Imagine how drivers would have reacted if the street acrobat had dropped onto their windshields!
Iran junior Volleyball team stands second in world
In the final encounter on Friday, the Iranian team comprising Mohammadreza Alejalil, Omran Kookjili, Morteza Narimani, Mahan Barzkar, Taha Behboudnia, Armin Qelichniazi and Morteza Tabatabaei lost to the European side 1-3 (22-25, 25-16, 18-25 and 21-25) at the Estadio Aldo Cantoni, San Juan.
With middle blocker Joris Seddik setting the tone on the block and captain Mathis Henno putting away three aces, the French were well in control throughout the first set.
In the second set, the young Iranian team stepped up their serving, while the French team made far too many mistakes that allowed the opponents to break away with a wide lead and level the game.
France’s Adrien Roure was in phenomenal form in the third set. Tallying three points in blocking and another six in attack, he helped his team to be in the commanding position again.
The French side stole the show in the decider, putting up an outstanding performance to take the set 25-21 and with that the championship as well.
Alejalil was Iran’s leading scorer with 14 points.
In the bronze medal match earlier on Friday, South Korea romped home with a 3-1 (25-18, 25-19, 21-25, 25-23) win over the United States.
The 2023 FIVB Volleyball Boys’ U19 World Championship, the 18th edition of the international tournament, started in San Juan, Argentina, on August 2, and finished on August 11.
Source: Iran continuing nuclear work non-stop in all areas
“The nuclear activities of the Islamic Republic of Iran are continuing non-stop in all areas in accordance with the previous plans of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) and the Strategic Action Plan,” the source told Fars News Agency.
The announcement came after Wall Street Journal claimed in a report that stockpiles of Iran’s 60-percent-enriched uranium had dwindled, saying the country had also considerably slowed down the pace of stockpiling uranium enriched to the 60-percent purity level.
The journal further claimed Iran had diluted part of its uranium stockpiles.
However, the White House did not confirm the report by the Wall Street Journal, but said any move by Iran to slow down uranium enrichment would be welcomed.
The Iranian Parliament passed the Strategic Action Plan in 2020 to “protect the rights of the Iranian nation” vis-à-vis nuclear activities.
The AEOI has announced, time and again, that it is conducting its activities based on the Strategic Action Plan, the Safeguards Agreement of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), and the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPAT).
Saudi Arabia seeking to join UK, Italy and Japan’s joint air combat programme
The UK and Italy are supportive of Saudi Arabia’s bid, but Japan is opposed, according to the Financial Times, which first reported the story on Friday.
Japan, the UK and Italy announced in December they would team up to create a combat jet more advanced than the US’s F-35 and the Eurofighter, with state-of-the-art sensors and technology.
Riyadh’s lobbying efforts have accelerated in recent weeks. In July, the Saudi government made a direct request to Tokyo to join the partnership during a meeting between Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Jeddah, according to the FT.
In addition to financial assistance, Saudi Arabia has offered to contribute engineering expertise to the project. The three countries aim to deliver the advanced jet by 2035, but Japan is concerned Saudi Arabia’s entry into the group could delay the launch.
Saudi Arabia’s bid to join the group underlines how Riyadh is looking to beef up its domestic defence industry and expand security links outside its alliance with the US, which has historically been the kingdom’s top arms supplier. The US has about $126bn in active arms deals with Saudi Arabia under the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) system.
But Saudi Arabia has been on the hunt for new defence partners amid concerns that the US could limit its access to weaponry over human rights concerns at home and its involvement in the war in Yemen.
Saudi Arabia, however, sees a window of opportunity with the US. It is offering normalised ties to Israel in exchange for deeper security guarantees from Washington, help in developing a civilian nuclear programme, and fewer restrictions on arms sales.
Some in Congress, however, are opposed to more arms sales. In March, Democrat Senator Chris Murphy and Republican Mike Lee introduced a resolution that would require President Joe Biden’s administration to report on Saudi Arabia’s human rights record and possibly cut off all US security assistance to the kingdom.
