China: Nanjing Massacre memorials to be held

A series of memorials will be held on Thursday and Friday in the city of Nanjing to mark the 76th anniversary of a massacre that claimed the lives of 300,000 Chinese civilians and disarmed soldiers.

Nanjing witnessed mass murder, genocide and war rape following the Japanese capture of the city in December 13, 1937, during World War II.

Memorial events will include a candlelight vigil, a prayer assembly for peace, as well as press conferences and seminars, according to Zhu Chengshan, curator of the Nanjing Massacre Hall.

As part of this year's event, a report on protection of survivors' oral histories of the atrocity will be presented and a Sino-U.S. collaborative project on oral history studies will be announced, Zhu announced.

"This is about expressing sorrow for those perished, and more importantly reminding people to remember history and to cherish peace," he said.

Meanwhile, two survivors, 82-year-old Wang Jin and 89-year-old Cen Honggui, will leave for Japan to attend Nanjing Massacre testimony gatherings on invitation from Japanese non-governmental organizations.

Held every year since August, 1994, this activity has seen a total of 47 Chinese survivors join gatherings across Japan.

"Survivors have told how cruel the Japanese invaders were in their personal experience, revealing the truth for most Japanese and delivering powerful rebuke to a handful of Japanese right wingers who were wantonly denying the atrocity," according to Zhu.

The testimony activity will help promote peaceful interaction between China and Japan based on the consensus of the history, he added.

Japan and S.Korea conduct drills in China's ADIZ

Japan and South Korea have conducted a joint search and rescue drill in a sea area where Japan's air defense identification zone overlaps China's. Aircraft from both sides took part in the drill but without informing Chinese authorities.

A South Korean military officer said the drill was carried out southeast of South Korea's Jeju Island on Thursday. 4 ships and several aircraft from Japan's Maritime Self-Defense Force and South Korea's Navy took part.Tokyo is demanding China revoke the zone as it covers airspace over Japan's Senkaku Islands. Japan controls the islands in the East China Sea but China and Taiwan claim them.

Source: NHK

South Korea slams Japan's video claim on disputed islets

South Korea has condemned Japan for publishing a video in 10 languages challenging its sovereignty over a tiny group of islets at the heart of a territorial dispute, demanding Tokyo remove it.

The film, published Wednesday by the Japanese foreign ministry on its own website and on YouTube, insists the islets in the Sea of Japan (East Sea), called Dokdo by Seoul and Takeshima by Tokyo, are its own.The 90-second clip is subtitled and dubbed in 10 languages including English, Korean, Chinese, French, Spanish and Arabic -- described Seoul's de facto control over the islets as "illegal".
"We gravely protest the publication of the video... and strongly demand that Japan remove these videos immediately," Seoul's foreign ministry said in a statement released late Wednesday.
"We will never tolerate Japan's attempt to violate our territorial sovereignty and will respond resolutely," it said.
The Japanese foreign ministry website also published a multi-language leaflet to accompany the video, arguing that Japan's connection to the islets stretches back more than 200 years.

Source: NewsOnJapan

Abe's Cabinet OKs 5.47 tril. yen extra budget for stimulus steps

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's Cabinet approved Thursday a 5.47 trillion yen ($53.2 billion) supplementary budget for fiscal 2013 to fund economic stimulus measures designed to minimize the potential negative impact of a sales tax hike next April.

The stimulus package mapped out last week, centering on prompting new infrastructure investment ahead of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and post-quake reconstruction work, will be intensively implemented in early fiscal 2014.The extra budget will bring the central government's expenditures in the general account budget for this fiscal year to 98.08 trillion yen, the fourth highest amount ever, underscoring how dependent the Japanese economy has been on massive government spending.

Source: NewsOnJapan

Ruling bloc OKs FY 2014 tax reform plan, burdening households

Japan's ruling parties on Thursday adopted tax reform policies for fiscal 2014, seeking higher taxes on households despite a planned consumption tax hike next year while giving preferential treatment to companies to accelerate the nascent economic recovery.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's Liberal Democratic Party and its coalition partner New Komeito decided to provide tax breaks for the corporate sector to strengthen the "Abenomics" policy mix, entailing steps to boost private-sector investment.The ruling camp has also decided to increase taxes on company workers and car owners in an effort to restore Japan's fiscal health, the worst among developed nations, highlighting the difficulty of achieving a balance between economic revitalization and fiscal consolidation.

