow. You don’t have to approve
of everything that President
Putin does, but in Europe’s in-
terests we are working for rap-
prochement with Russia.”
Late last year, a major study by
European economists showed
that sanctions cost the EU and
the U.S. over $50 billion in loss-
pump more. Hedge funds took a
step back from the most bullish
stance on WTI in 10 months dur-
ing the week ended Jan. 2.
U.S. explorers spent the final
five weeks of 2017 in a virtual
standstill, adding just as many
rigs as they laid off. Bowing to
ECONOMIC NEWS
In October 2017, First Vice-
President Eshaq Jahangiri said
Iran’s annual non-oil exports has
stood at $47 billion, hoping that it
would hit $100 billion in coming
years.
The non-oil exports and tourism
industry were the main sectors
that President Rouhani had fo-
cused on during his second term
election campaign in order to cre-
ate job opportunities for the coun-
try’s young labor force.
es between early 2014 and the
end of 2015, over 90% of that
figure borne by Europe.
Admitting his affinity for the
country, Rorsted said that he has
been well-acquainted with Rus-
sia for many years. “I like the
country, I like the people, and
I think that culturally, Russians
are much closer to Europe than
others.”
Given the various crises and
conflicts plaguing the world to-
day, the CEO believes that Eu-
ropean politicians should look
for allies like Russia, instead of
“quarrelling with everyone on
the planet.”
heightened investor pressure,
drillers are seeking to do more
with less in a bid to boost prof-
its. Their money-saving moves
include opening already-drilled
wells by fracking them rather
than deploying more rigs to start
new ones.
Official: Iran Ready to Transfer Gas
Industry Knowhow
TEHRAN (Shana) – The CEO of
Iranian Gas Engineering and Devel-
opment Company (IGEDC) Hassan
Montazer Torbati has said the con-
struction of gas pipelines empowered
the Iranian state and private sectors
in such a way that the country is now
ready to offer the related services in
an international level.
Montazer Torbati, said Iran and
Iraq, both members of the Organi-
zation of the Petroleum Exporting
Countries (OPEC), enjoy expand-
ed cooperation in the gas sector as
the latter is a customer of Iranian
natural gas, adding Iran is offering
extended services to its neighbor
in construction of gas transmission
pipelines.
He said during the last visit to
Iran, an Iraqi delegation learned
Iran’s achievements in the gas in-
dustry and held talks with senior
officials of the National Iranian
Gas Company (NIGC) asking them
Iran-Europe Trade Grows
by 61%: Report
TEHRAN (Dispatches) – The
volume of trade exchanges between
Iran and the EU member-states has
reached €16.6 billion in the first 10
months of 2017 showing 61.6% in-
crease compared to the same period
of last year.
“Iran exported some €8.241 bil-
lion to the European Union over
first 10 months of 2017 while
importing €8.407 billion from
the 28-nation bloc,” according
to a report released by Economic
Research Department of Tehran
Chamber of Commerce.
World Stock Rally Rolls on With
Best Start in Eight Years
ONDON (Reuters) - World
stock markets hovered close to
all-time highs on Monday as the
best start to a year in eight years
showed little sign of running out
of steam, with the combination of
strong global growth and low in-
flation powering the appetite for
risk.
European stocks jumped by as
much as 0.4 percent, hitting their
highest levels since August 2015,
before easing slightly.
A surprise dip in German indus-
trial orders, which fell in Novem-
ber for the first time since July,
appeared unlikely to dent grow-
ing confidence in the euro zone’s
biggest economy after a strong
run of positive economic news.
The strong showing in Europe-
an markets followed Asia, where
benchmarks inched towards all-
time peaks. Wall Street last week
had posted its best start to a year
in more than a decade; Friday’s
U.S. jobs report, while weaker
than expected, encouraged hopes
that brisk growth and low infla-
tion can be sustained this year.
The world index was flat, just
to offer their experiences in the
sector to Iraq.
“Iraq wants to acquire knowhow
practiced and developed by Ira-
nian companies in the gas industry
by building gas transmission net-
works,” he added.
Iran’s exports to the European
Union in the same period of 2016
had stood at €3.942 billion, while
the country imported some €6.361
billion from the EU member-states
over the mentioned period.
The main factor contributing to
the growth of Iran-EU commod-
ity trade is doubling the Iranian
exports to European Union, the re-
port said.
Figures from 2017 also showed
that Iran’s negative trade balance
with European Union has signifi-
cantly improved.
below record highs. It has gained
2.5 percent in the first five trad-
ing sessions of the year, its best
start since 2010, according to
Thomson Reuters data.
The U.S. dollar partly recov-
ered on Monday after a weak
start to the year, strengthening
past $1.20 against the euro, al-
though with bearish positions
against the greenback high, many
traders are betting on a stronger
single currency.
Against a basket of currencies
the dollar was up 0.31 percent but
close to its weakest level since
September.
Positive euro zone economic
data - economic growth in the
euro zone is on its best run in a
decade - has helped the euro, and
investors globally wanting expo-
sure to the economic recovery in
the region have piled into Euro-
pean assets.
The synchronized global recov-
ery has prompted central banks
across the world to follow the
Federal Reserve’s lead and start
moving towards tighter monetary
policy in recent
Iran has three main pipeline pro-
ducers that supply the country’s
need for gas pipelines, he added,
saying Iranians can also manufac-
ture large turbo-compressors as
well as many of the items and parts
required in the industry.
Official
Denies
China’s Ban
on Investment
in Iran
TEHRAN (Tasnim) - Head
of Iran-China Joint Chamber
of Commerce Asadollah Asga-
roladi has denied reports about
the Chinese government’s ban
on investment in Iran, saying
more and more investors from
China are visiting Iran for
business activities.
Speaking with domestic
media, Asgaroladi pointed to
the rising number of Chinese
delegations visiting Iran to
weigh investment opportuni-
ties, saying that misleading
reports would only hamper
foreign investment in the
country.
He said four major Chinese
delegations from the automo-
bile, mining and food indus-
tries are planned to visit Iran
from the next two weeks to
evaluate the situation for in-
vestment.
As regards the obstacles to
banking ties between Iran and
China, he said an Iranian del-
egation including representa-
tives from the Central Bank
of Iran and the Ministry of In-
dustry would travel to China
to address the issue.
Last month, Iranian Minister
of Industry, Mine and Trade
Mohammad Shariatmadari
said Iran and China’s econo-
mies are complementary,
proposing the formation of a
joint working group to pur-
sue business negotiations and
promote cooperation between
the two countries’ private
banks.
In January 2016, China’s
President Xi Jinping paid
an official visit to Iran and
signed several agreements
to enhance political and eco-
nomic interaction with Teh-
ran.
 WORLD NEWS January 9, 2018 5

