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Young Iranian from Tabriz breaks world record of memorizing numbers

By
IFP Editorial Staff
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In the presence of an Iranian consultant to set a record in the Guinness Book, Mohammad Reza Hassanzadeh managed to increase the previous record of memorizing numbers by eight digits. He also broke the record of an Indian woman in memorizing words in one minute two years ago. 

The consultant said there are several different memory records, one of which was set by Hassanzadeh two years ago, and today he broke the second record of memory entitled “Memorizing Numbers In One Minute”.  

He added Hassanzadeh had requested that a 128-digit number consisting of the numbers zero to nine be randomly displayed on the Randomize website and deleted after one minute. 

This record-breaking event was recorded by three different cameras from different angles and two cellphones. One camera focused on numbers and the other on Hassanzadeh’s face to show no headphones or phones were being used. 

Hassanzadeh managed to set the new record after seeing the numbers for a minute and retelling them in English. Hassanzadeh said after breaking the Indian man’s record, “I feel very happy now, but I was very stressed before breaking the record and I even woke up for several nights in a row due to stress because it was a difficult record to break”.

Beekeepers’ Union: Export of Iran Honey Halted

By
IFP Editorial Staff
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Chair of the union’s board of directors Effat Raisi Sarhaddi says beekeepers managed to get authorities make the quality standard obligatory for production of honey in 2020.

She said, however, that the ministry decided to waive the requirement, only after six months.

“Based on what we heard, which is close to reality, the minister who is in charge of the food security of our country voiced opposition to the standard, under pressure from companies that produce fake honey,” she said.

Raisi added that during the six-month period when honey production was regulated, legal proceedings opened into the activity of six companies, which produced fake honey.

“During the period when obligatory standards were imposed, we managed to find good markets for our products across the world and our products were exported to many countries including the US and such European countries as Germany,” she said.

Officials have yet to comment on this report. 

Raisi added that reduced rainfall has cut the average amount of honey harvested by beekeepers this year.

She called for government support for beekeepers, saying rising prices of drugs used to fight pests and supplements and sugar, used in the winter to feed bees, are also taking their toll on the industry.

Information ministry: Sudan facing military coup

By
IFP Media Wire
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On Monday morning, the prime minister was detained by security forces and taken to an unknown location, according to a Facebook post by the country’s Information Ministry.

The update came just hours after Dubai-based Al-Hadath TV reported that troops had besieged the home of the prime minister and placed him under house arrest. According to the Information Ministry, Hamdok had refused to endorse the coup.

“After he refused to be a part of the coup, a force from the army detained Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok and took him to an unidentified location,” the ministry said, adding that Hamdok had communicated during his house arrest, asking for people to maintain peace and occupy the streets to protect the democratic transition.

In a subsequent Facebook post, the ministry announced that troops had stormed the radio and TV headquarters in Omdurman, the twin city of the capital Khartoum. A number of employees had been detained.

In a statement shared with Reuters, the ministry reiterated the prime minister’s call for people to take to the streets and stop the military from preventing the country transitioning to democracy.

“We invite everyone to continue the march until the coup attempt is brought down,” it stated.

According to the prime minister’s aide, who spoke with al-Arabiya TV, the military had stirred unrest in the east of the country and used the crisis to implement a coup.

Industry Minister Ibrahim al-Sheikh, and the governor of Sudan’s capital Khartoum, Ayman Khalid, have also been detained by the military, according to family sources who spoke to Al Jazeera. Al-Sheikh’s daughter and Khalid’s wife told the news channel that the men had been taken from their homes before dawn.

It has also been reported that communications have been cut in the country.

Sudan’s long-time leader, Omar al-Bashir, was removed from power in 2019 following months of civil unrest and protests. A political transition agreement, penned after his removed, was meant to lead to democratic elections in 2023.

Since 2019, the country has been run by a Sovereign Council of military and civilian members tasked with overseeing the transition. However, it has been far from smooth.