Meanwhile, Germany has stymied Saudi Arabia’s attempts to acquire the Eurofighter jet by linking the sale with an end to the Yemen war.
Germany initially halted arms sales to Saudi Arabia following the killing of Washington Post and Middle East Eye columnist Jamal Khashoggi inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in 2018. In July, Berlin loosened some restrictions on weapons sales, but said it would continue to block deliveries of the Eurofighter jet.
Along with regional powers like Turkey and the UAE, Saudi Arabia is making a push to develop its own domestic arms industry, a move that could reduce its reliance on western states conditioning arms sales.
In March 2022, the chief executive of Saudi Arabian Military Industries revealed that the kingdom plans to produce a Saudi-made drone and establish one of the world’s biggest munitions factories. Riyadh has also turned to China for technological assistance.
But the UK, Japan and Italy have raised concerns about how much technological prowess Saudi Arabia could actually bring to the project.
Saudi Arabia’s turn to Europe and Asia for arms also underlines the changing nature of foreign defence ties in the region. For years, Russia has tried to make strides in the Arab Persian Gulf – the Middle East’s most lucrative arms market – but those efforts have been derailed by its poor performance in Ukraine’s war, analysts tell Middle East Eye.
While ties between Riyadh and Washington have come under strain over human rights issues, European NATO countries offer Persian Gulf states an attractive alternative, analysts say.
Israeli soldiers kill Palestinian, wound several in West Bank raid
Mahmoud Jarad, 23, was shot in the chest as Israeli soldiers raided the Tulkarem refugee camp, in the northern occupied West Bank on Friday. Israeli soldiers reportedly fired live ammunition and tear gas canisters, and stationed snipers on the rooftops of the camp’s residents.
Jarad was taken to Thabet Thabet Hospital, and was pronounced dead.
Amin Khader, the director of the hospital, told Palestine TV that at least eight people were wounded.
The Fatah party, which dominates the Palestinian Authority in the occupied West Bank, said Jarad was a member but it did not claim him as a fighter.
For its part, the Tulkarem Brigade which is affiliated with the armed military wing of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad movement, said in a press release that it “responded to the Israeli incursion into the Tulkarem camp, with armed clashes and improvised explosive devices”.
There was no immediate comment from the Palestinian health ministry or the Israeli military.
On Thursday, Israeli forces killed a Palestinian fighter who was wanted by the army for months during a raid near the city of Nablus.
Violence in the occupied West Bank has worsened over the past 15 months amid stepped-up Israeli raids, rampages by illegal Jewish settlers on Palestinian villages and Palestinian street attacks.
A United Nations tally showed at least 196 Palestinians and 24 people in Israel have been killed in hostilities since January. According to Wafa, the number of Palestinians killed this year is at least 220.
Israel subjects millions of Palestinians to military rule in the West Bank, which it occupied during the 1967 War. It has continued to build settlements, considered by most countries as illegal, which it disputes.
United States-brokered peace talks aimed at establishing a Palestinian state in the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem collapsed in 2014 and show no sign of resuming.
Some 40,700 Palestinians are registered with the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) in two camps in the Tulkarem area. They are Palestinian refugees, or their descendants, who were forced out by Zionist paramilitary groups or fled their homes in the run-up to Israel’s creation in 1948.
Daesh claims responsibility for deadly attack on Syrian army bus
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said on Friday that 26 Syrian soldiers were killed and 10 were wounded in the attack on a desert road near the eastern town of Mayadeen, in Deir Az Zor province that borders Iraq.
Other Syrian activist groups said 20 soldiers were killed and others were wounded.
Daesh, which operates sleeper cells in lands it once ruled, claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement on its Telegram channel.
Attacks by Daesh sleeper cells in Syria, particularly in the vast desert zones they once controlled, have become bolder and bloodier in recent months, according to the observatory head Rami Abdurrahman.