Two Koreas Plan to Senior BBC Editor Quits

Resume Family Reunions
Divided families are one of the most emotive outcomes of the Korean war, with around
60,000 increasingly elderly South Koreans still hoping to meet their relatives again.
SEOUL (AFP) -- South Korea will
seek discussions on resuming re-
unions of separated families at this
week’s inter-Korean talks, Seoul’s
top delegate said Monday, as the
North trumpeted the importance of
achieving reunification.
The two Koreas agreed last week
to hold their first official dialogue in
more than two years and will meet
Tuesday at the border truce village of
Panmunjom.
The talks will largely focus on the
North’s participation in next month’s
Winter Olympics in the South, but
the two sides are also expected to
bring up their own issues of interest.
“We will prepare for discussions on
the issue of separated families and
ways to ease military tensions,” Uni-
fication Minister Cho Myoung-Gyon
told reporters, according to the Yon-
hap news agency.
Because the 1950-53 Korean War
ended with an armistice rather than
a formal peace treaty, the two Koreas
remain technically at war.
Their tentative rapprochement
comes after North Korea’s leader
Kim Jong-Un warned in his New
Year speech that he had a nuclear
button on his desk - but also said
Pyongyang could send a team to the
Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang.
Seoul responded with an offer of
talks, and last week the hotline be-
tween the neighbors was restored af-
ter being suspended for almost two
years.
South Korean Foreign Minister
Kang Kyung-Wha said the North’s
participation in Pyeongchang would
strengthen the Games’ profile as “a
peace Olympics,” Yonhap reported,
and could lead to further progress.
North Korea’s state media called
for “independent reunification”
without relying on other countries
such as the United States.
“The master of improved inter-Ko-
rean relations is not the outsiders but
the Korean nation itself,” the North’s
official Korean Central News Agen-
cy said at the weekend.
“The flunkeyism and idea of de-
pendence on outside forces are the
venom which makes the nation slav-
ish and spiritless,” it added.
Over Gender Pay Row
BBC Television centre is illuminated with the results for Britain’s
general election in London, June 8, 2017.
BEIJING (AP) -- The BBC’s Chi-
na editor has resigned her position
in Beijing in protest over what she
called a failure to sufficiently ad-
dress a gap in compensation be-
tween men and women at the pub-
lic broadcaster.
Carrie Gracie’s departure is the
latest aftershock from the BBC’s
forced publication last year of pay
levels for its top earners that showed
two-thirds of those in the top bracket
were men.
in the TV newsroom where I expect
to be paid equally.”
“The BBC must admit the problem,
apologize and set in place an equal,
fair and transparent pay structure,”
Gracie wrote.
Rather than waste money on an
“unwinnable court fight against fe-
male staff, the BBC should immedi-
ately agree to independent arbitration
to settle individual cases,” she wrote.
Gracie, who took on the newly cre-
ated job of China editor four years
TOKYO (AP) -- A U.S. military helicop-
ter has made an emergency landing in Ja-
pan’s Okinawa islands in the second such
incident in three days. Japanese media say
a Marine Corps AH-1 attack helicopter
with two people aboard landed Monday in
a field at a waste disposal site in the town
of Yomitan on Okinawa’s main island. No
injuries were reported. Public broadcaster
NHK reported that the U.S. side told police
that a warning light had indicated a prob-
lem with the aircraft. Another Marines
Corps helicopter made an emergency land-
ing on a beach in Okinawa on Saturday
because its rotor appeared to be spinning
too fast. The incidents inflame local oppo-
sition to the large U.S. military presence in
Okinawa.
***
LONDON (Guardian) -- More than 24,000
attempts were made to access pornographic
websites in the Houses of Parliament since
the general election, according to official
data. The figure of 24,473 attempts repre-
sents about 160 requests per day on average
from computers and other devices connect-
ed to the parliamentary network – which is
used by MPs, peers and staff – between June
and October last year. It comes amid a sex
scandal in Westminster, during which There-
sa May sacked her de facto deputy, Damian
Green, after he made “misleading” state-
ments about allegations that police found
pornography on computers in his parlia-
mentary office in 2008. The data, released
after a freedom of information (FoI) request
by the Press Association, shows a spike in
September in the number of attempts to visit
the sites, with 9,467 requests from both the

U.S. Launches Secretive Zuma Spacecraft

a spy satellite for the National Re-
connaissance Office, and an X-37B
space plane for the U.S. Air Force.
The company’s live webcast did
not show video coverage of the
Zuma spacecraft after it separated
from the first stage of the rocket, but
confirmed that the fairings deployed
and the payload was well on its way
to low-Earth orbit.
After launch, SpaceX returned the
tall portion of the Falcon 9 rocket to
an upright landing at Cape Canav-
eral.
SpaceX chief executive Elon
Musk’s goal is to perfect the tech-
A 30-year veteran of the BBC, Gra-
cie said in a statement on her website
addressed to BBC viewers that she
could no longer perform her job at a
high level while battling with bosses
over pay equality.
Gracie said she learned that two of
the BBC’s four international editors
- both men - made at least 50% more
than their two female counterparts.
She said she was not seeking more
money for herself, but only demand-
ing that the BBC observe British law
requiring equal pay for equal work.
Gracie said she would stay with the
BBC and “return to my former post
ago, said women at the BBC were
running out of “patience and good
will” in the face of what she called
a “divide and rule” approach and a
continuing refusal by the corpora-
tion to admit to discriminatory poli-
cies. She said those who complained
faced the threat of retaliation and
even dismissal, while others were
either bogged down in arbitration
talks or offered new pay packages on
condition the terms remained secret.
Gracie’s move received voluble
praise online from her colleagues,
with veteran BBC journalist Lyse
Doucet tweeting, “Brilliant Brave.”
Houses of Lords and Commons that month.
***
ROME (AP) -- The UN migration agency
has raised the probable death toll to 64 in
the weekend sinking of a smugglers’ rub-
ber dinghy in the Mediterranean Sea off
Libya. The Italian coast guard, hours after
the boat started sinking Saturday due to a
puncture, rescued 86 people from it and
retrieved the bodies of eight dead women.
Flavio Di Giacomo of the International
Organization for Migration said Monday
that according to survivors, interviewed
by the agency in Catania, Sicily, after they
arrived on a rescue ship, there were 150
persons aboard the overcrowded rubber
dinghy went it took off from Libya. Rescue
agencies had expressed fears shortly after
the tragedy that dozens could be missing.
The Italian coast guard launched a search
but didn’t find any more survivors or bod-
ies.