Source: NewsOnJapan

Japan may ease limit on hiring temporary workers

Japan's labor officials have proposed easing restrictions on hiring temporary workers to make it easier for companies to hire them.

The proposal was presented on Thursday at the labor ministry's council, comprising of representatives from labor and management.

Currently, companies are only allowed to maintain a particular position for a maximum period of 3 years if it is filled by a temporary worker. Hiring workers dispatched by staffing companies is considered to be only a temporary measure.

Under the proposal, companies will be allowed to replace temporary workers reaching their 3-year limit with new temporary workers after they hear opinions from those representing employees, such as a labor union.

Source: NewsOnJapan

Thai caretaker PM calls meeting to resolve political crisis

Thai caretaker Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra on Thursday invited all political parties and sectors of the society to meet on Sunday to seek solutions to the political deadlock.

The government has decided to solicit opinions from representatives of political parties, businessmen, civil servants, educational institutions, legal experts and academics, Yingluck said in a televised speech.

The permanent secretary for the Prime Minister's Office, Tongthong Chantharangsu, will be in charge of organizing the meeting, she added.

The People's Democratic Reform Committee (PDRC), an alliance of various anti-government groups, would not joint the meeting, PDRC spokesman Akanat Promphan said.

Yingluck's proposal would not provide the answer protesters need to hear, Akanat said, adding what they need is a reform to be carried out before a general election.

The country's coming general election is scheduled on Feb. 2, 2014.

A group of anti-government protesters on Thursday continued to besiege the Government House compound.

They removed barbed wires inside the compound and required the police deployed there to leave.

After the police rejected the request, protesters cut off the power supply to the Government House.

It is reported that between Nov. 30 and Dec. 11, clashes between the opposing sides injured 291 protesters and killed five.

Source: Xinhua

1.18 billion yen stolen via online transfers in Japan in Jan.-Nov.

The amount of money stolen from online bank accounts in Japan in January-November totaled some 1,184 million yen, the National Police Agency said Thursday.

The amount is nearly four times the full-year record high of about 308 million yen marked in 2011.

The cumulative number of illegal money transfers in January-November stood at 1,125, up some 6.8-fold from 165 for the whole of 2011.

Source: NewsOnJapan

JR Hokkaido admits manipulating track data at accident site

Hokkaido Railway Co. said Thursday that inspection data for the tracks involved in a train derailment in September had been falsified.

The accident has led to revelations of sloppy management at the company, including leaving problems on some rail tracks unresolved for almost a year and other data falsifications.

Source: NewsOnJapan

Jetstar rejigs Japan services

Jetstar has decided to ditch flights on the underperforming route between the Gold Coast and Japan's third biggest city of Osaka in favour of a new service from Melbourne to Tokyo.

The rejig of its international network comes just two days after Qantas' budget offshoot decided to further reduce flights to the Northern Territory and close its aircraft base in Darwin, blaming intense competition from foreign airlines.Jetstar's head of Australasian operations, David Hall, said the Gold Coast-Osaka route had not been performing to expectations, and the decision to cut the service was ''part of our response to the current state of the Australian aviation market and a realignment'' of the airline's international network.
The thrice-weekly service to Osaka will cease on May 8 next year.
Jetstar will maintain flights between the Gold Coast and Tokyo, which had stronger demand than the Osaka route.

Source: NewsOnJapan

Japan to continue toll discounts for Tokyo Bay Aqua Line

Japan's transport ministry is set to extend toll discounts for the Tokyo Bay Aqua Line expressway, which were initially scheduled to expire in March 2014, because of the program's economy-boosting effects, informed sources said Thursday.

The toll for standard-size vehicles will be kept at 800 yen, compared with the original level of 3,000 yen.Costs to cover revenue losses from the discount program will continue to be shouldered by the state and the Chiba prefectural government. The Aqua Line, a combination of an undersea tunnel and a bridge, links Kisarazu, Chiba Prefecture, east of Tokyo, and Kawasaki, Kanagawa Prefecture, south of the Japanese capital.