Abdurrahman said Daesh “has recently been escalating its deadly military attacks … aiming to cause as many deaths as possible”.
By doing so, it is trying to send “a message aimed at showing the group is still active and powerful despite the targeting of its leaders”.
The group named Abu Hafs al-Hashimi al-Qurashi as its new leader this month, for the first time confirming the death of its former head Abu Hussein al-Husseini al-Qurashi, whom Turkey said it killed in April.
Its members controlled large parts of Syria and Iraq where they declared a caliphate in June 2014. Over the years they lost the territory and were defeated in Iraq in 2017 and two years later in Syria.
In March 2019, Daesh lost the last territory it held in Syria to a Kurdish-led counteroffensive backed by a US-led coalition, but sleeper cells continue to carry out deadly attacks.
The vast desert province of Deir Az Zor is split in control between Syrian troops, backed by Iran and Russia, and Kurdish-led fighters, backed by the United States.
Daesh targets have included civilians and Kurdish-led fighters as well as government troops and allied pro-Iranian fighters.
Live Update: Russia’s “Special Operation” in Ukraine; Day 535
Missiles intercepted near Crimean Bridge: Local authorities
Russian air defenses have shot down two incoming missiles in the vicinity of the Crimean Bridge, the region’s head, Sergey Aksenov, reported on his Telegram channel. Photos and videos began circulating on social media, depicting what appears to be several columns of white smoke billowing from the transport infrastructure.
In his post on Saturday, Aksenov wrote: “Air defenses have shot down two enemy rockets in the Kerch Strait area.”
He added that the “Crimean Bridge has not been damaged,” calling on local residents to remain calm.
Aksenov’s aide, Oleg Kryuchkov, revealed on his Telegram channel that a “smoke screen has been set off by the special services.” He also wrote that the Crimean Bridge would be reopened to vehicles “very soon.”
According to the Russian Defense Ministry, Ukraine “attempted to conduct a terrorist strike on the Crimean Bridge using a guided air-defense S-200 missile converted into a strike version”.
It said Russian air defenses had “detected the Ukrainian rocket in a timely manner and intercepted it in mid-air.”
The statement added that the foiled missile attack had not caused any casualties or destruction.
Russia says 20 Ukrainian drones destroyed over Crimea
Russia’s Defence Ministry announced its forces destroyed a wave of 20 Ukrainian drones over the Russian-annexed Crimean Peninsula.
There were no casualties and no damage as a result of the attempted attack early on Saturday morning, the defence ministry said on the Telegram messaging app.
Fourteen drones were destroyed by air defence systems and six were suppressed by electronic warfare, the ministry added.
It was not immediately clear what was the target of the reported attacks on the peninsula.
Sergei Kryuchkov, an adviser to the Russia-installed governor of Crimea, stated earlier that air defence systems were engaged in repelling air attacks in different parts of the peninsula.
Crimea transport authorities announced on their Telegram channel that traffic on the Crimean Bridge, which links the Black Sea peninsula with the Russian region of Krasnodar, was suspended for about two hours from 01:30am local time (22:30 GMT on Friday).
The reported attack on Crimea is just the latest use by Ukraine of armed drones targeting deep inside Russia and Russian-controlled territory, though Ukraine almost never publicly claims responsibility for such operations.
Russian economy rebounds past pre-sanctions level
Russia has seen its Gross Domestic Product values turn to growth in the second quarter of the year, the country’s statistics service Rosstat reported on Friday, despite lingering pressure from Western sanctions.
According to the agency’s calculations, the economy grew 4.9% in annual terms. It last demonstrated a higher growth rate back in the fourth quarter of 2021, when it surged to 5.8%.
The country’s GDP turned to growth for the first time since the first quarter of 2022, when the indicator grew by 3%. However, following the start of Russia’s military operation in Ukraine and Western sanctions that followed, the economy suffered through four consecutive quarters of declines while it adjusted to new economic realities.
