Iraq's Next General Election to Be Held in June 2021
Arab World
Asharq Al-Awsat
Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi. (Reuters)
Iraq will hold its next general elections on June 6 of 2021, Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi announced on Friday. “I announce June 6 of 2021 as a date for the early parliament elections, and we will do our best to make this election a success,” Kadhimi said in a televised speech. Holding elections was among Kadhimi’s pledges as he was appointed to his post earlier this year. The polls are also a key demand for anti-government protests that erupted last year. Protests began on Oct. 1 and continued for several months, with hundreds of thousands of Iraqis demanding jobs, services and the removal of the ruling elite, which they said was corrupt. The protests led to the resignation of Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi, who was replaced in May by Kadhimi, a former intelligence chief.
from Asharq AL-awsat https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/2422701/iraqs-next-general-election-be-held-june-2021
Beyonce's 'Black Is King' Hopes to Shift Perception of Being Black
Entertainment
Asharq Al-Awsat
Beyonce. (AP)
Beyonce’s new visual album celebrating Black culture was greeted with rapturous reviews on Friday, arriving in the midst of a cultural reckoning about race and social justice. “Black is King,” which reimagines the story of the “The Lion King” movie with humans, is intended to “shift the global perception of the word Black,” the R&B singer said in a message marking its release. Work on the album, which features lush music videos celebrating the search for identity and Black beauty in contemporary and historical times, began a year ago. But its release on Friday followed a surge of worldwide protests about racial injustice prompted by the killings of Black men and women at the hands of US police. Variety called the album a “colorful reminder of the power and glory of Black, here in America but even more so in Africa.” The #BlackIsKing hashtag was among the top three trending items on Twitter on Friday. “We’re grateful to Beyoncé for this celebration of the Black experience,” tweeted Black culture website Essence.com. The Guardian review called it “Beyonce’s love song to the Black diaspora” and praised the involvement of African artists like Yemi Alade, Lord Afrixana and Shatta Wale. Actress Lupita Nyong’o, musician Pharrell Williams and supermodel Naomi Campbell are among other celebrities making cameo appearances. Beyonce wrote in an Instagram posting that the recent calls for social change had made the album even more relevant than she had hoped when she began working on it. “I believe that when Black people tell our own stories, we can shift the axis of the world and tell our REAL history of generational wealth and richness of soul that are not told in our history books,” she wrote. “Black is King” was released on the Disney+ streaming platform.
from Asharq AL-awsat https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/2422696/beyonces-black-king-hopes-shift-perception-being-black
Facebook Brings Official Music Videos to Users' Feed
Technology
Asharq Al-Awsat
Taylor Swift. (AP)
Facebook Inc said on Friday that its users in the United States would be able to view and share official music videos on its platform, in a move to better compete with Alphabet Inc’s video platform YouTube. Facebook, which had 2.7 billion monthly active users in the last quarter, said it inked deals with Sony Music Group, Universal Music Group, Warner Music Group among others. Universal as a group is home to Taylor Swift, Lady Gaga and Post Malone, while Sony’s big names include Beyonce, Mariah Carey and Alicia Keyes. All the three music houses boast a host of back catalogues. Bloomberg News first reported the news earlier on Friday.
from Asharq AL-awsat https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/2422666/facebook-brings-official-music-videos-users-feed
Eusebio Leal, who Oversaw Renewal of Old Havana, Dies at 77
Varieties
Asharq Al-Awsat
In this Nov. 23, 2018 file photo, Havana City Historian Eusebio Leal Spengler walks in the courtyard of the City Museum in Havana, Cuba. (AP)
Eusebio Leal Spengler, who oversaw the transformation of crumbling Old Havana to an immaculately restored colonial tourist attraction, becoming the de-facto mayor of the historic city center and one of the nation’s most prominent public intellectuals, has died. He was 77. He had been fighting cancer. Leal and his restoration efforts became so famous along the crowded streets of Havana that it often felt like he was holding court when he appeared in public, usually in his trademark, simple gray dress shirts and slacks. Elderly women would tell Leal that the water that had stopped working in their apartment was back on thanks to him. Others would lodge complaints about their living situation or praise him for reviving Old Havana. “To call it reconstruction of something that seemed dead and buried may draw dirty looks and dismissals that ours is a romantic crusade,” Leal wrote in a city bulletin in 2010. “But if that were the case, we wouldn’t feel embarrassed to be seen as romantics in times that are so apocalyptic.” Born in Havana on Sept. 11, 1942, Leal earned a doctorate in historical sciences from the University of Havana, honing his skills as an intellectual entrepreneur who recognized that the resurrection of the city’s historic district could be a moneymaker. That became especially important when communist Cuba embraced foreign tourism en masse after the disbanding of the Soviet Union and the loss of its billions of dollars in annual subsidies to the island brought the economy to the brink of total collapse. After a series of nationwide economic reforms and the Dec. 2014 declaration of detente with the US, Leal’s government-driven restoration of Old Havana gained momentum with the opening of hundreds of private businesses from elegant restaurant to art galleries that filled with tourists as visits to the country soared. The boom raised worries about gentrification as expatriate Cubans or those with ties to foreign capital bought out longtime residents and turned their homes into businesses. Leal spoke little about the new phenomenon, but consistently argued for respecting Old Havana’s past without being trapped by it. “I’ve always spoken out against the mummification of the city,” he said in 2016. “It wouldn’t be wise to show off the past under glass.” In 1967, Leal became city historian, replacing his mentor, Emilio Roig de Leushenring. He oversaw the reconstruction of the old municipal government building on the stately Plaza de Armas, then used a mix of charisma and diplomacy to get all of Old Havana designated as a UNESCO world heritage site in 1982. That distinction brought international funding to revitalize the area, but Leal was also granted unprecedented autonomy by government superiors, allowing him to levy taxes in the neighborhood and keep the profits his projects generated to reinvest in new rebuilding efforts. Leal was a member of Cuba’s parliament, but enjoyed more power serving on the Central Committee of the Communist Party. It was not uncommon for him to travel to the airport to greet arriving foreign heads of state, as well as oversee public political and cultural