Syria Graduate Doctors Set to Battle Covid in Opposition Hub
Features
Asharq Al-Awsat
New Syrian doctors recite the Hippocratic Oath after graduating from an opposition-backed university in the country's north. (AFP)
Mohammed Mostafa al-Mohammed started studying medicine in opposition-held northern Syria to help the victims of war, but instead he has graduated into a world battling the novel coronavirus pandemic. The 29-year-old graduate from an opposition-backed university had expected to be tending to the wounded under the threat of bombardment by the Russia-backed Damascus regime. But after endless regime offensives against Syria's last major opposition bastion of Idlib, a ceasefire took hold in March, just as Covid-19 started spreading worldwide. "Our dream is to build Syria and treat the sick," Mohammed, 29, told AFP at his graduation ceremony in the town of Azaz in a part of Aleppo province controlled by pro-Turkey factions. But "we're facing a difficult challenge" with the coronavirus, said the rescue worker turned doctor. Humanitarian workers fear any further rise in novel coronavirus cases would be disastrous in northwestern Syria, where around half of three million people live in overcrowded camps or temporary shelters after being displaced by conflict. In Idlib and adjacent parts of Aleppo province, opposition officials have recorded almost 15,766 novel coronavirus infections in total, including 166 deaths. Around two-thirds of all confirmed Covid-19 cases in northwestern Syria have been announced over the past month. Mohammed was among the first 32 doctors who graduated from the "Aleppo University in Liberated Areas", an institution founded in 2014 and backed by Syria's political opposition. Hippocratic Oath Dressed in dark blue and green graduation gowns, caps, and facemasks, the new doctors lined up on stage in a hall packed with friends and family. Extending their right hand in front of them, they recited the Hippocratic Oath in unison in Arabic. Mohammed, who hails from eastern Syria, was delighted to finally be graduating after the war forced him to put on hold his studies in 2012. For two years, he volunteered as a rescue worker to help those wounded in bombardment on opposition-held areas, before resuming his studies from scratch in 2014. "We were constantly exposed to air strikes and artillery fire," he said of his time with the Syrian Civil Defense first responders known as the "White Helmets". Syria's war has killed more than 380,000 people and displaced millions from their homes since starting in 2011 with the brutal repression of anti-government protests. It has also ravaged a large part of the health sector and pushed 70 percent of health workers to flee the country. Doctors who stayed behind have had to battle Covid-19. 'Our duty' The dean of the faculty of medicine, Jawad Abu Hatab, said confronting a pandemic in a country already battered by nearly a decade of war was no small feat. "Coronavirus is a challenge for all health sectors even in stable countries," said the doctor and former head of the opposition "Syrian Interim Government". "So imagine a region like ours where the medical sector has been destroyed and healthcare centers set up instead are not enough." The World Health Organization has recorded 337 attacks on healthcare facilities in northwestern Syria between 2016 and 2019. By March, it said only half of 550 health facilities in the region remained open due to damage, insecurity or people having fled the surrounding area. Over the past months, humanitarian actors have scrambled to help increase testing capacities and the number of beds ready to receive patients suffering from Covid-19. At the Azaz-based university, some more 1,000 undergraduate medical and pharmacy students are hoping to play their part. Mohammed Shaashaa, who is studying to be a doctor, is one of them. "Since 2011, medical staff has dwindled because of doctors emigrating, being detained, or even some having been killed," said the 26-year-old. "We signed up to study medicine to serve our people," he said. "It was our duty" to help.