“The Russian economy not only compensated for the decline of the second quarter of last year (-4.5%), but also showed growth to the level of two years ago,” the press service of the Ministry of Economic Development said, commenting on the data.
The highest growth was recorded in passenger turnover (up 19.8%), wholesale turnover (12.5%), manufacturing (11.3%), construction (9.8%) and mining (1.1%).
“In addition, the stable situation in the labor market and the associated growth in real incomes had a positive impact on the recovery of consumer demand – the total turnover of retail trade, services and public catering in the second quarter surged by 8.3%, exceeding the level of two years ago,” the press service added.
According to Alexander Shirov, head of the Institute of Economic Forecasting of the Russian Academy of Sciences (IEF RAS), the economy also benefited from high investment activity of private businesses.
“At the moment we are witnessing an active and consistent recovery of growth, and by the end of the year the economy may well overcome the recession of 2022,” Shirov told news outlet RBK.
According to preliminary forecasts from the Ministry of Economic Development, Russia’s economy is expected to grow by more than 2% this year. The figure is in line with the latest projections issued by the Bank of Russia, which in July predicted that GDP would grow by up to 2.5% by the end of 2023.
Biden administration open to training Ukrainian pilots in US
The United States is “certainly open” to training Ukrainian F-16 pilots on US soil, the White House said Friday, but officials cautioned that the process is complicated and will take time.
“The reason we’re doing this is part of a longer, broader effort to make sure that we are continuing to improve Ukrainian self-defense and military capabilities for the long term,” National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby stated.
“It’s going to be a while before the jets can show up in Ukraine, and for them to be integrated into the air fleet,” he continued.
Kirby added in addition to transferring planes and training pilots, Ukrainian allies also had to set up “all the maintenance logistics and sustainment efforts that go into having modern aircraft like the F-16 in your fleet.” He emphasized that “all that takes some time,” and said there was an English language component to the training.
“We’re going to support Ukraine for as long as it takes,” he said, noting, “We’ve been eager to move forward providing Ukraine that long term capability, and eager is a good word for it.”
“If the capacity for training in Europe is reached,” he added, “we are certainly open to doing the training for Ukrainian pilots here in the United States.”
The US is still waiting for European officials to submit a final plan for training Ukrainian pilots on F-16 fighter jets, which the US will have to authorize before the program can actually begin, according to reports.
European officials and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said publicly last month that they expected the training to begin in August, but that timeline has been pushed back as officials work to hammer out logistical details, including how many pilots the Ukrainians will ultimately send to the training.
Zelensky has long urged Western allies to provide him with modern fighter jets, pitching the F-16 in particular as a potential game-changer in the war against Russia.
Ukraine and UK start talks on security guarantees
Ukraine and the United Kingdom have begun “initial working-level negotiations” on security guarantees, Ukraine’s Presidential Office said in a statement on Friday.
The countries are using the Joint Declaration of Support for Ukraine signed by countries of the G7 last month as a basis for the negotiations, according to the office.
“The United Kingdom became the second country after the United States with which Ukraine started relevant negotiations,” the statement read, noting “the United Kingdom has consistently demonstrated its leadership and example in making and implementing the boldest decisions to support Ukraine.”
Andriy Yermak, head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, who is leading the Ukrainian delegation in the negotiations, called the UK “one of the main strategic partners.” He added that the negotiations are aimed at strengthening the countries’ “common security in the entire Euro-Atlantic region.”
Yermak said Ukraine already has agreements to start consultations with almost all of the countries that have joined the declaration on security guarantees.
The United Kingdom is the second country after the United States with which Ukraine has started relevant negotiations, according to the statement.
The Joint Declaration of Support for Ukraine was announced on July 12, 2023, by the G7 leaders of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the UK, the US, as well as the Presidents of the European Council and the European Commission.
Belgium, The Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Ireland, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Sweden and Latvia have asked to be added as signatories to the declaration, according to the statement.
Egypt rebuffs US requests to arm Ukraine: Report
According to the WSJ, Egyptian officials say privately that they have no intention of sending arms to Ukraine.