events. By February 2008, Leal’s name was mentioned as a candidate for major promotion when Raul Castro succeeded Fidel as Cuba’s president — especially given the city historian’s generally moderate political views. Instead, Leal stayed at the helm of Old Havana, the heart of a city founded in 1519 by the Spanish. Once ringed by a city wall, the historic district is a mix of Baroque and neoclassical monuments, crammed up against colonial-style homes and apartment buildings with balconies and courtyards — most of which was decaying since Castro’s government couldn’t afford the upkeep. Before Leal’s work, Old Havana had become a tangled collection of dark streets, winding past buildings in ruins, many propped up by poles to prevent their collapse. While pockets of open decay can still be found, they are now outnumbered by the regally restored plazas and colonial structures. Leal rebuilt tourist-friendly sites such as El Floridita, frequented by Ernest Hemingway, and another famous watering hole, El Bodeguita del Medio. He oversaw restoration of some of the faded facade of the Malecon, the city’s famous seawall, and El Morro, the Spanish fort that guards the entrance to Havana Harbor. Leal’s office also returned many restored buildings to their original functions, such as refurbished docks and tourist sites focused on specific themes — like the El Conde de Villanueva, a hotel that caters to cigar aficionados. Today, Old Havana’s cobblestone streets are jammed with art galleries and museums, churches, shady parks and alleyways reminiscent of Rome or Barcelona. Leal’s office refurbished more than 300 buildings, and maintenance crews ensure restored structures don’t lose their splendor despite unrelenting tropical sunlight, sea-air humidity and coastal flooding that punishes all Havana infrastructure. Leal won many international awards, including Spain’s International Queen Sofia Prize for restoration in 2007. One of his largest projects was the restoration of the domed Capitol building to become the seat of the Cuban parliament as it was before Cuba’s 1959 revolution. Part of the rebuilding effort also created nursing homes and dining rooms for government workers, as well as daycare centers, schools and drug rehabilitation clinics. Thousands of Cubans were forced from their tenament-like homes to make room for rehabilitation projects, but Leal said none were displaced without being offered comparable places to live. But the on-the-surface charm of Leal’s efforts belied the problems of Cubans who live in grinding poverty mere blocks from tourist areas. Indeed, islanders call Old Havana “the Vatican” since the streets are kept especially clean and free of petty thefts and small crime so as not to spook tourists. Even the power lines have been laid underground, meaning the neighborhood is spared many of the frequent power outages that plague the rest of the city. When the New York Times wrote a largely favorable 2007 article saying that Leal’s work had far more aesthetic benefits than real value for Old Havana residents, a visibly angry city historian organized a press conference to denounce the article, the reporter who wrote it and the newspaper. “The question is, ‘Isn’t culture a positive? Isn’t the state of (Cuban) culture a positive?’” Leal demanded to know.
from Asharq AL-awsat https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/2422661/eusebio-leal-who-oversaw-renewal-old-havana-dies-77
Moscow Demands that Belarus Free 33 Detained Russians
World
Asharq Al-Awsat
Belarus' President Alexander Lukashenko. (Reuters)
The Kremlin demanded Friday that Belarus quickly release 33 Russian private security contractors it detained on terrorism charges, dismissing accusations of plots during the Belarus presidential campaign as bogus. The allegations represent an unprecedented escalation of tensions between Russia and neighboring Belarus, traditionally close allies, as Belarus' President Alexander Lukashenko seeks a sixth term in the Aug. 9 election. Belarusian officials said the employees of private Russian military contractor Wagner, who were detained Wednesday, are facing a criminal probe on charges of plotting terror attacks in Belarus amid the country’s presidential election campaign. The Ukrainian authorities, meanwhile, said Friday they will ask Belarus to hand over 28 of the detainees on charges of fighting alongside Russia-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine. The Wagner company is linked to Yevgeny Prigozhin, a Russian businessman who was indicted in the United States for meddling in the 2016 US presidential election. The firm has allegedly deployed hundreds of military contractors to eastern Ukraine, Syria and Libya. Independent observers and opposition supporters in Belarus see the detention of the Russians as part of the authoritarian Lukashenko’s efforts to shore up sagging public support. The Kremlin, which first reacted cautiously to Belarus' move, toughened its stance Friday. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia expects Belarus to quickly free the detainees. “The unwarranted detention of the 33 Russian citizens doesn't fit into the framework of the allied relations,” Peskov said during a conference call with reporters. “We expect our Belarusian allies to clear up this incident immediately and release our citizens.” Peskov said members of a Russian security firm were en route to an unspecified country and were detained after missing a connecting flight to Istanbul at the Belarusian capital of Minsk's airport. “They have done nothing wrong and carried no illegal items,” he added. The Russian Embassy in Minsk said Friday that Belarusian authorities met its demand for consular access to the detainees. Experts say Belarus long has provided a transit corridor for sensitive Russian operations abroad. Lukashenko now appears to be trying to use a routine Russian deployment for his own political gain. Throughout his 26 years as president, Lukashenko, a former collective farm director, has relied on Russian subsidies to keep the nation’s Soviet-style economy running but resisted Moscow’s push for closer integration of the neighboring nations. He frequently accused the Kremlin of harboring plans to incorporate Belarus with Russia and vowed to resist them. The 65-year-old Belarusian leader is campaigning to retain his post amid a wave of opposition protests driven by weariness and anger over his iron-fisted rule and the bruising economic damage from the coronavirus pandemic. Belarus election officials have blocked his two main challengers from being registered to run against him. One of them has been jailed on what supporters call fake charges. The other fled to Russia with his children after alleged reports from security officials that he would be arrested and his children would be taken away. The opposition has united behind another candidate, Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, the wife of a jailed opposition blogger. On Thursday, Belarus’ Investigative Committee linked the detained Russians to her husband as part of a criminal investigation into alleged preparations for staging “mass riots.” Speaking Thursday at a rally in Minsk that drew tens of thousands in the biggest demonstration since the start of the presidential campaign, Tikhanovskaya dismissed the charges against her husband as a crude fabrication.