CNN: Thailand exports Millions of second-hand gloves to US

By
IFP Media Wire
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Tens of millions of already used nitrile medical gloves were imported into the United States from Thailand during the coronavirus pandemic, CNN reported on Sunday, citing its own investigation.

In Thailand, numerous illegal enterprises sprung up during the pandemic, where migrant labourers have been washing and trying to restore the original appearance of disposable medical gloves given their high global demand, CNN reported. The product was then shipped to different countries. A months-long investigation revealed that millions of such counterfeit and second-hand nitrile gloves ended up in the US, according to import records and distributors who bought them.

“There’s an enormous amount of bad product coming in, an endless stream of filthy, second-hand and substandard gloves coming into the US of which federal authorities, it seems, are only now beginning to understand the enormous scale,” Douglas Stein, an industry expert, was quoted as saying by the broadcaster.

The investigation was prompted by a report by a US company, which had contacted the US Customs and Border Protection and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) early this year after receiving a shipment of dirty-looking gloves from Thailand. However, the Thai firm responsible for the shipment continued operation until at least July, according to CNN.

In August, the FDA ordered a seizure of shipments of personal protective equipment from a Thai company on the US border, five months after the agency received first complaints from American entrepreneurs.

The FDA told the broadcaster it does not comment on individual cases but has taken “a number of steps to find and stop those selling unapproved products.”

There have been no reports of whether any medical personnel or patients were injured due to the use of contaminated gloves. The US and Thai authorities have launched an investigation into the network, CNN noted. The Thai health regulator has reportedly conducted at least 10 raids in recent months against used gloves traders

Qatar frustrated with US over drone purchase request

By
IFP Media Wire
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Qatar’s government has made a formal request to buy four-armed MQ-9B Predator drones from the US, which they say will be used for surveillance of natural gas facilities and to keep an eye on terrorists in the region. 

“The frustration from our perspective is that there is no clear indication as to why there is a delay on our request,” a Qatari official told the Wall Street Journal.

“The recent evacuation operations in Afghanistan proves that Qatar always stands ready to support its allies and for the purposes of security and stability,” the official added.

Qatar has been a key ally during the US withdrawal from Afghanistan, hosting thousands of evacuees and acting as an interlocutor with the Taliban. 

Qatari and US officials said the drones, which cost an estimated $600 million, would make Qatar a stronger defensive unit in its region, according to the Journal.

According to the State Department, Qatar is the second-largest buyer of US military equipment through its foreign-military sales program, right behind Saudi Arabia.

The US hopes to preserve its influence in the Gulf region despite its military pullback, especially amid China’s influence in the region. Qatar rejected China’s overtures for closer cooperation in 2018, in an effort to align itself with US interests.

Ex US envoy: Washington losing war to Taliban

By
IFP Media Wire
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“I think with regard to terrorism, we largely have achieved that objective. On the issue of building a democratic Afghanistan – I think that – that did not succeed. The struggle goes on,” Khalilzad told CBS’ Margaret Brennan on “Face the Nation”.

“The Talibs are a reality of Afghanistan. We did not defeat them. In fact, they were making progress on the battlefield even as we were negotiating with them. And the reason we negotiated with them was because militarily things were not going as well as we would have liked. We were losing ground each year,” the former US envoy to Afghanistan lamented.

Khalilzad explained that in order for the US to reverse the progress that the Taliban was making in Afghanistan, it was “going to require a lot more effort”.

Khalilzad’s remarks come less than a week since he resigned from his post as the US special representative for Afghanistan reconciliation. During his first television interview since his resignation, he noted he would have liked to have seen a negotiated settlement before the US withdrew from Afghanistan.

He explained the US had spoken with the Taliban and that they had a “set of agreements” with them, including some of which that have not been publicly disclosed. 

Khalilzad explained that while Americans may not be pleased with how evacuation out of Afghanistan was handled, he believed they should at least be relieved that the Afghanistan war had ended.