from Asharq AL-awsat https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/2657266/syria-graduate-doctors-set-battle-covid-opposition-hub
Thousands protest in Iraq as death toll from clashes rises
Arab World
Asharq Al-Awsat
Protesters hold pictures of people who have been killed in anti-government protests during a demonstration calling for the government to resign, in Baghdad, Iraq, on November 29, 2020. (AP)
Thousands flooded Iraq's southern hotspot of Nasiriya on Monday as a resident died from wounds sustained in clashes last week between anti-government protesters and supporters of cleric Moqtada al-Sadr. Ridha al-Rikaby was hit in the head by a bullet on Friday when Sadr followers clashed with young demonstrators in Nasiriya's Habboubi Square, medics told AFP. He died on Monday, bringing the toll from the day of violence to eight dead and several dozen wounded. After last week's clashes, authorities imposed a lockdown to try to stop further rallies in the southern city, sacked the provincial police chief and launched an investigation into the events. Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi dispatched National Security Advisor Qassem al-Araji and other senior officials to Nasiriya on Monday for talks with protesters. But anger simmered in Nasiriya, with thousands turning out for a funeral march. "Once again, peaceful protesters are dying under the government's nose, and the security forces can't hold the killers accountable," one of those taking part told AFP. Nasiriya was a major hub for the protest movement that erupted in October 2019 against a government seen by demonstrators as corrupt, inept and beholden to neighboring Iran. Nearly 600 people died across Iraq in protest-related violence during those rallies but there has been virtually no accountability for their deaths. Last week's violence coincided with the one-year anniversary of one of the bloodiest incidents of the 2019 uprising, when more than three dozen people died at Nasiriya's Zeitun (Olive) Bridge on November 28. The deaths sparked outrage across Iraq and prompted the resignation of then-premier Adel Abdel Mahdi. Kadhimi succeeded him and has sought to reach out to protesters by setting June 2021 as a date for early elections. The polls will take place under a new law agreed by parliament that will see district sizes reduced and votes for individual candidates replacing list-based ballots. Most observers expect a delay of at least a few months while political parties prepare their campaigns, with Sadr and his candidates projected to make major wins. Sadrists had already won big in the May 2018 vote with 54 of parliament's 329 seats, granting them the biggest single bloc. In a tweet on Monday, Sadr urged Iraqis to "get ready" for next year's polls, describing the elections as a "major gateway" to implement anti-corruption reforms. "We installed Kadhimi for you and changed the electoral law," Sadr said, alluding that his popularity in the street had helped bring Kadhimi to power. "You will achieve the rest of your demands at the ballot box," said Sadr, who last week tweeted that he would push for the next premier to be a member of his movement for the first time.
from Asharq AL-awsat https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/2657261/thousands-protest-iraq-death-toll-clashes-rises
South Koreans, Chinese Clash on Social Media over Chinese-style Kimchi Winning Int’l Certificate
Varieties
Asharq Al-Awsat
Beijing recently won a certification from the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) for Pao Cai. (Reuters)
China’s efforts to win an international certification for Pao Cai, a pickled vegetable dish from Sichuan, is turning into a social media showdown between Chinese and South Korean netizens over the origin of Kimchi, a staple Korean cuisine made of cabbage. Beijing recently won a certification from the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) for Pao Cai, an achievement the state-run Global Times reported as “an international standard for the Kimchi industry led by China.” South Korean media was fast to dispute such a claim and accuse the bigger neighbor of trying to make Kimchi a type of China-made Pao Cai. The episode triggered anger on South Korean social media. “Its total nonsense, what a thief stealing our culture!” a South Korean netizen wrote on Naver.com, a widely popular web portal. “I read a media story that China now says Kimchi is theirs, and that they are making international standard for it, It’s absurd. I’m worried that they might steal Hanbok and other cultural contents, not just Kimchi,” said Kim Seol-ha, a 28-year old in Seoul. Some South Korean media even described the episode as China’s “bid for world domination,” while some social media comments flagged concerns that Beijing was exercising “economic coercion.” On China’s Twitter-like Weibo, Chinese netizens were claiming Kimchi as their country’s own traditional dish, as most of Kimchi consumed in South Korea is made in China. “Well, if you don’t meet the standard, then you’re not kimchi,” one wrote on Weibo. “Even the pronunciation of kimchi originated from Chinese, what else is there to say,” wrote another. South Korea’s agriculture ministry on Sunday released a statement saying mainly that the ISO approved standard does not apply to Kimchi. “It is inappropriate to report (about Pao Cai winning the ISO) without differentiating Kimchi from Pao Cai of China’s Sichuan,” the statement said.
