The Tale of Good Genes and Good Gene Pretenders

The newspaper Arman reported in its Saturday issue, citing statements made on the television program "Formula One," that "out of 150 mathematics students from Sharif University, only Amin Mohammadi has remained in Iran" and emphasized that "while the issue of elite migration has once again come to the forefront, officials have promised over the past four years to take measures not only to prevent brain drain but also to bring back expatriate elites." This newspaper, with the headline "The Tale of Good Genes and Good Gene Pretenders," wrote: "Official reports indicate a 2.2-fold increase in Iranian students in the United States from 2011 to 2016, and the Institute of International Education, an official body that annually announces the number of foreign students studying in the U.S., stated in its latest report that in the 2015-2016 academic year, the number of Iranian students studying in the U.S. reached 12,256, which is a record since the Islamic Revolution," while during the 2010-2011 academic year, "the number of Iranian students in the U.S. was 5,626, which has more than doubled in recent years." The Arman newspaper pointed out that "the issue of elite migration and brain drain is a very complex phenomenon with many factors contributing to this social harm," stating: "Among the most important reasons for Iranian elites' migration are limited job opportunities, lack of a meritocratic system, inadequate and advanced scientific-research facilities, economic issues, and lack of welfare facilities in the country." The newspaper reminded that "according to the International Monetary Fund, Iran ranks first among 91 developing or underdeveloped countries in terms of elite migration, and it is estimated that 150,000 to 180,000 educated individuals leave Iran annually due to unfavorable social, economic conditions, and more." The Arman newspaper emphasized that "the annual exit of 150,000 to 180,000 highly educated Iranians is equivalent to the exit of $150 billion in capital," and World Bank research shows that "among the countries that have attracted the most Iranian elites by providing research and welfare facilities, the United States and Canada rank first and second, respectively." The Khorasan newspaper dedicated its front page to the "Bloody Friday of Iranian Pilgrims in Iraq" and quoted Ahmad Siyahpoosh, the Consul General of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Basra, stating that as a result of a terrorist attack on Thursday in western Nasiriyah, the capital of Dhi Qar province, 380 kilometers south of Baghdad, at least 11 Iranians were killed and 11 others injured. According to this newspaper, most of the Iranians killed in this terrorist attack were from Fars and Hormozgan provinces, and "in this incident, 59 Iraqis were also killed." Ahmad Siyahpoosh, the Iranian Consul in Basra, also stated that "the identities of 11 Iranians have been identified, and the identities of several individuals remain unclear due to severe burns regarding whether they are Iranian or Iraqi." The Javan newspaper, close to the Revolutionary Guards, dedicated its front page to Bashar al-Assad, with the headline "Syria's Victory is Iran's Victory," writing: Bashar al-Assad, in a "congratulatory message" to Ayatollah Khamenei, referring to "Iran's role in breaking the siege of Deir ez-Zor," stated: "We consider the people of Iran, who have sacrificed blood alongside us in the war against terrorism, as partners in this victory." According to this newspaper, Bashar al-Assad referred to the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic as "His Excellency Imam" and wrote: "Please accept my highest degrees of affection, respect, and gratitude from your noble self." The Etemad newspaper reported on the occurrence of "the assault and murder of an 11-year-old boy in the Customs neighborhood" of Tehran, stating: Abolfazl, an eleven-year-old boy, went missing near his home close to the Customs Square last week, and his parents searched everywhere for him but received no news until Friday when "the police announced that he had been assaulted by a man and subsequently killed with 50 knife wounds." This newspaper quoted Mohammad Shahriari, the head of Tehran's Criminal Court, stating: "About three to four days ago, an 11-year-old boy went missing in a park, and that same day we suspected a 24-year-old single man and arrested him, and finally, the suspect confessed to the murder of the 11-year-old boy on Friday, saying that after killing Abolfazl, he, with the help of his brother, transported the body to kilometer 60 of the Qom-Tehran road. He stabbed the 11-year-old boy 50 times, 25 of which were to the head, face, and inside Abolfazl's eyes." According to the head of Tehran's Criminal Court, "the suspect, in his confessions to the police, stated that he had been assaulted in childhood at Raazi Park, which created a complex in him, and under the pretext of seeing a pigeon, lured the boy to his home and then assaulted and killed him." Etemad also quoted Mohammad Shahriari stating: "The brother of the suspect has also been arrested for assisting in transporting the body to the Qom road. The suspect used his brother's Pride car and, with his help, placed the body in a suitcase and transported it to the Qom road, and the motive for the murder is still unclear and needs to be investigated." This newspaper also reported that Abolfazl's father, the day before the discovery of his son's lifeless body, expressed his "hope of finding his son" in a video, stating: "My son is known to everyone in the neighborhood. In the early days when I reported his disappearance to the police station, no one supported me there. It seemed they did not care that a child was missing. They only