“The burden has been reduced, that we achieved the goal of the devastating Al Qaeda in Afghanistan,” he added.

The Joe Biden administration was heavily criticized by lawmakers on both sides of the aisle for a messy and chaotic exit out of the country that culminated with a suicide bombing that killed 13 US service members. Biden noted he had no regrets on leaving the country and that no amount of time would have been enough to change what ultimately became the outcome.

The US continues to evacuate Americans and others from the country, though Khalilzad conceded he was unsure of how many Americans were still left in Afghanistan.

“I think it’s very likely that it’ll be in hundreds, but we don’t know. The truth of the matter is, we don’t know,” he confirmed.

He objected to the direction of the Biden administration’s current Afghanistan policy.

“One reason I left the government is that the debate wasn’t really as it should be based on realities and facts of what happened, what was going on and what our alternatives were,” Khalilzad said.

He added the United States did not put enough pressure on former Afghan president Ashraf Ghani to share power with the Taliban.

‘Baku’s Road Toll on Iranian Truckers Against Karabakh Truce Deal’

By
IFP Editorial Staff
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The truce deal handed control over part of the region, previously held by Armenia, to the Azerbaijan Republic. That includes a 21-kilometer length of road Iranian truckers use.

Abbas Badakhshan Zohoori said based on the deal, the Azerbaijan Republic should have waited for an alternative road through Armenia to be completed before charging Iranian truckers.

He said Baku’s failure to fulfill the agreement means Iranian truckers have to pay a road toll upon entry into Armenia and pay another road toll for the short length of road, which is now controlled by the Azerbaijan Republic. 

He said Tehran and Yerevan are both pushing to fast track the construction of the new alternative road that connects Kajaran to Sisian, in southern Armenia to clear up the problem created by Baku’s move.

Hollywood urges ban on use of firearms on sets following cinematographer death

By
IFP Media Wire
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A petition calling on Hollywood to “ban the use of real firearms on film sets” received nearly 10,000 signatures following the incident, and support from actor Xander Berkeley, actress Tara Platt, and cinematographer Eben Bolter.

“There’s no reason to have guns loaded with blanks or anything on set anymore. Should just be fully outlawed. There’s computers now,” tweeted Craig Zobel, who directed the controversial 2020 political horror movie ‘The Hunt’, and episodes of ‘Westworld’ and ‘The Leftovers’.

Zobel revealed that the gunshot effects in his show ‘Mare of Easttown’ “are all digital”, and added that though viewers “can probably tell” the difference, it doesn’t matter when “it’s an unnecessary risk”.

“I often get pushback when I demand completely disabled, non-firing weapons on set, but this is why,” director Megan Griffiths weighed in.

“Mistakes happen, and when they involve guns, mistakes kill. No gun ever needs to fire on set. Muzzle flashes are the easiest & cheapest visual effect. Why are we still doing this?” Griffiths asked.

‘Star Wars: The Last Jedi’ director Rian Johnson also expressed support for a digital replacement of live gun effects, while ‘Straight Outta Compton’ star O’Shea Jackson Jr. said, “Things are gonna change after this tragedy.”

Hutchins was killed on Thursday after Baldwin fired a prop gun at her, which he was reportedly told by a director was safe to use. Hutchins was killed and director Joel Souza was hospitalized with injuries.

In a statement following the incident, Baldwin announced his heart was “broken” and that he was “fully cooperating with the police investigation”.

Official: Esfahan Ready for Foreign Tourists’ Return

By
IFP Editorial Staff
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Deputy Director of Esfahan’s General Department of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts Heidar Sadeghi says that hotels and ecotourism residential centers have been given guidelines on how to provide their services to comply with the coronavirus health protocols.

Sadeghi added that the Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts, in cooperation with the private sector, has created 200 short teasers that tell “the untold stories of Esfahan”. 