from Asharq AL-awsat https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/2656551/south-koreans-chinese-clash-social-media-over-chinese-style-kimchi-winning-int
Algeria’s President Leaves German Hospital, back Home in ‘Coming Days’
Arab World
Asharq Al-Awsat
Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune. (AP)
Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune has left a German hospital where he was flown for treatment more than a month ago, and he will return home “in the coming days,” the presidency said on Monday. Tebboune, 75, who has tested positive for COVID-19, will continue “the rest of the recovery period” in Germany, it said in a statement. Tebboune, a heavy smoker, was admitted to hospital in Germany on October 28 to undergo "in-depth medical examinations", according to the presidency. Algeria has officially recorded more than 80,000 novel coronavirus cases and more than 2,000 deaths.
from Asharq AL-awsat https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/2656546/algeria%E2%80%99s-president-leaves-german-hospital-back-home-%E2%80%98coming-days%E2%80%99
Russia Condemns Killing of Iranian Nuclear Scientist
Iran
Asharq Al-Awsat
In this photo released by the official website of the Iranian Defense Ministry, military personnel stand near the coffin of Mohsen Fakhrizadeh during a funeral in Tehran, Iran, Nov. 30, 2020. (AP)
Russia on Monday condemned the killing of Iran’s top nuclear scientist last week. “We express our serious concern over the provocative nature of this terrorist act, which is clearly aimed at destabilizing the situation and building up conflict potential in the region,” the foreign ministry said in a statement. “We call on all parties to refrain from taking steps that could lead to an escalation of tensions.” Iran said on Monday that Israel and an exiled opposition group used new and "complex" methods to assassinate Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, seen by Tel Aviv as the "father" of Iran's nuclear weapons program Fakhrizadeh died Friday after his car and bodyguards were targeted in a bomb and gun attack on a major road outside the capital, heightening tensions once more between Tehran and its foes.
from Asharq AL-awsat https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/2656536/russia-condemns-killing-iranian-nuclear-scientist
Giant Japanese Robot Spurs Hopes for Tourism after Virus Hit
Technology
Asharq Al-Awsat
The robot is modelled after a figure in “Mobile Suit Gundam”, a Japanese cartoon first launched in the late 1970s.
An 18-meter (60-foot) “Gundam” robot that can walk and move its arms was unveiled in Japan on Monday amid hopes that it will help invigorate tourism hit by COVID-19. The robot is modelled after a figure in “Mobile Suit Gundam”, a Japanese cartoon first launched in the late 1970s about enormous battle robots piloted by humans. The series spawned multiple spin-offs and toys and gained a worldwide following. It will be the centerpiece of the Gundam Factory Yokohama, a tourist attraction that opens on Dec. 19 in the port city. “I hope this will lead to stimulating tourism demand and revitalizing local areas,” Chief Cabinet Secretary Katsunobu Kato told a news conference. “Of course, we now have the coronavirus issue. I want people to tackle endeavors like this while making an effort to prevent the spread of infection.”
from Asharq AL-awsat https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/2656531/giant-japanese-robot-spurs-hopes-tourism-after-virus-hit
Turkey Announces Weeknight and Weekend Curfews to Curb Virus
World
Asharq Al-Awsat
People wearing masks to help protect against the spread of coronavirus, walk in Ankara, Turkey, Friday, Nov. 27, 2020. (AP)
Turkey’s president on Monday announced the country's most widespread lockdown so far amid a surge in COVID-19 infections, extending curfews to weeknights and putting a full lockdown in place over the weekends. Speaking after a Cabinet meeting Monday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said a curfew would be implemented on weekdays between 9:00 pm and 5:00 am. He also announced total weekend lockdowns from 9:00 pm on Friday to 5:00 am on Monday. After strong pressure from the medical community and the public, Turkey last week resumed reporting all positive tests for the virus, after releasing only the number of symptomatic cases for four months. That caused daily cases to shoot up to around 30,000 and put Turkey among the hardest-hit nations in Europe during the pandemic. Health Ministry statistics on Monday showed 31,219 confirmed new infections and 188 new deaths. Daily fatalities in Turkey have hit record numbers for eight consecutive days, bringing the country's acknowledged virus death toll to 13,746. The new curfews begin Tuesday. Grocery stores and food delivery services are exempt from the lockdowns within certain hours. In the spring, Turkey instituted temporary weekend and holiday lockdowns to fight the spread of COVID-19, but current infections and deaths have surged beyond the spring numbers. Weekend night curfews for the past two weeks have done little to curb people’s movements, with Turkish media showing packed public spaces. The Turkish Medical Association, which has been critical of the government’s policies and has called for more transparency since March, said 20 health care workers died in one week from COVID-19 complications. ICU bed occupation was around 71%, according to the health ministry. Erdogan also announced that people above 65 or younger than 20, who are allowed out for only three hours a day, would not be allowed to use public transport, mall-goers would have to use a contact tracing code, and weddings and funerals would be limited to 30 people. He also urged people to quit smoking, open their windows, abide by mask-wearing guidelines and social distancing. The president also promised that 50 million doses of a COVID-19 vaccine would be administered free of charge, starting with health care workers next month, following an agreement with the Chinese pharmaceutical company SinoVac.