Source:  NewsOnJapan

Syria rebels storm gov't workers' residential area

Syrian rebels have reportedly stormed a residential area for government employees in Adra, near the capital of Damascus. More than 60 people are feared dead, and over a hundred were kidnapped. Earlier, our correspondent Alaa Ebrahim in Damascus told us that government troops had begun operations to retake the residential compound. 

Source: CCTV

Marriott hotel reaches new heights in Japan's tallest skyscraper

Marriott Hotels is getting set to open Japan's highest hotel suite in the country's soon-to-be tallest skyscraper.

The Osaka Marriott Miyako Hotel will feature 360 guest rooms from the 38th floor to 55th floor in the new 300-meter Abeno Harukas skyscraper complex, which opens March 7 in the city's Abeno Ward.The most luxurious suite comprising 162 square meters is located on the 55th floor, some 263 meters above the ground, and will cost 350,000 yen ($3,410) per night. It is estimated to be higher than the current record holder at the Yokohama Royal Park Hotel in Yokohama Landmark Tower.

Source: NewsOnJapan

S. Korea holds policy rate at 2.5%

South Korea's central bank keeps its policy rate at 2.5 percent on Thursday, as expected.

The central bank governor Kim Choong-soo and other policy board members unanimously decided to hold the rate steady, for a seventh straight month.

The Bank of Korea is watching out for risks from tapering of U.S stimulus, and uncertainties over the U.S fiscal situation.

The governor says the domestic economy is gradually recovering, price pressures remain low but may rise mildly going forward. Many analysts expect the rate to stay until late 2014.

Source:CCTV

Central Economic Work Conference ongoing through Friday-media reports

According to several media sources, the meeting will conclude on Friday, lasting four days, which is the longest in history.

According to previous CPC Political Bureau meeting, the tone for economic work in 2014 will be maintaining stabiliy while seeking growth. Meanwhile, the top policy maker is also holding a meeting on the urbanization which is expected to set the tone for urbanization in the future. It’s the first time China has held a SEPARATE high level meeting during the Central Economic Work Conference on a particular subject.

Source:CCTV

Sugar intake should be cut to just five teaspoons a day to reduce tooth decay

Sugar intake should be cut to just five teaspoons a day to reduce tooth decay, British scientists warned on Tuesday while presenting a study of the effects of sugar on our oral health. 

Since 1990, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has recommended that intake of "free sugars" should be less than 10 percent of total energy intake. Free sugars are sugars that are added to foods by the manufacturer, cook, or consumer; plus those naturally present in honey, syrups, fruit juices and fruit concentrates. 

The Newcastle University study, published today in the Journal of Dental Research recognizes the benefit of this threshold, by showing that when less than 10 percent of total calories in the diet is made up of free sugars there are much lower levels of tooth decay. 

The research findings suggest that halving this threshold for sugars to less than 5 percent of calories, around five teaspoons a day, would bring further benefits, minimizing the risk of dental cavities throughout life. 

"In the past, judgments on recommended levels of free sugars intake were made based on levels associated with an average of three or fewer decayed teeth in 12-year-olds," Professor Paula Moynihan said. 

"Part of the problem is that sugary foods and drinks are now staples in many people's diet in industrialized countries, whereas once they were an occasional treat for a birthday or Christmas. We need to reverse this trend," she added.

Source: Xinhua

Vitamin D may help fight multiple sclerosis

Vitamin D may help fight multiple sclerosis (MS) by preventing damage-causing immune cells from entering the brain, U.S. researchers said Monday. 

The findings, published online in the U.S. journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, may help better explain why the so-called "sunshine vitamin" may prevent or ease symptoms of the neurodegenerative disease. 

The quest to understand the role of the nutrient began with the observation that MS is more prevalent in regions of the world farthest from the equator where there is less sunshine, the main natural source of vitamin D. 

MS is believed to be an autoimmune disorder, caused when the immune system wrongly attacks a person's own cells: the fatty protein called myelin that surrounds nerve cells and helps them send electrical signals that control movement, speech and other functions. Destruction of myelin leads to debilitating symptoms such as blurred vision, weakness and numbness. 

"With this research, we learned vitamin D might be working not by altering the function of damaging immune cells but by preventing their journey into the brain," said study leader Anne Gocke, an assistant professor of neurology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, in a statement. "If we are right, and we can exploit Mother Nature's natural protective mechanism, an approach like this could be as effective as and safer than existing drugs that treat MS." 

