Month: August 2019

Boris Johnson, who became the United Kingdom’s newly elected prime minister on July 23, is a hard-line euroskeptic politician. While Europe is keenly following how Britain’s Cabinet would proceed with Brexit under Johnson’s leadership, in the Persian Gulf, Iranians are concerned about the fate of the Iran nuclear deal, or the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, in the post-Brexit era.

Will Johnson toe US President Donald Trump’s line? If so, will Britain’s withdrawal spell doom for the deal?

The UK-Iran relationship has been like a roller-coaster ride, with many ups and downs. In the 40 years since the Iranian Revolution, also called the Islamic Revolution, the two countries have severed ties as well as mended them.

Despite the ebbs and flows, British conglomerates British Petroleum and Royal Dutch Shell have never missed an opportunity to profit from Iranian oil.

The UK’s Iran policy has been quite consistent with that of the European Union. Although the UK sent troops to Iraq in 2003, the British administration under then prime minister Tony Blair joined France and Germany to talk Iran out of a nuclear plan.

In 2015, when David Cameron was the prime minister, the UK was a major party at the negotiation table on the Iran nuclear deal. After Cameron stepped down in 2016, his successor, Theresa May, grappling with Brexit negotiations, managed to put up a united front with the EU and major European powers such as France and Germany.

In 2017, after President Trump announced his plan to pull the United States out of the deal, May and her counterparts in France and Germany flew to Washington, DC, to convince him to not ditch the deal.

To their disappointment, on May 8, 2018, the Trump administration officially withdrew from it. In addition, the US imposed an embargo on Iran’s oil. Consequently, the UK held talks with France, Germany and Iran to find a solution to evade the American sanctions.

Which side will a post-Brexit UK take? Will it remain a fence-sitter or side with the US? This is a tough question facing Boris Johnson. Since Johnson’s administration is eager to decouple with the EU, it is plausible to assume that he has no intention to work with the EU on the Iran nuclear issue.

Johnson will face stiff opposition from both the Labor Party and British companies if he wants topull Britain out of the deal.

The deal, brokered by the administration of former US president Barack Obama, was signed by the US, the UK, Germany, France and Russia, and approved by the United Nations Security Council. Iran agreed to halt its nuclear program in return for a lift of international sanctions.

Iran has been pushing the UK, France and Germany to bypass the long-arm jurisdiction imposed by the US.

Upset that the European nations were paying only lip service to its requests, Iran threatened to increase its uranium enrichment to 5 percent－higher than the 3.67 percent limit defined by the deal－if the three failed to honor their promise.

If the UK were to exit the treaty, the deal would be hanging by a thread. “A UK withdrawal (would be) the final nail in the coffin for the Iran nuclear deal,” said an Iranian commentator.

If the deal meets its demise, Iran will have no choice but to resort to its nuclear strength. Faced with a neighbor with growing nuclear muscle, Israel will not sit by idly, which could lead to a dangerous situation.

The author is former Chinese ambassador to Iran and senior researcher at the Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies of Renmin University of China. The views do not necessarily reflect those of China Daily.

Street sport makes big breakthrough at Youth Games in anticipation of debuting at 2024 Paris Olympics

Although it’s more than 30 kilometers from the main stadium of the Second National Youth Games in suburban Taiyuan, Shanxi province, the 2,332-seat venue for Monday’s breaking competition was packed to overflowing.

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A new experience for most of the crowd, watching the stunning dance moves of the young b-boys and b-girls earned deafening applause – and not just from the kids. Older spectators were equally enthralled, standing and cheering throughout the frenetic performance.

Such a reception would have been unthinkable just a few years ago, when breaking was only embraced by street performers. That changed this summer, when the International Olympic Committee gave breaking instant credibility by provisionally adding it – along with sport climbing, skateboarding and surfing – to the program for the 2024 Summer Games in Paris.

A final decision on their inclusion will be made in December 2020.

For most of the young dancers involved in breaking’s debut at the National Youth Games, it’s their first time competing at a major event.

MOSCOW – An Airbus plane with over 200 passengers on board made an emergency landing on Thursday near Moscow shortly after taking off, injuring some 20 people, including five children, authorities said.

The Ural Airlines’ flight A321 performed a hard landing near Zhukovsky International Airport, southeast of Moscow, after its engines were struck by birds, the Sputnik news agency quoted Russia’s Federal Air Transport Agency as saying.

The aircraft was traveling from Moscow to Simferopol in Crimea, with 226 passengers and seven crew members on board.