from Asharq AL-awsat https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/2656526/turkey-announces-weeknight-and-weekend-curfews-curb-virus
BTS 'Dynamite' Costumes to Light up US Music Charity Auction
Entertainment
Asharq Al-Awsat
BTS are offering up their outfits from the music video of their hit single “Dynamite” to the highest bidder in a Beverly Hills, California, charity auction in January. (YouTube)
The K-pop band members of BTS are offering up their outfits from the music video of their hit single “Dynamite” to the highest bidder in a Beverly Hills, California, charity auction in January. The pink, blue, yellow and lavender pastel outfits the seven singers wore in the record-setting video are expected to fetch what Julien’s Auctions on Monday called a conservative estimate of $20,000 - $40,000. “This is the first time that BTS has ever sold any costumes,” said Martin Nolan, executive director of Julien’s Auctions. The costumes include the T-shirts, hats, sneakers, pants and shirts worn by the South Korean boy band during the final dance sequence of the music video for “Dynamite” in August. “Dynamite,” the first all-English language single by BTS, debuted at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 singles charts in the summer in a first for a South Korean pop act. The music video, which features the band members dancing with a sunset sky behind them, became the fastest YouTube video to reach 10 million views, doing so after only 20 minutes. In January, seven signed microphones used by the band on tour sold in Los Angeles for $83,200 - more than eight times the expected starting price. BTS, known for using its music to spread optimism, notched another milestone in the US music industry last week when it was nominated for its first major Grammy award. The “Dynamite” outfits will be one of the items auctioned on Jan. 29 in Beverly Hills and online to raise funds for MusiCares, the philanthropic arm of the Recording Academy which organizes the annual Grammy Awards. MusiCares funds health and welfare programs for musicians, including tens of thousands who have lost work during the coronavirus pandemic with the shuttering of clubs and concert venues and the cancellation of festivals.
from Asharq AL-awsat https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/2656521/bts-dynamite-costumes-light-us-music-charity-auction
Grosjean out of Next F1 GP after Escaping Fiery Crash
Sports
Asharq Al-Awsat
Flames seen from the crash scene after Haas' Romain Grosjean crashed out at the start of the Bahrain Grand Prix on November 29, 2020. (Reuters)
French driver Romain Grosjean will sit out next weekend's Formula One race after escaping a fiery crash in the Bahrain Grand Prix with just burns to his hands, his team Haas said on Monday. Grosjean walked away from the wreckage after he collided with Daniil Kyvat's Alpha Tauri on the first lap of Sunday's race, causing the Haas car to split in half and burst into flames as it smashed through the safety barriers. Haas said treatment for the burns that 34-year-old Grosjean suffered was "going well" and he was expected to be discharged from hospital on Tuesday. Brazilian driver Pietro Fittipaldi -- grandson of two-time world champion Emerson Fittipaldi -- will make his Formula One debut in place of Grosjean in the Sakhir Grand Prix, also in Bahrain, next Sunday. The crash, one of the most serious in Formula One in recent years, has led to praise for the modern safety systems developed by the sport.