from Asharq AL-awsat https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/2422656/moscow-demands-belarus-free-33-detained-russians
Stroll Quickest at 2nd British GP Practice; Vettel Struggles
Sports
Asharq Al-Awsat
Lance Stroll led the second practice for the British Grand Prix. (AP)
Lance Stroll led the second practice for the British Grand Prix on Friday while struggling Ferrari had another bad day, with Sebastian Vettel spending most of it stuck in the team garage. Stroll finished fourth at the Hungarian GP two weeks ago for Racing Point, which uses Mercedes engines and has been showing good pace this season. Red Bull driver Alexander Albon had the second-fastest time — .09 behind Stroll — but later crashed. Valtteri Bottas was third for Mercedes, ahead of Ferrari's Charles Leclerc and Mercedes teammate Lewis Hamilton. “There's a lot of heat coming from the cockpit,” the championship leader Hamilton said right at the end of a session held amid hot and humid conditions. Stroll's unexpected teammate Nico Hulkenberg was seventh after filling in at the last minute for Sergio Perez, who tested positive for the coronavirus following a trip back home to Mexico. Vettel did finally get out on track but was a lowly 18th, about 1.6 seconds slower than Stroll. Vettel sat out the first session without setting a time because of a problem with the car's intercooling system. Ferrari mechanics stripped the car down to get it ready for the afternoon, but after 30 minutes the four-time F1 champion was back for repairs as the team changed his pedals. Vettel stood at the back of the garage with his helmet perched on top of his head and a forlorn look on his face. Ferrari is enduring a difficult season, with Vettel picking up only nine points from the first three races with a best finish of sixth in Hungary. The second session was interrupted half way through when Albon spun off the track and slammed backward into the crash barrier. He was unharmed and climbed out. The red flag came out while debris was cleared and the drivers were held up for about 10 minutes. Time was of the essence for Hulkenberg, who only got the call the day before and was confirmed as the replacement shortly before the session began. The veteran German driver had previously raced for the team when it was known as Force India and adapted quickly. “He did 45 minutes in the simulator this morning,” team principal Otmar Szafnauer said. “He knows the team really well, he knows the engineers.” Szafnauer is not sure if Perez can reclaim his seat for next weekend's race, which is also being held at Silverstone. “At this point we don’t know, we still don’t know if England will ask him to quarantine for seven days or 10 days,” Szafnauer said, referring to local health and safety protocols. Verstappen set the fastest time in the first practice and was nearly half a second quicker than Hamilton, although he was on quicker tires than Hamilton, with Stroll third. There is a third practice on Saturday ahead of qualifying in the afternoon, where Hamilton will aim for a record-extending 91st pole position. The six-time world champion has won the British GP a record six times and is only five wins away from matching Michael Schumacher's F1 record of 91 wins.
from Asharq AL-awsat https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/2422651/stroll-quickest-2nd-british-gp-practice-vettel-struggles
Alan Parker, Director of ‘Midnight Express,’ Dies at 76
Entertainment
Asharq Al-Awsat
British film director Alan Parker poses with his BAFTA fellowship award during the annual BAFTA British Academy Film Awards at the Royal Opera House in London, UK, on February 10, 2013. (AFP)
Filmmaker Alan Parker, one of Britain's most successful directors whose movies included “Bugsy Malone,” “Midnight Express” and “Evita,” has died at 76, his family said. Parker's diverse body of work includes “Fame,” Mississippi Burning, “The Commitments and “Angela’s Ashes.” Together his movies won 10 Academy Awards and 19 British Academy Film Awards. In a statement, the family said Parker died Friday in London after a long illness. Parker was born in London in in 1944 and, like many other aspiring British directors including Ridley Scott, began his career in advertising. He moved into television with critically acclaimed 1974 drama “The Evacuees,” which won an international Emmy Award. The next year he wrote and directed his first feature, “Bugsy Malone,” an unusual and exuberant musical pastiche of gangster films with a cast of children, including a young Jodie Foster. He followed that with “Midnight Express,” the story based on an American’s harrowing incarceration in a Turkish prison. It won two Oscars and gained Parker a best-director nomination. Parker ranged widely across subjects and genres. “Shoot the Moon” was a family drama, “Angel Heart” an occult thriller and “Mississippi Burning” a powerful civil rights drama that was nominated for seven Academy Awards. Parker was a notable director of musicals, a genre he both embraced and expanded. “Fame” was a gritty but celebratory story of life at a performing arts high school; “Pink Floyd — the Wall” was a surreal rock opera; “The Commitments” charted a ramshackle Dublin soul band; and “Evita” cast Madonna as Argentine first lady Eva Peron in a big-screen version of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical. Parker also championed Britain’s film industry, serving as the chairman of the British Film Institute and the UK Film Council. He was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 2002. Fellow director David Puttnam said Parker “was my oldest and closest friend – I was always in awe of his talent. My life, and those of many others who loved and respected him will never be the same again.” He is survived by his wife Lisa Moran-Parker, his children Lucy, Alexander, Jake, Nathan and Henry, and seven grandchildren.
from Asharq AL-awsat https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/2422646/alan-parker-director-%E2%80%98midnight-express%E2%80%99-dies-76
Amazon to Invest $10 Bn in Space-Based Internet System
Technology
Asharq Al-Awsat
Amazon says it will invest $10 billion for its planned space-based internet delivery system. (AFP)
Amazon says it will invest $10 billion for its planned space-based internet delivery system after winning US regulatory approval to deploy more than 3,000 low-orbit satellites. The US tech giant said on Thursday it is moving forward with its Project Kuiper, one of several systems planned to bring internet to customers without land-based connections. Project Kuiper aims to deliver satellite-based broadband services in the United States, and eventually around the world, and may offer connectively for wireless carriers and 5G networks. Amazon offer no timetable for the project but said it would begin deployment of its 3,236 satellites after the Federal Communications Commission approved the project. "We have heard so many stories lately about people who are unable to do their job or complete schoolwork because they don't have reliable internet at home," said Amazon senior vice president Dave Limp. "There are still too many places where broadband access is unreliable or where it doesn't exist at all. Kuiper will change that. Our $10 billion investment will create jobs and infrastructure around the United States that will help us close this gap." Project Kuiper seeks to deliver high-speed broadband service to places beyond the reach of traditional fiber or wireless networks, including disaster relief. It will be aimed at individual households, as well as schools, hospitals, businesses and other organizations. An Amazon statement said the project also aims to "deliver an affordable customer terminal that will make fast, reliable broadband accessible to communities around the world." Kuiper is one of several projects to deliver internet from space begun over the past decades. Elon Musk's SpaceX and British-based OneWeb, which filed for bankruptcy earlier this year, are working on similar projects.