Egypt is not alone among Middle East and North African states that have rebuffed US appeals to cut ties with Russia and aid Ukraine. Turkey, which has tried to position itself as a mediator in the conflict, has done brisk business with Russia amid US sanctions.
But Egypt’s refusal is notable because Cairo is heavily reliant on the US for military aid. It receives about $1.3bn annually, making it the second-largest recipient, trailing only behind Israel.
The bulk of that support comes via a programme called Foreign Military Financing, or FMF. The US holds funds earmarked for Egypt in the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, and the Department of Defence makes purchases from US defence contractors on behalf of Egypt using funds in collaboration with defence officials in Cairo.
Cruise missiles won’t be used on Russian territory: Ukraine
Ukraine does not want to use the requested cruise missiles from Germany and the United States on Russian territory, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said in a post on the social network X.
He called the long-range missiles “crucial” and said Ukraine asked the two countries to send the missiles “as soon as possible”.
Kuleba assured Berlin and Washington that the missiles “will be used solely inside [Ukraine’s] borders”.
Ukraine working on alternative export routes: Zelensky
Ukraine is working hard to develop alternative export routes for grain, according to President Volodymyr Zelensky amid Russia’s blockade of the Black Sea ports.
“We are doing everything possible to ensure that Ukraine continues to be a guarantor of food security,” Zelensky said in his evening video address on Friday.
He also added Ukraine’s people needed access to world markets.
The president reported in Kyiv that he had discussed the issue with the heads of the army, intelligence service and navy as well as government representatives.
Scholz says position on sending cruise missiles to Ukraine unchanged
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, chiming in on the debate about sending Ukraine Taurus cruise missiles, said there is no news to report.
“There is no new state of affairs to report on this issue,” Scholz told the German newspaper the Thnringer Allgemeine in a story published on Friday.
“Our focus remains on sending weapons for air defence, heavy artillery and also tanks,” he continued, adding, “That is the course we will continue on, in close consultation with our international partners.”
EU delivers Ukraine 224,000 shells under ammo plan
The EU has delivered Ukraine 223,800 shells under the first part of a plan to provide a million artillery rounds to aid Kyiv’s fight against Russia, a spokesman said.
“Member states have delivered around 223,800 artillery ammunition – long-range self-propelled, precision-guided ammunitions as well as mortar ammunitions — and 2,300 missiles of all types,” EU spokesman Peter Stano said.
Overall, the total value of the ordnance provided was 1.1 billion euros ($1.2bn), the EU added. EU funds reimbursed only part of that, suggesting the measure fell short of the target.
Earlier this year, the 27-nation European Union pledged to step up supplies of much-needed artillery shells to Ukraine as Kyiv’s forces faced shortfalls.
Russian economy posts growth for first time in a year
Russia’s economy grew year-on-year by 4.9 percent in the second quarter, clocking its first expansion in a year, the country’s statistics agency, Rosstat, reports.
Gross domestic product (GDP) shrank in the previous four quarters, finishing with a 1.9-percent drop in the first quarter of 2023. Friday’s improved figures for April to June compared with a contraction of 4.5 percent in the same period of last year.
That sharp contraction came as the economy was hit with a raft of sanctions from Western countries in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Russia blames Ukraine for foiled drone attack on Moscow
Russia says it has destroyed a Ukrainian drone on the western outskirts of Moscow.
“An attempt by the Kyiv regime to carry out a terrorist attack using an unmanned aerial vehicle on a facility in Moscow was thwarted,” the Ministry of Defence announced, adding that there was no damage or casualties.
Moscow was largely spared in the early part of the conflict, but the Russian capital has seen a surge in attacks in recent months.
British troops train hundreds of Ukrainian marines as Kyiv develops new military branch
About 900 Ukrainian marines are returning home after being trained by British Royal Marines and Army Commandos as part of a six-month program, the United Kingdom’s defense ministry said in a statement Friday.