In a person with MS, immune system cells known as T cells in the body's lymph nodes are used to seek and destroy myelin in the brain. 

For their study, Gocke and her colleagues simultaneously gave mice the rodent form of MS and a high dose of vitamin D and found that the mice showed no symptoms of the disease. 

They also found a large number of T cells in the bloodstream of the mice, but very few in their brains and spinal cords. 

"Vitamin D doesn't seem to cause global immunosuppression," Gocke said. "What's interesting is that the T cells are primed, but they are being kept away from the places in the body where they can do the most damage." 

Gocke added vitamin D may slow a process of making a sticky substance that allows the T cells to grab onto blood vessel walls, which allows the T cells to remain in circulation and keeps them from migrating to the brain. 

Once vitamin D is withdrawn, MS-like flare-ups in mice can occur very quickly, the researchers said. 

"Vitamin D may be a very safe therapy," said Peter Calabresi, a professor of neurology at Johns Hopkins University and a co-author of the study. "But we still have to be careful with it. It's not just a vitamin. It's actually a hormone." 

A clinical trial testing vitamin D supplements in multiple sclerosis patients is underway at Johns Hopkins University, the researchers said. 
Source: Xinhua

China's rich set eyes on agri-business

China’s business tycoons are eyeing the modern agricultural sector as an alternative investment. Many of them told CCTV at the network’s Financial Forum, that there is still huge potential untapped in the country’s rural economy.

Kiwi fruit is the next big investment target for IT giant Lenovo.

The company has newly favoured the agricultural sector, due to opportunities that may emerge from land reforms recently laid out by the third plenary session.

Chairman of the board Liu Chuanzhi said the timing now is ripe for brand building.

"Traditional agricultural sector was a saturated market with very low profit margin. After the third plenum meeting, there was an evident signal on land reforms where rural land right is allowed to transfer. This gives us the chance to build a brand that reflects high-quality and safe products. This will lay corner stones for high profit margin." said Liu.

Minsheng Bank, China’s first commercial bank held by private equities, is setting its eyes on deep ocean fish. But its ultimate goal is to expand financial services to the countryside.

Experts say the biggest challenges faced by China’s agricultural sector is the lack of funding. The industry is currently in the transition of integrating into a modern production system, and more capital would be needed to boost growth.

Source: CCTV

China: New discount e-shopping offerings, pushing sales before year end

China’s e-shopping fever heats up again. Online retailers are offering a new round of discounts today, known as the "Double twelve's day" sales. This comes just a month after the November 11th Single’s day shopping festival.

Online stores such as Taobao, T-mall, Yihaodian and Jingdong, are all launching massive discounts to firm up their annual sales before the end of the year.

Retail sales growth is projected to stand at around 13% in China for 2013. Some analysts though, expect retail revenue growth to remain weak for the coming months and gradually pick up in 2014.

Source:CCTV

Shibuya revelers face New Year's curbs

Tokyo police say they will restrict public access around the main intersection outside Shibuya Station between 10 p.m. Dec. 31 and 2 a.m. Jan. 1 to prevent a crush of New Year's revelers forming for the countdown, a recurrent problem in recent years.

The Metropolitan Police Department imposed a similar restriction in June on people gathering at the intersection after watching the Asian qualifier for the FIFA soccer World Cup.

The police said Wednesday they are stepping up their guard for New Year's and will send several hundred riot police officers.

Source: Japan Times

Israel's Fischer picked to be next Fed vice chair: source

 Stanley Fischer, who led the Bank of Israel for eight years until he stepped down in June, has been asked to be the Federal Reserve's next vice chair once Janet Yellen takes over as chief of the U.S. central bank, a source familiar with the issue said on Wednesday.

Fischer, 70, is widely respected as one of the world's top monetary economists. He is seen as a pragmatic policymaker and has praised the Fed's extraordinary steps to boost the U.S. economy. At the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, he once taught current Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke and Mario Draghi, the European Central Bank president.

Yellen, the Fed's vice chair, is expected to win approval from the U.S. Senate next week to take the reins from Bernanke, whose term ends in January.

Fischer, who was born in Zambia and has Israeli and U.S. dual citizenship, would also need Senate approval if he accepts the offer from the White House. "He's been offered the job" said the source, who declined to be named.