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the secret Zuma spacecraft for the U.S.
government launches Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air
Force Station in Florida on Jan. 7, 2018 in this still from a SpaceX video.
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (Dis-
patches) -- SpaceX has blasted off a
secretive U.S. government payload
known as Zuma, a mission whose
nature -- and the agency behind it
-- remains a mystery.
“Three, two, one, ignition and lift-
off,” said a SpaceX commentator as
the Falcon 9 rocket launched under
cover of darkness from Cape Canav-
eral, Florida, at 8:00 pm (0100 GMT
Monday).
The launch was initially supposed
to take place in November but was
postponed so the California-based
company could take a closer
look at potential problems with the
fairing, or the nose cone part of the
rocket that protects the payload.
Just what exactly needed such spe-
cial protection and secrecy is still
unknown.
Northrup Grumman, the maker of
the payload, said it was for the US
government and would be delivered
to low-Earth orbit, but offered no
other details.
SpaceX and the Pentagon did not
respond to requests for comment
about the nature of the mission.
SpaceX has launched national se-
curity payloads in the past, including
nique so that rockets can one day
become just as reusable as airplanes,
thereby lowering the cost of space
At Least 71 Killed in ***
NEW YORK (AP) -- Two people were in-
Violence in Nigeria’s Benue
jured, one seriously, in an early-morning
travel. fire near the top of Trump Tower in midtown
Amateur satellite trackers who Manhattan, the New York Fire Department
specialize in tracking classified mis- said on Monday. U.S. President Donald
sions suspected Zuma may be an Trump was in Washington at the time. Al-
experimental spacecraft testing new though local media initially reported there
technologies, possibly sensors for were no injuries, one person sustained a
serious, possibly life-threatening injury, and
watching close approaches between another had a minor injury, the Fire Depart-
spacecraft. ment said. Eric Trump, one of the president’s
One theory floated was that the sons, said on Twitter that it was a small elec-
mission might be connected to one trical fire in the cooling tower on the build-
SpaceX launched into a similar orbit ing’s roof. The fire was reported by phone
last May for the National Reconnais- shortly before 7 a.m. EST (noon GMT) on
the top floor of the 68-story structure, which
sance Office. had been Trump’s primary residence before
That mission last summer was ob- his election victory and inauguration nearly
served flying close to the Interna- a year ago, the department said. More than
tional Space Station, at a time when 90 minutes after the initial report, 84 fire-
two U.S. cargo craft arrived or de- fighters and 26 units were still on the scene,
parted. according to department spokesman Fire-
fighter Ken Reilly.

Taiwan: China’s New Air Routes Muslim faithful of the Ya Lateef Islamic Society sit as they pray into the New
***
CAIRO (AP) -- Egyptian officials say two

Threaten Security
TAIPEI (Reuters) -- Taiwan’s government has
called China’s recent unilateral expansion of civil
aviation routes in the Taiwan Strait an irresponsible
act that threatens regional security, in the latest row
between Beijing and the self-ruled island.
China opened several disputed air routes last
week, including a northbound M503 route in the
Taiwan Strait, without informing Taiwan, contra-
vening what the democratic government in Taipei
said is a 2015 deal to first discuss such flight paths.
Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen, after meeting
with ministry heads to assess the situation on Sun-
day, said the move “not only seriously affects avia-
tion safety, but also damages the current situation in
the Taiwan strait”.
“This kind of unilateral changing of the situa-
tion, this practice that harms regional stability, is
not something that will be viewed favorably by the
international community,” Tsai said in a statement.
Tsai, who also said during her meeting with offi-
cials that China’s increased military activities in the
region were threatening stability, called on Beijing
to give priority to restore technical discussions on
the flight paths.
Beijing’s move comes as China has pressed ahead
with a military modernization program that includes
building aircraft carriers and stealth fighters to give
it the ability to project power far from its shores,
and stepped up what it calls “island encirclement
patrols” near Taiwan.
Last Thursday, China’s civil aviation authority
said in a statement announcing the new routes that
planes “will strictly follow the announced flight
path”.
“In recent years, the scheduled flights for the
strait’s west coast airspace have quickly increased,
and the delays are becoming more critical. Using
the northbound M503 and related routes will effec-
tively ease the currently existing air route’s traffic
pressure,” it said.
China considers Taiwan a wayward province,
and broke off official communication with the Tai-
wan government after Tsai’s independence-leaning
Democratic Progressive Party won power in 2016.
China suspects Tsai wants to push for formal inde-
pendence though, she has said she wants to main-
tain the status quo with China and is committed to
ensuring peace.
Year at Ibafo, Ogun State in southwest of Nigeria on December 31, 2017.
ABUJA (Reuters) -- A total of 71 the governor of Benue state.
people have been killed in a week “Now, with security operatives
of violence in Nigeria’s Benue on the ground, villagers have
state, a government spokesman been going about the bush to pick
said Monday, much of it involv- up more corpses.”
ing clashes between Muslim cattle Nigeria’s police inspector gen-
herders and Christian farmers. eral, Ibrahim Idris, told reporters
The killings endanger efforts by last week that the country was se-
President Muhammadu Buhari cure, though more police would
to bring security and stability to be deployed to Benue state to
Nigeria - a key campaign pledge deal with the violence.
when he ran for election in 2015. “What we should be praying for
Muslim herdsmen, mainly of is for Nigerians to learn to live in
the Fulani ethnic group, and peace with each other,” said Id-
Christian farmers often clash ris.
over the use of land in remote ar- Nigerian troops have been de-
eas of the Middle Belt region. ployed in more than 30 of the 36
Terve Akase, chief press sec- states to tackle insecurity - some-
retary to the governor of Benue thing which has thrown a critical
state, attributed 71 deaths from spotlight on the performance of
Dec. 31 to Jan. 6 to killings by the police.
the Fulani. Reuters was unable to In November, at least 30 people
verify the figures. from a cattle herding community,
“The attacks happened in very including young children, were
remote villages,” said Terve killed in a clash in the northeast-
Akase, chief press secretary to ern state of Adamawa.
policemen have been taken into custody af-
ter the death of a detainee sparked clashes
in the capital. Dozens of protesters tried to
storm a police station in Cairo’s Mokattam
neighborhood on Saturday after a detainee
held on drug-related suspicions died in cus-
tody. Police arrested 43 protesters. Officials
say prosecutors on Monday ordered the
two police held for 24 hours and extended
the protesters’ detention by 15 days. The
officials spoke on condition of anonymity
because they weren’t authorized to brief
reporters. Anger at widespread police bru-
tality helped spark the 2011 uprising that
toppled longtime autocrat Hosni Mubarak.
Rights groups say mistreatment and torture
are still widespread in Egyptian prisons, al-
legations denied by the government
***
NICOSIA (AFP) -- The party of the prime
minister of northern Cyprus, a statelet rec-
ognized only by Turkey, has won parliamen-
tary elections but will need to form a coali-
tion after falling short of a majority, results
showed Monday. The Turkish Republic of
Northern Cyprus (TRNC), established in the
wake of Turkey’s 1974 invasion of the island
in response to an Athens-backed coup, voted
Sunday in snap polls forced by tensions
in the previous coalition. The vote comes
ahead of presidential polls later this month
in the internationally recognized Greek-ma-
jority Republic of Cyprus, with peace efforts
on hold until both sets of elections are over.
 6 January 9, 2018