The training, delivered by elite British commandos, will help Ukraine develop its own distinct marine force and make it more formidable in fighting around bodies of water, the UK defense ministry said. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced in May that his military’s marines would become an independent military branch and that he would be expanding the new Ukrainian Marine Corps.
British Commandos trained Ukraine’s forces on amphibious operations, which included beach raids using inflatable boats, the ministry noted.
“It is the first program of amphibious training delivered by the UK to Ukraine, culminating with the Ukrainian marines planning and conducting raids by both day and night,” the ministry added.
Additionally, the Ukrainian marines were trained on how to use shoulder-fired missile systems called Next Generation Light Anti-Tank Weapons, Stinger anti-aircraft missiles, mortars and reconnaissance drones, the UK said. They also received explosive demolition training for obstacles such as Dragon’s Teeth anti-vehicle fortifications.
“Trainees came from a variety of backgrounds, with many being civilian volunteers with no prior military experience, while others have transferred from other sections within the Armed Forces of Ukraine – some having already been engaged in combat on the frontline,” the UK defense ministry said.
“The training I have received from the UK Royal Marines has been far more intense than I expected. I have learned so much and never expected to be doing the things I have done,” one of the recently trained Ukrainian marines said, according to the statement.
Each training cohort underwent “a rigorous five-week program,” with sessions ranging from battlefield first aid to close quarters combat and unit planning, according to the ministry.
More than 20,000 recruits have already received training in the UK since the start of 2022.
“At the start of 2023, the UK committed to train a further 20,000 Ukrainian recruits,” the ministry added, effectively doubling its commitment.
Instructors from the Netherlands Marine Corps were also part of the most recent training program, and other countries have also contributed to the UK program.
Report: Caspian Sea hits lowest level in 30 years
According to Tasnim News Ahency, a key factor that has caused the regression of the water level is a decrease in the flow of the Volga River in recent years.
Satellite images clearly show how the water level of the Caspian Sea in the northern half has shrunk over many years.
Scientists believe that a decrease of 9 meters in the water causes the surface of the Caspian Sea to shrink by 24 percent.
Given the role of the Volga River in supplying the Caspian Sea water, the decrease in the flow of the former, along with natural factors such as an increase in the evaporation of the Caspian Sea water and a rise in water temperature are among the most important factors of the regression of the Caspian Sea water level.
The temperature of the Caspian water in 2021 increased by 1 degree compared to the long-term average.
Famous Iranian linguist and translator Kourosh Safavi dies
He was the vice-president of Linguistics society of Iran and a leading professor at Allame Tabatabaei University in Tehran.
Some of his works include the books “An Introduction to Linguistics”, “A Dictionary of Linguistics”, “A Look at the Background of Persian Language”, “Seven Commentaries about Translation”, “From linguistics to Literature”, “Some Commentaries on Linguistics”, “An Introduction to Semantics”, “Logic in Linguistics”, “From Linguistics to Literature, “Applied Semantics”, “Descriptive Culture of Semantics”, “Literature from a Linguistic Perspective”, “Languages of the World: 4 Essays on Linguistics”.
Safavi got his bachelor’s degree of German language in 1971 and master’s degree of Linguistics in 1979 and his Linguistics doctorate in 1993 from Tehran university.
Iran and Armenia sign gas-electricity swap deal
The Iranian embassy in Yerevan said the initial agreement was reached during Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s visit to Tehran in November of 2022 and the final document was signed on Thursday.
Iran’s gas exports to Armenia will be within the framework of an energy swap deal and the talks between the delegations of the two countries focused on the amount of gas exports and the exchange rate of electricity and gas. Iran’s pipeline to Armenia is capable of transferring more than one billion cubic meters of natural gas to Armenia per annum while only about one-third of this capacity has been used since it was launched.
Armenia exports electricity to Iran in return for importing gas. Following the completion of the third electricity transmission line from Armenia to Iran, the line’s capacity will also increase by three times to hit 1300 megawatts.