Source: Reuters

The Euro Zone promises increased aid to Ukraine if it signs trade and cooperation pact. Putin threatens economic sanctions if EU deal happens

Thousands of anti-government protesters gathered in central Kiev, rebuilding barricades torn down by police, on Thursday as the European Union held out a promise of increased aid for Ukraine if it signed a trade and cooperation pact.

Ukraine's first deputy prime minister Serhiy Arbuzov flew to Brussels with a high-level delegation seeking billions of euros of aid from the EU in return for signing the agreement, which Kiev suddenly backed away from last month.

Ukraine's Prime Minister Mykola Azarov was quoted as saying on Wednesday he had asked the EU for 20 billion euros ($27 billion) in aid to offset the cost of signing the EU deal.

A sudden decision by President Viktor Yanukovich on November 21 to walk away from a trade-and-political agreement with the EU and revive trade with Ukraine's old Soviet master has brought hundreds of thousands on to the streets in a chain of weekend rallies, each one larger than the one before it.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, concerned protests could yet induce Yanukovich to seal the trade agreement with the EU to Moscow's detriment, painted a picture of a secure future for Ukraine in a Russian-led alliance.

"Our integration project is based on equal rights and real economic interests," said Putin, referring to a customs union with Belarus and Kazakhstan which he plans to develop into a political and trading bloc to be known as the Eurasian Union.

"I'm sure achieving Eurasian integration will only increase interest (in it) from our other neighbors, including from our Ukrainian partners ... I hope that all political sides can successfully reach an agreement in the interests of the Ukrainian people," he said in a state-of-the-nation address.

A decision to sign the EU deal after all would be likely to infuriate Moscow.

Putin had threatened to respond to such a deal with economic sanctions against Ukraine, which has huge debts and unpaid gas bills outstanding with Moscow. Ukraine's ultimate decision could be decisive to Putin's Eurasian Union plan.

Battalions of riot police withdrew on Wednesday from a protest camp in central Kiev after moving against demonstrators in the early hours in an angry confrontation.

But more people were streaming into the snowbound capital for the weekend to boost the 10,000 or so crammed onto Independence Square, focal point of the unrest. About 70,000 extra people from three areas of western Ukraine alone were heading for the capital, citizens' protest groups said.

After his talks with Arbuzov, Fuele said that, if Ukraine gave a clear commitment to sign the deal, the EU would prepare a roadmap for implementing the accord.

If Ukraine signed, the EU was ready to help it by topping up IMF loans and stepping up financial aid, Fuele said.

EU aid to Ukraine would only get "bigger and bigger" if it signed the agreement, he said without giving figures.

Arbuzov was joined in Brussels by the ministers of finance, economy and revenue and duties, and the central bank head.

At stake is the future of a country of 46 million people, torn between popular hope of joining the European mainstream and the demands of Russia, which controls the flow of cheapnatural gas needed to stave off bankruptcy.

After Yanukovich met Putin on December 6, Azarov said the two sides had agreed a strategic partnership.

Some believe that Yanukovich may sign a series of agreements - almost certainly bringing cheaper gas for Ukraine and possibly credits - in Moscow on December 17.

The crisis has added to the financial hardship of a country on the brink of bankruptcy. The cost of insuring Ukraine's debt against default has hit four-year highs.

It now costs more than $1 million a year for five years to insure $10 million in Ukrainian debt over that term, reflecting high default risk.

The most Brussels has so far offered is 610 million euros in macro-economic assistance.
Source: Reuters

Anglo American says turnaround ‘basic’ but will take time

"Anglo American told investors on Thursday that its turnaround was "basic" but would take years, with no big sell-off of assets in the short term and headwinds continuing into 2014 as the company overhauls the performance of key mines.

Expectations have been high for Mark Cutifani, the Australian former boss of bullion miner Anglo Gold who took the helm at Anglo American earlier this year. In July, he branded the group's performance to date as "unacceptably poor".

But he stopped short of dramatic announcements on Thursday, a day of presentations intended to flesh out the group's strategy - warning that even the "half a dozen" assets earmarked for potential sale would be improved before a decision is made.

"It is basic stuff, it can be delivered," Cutifani said of the company's blueprint to boost performance, a mostly operational plan which it says will see benefits flowing through largely in 2015 and 2016.