Iranian Ice Climber Wins Silver Lakers Beat Hawks

in World Youth Championships
TEHRAN (Press TV) - Iranian ice
climber Emad Hosseini has shown
great displays of physical skills and
strength during the 2018 Union
Internationale des Associations
d’Alpinisme (UIAA) Ice Climbing
World Youth Championships, and
picked a silver medal at the sports
event.
On Sunday and the final day of
the competitions in the ski-resort
village of Malbun in Liechtenstein,
Hosseini participated in the men’s
lead contests, and landed in the sec-
ond position of the chart.
Swiss contestant Lukas Goetz
ranked first and was awarded the
gold medal.
South Korean ice climber Lim
Hyeongsub stood third, and had to
settle with the bronze.
Mahdi Taghikhani, another repre-
Iranian ice climber Emad Hosseini (L)
sentative from the Islamic Republic
of Iran, finished fourth.
The 2018 UIAA Ice Climbing
World Youth Championships start-
ed on January 6, and finished the
next day.
The tournament brought together
some 80 athletes from 10 countries,
132-113 to End Nine-Game
including Iran, Lichtenstein, Rus-
Losing Streak
sia, South Korea and Switzerland,
and was staged in three age groups
of under 16, under 19 and under 22
years old.
It was held in men’s lead, wom-
en’s lead, men’s speed and women’s
speed sections.
Lead climbing, on the other hand,
emphasizes on strength and tech-
niques. Climbers go up the ice alone
and try to reach a specific end point
within a given amount of time.
To practice the sport at the highest
level of competition, it takes ath- Josh Hart #5 of the Los Angeles Lakers goes to the basket against the Atlanta
letes with strategic insight, power, Hawks on January 7, 2018 at Staples Center in Los Angeles, California.
precision and full commitment. LOS ANGELES (AP) - For nine own.
Speed climbing is a race in its pur- games, the Los Angeles Lakers just Dennis Schroder led the Hawks
est form. Two contestants face each couldn’t figure out how to get their de- with 27 points on 10-of-23 shoot-
other while moving up the ice in fense back on the right track. ing. Kent Bazemore and John Collins
this disciple, and the faster climber Against the Atlanta Hawks on Sun- added 15 points apiece.
wins. day night, things finally felt familiar Los Angeles led by as many as 26
on that end. points - its biggest margin this sea-

Coutinho Unveiled as Barcelona Player – But Injury Will Delay Debut
BARCELONA (Dispatches) -
Philippe Coutinho’s Euro 160 million
move to Barcelona was officially con-
firmed on Monday as the playmaker
was unveiled to fans at the Nou Camp.
The 25-year-old Brazilian signed a
contract alongside Barcelona presi-
dent Josep Maria Bartomeu, before
performing keepy-uppies in front of
supporters.
A deal for Coutinho to join Barce-
lona from Liverpool was agreed on
Saturday.
“I want to thank the president and
everyone who has made it possible,”
true and I hope to be up to the job on
the field.”
Bartomeu added: “All the Barca fans
are excited to have Coutinho here.
“It hasn’t been easy but his effort in
coming, along with his strength and
patience, have been key.”
Coutinho passed his medical, but it
did show he has a right thigh injury -
which kept him out of Liverpool’s 2-1
win at Burnley on New Year’s Day.
Barcelona said the midfielder was
likely to be out for around three
weeks, meaning the earliest he could
realistically make his debut is the
The Lakers swiped 13 steals and
scored 26 points off turnovers en
route to a 132-113 victory that
snapped their nine-game losing
streak.
‘’It was good to kind of see the guys
get back to that mode where defense
anchors what we do offensively in-
stead of the other way around,’’ Lak-
ers coach Luke Walton said.
Brandon Ingram had 20 points and
seven assists, while Lonzo Ball fin-
ished with 13 points, 10 assists and
six rebounds. Julius Randle had 15
points and nine rebounds in his sixth
straight start.
Nine Lakers recorded at least one
steal. Brook Lopez had four on his
son - and enjoyed a strong shooting
night. The Lakers made 55.8 percent
of their field goals, and shot 44.4 per-
cent from 3-point range.
Even free throws went in for the
Lakers, who came into Sunday as
the worst team in the league in that
category. Los Angeles made 20 of 25.
The Hawks, on the other hand, shot
just 43.6 percent from the field.
Los Angeles went on a 16-3 run in
the opening minutes of the second
quarter that culminated in a transi-
tion 3-pointer by Ball and a basket by
Larry Nance Jr. off a pass from Josh
Hart. The lead quickly ballooned to
20 after another 3 by Ball and a layup
by Kyle Kuzma.

Philippe Coutinho signed a contract with Barcelona on Monday

Allegri Says Video Replay Has Led to More Controversies
MILAN (Reuters) – The use of
video replays by referees in Serie A
has led to more controversies, ac-
cording to Juventus coach Massi-
miliano Allegri.
However, he said this was partly
because Italians enjoy controver-
sies and suggested that, in prin-
ciple, the video replay system
(VAR) was a good idea.
Juventus, second in the table,
won 1-0 at Cagliari on Saturday
but the Sardinians were angry over
two decisions.
They claimed that the move lead-
ing up to Federico Bernarde-
schi’s 74th minute goal should
have been stopped after Leonardo
Pavoletti was elbowed by Medhi
Benatia, but the referee allowed
the goal to stand without consult-
ing the VAR.
Shortly afterwards, Cagliari de-
manded a penalty for handball by
Bernardeschi when the ball hit his
outstretched arm.
The referee turned down their ap-
peals without watching the video
replay himself, although Italian
media said he was given advice by
the video assistant via his earpiece.
“The VAR was introduced to
said Coutinho.
“I am very happy, it’s a dream come
Catalan derby against Espanyol on 4
February.
reduce controversies and instead
they have increased, possibly be-
cause we Italians like to stoke
them,” said Allegri.
“We look for controversies in-
stead of analyzing the match —
Cagliari played a really good game
and didn’t deserve to lose.
“This is obviously the first year
VAR has been put into use and
next season we will have more
clarity.”
“The referees are doing really
well and will learn how to use it
for the most eye-catching inci-
dents. For example, it’s fundamen-
City Need Trophies to Be
‘Big Club’ - Guardiola
tal in judging offsides.”
He added: “In every match, there
a difficult decisions, sometimes
they go in your favor and some-
times against. You need to be able
to accept them.”
Serie A is one of several com-
petitions around the world where
the VAR system is being used on
a trial basis.
Soccer’s law-making body IFAB
is due to decide in March whether
to ratify its use on a permanent ba-
sis and, depending on the decision,
FIFA are hoping to use it at this Pep Guardiola, seen here on January 2, 2018, says Manchester City must
year’s World Cup in Russia. match Manchester United and Liverpool by winning trophies in order to be-
come one of the game’s giants -- and dazzling football is not enough