from Asharq AL-awsat https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/2422641/amazon-invest-10-bn-space-based-internet-system
High-Speed Train Crash in Portugal Kills Two, Injures 37
World
Asharq Al-Awsat
Subway trains at the Olaias metro station in Lisbon. (Getty Images)
A crash between a high-speed train and a maintenance machine in central Portugal killed two people and injured at least 37 on Friday, the national relief operations authority CNOS said. A spokesman for CNOS told Reuters two medical helicopters, as well as more than 160 rescue personnel, including firefighters, were at the scene. There were 212 passengers on board the Alfa Pendular train, the country’s fastest, the spokesman said, adding that among those injured, 30 had minor injuries and seven were seriously hurt. The crash happened in the town of Soure, around 30 kilometers (18 miles) from the central city of Coimbra. The town’s mayor Mario Nunes said the two dead were working on the rail tracks when the crash took place. The train driver was among seven people with serious injuries and was rushed to hospital, SIC Television reported. A spokeswoman for the District Command of Relief Operations in Coimbra said more emergency services were on their way to the scene, where a field hospital was set up. In a note shared on its official website, Portugal’s President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa said he “regrets the serious rail accident” and sent “heartfelt condolences” to the victims’ relatives and friends.
from Asharq AL-awsat https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/2422636/high-speed-train-crash-portugal-kills-two-injures-37
Pop stars Ariana Grande and Lady Gaga led a girl power list of nominations on Thursday for the MTV Video Music Awards, which added two new categories to reflect how musicians are responding to the coronavirus pandemic. Grande and Gaga got nine nominations each, mostly from their dancey collaboration “Rain on Me” whose nods included best video, song and collaboration of the year. Gaga, John Legend, Post Malone and DJ D-Nice all won nominations in the special best quarantine performance category for their appearances earlier this year on a series of virtual concerts, fundraisers and social media events. Grande’s first duet with Justin Bieber, “Stuck with U,” was nominated in the new best music video from home field, along with Drake’s “Tootsie Slide,” Legend’s “Bigger Love” and “Level of Concern” from Twenty One Pilots. Billie Eilish, who swept the Grammy awards in January, won six VMA nominations in a lineup dominated by women, including rapper Megan Thee Stallion, Dua Lipa and Taylor Swift. However, both Grande and Eilish were overlooked in the coveted artist of the year race, which is comprised of Gaga, Megan Thee Stallion, Post Malone, The Weeknd, Bieber and DaBaby. Winners are chosen by fans who vote online. The VMA show, known for its surprises and irreverent vibe, is due to take place live in physical form at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center arena on Aug. 30. MTV said last month that some VMA performances would take place at unspecified New York landmarks and that social distancing and limits on capacity would be enforced at the 19,000-seat indoor venue.
from Asharq AL-awsat https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/2422626/mtvs-vmas-honor-coronavirus-shutdown-music
South Africa Produces Its First Ventilators to Fight COVID-19
World
Asharq Al-Awsat
A health worker walks between beds at a temporary field hospital set up by Medecins Sans Frontieres, in Khayelitsha township near Cape Town, South Africa, on July 21, 2020. Photo: Mike Hutchings/Reuters
The first of thousands of South African-designed ventilators rolled off a Cape Town assembly line on Friday, responding to requests from hospitals needing them for severe COVID-19 cases but unable to get them on global markets, officials said. Poorly resourced hospitals across Africa, which is nearing a million cases of COVID-19 -- more than half of them in South Africa -- have struggled to cope with a burgeoning case load amid a global scramble favoring richer nations in procuring ventilators and protective gear. South Africa, which now has the world's fifth highest infection burden of around 482,169 confirmed cases, launched a 250 million rand ($14.80 million) project in April to make them here. "Today the first batch of completed ventilators are coming off the assembly line, part of an initial order of 10,000 units," Ebrahim Patel, the trade and industry minister, said during a COVID-19 conference. He added that 20,000 would be built in total. Based on the clinical experience of COVID-19 epicenters such as China, Britain and the United States, the government decided that the production of non-invasive Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) devices would have the greatest chance of saving lives in South Africa, Patel said. Ventilators are used to supply oxygen to the lungs of severely ill patients, who make up around 5% of overall cases. Each CPAP device consists of some 30 separately manufactured components, he said, adding that final assembly currently takes place at the Cape Town factory of medical supplies firm Akacia Medical ahead of distribution to hospitals across the country. "There is a worldwide shortage and extraordinary demand on some of the components," Peter Brierley, operations director at Akacia Medical, told Reuters. The company only this week managed to find a local machine shop able to make vital "peep valves" which help control the pressure in the device and allow the patient to exhale, he said.
from Asharq AL-awsat https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/2422426/south-africa-produces-its-first-ventilators-fight-covid-19
Darfur Violence Cuts Healthcare, Food Aid to 14,000 Children
Arab World
Asharq Al-Awsat
Save the Children closes facilities providing health services and food for 14,000 children in Sudan's Darfur region because of violence | AFP
A wave of violence in Sudan's Darfur region has forced Save the Children to close facilities providing health services and food for 14,000 children, the charity said Friday. The move came after hundreds of armed men attacked Masteri, a town largely inhabited by farmers from non-Arab minority groups, killing more than 60 people and wounding dozens. Save the Children, which said five children were among the dead, announced the temporary closure of two health facilities and its field office in Masteri, cutting off "more than 14,000 children from life-saving health services". "The health facilities were the only two centers which provided health and nutrition services for children in the area," it said. The attack sparked panic in Masteri and nearby villages. The United Nations humanitarian coordination office OCHA said around 10,000 people had fled towards the town of El-Geneina and another 1,000 had crossed the border into Chad. Conflict struck Darfur in 2003 when ethnic minority rebels took up arms against then-president Omar al-Bashir, citing marginalization and discrimination. Khartoum responded with a scorched-earth campaign that left 300,000 people dead and displaced 2.5 million. Violence in Darfur had eased since Bashir's ouster by the army amid mass protests against his rule last year, and after an interim deal between the transitional government and rebel groups. But recent weeks had seen a surge as long-displaced farmers returned to their land. On Sunday, Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok said security forces would be deployed to the arid western region to protect residents and allow the farming season to go ahead. Arshad Malik, Save the Children's Sudan director, called on Khartoum to investigate the killings and bring those responsible to justice. "It is indefensible that children have been killed and wounded in the violence, and our thoughts go out to their families," he said. "If the centres are not reopened soon, children's lives will be put at further risk. With already 1.1 million children facing hunger in Sudan, this conflict can only increase the number of children in need."