Analysts and investors have long speculated on the future of Anglo assets, including its troubled Anglo American Platinum unit and a majority stake in diamond miner De Beers.

"Longer term, or even medium to longer term, all options remain on the table," Cutifani said ahead of presentations to investors. "We have a bit of work to do and then we can decide whether these assets fit into the portfolio... what we won't do is go out there and sell assets for the sake of selling them."

Cutifani said Anglo's key target of hitting a return on capital employed (ROCE)- a measure of the value a company gets out of its assets - of more than 15 percent by 2016 was calculated without including asset sales.

Instead, the necessary lift of at least $3.5 billion to operating profit would come from operational improvements.

Anglo, the smallest of the leading diversified miners, has long lagged behind its peers. In the past two years alone it has been hit by labour troubles in South Africa, operational hiccups at copper mines and multibillion-dollar cost overruns in Brazil.

Some analysts had expected a change to targets for the troubled Brazilian iron ore project, Minas Rio, but Anglo confirmed both the cost - $8.8 billion - and the target of putting the first ore on ships at the end of next year.

Cutifani said progress at Minas Rio meant the group was "playing hard to get" in talks with potential partners, though it remained open to selling a minority stake in the operation.

Anglo also outlined changes at its key Sishen mine, the heart of Kumba Iron Ore where it said new mining plans would help it return to production capacity by 2016.

In its pipeline of projects, where Anglo has vowed to make cuts, the miner said it was reviewing its Quellaveco copper project in Peru, which had been due to come before the board for approval this year. That is delayed until 2015".

Source: Mineweb

Deal to quell U.S. budget wars sails through House vote

"A breakthrough budget deal that avoids a government shutdown in January and blunts automatic spending cuts easily won passage in the U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday, setting the stage for nearly two years of fiscal peace in Congress.

The 332-94 bipartisan vote sends the measure to the Senate, which is expected to pass it next week despite the objections of conservative political groups that complain it violates a core goal of cutting government spending.

The modest deal ends three years of partisan warfare in Congress over federal spending and taxes that fueled a 16-day government shutdown in October and twice brought the United States to the brink of default, rattling financial markets.

It was a victory for Republican House Speaker John Boehner, who has been continually stung by rebukes from the conservative, Tea Party wing of his caucus on fiscal issues. This time, however, he demonstrated that he could smoothly steer a budget compromise through the deeply divided chamber and that Republicans were capable of avoiding the brinkmanship that has marked the past three years.

"Is it perfect, does it go far enough? No, not at all," Boehner said of the budget deal during a day-long House debate.

"It's going to take a lot more work to get our arms around our debt and our deficit but this budget is a positive, positive step in that direction," he added.

The pact approved on Thursday does nothing to stem the worrisome growth of the $17 trillion federal debt, but it locks in spending levels for two fiscal years, eliminating the threat of another federal shutdown until October 1, 2015.

By allowing a $63 billion increase in spending on federal agencies and discretionary programs over two years in exchange for other budget savings, it reduces the harmful effects of the across-the board sequester cuts that have hit every government program from medical research to military weapons development".

Source: Reuters

North Korea says Jang Song Thaek, uncle of leader Kim Jong Un, executed

said on Friday Jang Song Thaek, the uncle of leader Kim Jong Un and previously considered the second most powerful man in the secretive state, has been executed after a special military tribunal found him guilty of treason.

"The accused Jang brought together undesirable forces and formed a faction as the boss of a modern day factional group for a long time and thus committed such hideous crime as attempting to overthrow the state," the North's official KCNA news agency said.

The official Rodong Sinmun newspaper on Friday carried a photograph of Jang in handcuffs and being held by uniformed guards as he stood trial.

Earlier this week North Korea stripped Jang of all posts and expelled him from the ruling Workers' Party, accusing him of criminal acts including mismanagement of the state financial system, womanizing and alcohol abuse.

"From long ago, Jang had a dirty political ambition. He dared not raise his head when Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il were alive," KCNA said, referring to leader Kim's grandfather and father, who were previous rulers of the dynastic state.

"He began revealing his true colors, thinking that it was just the time for him to realize his wild ambition in the period of historic turn when the generation of the revolution was replaced."

Source: Reuters