Australia Crush England to Complete 4-0 Ashes Win LONDON (AFP) - Pep Guardiola
says Manchester City must match
Manchester United and Liverpool by
SYDNEY(AFP) - Australia ruthlessly extinguished England’s resis- winning trophies in order to become
tance to claim an innings victory in the fifth Ashes Test and complete a one of the game’s giants -- and daz-
4-0 series rout on the final day in Sydney Monday. zling football is not enough.
The beleaguered tourists, with skipper Joe Root weakened by a stomach The runaway Premier League lead-
bug and unable to continue batting, dissolved after lunch, losing their last ers maintained their relentless charge
four wickets for their fourth comprehensive defeat of the series. in four competitions by sweeping
Paceman Pat Cummins led the Australian offensive in Sydney with four into the FA Cup fourth round at
wickets for 39 to finish man-of-the-match and the leading wicket taker in Burnley’s expense on Saturday.
the series with 23. They are now eyeing a place in the
“To get through the five Tests and end the series here at home. I couldn’t League Cup final as they host Cham-
asked for much more,” said an ecstatic Cummins. pionship side Bristol City in the first
leg of their semi-final on Tuesday.
“A win helps to win more, then we
are there, going to go to London to
play the final,” said the City man-
ager.
“It’s important (to win trophies). To
become a big club like the teams I
have faced, or teams like (Manches-
ter) United or Liverpool, with a re-
ally big history, you have to win.
The former Barcelona and Bayern
Munich boss was pleased to see Le-
roy Sane back on the score sheet in
the 4-1 victory against Burnley.

Unstoppable Shiffrin Wins

All four of Australia’s front-line bowlers finished with 20 or more wick-
ets each for the series.
England finished at 180 for nine off 88.1 overs as Australia won by an
innings and 123 runs.
It followed comprehensive losses on the troubled five-Test tour in Bris-
bane, Adelaide and Perth. The fourth Test was drawn in Melbourne.
Stricken Root did not come out to bat after lunch as he continued to
experience discomfort after his overnight stomach bug.
Cummins struck twice in three balls after lunch, trapping Jonny Bair-
stow leg before wicket for 38 and having Stuart Broad caught behind off
a brutish bouncer for four.
Mason Crane got another vicious Cummins bouncer which he gloved
to wicketkeeper Tim Paine for two and Anderson was caught behind off
Josh Hazlewood for two to end the innings.
Root went to hospital overnight with England initially saying he had
“severe dehydration” after fielding and batting in intense heat on Sunday.
But team officials later said Root had in fact been weakened by the ef-
fects of a gastroenteritis bug.
Australia’s captain Steve Smith holds the Ashes trophy next to team
mates after they won the fifth Ashes cricket test match and the series 4-0.
England’s remote chances of saving the Test disappeared when Root
failed to appear at the crease after lunch, retiring ill for a second time.
Spinner Nathan Lyon claimed Moeen’s wicket for the seventh time in
the series when he trapped him leg before in the morning session, which
Moeen did not review.
Lyon took three wickets for 54 off 35 overs to finish with 21 wickets for
the series and 290 in his career.
The Australians took a grip on the final Test with a massive 303-run in-
nings lead and then reduced the battle-weary tourists to 93 for four by the
close on the fourth day and finished off the job mid-afternoon Monday.
All five Tests went into the fifth day, indicating the attritional nature of
the series.
Fourth Alpine Slalom Race
KRANJSKA GORA, Slovenia (Reuters) – Overall World Cup leader
Mikaela Shiffrin won her fourth race in a row on Sunday, storming to vic-
tory in the slalom at Kranjska Gora by a huge 1.64 seconds.
It was her seventh win in the last eight races in all disciplines, her
form peaking with the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang just one month
away, and the 40th World Cup win of her career. Shiffrin is widely
expected to retain the Olympic slalom title she won at the 2014 Games
in Sochi, Russia, as well as having a shot at gold medals in the giant
slalom and Super G. The 22-year-old produced an astonishing first run
as she charged down the course in 51.44 seconds, with Frida Hansdot-
ter of Sweden the second-best on 52.91. Even though Shiffrin eased off
slightly on the second run, when her time was bettered by two other ski-
ers, nobody else could get near her total time of one minute 43.50.