Sputnik reported that the plane landed in a corn field near the airport. All passengers have been quickly evacuated and people who got injured in the incident have been sent to nearby hospitals.

A total of 20 first aid teams, four medical service units and two helicopters are working on the site.

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The engines caught fire after being hit by birds, the Russian Emergencies Ministry said, adding that the flight skidded off the runway after the landing.

According to reports of Sputnik, Russia has formed a special commission to investigate the circumstances of and the reasons behind the accident.

 

TOKYO – Japan on Thursday marked the 74th anniversary of its surrender in World War II, with Emperor Naruhito expressing his “deep remorse” over Japan’s wartime acts.

The remarks were made in Naruhito’s first appearance at an annual ceremony in Tokyo to mourn the lives lost during the war.

Emperor Naruhito, who ascended the Chrysanthemum Throne in May, in his address on the 74th anniversary of Japan’s surrender in WWII, along with expressing his deep remorse, also said that he hoped the ravages of war would never be repeated.

“Looking back on the long period of postwar peace, reflecting on our past and bearing in mind the feelings of deep remorse, I earnestly hope that the ravages of war will never be repeated,” said Naruhito, whose ascension saw Japan’s new “Reiwa” era ushered in.

The expression “deep remorse” used by the emperor on Thursday was the same as that used by his 85-year-old father, former Emperor Akihito, in ceremonies to mark the war in recent years.

Akihito, who abdicated the throne in late April, had used the words “deep remorse” in every address since the 70th anniversary of Japan’s surrender in 2015.

However, 59-year-old Emperor Naruhito, unlike his father, has never experienced war personally, as he was born after the end of WWII.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in his address at the ceremony held at the Nippon Budokan in Tokyo’s Chiyoda district, vowed not to repeat the tragedy of war, stating that Japan “deeply recalls the lessons of history”.

In a departure from years past since Abe assumed office in 2012, the Japanese leader opted not to specifically mention Japan’s brutal past aggression against its Asian neighbors during the war.

“Over 3 million of our countrymen’s lives were lost during the war. We will never forget that the peace and prosperity we are enjoying now are built on the ultimate sacrifices of the war dead,” Abe said in his address.

A moment of silence was observed at the Nippon Budokan at noon for the lives lost in the war, including the hundreds of thousands of civilians, as well as those who perished in the US atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

At the ceremony, floral tributes were paid by teenagers as a way of saying that the enormity, aggression, devastation and sheer horror of the war waged by Japan should never be forgotten and should be remembered by Japan’s younger generations.

For more than six decades, radar navy on an island in the East China Sea, safeguard the territorial water while conquering unpleasant weather and loneliness. After staying for a long time on island, even dogs want to escape by jumping into the sea. Zhu Xinxin, 27 years old, is one of the soldiers, and his wife came to see him on the island for the first time in July. Watch this video to find more about their reunion.

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At about 8 pm every night, one hour after his dinner, 45-year-old Xie Zhongguo opens his computer and searches for new items to exhibit at his Liu Sanjie cultural museum.

Living in the city of Nanning, capital of southern China’s Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, Xie is a big fan of Liu Sanjie, a legendary Chinese folk song singer from the Zhuang ethnic group. Since 1998, he has collected more than 3,000 items that concern the singer.

Located in the region’s scenic city of Guilin, Liu Sanjie cultural museum, founded by Xie, is one of the private museums that have sprung up in the country over recent years.

The museum has seven exhibition halls, which occupy more than 600 square meters. The exhibits cover CDs, newspapers, film scripts, calendars, postage stamps, dolls and cigarette cases — anything about the singer, according to Xie.

“Liu Sanjie represents the rich ethnic culture in Guangxi, and setting up the museum offers a better way to expand her influence. In the past, few collected these things systematically, leaving many materials lost,” Xie said.

Currently, a total of 11 ethnic minorities live in Guangxi, making the local private museums which focus on ethnic cultures more and more popular in the region, including the bronze drum museum in Donglan County, the city of Hechi.

The bronze drum is a traditional musical instrument used by some of the region’s ethnic groups, with a history of more than 2,000 years. Donglan County is known as the “hometown of bronze drums” because of the large number of such drums found in the area.

Built in 2011, the bronze drum museum exhibits 135 sets of bronze drums which have been collected since the 1970s. The earliest bronze drum in the museum was cast in the Song Dynasty (960-1279), and the latest dates back to the late Qing Dynasty (1644-1911).

The drums are now mainly used as decoration in the local residence or musical instrument in festive and sacrificial events.