Sadeghi also said the ministry is considering proposing Esfahan as a global tourism and handicrafts hub to the World Tourism Organization, to help promote the province’s tourism industry. 

Esfahan province is home to more than 22,000 historical buildings and structures, among them 1,800 that are listed as a national heritage. 

The province also has seven historical sites on the UNESCO world heritage list. They are the Naghsh-e Jahan (“Image of the World”) Square, Chehel Sotoun Palace (Palace of 40 Columns), Fin Garden of Kashan and the Jame’ (Grand) Mosque as well as the three Persian qanats of Vazvan, Mozdabad and Moun.

The province suffered a huge blow to its tourism industry, estimated at more than one billion dollars, due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Exiled Saudi intelligence official: MbS “psychopath” and “killer”

By
IFP Media Wire
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The ex-official in the Saudi Arabian government said in a new interview that he was targeted by a hit team after fleeing to Canada following the 2017 takeover by Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman.

Saad Aljabri, who served as the number two intelligence official in Saudi Arabia, told Scott Pelley in an interview for “60 Minutes” that aired on Sunday that he was targeted by a hit team in mid-October 2018, while living in Canada. 

Aljabri said a team of six people arrived at the Ottawa Airport, lied to customs about not knowing each other, and had suspicious equipment with them for DNA analysis. The team, however, was deported, he added.

Canada acknowledged part of that story in a statement to “60 Minutes”, telling the program “we are aware of incidents in which foreign actors have attempted to… threaten…those living in Canada. It is completely unacceptable”.

Aljabri stated he received a warning from a friend in a Middle Eastern intelligence service prior to the attempted attack.

“And the warning I received, don’t be in a proximity of any Saudi mission in Canada. Don’t go to the consulate. Don’t go to the embassy. I said why? Said, they dismembered the guy, they kill him. You are on the top of the list,” Aljabri told Pelley.

Bin Salman faced a wave of international scrutiny following the murder of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi in October 2018 inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. US intelligence agencies believe bin Salman approved the killing.

Aljabri became an alleged target of bin Salman after he fled Saudi Arabia for Canada following the crown prince’s power grab in 2017.

MbS arrested Mohammed bin Nayef, the then-heir to the throne, in 2017. Aljabri served under Nayef, and fled to Canada following his boss’ arrest, where he now remains.

The former official called bin Salman a “psychopath” and a “killer”.

“I am here to sound the alarm about a psychopath, killer, in the Middle East with infinite resources, who poses [a] threat to his people, to the Americans and to the planet”, Aljabri said of bin Salman.

When pressed by Pelley on his decision to call bin Salman a “psychopath”, Aljabri stated, “A psychopath with no empathy, doesn’t feel emotion, never learned from his experience. And we have witnessed atrocities and crimes committed by this killer.”

Aljabri added his family is now being penalized by the crown prince for Saad’s act of fleeing to Canada.

His son and daughter, both of whom were planning to attend American colleges, are now in Saudi prisons. 

Khalid Aljabri, Saad’s oldest son, told Pelley that Saad’s son-in-law was also kidnapped in a third country and brought back to the Kingdom, where he was detained and tortured “as a proxy for his father-in-law, meaning my dad.”

“They even asked him a question, who do you think we should arrest and torture so Dr. Saad can come back to the Kingdom?” Khalid told Pelley.

Saad Aljabri stated he believes bin Salman “fears my information”, and expects to be killed one day because of the crown prince’s animosity toward him.

“I expect to be killed one day because this guy will not rest off until he see me dead,” Aljabri continued.

Aljabri, however, is seen as a hero of sorts in the US intelligence community.

Michael Morell, the former CIA director under former President Barack Obama, announced the ex-Saudi official provided intelligence that helped stop a number of attacks against the US.

“I’m a big admirer. I found Dr. Saad to be extraordinarily bright. I found him to be incredibly loyal to his country,” Morell told Pelley, adding that he is “honorable”.

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