‘Al Khalifa Regime Seeking
Escalation of Crisis in Bahrain’
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – The
spokesman for the Haq Movement
for Liberty and Democracy, an
opposition political organization
in Bahrain, slammed the Manama
regime for its continued crackdown
on the people and said it is seeking
to escalate the current crisis in the
Arab country.
“The Al Khalifa regime’s strategy
is to escalate the crisis in the
country,” Abdulghani al-Khanjar
told Tasnim.
“Given that we are nearing
the parliamentary elections,
the government is trying to put
dissidents at a crossroads,” he said,
adding that the Bahraini regime is
seeking to force opposition figures
to either give in to the orders of the
regime or face their replacement
by others.
The spokesman further painted
a gloomy picture of the future of
the Bahraini crisis and said he does
not believe that the situation would
improve in 2018 because the
Bahraini regime has tied the fate
of the country to the developments
in regional countries.
Bahrain, a close ally of the U.S.
in the Persian Gulf region, has
Zionist Regime Plans for Construction of
Artificial Islands
WEST BANK (Dispatches) –
The Zionist regime’s cabinet has
reportedly established a committee
tasked with looking into the
construction of offshore artificial
islands based on a proposal by Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
According to Jerusalem Post,
Netanyahu claimed during the
meeting that the plan aims to ease
crowding in the occupied territories.
“We have a coast on which we
have built infrastructure such as
desalination plants, power stations
and other infrastructure facilities.
Mortar Barrage Hits Central Iraqi City
BAGHDAD (Dispatches) – Twelve
people were wounded Monday when
mortar rounds hit an ethnically mixed
city in Iraq’s central province of
Salahudin, a security and a lawmaker
said.
During the day, several mortar rounds
landed on the city of Tuz-Khurmato,
some 90 km east of Salahudin’s
provincial capital Tikrit, leaving 12
people wounded, including three
women and two children, along with
damaging several houses in the city, a
provincial security source told Xinhua
on condition of anonymity.
The mortar attack forced the city’s
Zionist Regime Says Will Resume Power Supply to Gaza
AL-QUDS (Dispatches) – as supplies were cut by about half.
The Zionist regime said it will
restore full electricity supply to
the Hamas dominated Gaza Strip
following a request last week by
the Palestinians who said they will
resume payments.
Western-backed Palestinian
President Mahmoud Abbas
withdrew his guarantee to pay
the occupying regime for power
in April, leaving Gaza’s two
million residents with only three
to four hours of electricity a day
This image provided by an activist shows Bahraini regime forces during a raid on a sit-in demonstration in
the northwestern village of Diraz, Bahrain, on May 23, 2017.
been witnessing almost daily
protests against the ruling Al
Khalifa dynasty since early 2011,
with Manama using heavy-handed
measures in an attempt to crush the
demonstrations.
This proposal is designed to
build, off Israel’s coast, artificial
islands that will absorb all these
infrastructures, clear the coasts
and – of course – give us more land
area,” he added.
The daily reported that many
ministerial committees have looked
into the issue since 1999 after
an Israeli-Dutch team published
a feasibility paper on building
artificial islands off the coast
allegedly for housing airports and
large infrastructure facilities.
According to the report, this
authorities to close the doors of the
schools for the day to avoid casualties
among the students, the source said.
The ethnically-mixed city of Tuz-
Khurmato is mostly made up of
Turkoman Shias as well as sizable
Kurdish and Sunni Arab population.
Previously, the city witnessed
repeated clashes between militias,
as the city and surrounding areas are
part of the disputed areas outside the
Kurdistan region.
Meanwhile, the Turkoman Member
of Parliament Jasim Mohammed Jaafar
from the leading Shia parliamentary
bloc of National Alliance, confirmed
Abbas’s move, which affected
schools, factories, hospitals and
households, was part of a bid to
press Hamas to loosen its hold
over the enclave a decade after the
resistance movement seized the
territory from forces loyal to him.
A brief statement by the Zionist
regime’s Energy Minister Yuval
Steinitz said he had ordered the
power lines, that can deliver up
to 120 megawatts of electricity, to
be prepared for full operation “no
MIDDLE EAST
Scores of Bahrainis have been
killed and hundreds of others
injured and arrested in the ongoing
crackdown on the peaceful
demonstrations.
Amnesty International and
committee is not connected with a
proposal by Transportation Minister
Yisrael Katz to build an artificial
island off the coast of the besieged
Gaza Strip, which has been criticized
as an attempt to sever Gaza from the
rest of the Palestinian territories.
The Zionist premier said that he
has been thinking about this idea
since his first term in 1996, noting
that it was halted due to opposition
from environmental groups.
He claimed that he took the step
now as “the technology of artificial
islands has greatly changed and
the mortar attack on Tuz-Khurmato
and accused Kurdish militants of
carrying out series of mortar attacks on
the city after the Iraqi federal security
forces retook control of the city from
the Kurdish Peshmerga.
“These mortar rounds were launched
by Kurdish gangs,” Jaafar said,
demanding reinforcement of federal
troops to be dispatched immediately to
stop such attacks on civilians.
Tuz-Khurmato is part of disputed
areas claimed by the Kurds and both
Arabs and Turkomans. The Kurds
want to incorporate the areas on the
edge of their Kurdistan region, but
later than tomorrow (Monday).”
The move will restore an
additional 50 megawatts of power
to Gaza.
A Gaza economist said the
restoration of electricity from
the regime, the enclave’s main
electricity supplier, could raise
power delivery to six hours. Gaza’s
sole power station generates only
a small amount of power.
Prompted partly by Abbas’s
sanctions and fears of financial
and political isolation, Hamas
many other international rights
organizations have frequently
censured the Bahraini regime for
the rampant human rights abuses
against opposition groups and
anti-regime protesters.
developed and it has also evolved
in the sense of being more
environment-friendly.”
The new measure comes as the
regime, emboldened by the U.S.
pro-Zionist moves, continues its
land grab polices on occupied
Palestinian territories.
Since the inauguration of U.S.
President Donald Trump in January,
the regime in Tel Aviv has stepped
up its construction of settler units
on occupied Palestinian land in a
blatant violation of international
law.
their move is fiercely opposed by
Baghdad government and non-Kurdish
residents.
On Oct. 16, the Iraqi security forces
fully redeployed in Tuz-Khurmato after
the withdrawal of Kurdish Peshmerga
forces, at the same day when the Iraqi
forces redeployed on the nearby oil-
rich province of Kirkuk.
The mortar barrage on the city came
as tensions are running high between
Baghdad government and the semi-
autonomous region of Kurdistan after
the Kurdish region held a controversial
referendum on independence of
Kurdistan and disputed areas.
signed an Egyptian-brokered
reconciliation agreement with his
Fatah movement in October and
agreed to hand over administrative
control of the Gaza Strip to the
Palestinian Authority.
But both groups have failed to
finalize details of the deal, which
had been due to be completed
on December 1. The Authority’s
decision to resume the electricity
payments could help smooth
the way towards completing the
accord.
January 9, 2018 7
At Least ...
(Continued From Page One)
“The police shot sporadically to disperse the protesters thus forcing
motorists and other road users as well as residents to scamper into
safety,” he said.
“The processions were held in major towns of the North to protest
al-Zakzaky’s continued detention in view of his deteriorating health
condition,” he added.
Musa said processions were carried out in major towns of northern
Nigeria to press for the freedom of Sheikh Ibrahim Zakzaky because of
the news of his deteriorating state of health.
Zarif: ...
(Continued From Page One)
He said Saudi Arabia, the United States, and the occupying regime
of Israel are fanning the flames of regional crises through their
interventionist policies and invasive actions.
Zarif blamed the Saudi invasion of Yemen as “one of the key factors
creating tension in the region,” adding that after engaging in 33 months
of futile warfare, the invaders should have come to the realization that
Yemen’s crisis will require a political solution, and that negotiation
and consensus alone can contribute to the ultimate resolution of the
situation.
The minister also denounced U.S. interventions as one of the most
key challenges, further complicating the existing circumstances in the
region.
“The U.S. is still ignorant of objective facts across the region, and
insists on pursuing its destructive and tension-creating policies through
its illegitimate military presence on Syrian soil,” he said
Zarif pointed out to the continued occupation of Palestine as the most
critical issue facing the region.
“All issues are either directly or indirectly affected by this predicament,
and the oppression that has been forced upon the people of Palestine
over the past 70 years,” he said, and noted that Washington’s recent
move to recognize Jerusalem Al-Quds as Israel’s capital was an open
declaration of hostility towards Muslims and an opportunity for
extremism and terrorism to spread and prevail.
He warned against any attempts at dominance by regional countries
and the destabilizing impact of an escalating arms race.
Zarif noted that compared to the rest of the world, Iran’s neighbors in
the Persian Gulf have the highest proportion of military budget to their
gross domestic product.
The senior diplomat also recalled Iran’s proposal on the formation of
a Persian Gulf dialogue center, adding that in the current day and age,
there is a need for negotiation and trust-building measures more than
ever before.
Macron ...
(Continued From Page One)
He plans to seek a “strategic partnership” with Beijing on issues
including terrorism.
In a French version of panda diplomacy, Macron will give Xi a horse as
a gift: a retired Republican Guard horse that is currently in quarantine.
On climate change, Macron said he would talk to Xi about “relaunching
the climate battle” by preparing an increase in their engagements to
combat global warming at the COP 24 talks in Poland later this year.
He praised China, the world’s top polluter, for committing to the Paris
accord after U.S. President Donald Trump notified that America would
pull out of the pact.
“China kept its word,” he said. “You demonstrate your immense sense
of responsibility.”
Cooperation will “show the world that the French and Chinese are
capable of making our planet great and beautiful again”, he said in
Chinese.
After Xian, Macron headed to Beijing along with his delegation
which includes some 60 business executives and representatives of
institutions.
Macron and his wife Brigitte met Xi and his wife Peng Liyuan on
Monday night. On Tuesday he will visit the Forbidden City, meet top
Chinese officials and oversee the signing of business deals.
Along with Brigitte, Macron visited the famous terracotta warriors in
Xian, as well as a centuries-old Big Wild Goose Pagoda - a Buddhist
site - and the city’s mosque.
The 8,000-man clay army, crafted around 250 BC for the tomb of
China’s first emperor Qin Shihuang, is a symbol of ancient artistic and
military sophistication in a country that proclaims itself a 5,000-year-
old civilization.
 ‘Jordan Arrests 17 in Foiled Daesh Attack Plot’ Thought for Today
AMMAN (Dispatches) – Jordan said on Monday it had foiled a
Daesh plot that included plans for a series of attacks last November Often your utterances and expressions of your face
on security installations, shopping malls and moderate religious
figures, state media reported. State news agency Petra said the leak out the secrets of your hidden thoughts.
country’s intelligence department had arrested 17 members of
the cell and confiscated weapons and explosives that the terrorist
group had planned to use in several operations. Amir al-Momeneen Ali (AS)