from Asharq AL-awsat https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/2422416/darfur-violence-cuts-healthcare-food-aid-14000-children
Sports Fans No Longer Allowed at Pilot Events in England
Sports
Asharq Al-Awsat
Fans are seen sitting apart in the stands during the friendly cricket match at the Oval, London, Monday, July 27, 2020. Spectators have been allowed into a sporting event in England for the first time since March when coronavirus prevention measures were tested at a cricket match between Surrey and Middlesex at The Oval ahead of a planned wider reopening of stadiums in October. (Adam Davy/PA via AP)
Spectators will no longer be allowed to attend sporting events in England after concerns about a rise in coronavirus infections forced the government to delay the partial reopening of venues until at least Aug. 15. Small groups of fans were due to attend horse racing, cricket and snooker in the coming days as part of pilot events with coronavirus prevention measures but British Prime Minister Boris Johnson reversed course on Friday. "Very disappointing news that with rise in infection rates we cannot press ahead with sports pilots with fans this weekend I know the huge efforts cricket, snooker & horseracing have made to welcome fans back," Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden tweeted. "We´ll keep working together on their safe return asap." A cricket match in London between Surrey and Middlesex at The Oval was attended by up to 1,000 people earlier this week, with a two-seat gap between family groups of a maximum of six. Two further cricket matches in London and Birmingham were due to be part of the government scheme piloting the return of fans ahead of a planned wider re-opening of venues from October. "We understand this is disappointing for supporters who have waited a long time to see their clubs in action," the England and Wales Cricket Board said in a statement. "However, we understand the reasons the government has made this decision, and remain ready to work with them to ensure supporters can safely return to stadiums when government advice allows." As Johnson made the announcement from Downing Street, some spectators were already in place at the world snooker championship in Sheffield in northern England. The Glorious Goodwood horse racing festival on Saturday was also due to be part of the scheme with 4,000 spectators allowed. "We understand that concern about the national infection rate is the primary reason," the British Horseracing Authority said, "and as a result all pilots of larger crowds in sporting venues will be postponed until at least Aug. 15." The government also scrapped plans to allow venues such as casinos, bowling alleys and skating rinks to open on Monday. Scientists say they are no longer confident the R number, which measures how many people each infected person passes the disease on to, is below 1 in England. A number above 1 means the virus will exponentially spread. The Irish Cup final was still due to be staged on Friday night with up to 500 fans at Windsor Park in Belfast because the decision rests with the Northern Ireland Executive rather than the Westminster-based British government.
from Asharq AL-awsat https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/2422401/sports-fans-no-longer-allowed-pilot-events-england
22 Migrant Kids With Medical Needs Go to Germany From Greece
World
Asharq Al-Awsat
Photo: REUTERS
Another 22 children with medical needs who have been living in migrant camps in Greece arrived in Germany on Friday along with their close relatives, the German government said. In all, 90 people were on board a flight that landed at Berlin's Schoenefeld airport, the interior ministry said. It added that 46 of them were from Afghanistan and 18 from Syria, while the rest were Iraqis, Palestinians, Somalis, Congolese and Cameroonians. They will be shared out among several German states. Friday's transfer is part of a wider effort to get hundreds of vulnerable children out of camps on the Greek islands, and comes a week after 18 children and their families - 83 people in all - were flown to Kassel, in central Germany. Germany says it has agreed to take in a total of 243 children "who need medical treatment" from Greece, as well their closest relatives, 928 people in all. In April, a group of 47 unaccompanied children evacuated from the overcrowded Greek camps landed in Germany. Luxembourg and Portugal also have taken in minors from Greece, and other European Union countries have agreed to, as well, in principle.
from Asharq AL-awsat https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/2422391/22-migrant-kids-medical-needs-go-germany-greece
Afghans Flock to Mosques for Eid Prayers as Truce Begins
World
Asharq Al-Awsat
Hundreds of Afghans went to mosques across Kabul to mark the festival of Eid al-Adha, as a ceasefire between Taliban and government forces began | AFP
Afghans flocked to mosques Friday to mark the Muslim festival of Eid al-Adha as a three-day ceasefire between Taliban and government forces began, with many hoping it will lead to peace talks and the end of nearly two decades of conflict. A car bomb that killed at least 17 people in the country's east just hours before the ceasefire started underlined the scale of the challenge ahead, although the Taliban denied any involvement. The halt in fighting is slated to last for the duration of Eid al-Adha and is only the third official truce in nearly 19 years of war. "We want a permanent ceasefire from the Taliban as they are the ones who paved the way for other terrorist groups to operate in Afghanistan," Mohammad Tahir, a taxi driver, told AFP after offering Eid prayers at a Kabul mosque. As the ceasefire commenced, hundreds of worshippers went to mosques across the capital where they were patted down by armed guards before going inside. Crowds of worshippers also prayed at mosques in the eastern city of Jalalabad which has seen many deadly attacks over the years. "Previously, we were not attending Eid prayers in large numbers for fear of suicide attacks," Jalalabad resident Wala Jan told AFP after praying at a local mosque. There were no immediate reports of any fighting in the country. President Ashraf Ghani and the Taliban have both signaled that peace talks could begin straight after Eid, and there are widespread calls for the warring parties to extend the ceasefire. Under a deal signed by the Taliban and the US in February, "intra-Afghan" talks were slated to start in March, but were delayed amid political infighting in Kabul and as a contentious prisoner exchange dragged on. That swap will see Kabul free 5,000 Taliban fighters, while the insurgents claimed late Thursday they had fulfilled their pledge to release 1,000 government forces. In an Eid speech, Ghani said another 500 prisoners will be released during the festival in a bid to "accelerate the peace talks". However, the 500 inmates are not on the original list of 5,000 demanded by the Taliban. Kabul authorities have already freed 4,600 of those prisoners but are hesitating over the final 400, deeming them too dangerous. Ghani said he did "not have the right" to take a decision on the release of the 400 who are accused of "serious crimes" -- including sexual violence, robbery and stoning women to death -- adding that a gathering of Afghan elders would decide their fate. The Taliban, who have insisted on the release of those 400 militants, did not immediately comment. - 'Taliban should surrender' - US special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad, who led negotiations with the Taliban, is currently visiting regional players including Ghani in Kabul to push for a ceasefire extension. Since signing the February deal, the Taliban have largely refrained from attacking cities and have not hit US troops. But they have conducted near-daily attacks on Afghan forces and civilians. Highlighting the recent toll, Ghani this week said more than 3,500 Afghan troops and nearly 800 civilians had been killed since the deal was signed. The UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan has blamed the Taliban for the bulk of civilian casualties during the first half of 2020. "We want extension of ceasefire so that bloodshed ends... We have suffered from the conflict for the last 40 years," Sharif Ahmad, a shopkeeper, told AFP after offering Eid prayers. Many Afghans are leery about what comes next. After two previous truces -- in 2018 and May this year -- the Taliban immediately returned to the battlefield. "If they want peace then they should surrender their arms and hold immediate talks with the Afghan government," Kabul resident Farhad Habibi wrote in a Facebook post. Thursday's car bomb exploded as crowds shopped ahead of Eid in the city of Puli Alam in Logar province. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said the blast had "nothing to do" with the insurgents.