from Asharq AL-awsat https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/2656511/grosjean-out-next-f1-gp-after-escaping-fiery-crash
Asharq Al-Awsat
Sudan has confirmed that an Israeli delegation visited Khartoum. (AFP)
Sudan has confirmed that an Israeli delegation visited Khartoum, a week after the mission, a pan-Arab news channel reported. The Sovereign Council, its highest ruling body, sought to play down the importance of the visit, saying it was not political. "We did not announce it at the time because it was not a major visit or of a political nature," council spokesman Mohamed al-Faki Suleiman told the US-based pan-Arab channel Al-Hurra on Sunday. He said the visit "was of a technical and military nature". Sudan in October became the third Arab country in as many months to announce a normalization deal with Israel, after the UAE and Bahrain. Suleiman said "discussions with the Israeli side are on hold as there were political and economic obligations that were not respected", without elaborating. That may have been a reference to Sudan's removal from a US "state sponsors of terrorism" blacklist, which would need the backing of a vote in Congress. Israel announced on November 23 that it had sent its first delegation to Sudan after the deal on normalization. But the following day Khartoum denied knowledge of the visit.
from Asharq AL-awsat https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/2656506/sudan-confirms-downplays-israeli-visit
SPDRY, ESCWA Sign Agreement to Support Development Plans in Yemen
Gulf
Asharq Al-Awsat
SPDRY General Supervisor, Ambassador Mohammed bin Saeed Al Jaber.
Yemen has been struggling for decades with multiple challenges, including a fragile infrastructure, and high rates of poverty and food insecurity, which have placed it among the world’s least developed countries. This situation has prompted international and regional organizations concerned with development in Yemen to work together on formulating development programs to address these challenges, including through studies, research and projects aimed at combating poverty and achieving the internationally agreed development goals. The ultimate objective is to improve living conditions in Yemen through effective development contributions. In this context, the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia have sought to fund and enrich the forthcoming United Nations report on least developed countries with comprehensive analyses on development progress made throughout the past decade in least developed countries. The report will address the case of four Arab countries, including Yemen. To fulfill this goal, the Saudi Program for the Development and Reconstruction of Yemen (SPDRY), represented by its General Supervisor, Ambassador Mohammed bin Saeed Al Jaber, and ESCWA represented by the Undersecretary-General of the United Nations and Executive Secretary of ESCWA, Dr. Rola Dashti, signed on Monday a partnership agreement. During the signing ceremony, Al Jaber affirmed Saudi Arabia's keenness to harness all efforts in various fields to support Yemen and its people, explaining that “the developmental approach that the Kingdom is pursuing to help the Yemeni people sends a clear message that the Kingdom deals with neighboring countries through unwavering efforts for their development and stability.” During a previous press statement, Al Jaber had underlined that “a large part of the work of SPDRY consists of capacity-building, which intersects with the work of ESCWA. Today, we are exerting incessant efforts to develop Yemen’s infrastructure and support inclusive development, in continuation of our efforts in the previous decades.” This partnership between SPDRY and ESCWA was sealed after an ESCWA delegation visited SPDRY headquarters and was briefed on the Program’s strategy and mechanisms for the development projects that it is implementing in various Yemeni governorates. “The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia plays a leadership role, backed by its humanitarian and development commitment towards its neighbors,” said Dashti after that visit, praising SPDRY development efforts. In line with Saudi Arabia’s continuous support for development in Yemen, SPDRY decided to provide funding for the UN report, which will include studies and research carried out by ESCWA and is aimed at formulating a roadmap for development in Arab least developed countries. The report will detail efforts by Saudi Arabia, other Arab countries and the regional and international community to provide support and humanitarian and development assistance to these countries. Building on its findings, a comprehensive ten-year strategy will be developed to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. This report will also suggest mechanisms to build resilience and address the chronic, multifaceted issues that the selected countries face, and most of all help them embark on the path of inclusive sustainable development. A path that will be followed based on best practices in development support to Yemen, through joint action that contributes to achieving stability and accelerating economic recovery.