VOL NO: LV 10512 TEHRAN / Est.1959 Tuesday, January 9, 2018, Dey 19, 1396, Rabi as-Sani 21, 1439

Syrian Forces Inflict Further Iraq’s Parl’t Passes

Losses on Terrorists in Idlib
Syrian government soldiers march in formation during a rally celebrating the retaking of the northern
Syrian city of Aleppo, in its square of Saadallah al-Jabiri on December 21, 2017.
DAMASCUS (Dispatches)
– Syrian government forces,
supported by allied fighters from
popular defense groups, have
carried out fresh operations against
foreign-sponsored terrorists in the
country’s northwestern province of
Idlib, inflicting substantial losses
on them and liberating more areas.
The so-called Syrian Observatory
for Human Rights reported on
Monday that Syrian troops and
their allies had retaken complete
control of 14 villages, including
Abul Eleij, Abu Tahiha, Ajaz, al-
Farjah, Bashkun, al-Daoudia, Jeb
Elqasab, Mardagana Burtuqala
and Rubaa al-Hawa, in the Maarrat
al-Nu’man district of the province
following fierce clashes with
members of the Hayat Tahrir al-
Sham (HTS) terrorist alliance.
The Britain-based monitor group
said Syrian government forces and
their loyalists, led by Brigadier
Suhail al-Hassan, have managed
to liberate 78 villages and towns in
Idlib since December 25 last year.
The Observatory further noted
that Syrian soldiers and their allies
are now only 11 kilometers from
the key Abu al-Duhur Air Base,
whose recapture would enable the
Syrian army to regain the upper
hand in carrying out airstrikes
against militant positions in Idlib.
Meanwhile, nearly two dozen
people have been killed and
scores of others injured when a
powerful explosion ripped through
a residential area in Syria’s
northwestern city of Idlib, where
Syrian army forces, supported
by allied fighters from popular
defense groups, continue to gain
ground against foreign-sponsored
terrorists.
Lebanon-based Arabic-language
al-Mayadeen news network, citing
local sources, reported that an
explosive-laden car  went off in
front of al-Miri supermarket in
the 30th Street of the city, located
roughly 300 kilometers (186 miles)
north of the capital, Damascus, on
Sunday evening, leaving more than
20 people dead and many others
injured.
The sources added that the
explosion targeted a building
housing militants from
the Caucasian Front, blaming
members of the Hayat Tahrir al-
Sham (HTS) terrorist alliance for
the act of terror.
The Caucasian Front terrorists
are heavily present in Idlib. Most
of them live with their facilities in
buildings on the 30th Street.
The development came on the
same day that Syrian government
troops and their allies could
liberate the town of Sinjar in the
Maarrat al-Nu’man district of Idlib
province after HTS terrorists were
defeated.
Furthermore, Syrian government
forces managed to break a siege
imposed by the foreign-backed
terrorists on a strategic army base
in Eastern Ghouta near the capital,
Damascus.
The advance comes just a handful
of days after the army’s elite
forces launched a major operation
to break the siege by Ahrar al-
Sham terrorists  on the Military
Vehicles Administration base in the
town of Harasta in Eastern Ghouta.
At least 200 Syrian troops were
believed to be trapped within
the premises since the terrorists
stormed the base in November.
On December 31, the terrorists
reportedly widened their control of
the base.
The so-called Syrian Observatory
for Human Rights, a pro-opposition
monitoring group, said on Sunday
that the Syrian troops had “opened
a loophole” that led them into the
base.
Resolution Against
U.S. al-Quds Policy
Palestinians demonstrate holding Palestinian flags in the main street
of East al-Quds on December 20, 2017 against the U.S. and the
Zionist regime.
BAGHDAD (Dispatches) – Iraq’s Security Council to block a resolution
Parliament has passed a resolution against the move at the UN Security
denouncing U.S. President Donald Council, but a similar resolution was
Trump’s contentious decision to recognize overwhelming adopted at the world
al-Quds as the Zionist regime’s “capital.” body’s General Assembly days later.
Ali es-Safi from the National Iraqi Al-Quds remains at the core of the
Alliance told Turkey’s Anadolu Agency Zionist-Palestinian conflict, with
that lawmakers described the U.S. move Palestinians hoping that the eastern
as a provocative measure against all part of the city would eventually serve
religions and a threat to international as the capital of a future independent
peace. Palestinian state.
The Iraqi legislators stressed that al- In another development, Iraq’s Badr
Quds is the capital of the Palestinian parliamentary bloc denounced recent
state, the parliamentarian added. reports that a number of Iraqi lawmakers
Trump made the announcement on had met the Zionist ambassador in
December 6, 2017, and said he had asked Jordan.
the State Department with preparing to Razaq al-Heydari, a lawmaker from
move Washington’s embassy from Tel Badr bloc, told the Baghdad Today news
Aviv to the Israeli-occupied city. agency that if reports of the meeting
The dramatic shift in Washington’s prove to be true, it would be “a breach of
policy vis-à-vis the city triggered the constitution.”
global condemnations as well He also said he was surprised by “their
as demonstrations in the occupied betrayal of the trust of the people they
Palestinian territories and other Muslim represent” and their meeting with “an
countries, including Iraq. enemy of the Arab nation.”
Back then, Iraq’s top Shia cleric Grand “Some Sunni leaders denied the news