from Asharq AL-awsat https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/2422376/afghans-flock-mosques-eid-prayers-truce-begins
German Defense Minister: Planned US Withdrawal 'Regrettable'
World
Asharq Al-Awsat
German Defense Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer speaks prior to the weekly cabinet meeting at the Chancellery in Berlin, Germany, Wednesday, July 8, 2020. (AP Photo/Michael Sohn, pool)
The German government's reaction so far to the US decision has been restrained. Still, Rolf Muetzenich, a senior figure in the governing coalition's junior party, the center-left Social Democrats, suggested that "armaments cooperation will have to be evaluated in a new light." Muetzenich, the head of the party's parliamentary group, told the daily Sueddeutsche Zeitung that "capriciousness and pressure" could not be "the basis for working together in partnership." His comments drew criticism from Chancellor Angela Merkel's center-right party. Lawmaker Roderich Kiesewetter told news agency dpa that "there is no adequate and affordable replacement so far" in Europe for the US defense industry's high-tech products. He argued that there also are checks and balances on Trump in the US. Another lawmaker, Henning Otte, said the Social Democrats shouldn't talk up "further alienation within the alliance." Part of the plan announced by US Defense Secretary Mark Esper includes moving the headquarters of US European Command to Mons, Belgium from Stuttgart, Germany . Esper said the Pentagon was also looking into moving U.S. Africa Command out of the German city. Africa Command said in a statement Friday that it "has been told to plan to move" and has started doing so, though added it would "likely take several months to develop options, consider locations, and come to a decision." Africa Command, which was established in Stuttgart in 2008 after being unable to find a location in Africa, said it would "first look at options elsewhere in Europe, but will also consider options in the United States" for its new home. Share or comment on this article: German defense minister: Planned US withdrawal...
from Asharq AL-awsat https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/2422346/german-defense-minister-planned-us-withdrawal-regrettable
The Winners and Losers in the Championship This Season
Sports
London- Martin Laurence
The agony and ecstasy of life in the Championship. Composite: Getty, Shutterstock, PA
The final night of Championship action – for the regular season at least – promised to be a dramatic one. It exceeded all expectations, turning into an emotional rollercoaster for so many clubs. With three teams fighting for the last automatic promotion spot, three aiming for the play-offs and eight battling against relegation, all but one of the 12 games on the night had something riding on it. Ultimately, West Bromwich Albion secured promotion despite failing to win any of their last four matches; Nottingham Forest somehow conspired to lose their seemingly secure play-off spot to Swansea; and both Charlton and Wigan (as things stand) succumbed to the drop. The winners and losers of the final day are painstakingly obvious, but what about the season as a whole? The winners Leeds (obviously) Their mid-season wobble sparked fears of a repeat of their collapse last season, but Leeds were more mentally tough than their rivals in the end. Twelve wins and just one defeat from their last 14 matches meant they won the title by 10 points. The team ethos that the magnificent Marcelo Bielsa has built offers them a real platform for success in the Premier League. While there have been impressive individual performances throughout the team, there is no reliance on one man and there is a level of competition within the squad that suggests major work in the summer is not necessary. Leeds have clearly been the best team in the division yet only one of their players – Luke Ayling – makes it into our statistical team of the season. This has been a team effort. Saïd Benrahma Brentford blew their hopes of automatic promotion with back-to-back defeats in their last two games, but Saïd Benrahma will undoubtedly be playing top-flight football next season. The top scorer in the league post-lockdown, with seven goals taking his tally to 17 in total, the Algerian has caught the eye at various clubs, including Chelsea, in his second season in England. To say he is the Lionel Messi of the Championship is probably a slight stretch, but comparisons to his compatriot Riyad Mahrez are merited given his flair, creativity and confidence. There were some really exciting attacking performers throughout the Championship campaign – Matheus Pereira at West Brom and Eberechi Eze at QPR in particular – but Benrahma finished top of our ratings. He was among the top five players in the league for shots, dribbles and key passes. Gerhard Struber Gerhard Struber took the reins at Oakwell when Barnsley were bottom of the league with just one win from 16 matches. It was his first job outside of his native Austria and it looked like an impossible task. Fast forward to the final day and a 91st-minute winner at promotion-chasing Brentford has seemingly secured the club their second-tier status – pending the result of Wigan’s appeal against a 12-point deduction. It was the club’s 11th league win in 30 matches under Struber. If the campaign had started when he arrived, they would have finished 13th – just seven points shy of the play-offs. Barnsley looked so out of their depth before Struber joined but the 43-year-old masterminded a remarkable turnaround. He made the team more aggressive –they rank top in the Championship for tackles – but also a passing game that meant they averaged 54.3% of possession since his appointment. His work will not have gone unnoticed. The losers Charlton Following an unexpectedly strong start to the campaign, very little seemed to go Charlton’s way. Their early-season form quickly fell away and Lee Bowyer’s side were their own worst enemies, conceding nine times in second-half stoppage time alone. They dropped so many points over the season, the most pivotal of which was in the 93rd minute of a 1-1 draw at fellow strugglers Birmingham last week. They lost some some of their best players from last season, including Karlan Grant, Patrick Bauer, Anfernee Dijksteel, Joe Aribo and loanee Krystian Bielik, and that trend continued into this season. Chelsea decided that it was best for his development that the talented Conor Gallagher switch to Swansea in January, while top scorer Lyle Taylor refused to play after lockdown as he was worried about picking up an injury and ruining his chances of a transfer this summer. The Charlton fans continue to be put through the mill. Jack Butland When Stoke managed to retain their prized assets last summer after their relegation from the Premier League, they would have expected a quick return to the Premier League. Jack Butland was chief among those players who stuck around. He was a target for Aston Villa, among other clubs, but Stoke stood firm, demanding a big asking price for their keeper, and he stayed. The Potters may well wish they had cashed in now. It has been a dismal season for the England international, whose reputation and market value has plummeted. He was deemed too good for the Championship at the start of the season. Not any more. He ended the campaign as our lowest ranked player with at least 30 appearances. His save success rate of just 56.8% was the second worst in the division and he made five errors that led to opposition goals before being dropped. Stoke’s win rate rose from 31.4% in