“The drums look similar in shape but different in decoration, especially some with frogs, cows and horses on the surface,” said Chen Zhenyang, curator of the museum.

Private museums have become an increasingly important part of the country’s museum scene. In Guangxi alone, there are 59 non-state-owned museums, nearly double its number of 31 recorded in 2013.

Despite a promising future, private museums in China also face difficulties and challenges. Compared to the state-owned museums, the limited operating funds and small exhibition areas often hinder the development of private museums.

Wu Weifeng, chairman of Guangxi’s museum association, believes that China’s private museums are still at the initial stage of development.

“Undoubtedly, private museums play an important role in the whole museum system, as they have some exhibits which cannot be found in the state-owned museums. The development of such museums is the general trend of economic and social development,” said Wu.

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The Blues have taken decisive action against those operating around their west London home and sent a warning to anyone doing likewise

Chelsea have taken decisive action against ticket touts operating around their Stamford Bridge home, with jail sentences handed out in some instances.

The Blues are eager to remove the presence of unofficial sellers from the vicinity of their west London base.

In an effort to sound a warning to others partaking in the enterprise, an example has been made of those already found to have acted out of line.

A statement on the Blues’ official website read:  “Chelsea Football Club has taken legal action against 11 ticket touts, one of whom has received a six-month jail sentence, operating in the locality of Stamford Bridge on and around matchdays.

“The High Court has ordered injunctions which stop these touts from trading in tickets to matches at Stamford Bridge as well as preventing them from loitering or waiting near the ground prior to matchdays. The club will act to fully enforce these orders.

“Breaching the orders imposed by the Court can lead to serious sanctions, including prison sentences. One of these touts has been sentenced to six months’ imprisonment for contempt of court in connection with an injunction.

“All 11 touts have been ordered to pay the club’s costs incurred in putting a stop to their touting behaviour. This amounts to more than £170,000 in total.

“This action is part of an on-going undercover operation which will continue throughout the 2019/20 season.

“Ticket touting is known to have links to organised crime. The above action taken against touts operating around Stamford Bridge sends a strong message to others looking to engage in such criminal and anti-social behaviour.

“Chelsea Football Club already employs a series of visible preventative measures on matchdays to protect our supporters from touting, including signage outside the stadium and along the Fulham Road to inform visitors of the risks of purchasing tickets from unofficial sources. We have also agreed the installation of additional signage and matchday messages at Fulham Broadway station.

“The club operates a Ticket Exchange policy which enables season ticket holders and members who cannot attend a match the opportunity to lawfully sell their ticket in a safe, secure and reliable online environment to other season ticket holders and members.

“We remain committed to working alongside the Metropolitan Police and Local Authority to eradicate ticket touting from Stamford Bridge and will continue to operate a comprehensive and long-term operation to combat this problem. We will also continue to work alongside other organisations and venues on anti-touting techniques.

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“This football club will not tolerate touting and will continue to identify offenders and take further legal action through the Courts to ensure that our club and the surrounding area are safe for our loyal supporters and visitors.

“Individuals found in possession of unlawfully purchased tickets will be refused entry to the stadium or removed from it.”

Chelsea will be back on home soil for the first time in 2019-20 on Sunday when they play host to Leicester City.

Frank Lampard will be looking to collect his first competitive victory as Blues boss in that contest, with a club icon having so far suffered a humbling 4-0 Premier League defeat to Manchester City and a penalty shootout reversal against Liverpool in the UEFA Super Cup.

The former Red Devils goalkeeper, whose son Kasper plays for Leicester City, claims to have seen a record-breaking switch from the Foxes coming

Harry Maguire is “made for Manchester United”, says Peter Schmeichel, with the Red Devils legend claiming to have seen a big-money deal in the pipeline for some time.

The iconic goalkeeper’s son, Kasper, has been with Leicester City since 2011.

He spent two years playing alongside Maguire at the King Power Stadium, with the England international’s efforts for the Foxes earning him a record-breaking £80 million ($96m) switch to Old Trafford.

Schmeichel noted quickly that the centre-half boasted qualities which would serve United well and is not surprised to have seen a big-money transfer pushed through.

He told The Mirror: “I have to say when I saw Harry the first time for Leicester when he played his first game he intrigued me straight away.

“A couple of games in I am thinking, ‘This guy is made for Manchester United ’. He is not fazed about anything.

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“Everyone will agree in the World Cup he played every game, just got on with it and was arguably was one of the best players in the English team.