Zionist Troops Shut Down Access

Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani condemned and we are still waiting for the truth,”
the controversial U.S. move and said Heydari added.
occupied al-Quds must return to its The occupying regime has no full

to 2 Villages in West Bank

Palestinian owners. diplomatic relations with Arab countries,
The U.S. used its veto power at the UN except with Egypt and Jordan.

RAMALLAH (Dispatches)
Zionist troops shut down Monday
– two villages are Osarin village,
access to two West Bank villages,
near Nablus city, by placing earth
mounds, according to Palestinian
sources.
Ghassan Daghlas, who is in
charge of the documentation of the
settlements activity in the north of
the West Bank told Xinhua that the
of nearly 3,500 residents and
Awarta village, where nearly 7,000
Palestinians live.
The entrance of Awarta village
was shut down by closing a gate
located near Huwara, where
Zionist troops are stationed in a
military checkpoint disconnecting
the north of the West Bank from its
center.
Governor of Nablus Akram
Rajoub condemned the Zionist
regime’s measures. He told Xinhua
that this represents “collective
punishment” against Palestinians.
He added “this is unjustified
and comes as part of the Zionist
army’s policy in backing settlers
while imposing restrictions on
Palestinian citizens.”
Palestinian sources said that the
Zionist regime’s army arrested at
least 17 Palestinians in scattered
pre-dawn raids into West Bank
areas, including storming some
houses.
Zionist army spokesperson said
that those arrested were “wanted”
to Israel.
Saudi Arabia Charges Royals
Arrested for Protesting Austerity
RIYADH (Dispatches) – Saudi Arabia
has charged 11 princes, who were
arrested recently for  protesting the
government’s hiking of domestic gas
prices and introducing value-added tax
(VAT).
“A group of 11 princes staged a sit in
activist, who goes by the nickname
of @mujtahidd on Twitter, said at the
time of the arrests that the princes
had been nabbed for protesting the
apprehension of many of their kinsmen
on the crown prince’s orders late last
year.

Turkey’s Nationalist Opposition to Back Erdogan in

at the historic Qasr Al-Hokm palace [in Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman
Riyadh] on Thursday...objecting a recent started arresting hundreds of fellow
royal order that halted payments by the princes and businessmen late last year

2019 Election state to members of the royal family to

ANKARA (Reuters) – leader Devlet Bahceli told a
Turkey’s nationalist opposition
said on Monday it would back
President Tayyip Erdogan in
the 2019 election, signaling
continued right-wing support
crucial to his narrow victory in
a constitutional referendum last
year.
The Nationalist Movement
Party (MHP), the smallest of
parliament’s four factions,
backed the vote to grant Erdogan
sweeping executive powers,
helping it squeak by with a
margin of 51.4 percent.
“The MHP will not submit a
presidential candidate,” MHP
news conference. “The MHP
will take a decision to support
Erdogan in the presidential
elections.” Turks will vote for
both president and parliament
next year.
Bahceli has said he wants a
reduction in the minimum 10
percent vote required for a party
to enter parliament.
Over the past two decades
he has brought the MHP more
towards the mainstream and
away from its early reputation
for ties to rightist street gangs.
The party is now looking to
fend off a challenge from Meral
Aksener, an ex-interior minister
and prominent nationalist who
last year founded her own party
after breaking with the MHP.
One recent poll suggested that
Aksener’s party could eclipse
the MHP and deprive it of the 10
percent threshold.
Bahceli said the MHP would
consider an alliance with
Erdogan’s AK Party if such a
request came from the AKP.
The MHP won as much
as 18 percent in the 1999
parliamentary election but
slipped below the threshold
with 9.5 percent in 2002. It has
exceeded 10 percent in elections
since and took 11.9 percent in
the November 2015 vote.
Founded by an ex-colonel
involved in a 1960 military
coup, the MHP espouses a mix
of Turkish nationalism and
skepticism towards the West.
It is virulently opposed to
autonomy for Turkey’s Kurdish
minority.
The MHP support base once
included sympathizers of the
“Grey Wolves”, a nationalist
youth group that fought street
battles with leftists in the 1970s.
Mehmet Ali Agca, who tried to
assassinate Pope John Paul II in
1981, was a group member.
cover their electricity and water utility
bills,” Attorney General Saud al-Mojeb
said, recounting the entire incident.
“Despite being informed that their
demands are not lawful, the 11 princes
refused to leave the area, disrupting
public peace and order,” he remarked
in a statement issued by the Information
Ministry.
The 11 princes have been charged
on “a number of counts” and are being
held at the maximum security al-Ha’ir
prison, south of the capital, according to
the statement.
The royals were also demanding
compensation for a death sentence
issued against one of their cousins,
convicted of murder and executed in
2016.
However, a well-known Saudi online
in what has been portrayed as an “anti-
corruption campaign.”
The royals have been asked to fork
out hefty ransoms reaching billions of
dollars in some cases.
The money is thought to be needed
to finance Salman’s ambitious Vision
2030, which seeks to decrease the
kingdom’s dependence on oil.
The kingdom has also doubled
gasoline prices and introduced a five-
percent VAT on most goods and services
to take care of its budget deficit.
On Sunday, London-based Al-Quds
Al-Arabi  said Saudi Arabians were
taking to social networking services
to vent their anger at the measures.
The paper said that furious Saudi
citizens had created “salary is not
enough” and “the unemployed, the
forgotten” hashtags on Twitter.