the keeper’s 35 starts to 45.5% when he didn’t play. The team conceded 0.51 goals per game fewer without him. That big-money move suddenly looks a long way off. Jonathan Woodgate It’s harsh to focus on a rookie coach in his first senior job, but Jonathan Woodgate’s managerial career got off to a dismal start at Middlesbrough. He supported the club as a boy and was a fan favourite as a player, but he could not count on the same support by the time of his sacking. Woodgate was replaced after a 3-0 defeat to Swansea in June, by which time the club were sitting above the relegation zone by virtue of goal difference after 38 matches. The football Middlesbrough played under Woodgate’s predecessor Tony Pulis was not pretty but, after finishing fifth and seventh in the table, the results were downright ugly under Woodgate. No side had won fewer games than Boro at the time of his departure. They were also the league’s lowest scorers, with just 37 goals. Fearing a second relegation in four years, the board returned to the tried (and tried) and tested Neil Warnock, who oversaw four wins from eight matches to guide the club to safety. (The Guardian)
from Asharq AL-awsat https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/2422326/winners-and-losers-championship-season
Don't Blame Liverpool and Leeds Fans for Celebrating Outside Their Stadiums
Sports
London- Barry Glendenning
Don't Blame Liverpool and Leeds Fans for Celebrating Outside Their Stadiums
If only they had known. If only there had been some kind of clue. A recent precedent from which they might have learned a thing or two. A well-documented and much-traduced pandemic-unfriendly, massed gathering of jubilant football fans outside an Anfield-sized, Anfield-shaped football stadium called Anfield, for example. If only. Then maybe, just maybe, the decision-makers at Premier League HQ would have seen incontrovertible evidence that might have helped them to decide upon doing the decent thing. To realise that, in the interests of public health during a global pandemic, staging a trophy presentation inside an Anfield-sized, Anfield-shaped football stadium called Anfield may very well lead to identical scenes. Contrary to the hoary old saw about football without fans being nothing, we have learned in recent weeks that, while far from perfect, it is sometimes marginally better than no football at all. By contrast, trophy handovers without fans, specifically the kind conducted by a couple of men wearing surgical masks, really are nothing if not weird and fecklessly irresponsible on the part of those who gave the go-ahead for them to take place. At some point while looping his bit of PPE kit around his ears, did it not occur to the Premier League chief executive, Richard Masters, that what he was about to do alongside Kenny Dalglish was a terrible idea? He did not need the evidence of the ribald crowd scenes outside Anfield on the night Liverpool’s players won the league in absentia to know a fair old throng of locals would convene when their heroes turned up to collect the silverware. He had it anyway but chose to ignore it, while at Elland Road similar scenes of health-endangering public jubilation unfolded under the banner of the notoriously hapless blazers who run the Football League. In Leeds it was worse, the club everyone used to love to hate but now quite likes having parked a stationary open-top bus outside Elland Road, all the better for their triumphant players to commune with an alarming number of socially undistanced and overjoyed fans who had been repeatedly urged to stay away because – checks official club statement – it would “assist dispersal should a crowd congregate at Elland Road”. No, really. They wrote that. Both sets of fans deserve some sympathy. They have endured long and painful spells in their own particular purgatories and in the case of the former, who in all honesty can blame them for flying in the face of government guidelines and the law to celebrate yet again? These supporters have suffered a fabled 30-year title drought during which the only Premier League trophy they saw presented at Anfield was immediately whisked away on the Blackburn team bus. They are entitled and should be encouraged to enjoy the ceremony that officially marked its conclusion. It is their enablers who deserve our bah-humbuggish opprobrium. While those gathered outside Anfield were having an undeniably good time in the company of like-minded individuals basking in their team being presented with the Premier League trophy, they would probably have had even more fun if they could have actually seen the moment Jordan Henderson hoisted it skywards in the flesh. Another good reason, perhaps, why the Premier League could have considered postponing their presentation until the occasion of the big knees-up Jürgen Klopp has assured Liverpool supporters they will all be able to enjoy together “when this bullshit virus is gone”. It is perhaps also worth noting Klopp’s mooted party would almost certainly take place a whole lot sooner rather than later if the brains trust at the Premier League and their Football League counterparts had resisted the urge to stage trophy presentations for the benefit of TV cameras that were always going to prompt the kind of illegal mass gatherings in which any bullshit virus worth its salt will inevitably thrive. We have not yet experienced a potentially devastating second wave of infections, but there is no guarantee they are not coming. No laws were broken in handing out glittering prizes in the weirdly sterile and empty bio-domes that are depressingly empty football stadiums during a global pandemic, but in doing so the blazers tacitly encouraged those who couldn’t resist the urge to have some small peripheral presence at the occasions to put themselves and others at risk. In terms of those all important optics, Wednesday night’s festivities in Liverpool and Leeds were anything but a good look for the administrators of the leagues both teams won. But what about the beaches? Eh? And the parks? Why do football and those who follow it invariably find themselves in the firing line when so many others are equally culpable of further endangering public health? They are fair questions and ones worth asking if you subscribe to the bizarre but apparently widely held notion that football fans only like football, beach-goers only like sun, sea and sand, and never the twain shall meet. Well, guess what? A lot of folk have a variety of different interests, including football and beach-going, so it is hardly a massive leap to suggest the intersection of the particular Venn diagram in which both sets feature is decidedly large. While those gathered outside Anfield and Elland Road are undeniably football fans, they are also people; some of whom can’t be trusted and who wouldn’t be human if they didn’t feel the urge to celebrate the end of a difficult and emotionally draining job exceptionally well done by their respective teams. It is the football’s authorities at whom we should point our Big Finger of Blame. (The Guardian)
from Asharq AL-awsat https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/2422316/dont-blame-liverpool-and-leeds-fans-celebrating-outside-their-stadiums
Virus Wreaks Economic Havoc as Global Cases Top 17 Million
Business
Asharq Al-Awsat
A volunteer gestures instructions to a driver at a COVID-19 test site on July 30, 2020 in the Panoramic City neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, where cases continue to spike | AFP