“He brings all that and an incredible ability to bring the ball forward. It is something you either have or don’t have and very few centre halves have that ability.

“For some people he looks a bit awkward but I have got used to him and know exactly what he will do and think he will do very well.

“He is going to bring stability in defence. He is a very calm, cool customer. There is nothing erratic about him.

“You had all the big clubs looking at him and I felt he would go all summer because of the money involved.”

Maguire has made an immediate impact at Old Trafford, with his early efforts with United catching the eye.

His debut delivered a clean sheet in a 4-0 Premier League win over Chelsea, with new team-mate Paul Pogba revealing that he has already dubbed the 26-year-old ‘The Beast’.

More is expected from the commanding defender heading forward, with the Red Devils hoping that a new era under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will deliver a reversal in fortune after another period of regression.

The ex-Red Devils striker is struggling to see where the Juventus forward would have fit into the plans at Old Trafford had a summer move been made

Juventus forward Paulo Dybala passing up the opportunity to discuss a move to Old Trafford did Manchester United a favour, claims Dimitar Berbatov.

Towards the end of the summer transfer window in England, it was suggested that an Argentina international could make his way to the Premier League.

Juve were willing to include Dybala in a package for Romelu Lukaku, with United seemingly open to bringing another creative frontman onto their books.

The 25-year-old reportedly pulled himself out of that particular deal, before going on to miss out on a deadline day switch to Tottenham, and Berbatov believes United can benefit from that.

The former Red Devils striker told the Daily Star: “It’s difficult to see where he [would] fit.

“He’s got a great left foot with good vision. The only thing I’d worry about is if he can get used to the English way of playing football.

“It’s interesting to see what will happen.”

Berbatov added on the potentially disruptive influence Dybala would have: “When you have quality players, it’s a luxury to know that if one gets injured you have a great one who can come in.

“But that’s not good for the players themselves. They’ll be moaning and not happy, so you have to be careful who you buy.”

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While discussing United’s recruitment business of the present, Berbatov has suggested that he would like to be making those calls himself in the future.

The Bulgarian said of his plans to one day follow the lead of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, with coaching badges currently being worked on:

He said: “To see him [Solskjaer] as manager of United, it’s a good thing. You can see the club is giving opportunities to ex-players from the team.

“I think about and see this, saying ‘I’m doing my coaching badges now. Maybe one day if I work hard and prove myself, I’ll get the chance to do the same’.”

Berbatov added: “One day – I need to be ready first. I must get the badges and degree to be prepared.

“All football player think they can be great managers. But it’s not the case.”

The Blues legend has started his managerial reign with two competitive defeats and admits he doesn’t take any of them lightly

Frank Lampard has labelled himself the worst loser in the world after watching Chelsea lose to Liverpool on penalties in the UEFA Super Cup. 

A 2-2 draw in Istanbul in the first all-English encounter saw the game go to a shoot-out, with the Reds coming out 5-4 winners. 

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Liverpool converted all five of their spot-kicks and Tammy Abraham then failed to score his effort, with Adrian making the decisive save on his starting debut for the Jurgen Klopp’s side. 

Chelsea, though, put in a vastly improved performance from their competitive bow under new head coach Lampard, who saw his side taken apart 4-0 away to Manchester United in the Premier League. 

While content with his side’s performance, Lampard conceded he’s not someone to take defeats lightly.  

“My overall feeling is one of pride. I’m a terrible loser, one of the worst in the world, but I’m happy with the team performance because we were very unfortunate,” Lampard told BT Sport. 

“After Sunday, tonight was another level, and we were unlucky not to win. We’ve got three games now till the international break and we’ll try to win them all. 

“Mason Mount and Tammy Abraham added an extra dimension when they came on, and were unlucky not to score.” 

Abraham earlier won the penalty Jorginho converted to make it 2-2 and take the game to a shoot-out but the 21-year-old’s tame effort from 12 yards was saved by Adrian’s right leg, sparking wild Liverpool celebrations. 

“I’ve told him not to worry,” Lampard said of the striker. 

“I’ve missed penalties before, anyone can miss, but what I want to see is the confidence of a young player to step up. 

“But people keep talking about the young players at Chelsea. Let’s talk about Jorginho and [N’Golo] Kante, and I could name a few others. 

“We’ve got a quality bunch in there, a really good group, and we’re working hard. I’m trying to instill the way I want to play and there were so many good things tonight.” 

The Blues must pick themselves up quickly ahead of a Premier League clash against Leicester City on Sunday with Lampard out to avoid a third straight defeat.