took my phone number and address and said they would inform me if there was any news. Now, several days after this incident, we have still not received any contact from the police station." According to Etemad, "While Abolfazl's father hoped for his son's return, just hours after these statements were published, he was informed of the murder and assault on his son. Yesterday morning, the body of 11-year-old Abolfazl, just days before he was to enter the fourth grade, was buried." The Shahrvand newspaper reported on various reactions to the "photo of a crying employee of Urmia Telecommunications" and wrote: An employee sitting on the ground, wiping her tears with the corner of her scarf, has become a widely shared image on social media. This image has now also drawn reactions from Mohammad Javad Azari Jahromi, the Minister of Communications and Information Technology, and a statement from the Telecommunications Company. According to this newspaper, "In a brief description accompanying this photo, it is stated that she is an employee of Urmia Telecommunications and that in response to her complaint about her work contract, her desk was taken away," but "Iranian users have perceived this treatment of the employee as humiliation and have demanded accountability from Telecommunications Iran. However, Telecommunications remained silent until a telegram photo was sent to the minister." Rouhollah Hazratpour Talatappeh, the representative of Urmia in the tenth parliament, regarding this photo and the dismissed employees of the telecommunications company in Urmia, told the Shahrvand newspaper: "According to our investigations, the telecommunications employees in this province are protesting their contractual uncertainty and the transition from company and contractual status to official status. Some of these employees, with 15 years of work experience, are gradually approaching retirement age but still work on a company or contractual basis, and Telecommunications is neither willing to adjust their status nor change their situation; moreover, telecommunications employees have stated in meetings with parliament representatives that many contractors violate their rights. For example, they have mentioned cases where their insurance rights have been violated and in some cases, they do not receive full bonuses and rewards. Or they sign contracts with workers and employees of telecommunications that allow them to easily dismiss them if needed without any legal complications." The representative of Urmia in the tenth parliament also stated: "This issue is not limited to West Azerbaijan province; telecommunications employees and workers across the country are grappling with it. This issue has been reflected in parliament multiple times, and Telecommunications has no convincing explanation for it." According to the Shahrvand newspaper, Mohammad Javad Azari Jahromi, after posting the "photo of the telecommunications employee" on his Instagram page and announcing his negotiation with the CEO of Telecommunications to resolve the issue of this dismissed employee, and despite the fact that the Iranian calendar marks the weekend holiday, Davood Zareian, the deputy CEO of Telecommunications Iran, also told this newspaper: "The story is not very clear, and we cannot rely too much on the issues raised in social media. Nevertheless, we have sent a team to Urmia to investigate all aspects of the matter." The deputy CEO of Telecommunications Iran stated: "This lady was an administrative employee and part of the company’s workforce contracted with contractors. Apparently, she is unwilling to sign the contract under the employer's conditions and faces problems," but "in the administrative section, no one is deprived of a desk, and her presence at her workplace coincided with the changes taking place in this company, and contractors do not have any cooperation with this manner." Davood Zareian told the Shahrvand newspaper: "Telecommunications has surplus staff, but there is no decision to reduce the workforce, and it is trying to utilize its surplus staff in an optimal way through the development of technology and telecommunications infrastructure." This newspaper wrote: "Telecommunications Iran has repeatedly faced protests from its employees. The recent gathering of rural telecommunications employees in front of the parliament building in Baharestan is an example of the long-standing protests of employees of this large communications company. They believe that Telecommunications has left its contract and company employees in a state of limbo, and many of them, despite having 10 to 15 years of work experience, are still not official employees. Many refer to the privatization of Telecommunications Iran during Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's presidency and state that despite the promise that the situation of Telecommunications and its personnel would improve after privatization, they have witnessed no improvement whatsoever." The Sazandegi newspaper, on its front page with the title "$35 Billion Souvenir from Seif," wrote: "The Governor of the Central Bank returned from a trip to China with a $10 billion contract and a €15 billion memorandum of understanding; a $10 billion contract was signed between five Iranian banks and a Chinese company, and a €15 billion memorandum was signed between the Central Bank of Iran and the China Development Bank." This newspaper described Iran's contracts with China as "the largest post-JCPOA financing contracts" and wrote: "With the signing of this contract and memorandum, the total amount of signed contracts for financing and funding Iranian projects has exceeded $55 billion," and the supplier is a "Chinese company known as CITIC Trust," which has been referred to as "the dragon of Asia."