The scale of economic devastation from the pandemic was laid bare on Thursday as Western economies recorded historic slumps, just as resurgent caseloads forced many countries into agonizing new trade-offs between health and financial stability. Six months after the World Health Organization declared a global emergency, the novel coronavirus has infected more than 17 million people worldwide. The WHO warned Thursday that young people are "not invincible" and were helping to drive resurgences in many places that had largely curbed the disease. "Spikes of cases in some countries are being driven in part by younger people letting down their guard during the northern hemisphere summer," said WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. COVID-19 has killed more than 668,000 people and is forcing governments into a persistent balancing act between saving lives and preventing economic devastation. Nowhere is that challenge more evident than the world's hardest-hit nation -- also the world's biggest economy -- with the United States posting a second-quarter loss of 9.5 percent compared with the same period a year ago, the worst figure on record. If that trajectory carried through the entire year, its economy would collapse by nearly a third (32.9 percent), the data showed. Historic contractions were additionally recorded in Germany (10.1 percent), Belgium (12.2 percent), Austria (10.7 percent) and Mexico (17 percent). Across the globe, companies were also taking a hit with Volkswagen, oil producer Shell, UK bank Lloyds, and Japanese consumer electronics giant Panasonic all reporting huge losses. With travel down to a trickle, aerospace giant Airbus said it burned through more than 12 billion euros in cash in the first half of the year, with a net loss of 1.9 billion euros ($1.4 billion) and plans to cut production by 40 percent. But several Big Tech firms delivered better-than-expected results Thursday, underscoring growing consumer reliance on giants like Amazon during the pandemic as well as their extraordinary economic power. Apple profits rose eight percent to $11.2 billion, Amazon meanwhile said profits nearly doubled to $5.2 billion and Facebook said its profits doubled to $5.2 billion compared with the same period last year. Global daily cases are now approaching the 300,000 mark, with the curve showing no sign of flattening -- it took just 100 hours for one million new cases to be recorded. The US counted 1,379 new deaths in the 24 hours before 8:30 pm Thursday (0030 GMT Friday), plus another 72,238 new infections. And the country also recorded another grim milestone: the death of Buddy, the first US pet dog to test positive for the virus. The seven-year-old German shepherd died after suffering from difficulty breathing and other symptoms for several months. In Japan, Tokyo's governor called for restaurants, bars and karaoke parlors to shut earlier as the capital reported a record number of new infections. Sweden, whose controversial softer approach to curbing coronavirus has received worldwide attention, said it would encourage people to keep working from home into next year where possible, as the country passed 80,000 recorded cases. And Mexico became the world's third hardest-hit country in terms of deaths as it notched more than 46,000 fatalities, according to a tally maintained by AFP. - Island resurgences - Two island countries that were early poster children for containing the virus offered warnings against complacency on Thursday. In Australia, there were 723 positive tests in the southeastern state of Victoria alone, well beyond the previous nationwide record of 549 cases set on Monday. And Iceland recorded its first hospitalization since mid-May, as well as 31 new cases, forcing the government to reimpose social distancing and masks, and limit the size of gatherings to 100. Hong Kong, which was also initially lauded for its coronavirus response, is struggling to balance fears of a third wave among its 7.5 million residents, which authorities fear could cripple the healthcare system, against anger at new restrictions. Just a day after restaurants were banned from serving customers indoors, the decision was reversed following a torrent of online criticism over images of mostly blue-collar workers forced to eat on pavements and in parks -- and even inside public toilets to escape a torrential downpour. South Africa faces a similar dilemma and pushed back its nighttime curfew by an hour to 10 pm to help the devastated restaurant sector, despite a recent surge in cases. Ivory Coast however bucked the trend, announcing that bars, nightclubs and cinemas would reopen on Friday. The EU meanwhile carried out its fortnightly update to its list of safe countries. US travellers are still barred and Algeria was removed after a spike in cases. The safe list currently consists of Australia, Canada, Georgia, Japan, Morocco, New Zealand, Rwanda, South Korea, Thailand, Tunisia and Uruguay -- and would also include China if Beijing reciprocated.
from Asharq AL-awsat https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/2422301/virus-wreaks-economic-havoc-global-cases-top-17-million
London- Asharq Al-Awsat
‘Sprightly youths express laughter with such emojis as Face With Tears Of Joy and Smiling Face With Open Mouth And Smiling Eyes. Photograph: David Parry/PA
People who are pessimistic die earlier than those who don't have overtly negative or positive views, a new study suggests. Researchers found that those with negative outlooks about the presents or future died about two years earlier than the average person, The Daily Mail reported. However, and rather surprisingly, being particularly optimistic was not found to increase life expectancy. The team, from Berghofer Medical Research Institute in Brisbane, Australia, says it believes pessimists likely do not look after themselves as well, resulting in their health declining sooner than the health of others. For the study, published in the journal Nature, the team looked at a questionnaire of around 3,000 participants aged 50 or older. The questionnaire was part of the Life Orientation Test, which looked at the health of Australians between 1993 and 1995 with follow-up information only available through the end of 2009. Participants were given a score on an optimism-pessimism scale based on how much they agreed or disagreed with optimistic and pessimistic statements. According to The German News Agency, the study found that pessimists were more likely to die earlier from cardiovascular disease and other causes of death, but not cancer. "People who are pessimistic might be thought to not look after themselves and their health as well. They might think there's no point in following advice about diet and exercise and so on," the study lead author John Whitfield told ABC Australia. "There are indications that optimistic and pessimistic attitudes can have effects on brain and blood biochemistry, inflammation perhaps on the arterial wall," he explained.
from Asharq AL-awsat https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/2422266/pessimists-are-higher-risk-early-death
Asharq Al-Awsat
The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques leaves King Faisal Specialist Hospital in Riyadh. SPA
The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz, left King Faisal Specialist Hospital in Riyadh after recovery, the state news agency, SPA, reported on Thursday. Last week, King Salman underwent a successful surgery that removed his gallbladder. Surgeons operated on the King, SPA reported, describing the procedure as a laparoscopic surgery.
from Asharq AL-awsat https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/2421341/saudi-king-salman-leaves-hospital