from Asharq AL-awsat https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/2656361/spdry-escwa-sign-agreement-support-development-plans-yemen
Sri Lanka Battles to Stop Elephants Eating Plastic Trash
Varieties
Asharq Al-Awsat
Plastic in Sri Lankan landfills is a major killer of elephants | AFP
Sri Lanka's government said Monday that it was building trenches and erecting electric fences to stop elephants eating plastic trash at open garbage dumps. Plastic in Sri Lankan landfills is a major killer of elephants, with autopsies showing large quantities of it in the stomachs of animals who died in agony after rummaging at dumps. The Department of Wildlife Conservation said the number of open tips had been cut to 15 from 54 since 2017, but that the problem persisted at nine sites. "Initial work has already begun at two dumps in the Ampara district and we hope to complete the work by early next year," the department said. A source told AFP that the slanting trenches would be six feet (1.8 meters) deep. Sri Lanka's elephant population has declined to about 7,000 according to the latest census, down from 12,000 in the early 1900s. Most are shot dead or poisoned by farmers trying to keep them off their land, but large numbers also die from consuming plastic rubbish. Authorities announced legislation to ban the import of most plastic products in August. A separate ban on single-use plastics comes into effect from January. Sri Lanka has since 2017 outlawed the manufacture or import of non-biodegradable plastic used for wrapping food and shopping bags. President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has given wildlife officials until mid-2022 to implement a plan to reduce human-elephant conflict that has claimed the lives of more than 600 elephants and nearly 200 people in the past two years.
from Asharq AL-awsat https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/2656231/sri-lanka-battles-stop-elephants-eating-plastic-trash
Algerian Lawmakers Protest EU Parliament’s Resolution
Arab World
Algiers - Boualem Goumrassa
A general view of the upper parliament chamber is pictured in Algiers, Algeria REUTERS/Ramzi Boudina/Files
Algerian parliamentarians have announced their intention to hand over a written protest to the head of the European Union’s mission in the country. This comes in response to an urgency resolution adopted by the European Parliament on Nov.26, highlighting the “deteriorating human rights situation in Algeria.” Member of the People’s National Assembly Abdul Wahab Ben Zaim of the National Liberation Front proposed the idea. Bin Zaim said he discussed the initiative with his colleagues in the People’s National Assembly and affirmed the approval of the leader in the Islamic Justice and Development Front Lakhdar Ben Khallaf and leader in the Movement of Society for Peace Nasser Hamdadoush, which are two opposition parties. Ben Zaim said European lawmakers have gathered to address an issue that doesn’t concern them, stressing that Algerian parliamentarians will protest on Tuesday morning in front of the EU Union mission in rejection of any foreign intervention. In 2019, Head of the Delegation of the European Union in Algeria John O'Rourke opposed a similar resolution, noting that EU governments “do not have any authority over the European Parliament’s affairs.” The Movement of Society for Peace’s parliamentary bloc issued a statement on Sunday, in which it denounced the EU Parliament’s resolution, considering it a blatant interference in internal affairs and a flagrant provocation to the Algerian people who reject all foreign agendas and adhere to their identity and constants. “The wars and violations suffered by some countries and peoples shall be prioritized by the international community.” “Political arrests and arbitrary detention of peaceful Hirak and trade union activists, as well as journalists, have increased since the summer of 2019, in violation of the fundamental rights to a fair trial and due process of law,” the EU resolution read. “Whereas censorship, trials and severe punishment of independent media, often accused of plotting with foreign powers against national security, continue to worsen despite the official end of the Bouteflika government.”
from Asharq AL-awsat https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/2656156/algerian-lawmakers-protest-eu-parliament%E2%80%99s-resolution
Mossad Helped Former Syrian Spy Chief Wanted for War Crimes to Flee to Austria- Report
World
Asharq Al-Awsat
Brigadier General Khaled al-Halabi, served as chief of Syrian intelligence in Raqqa from 2009 until 2013
A former Syrian intelligence official who was refused asylum in France was reportedly able to escape to Austria with the help of Mossad. Brigadier General Khaled al-Halabi, served as chief of Syrian intelligence in Raqqa from 2009 until 2013, An investigation by the Daily Telegraph claimed that he was helped to leave the country and start a new life. The investigation also found that a lawsuit has been filed against Halabi in a western country for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity. According to the complaint, during his time in charge prisoners in a Raqqa facility were murdered, tortured, and sexually assaulted. Halabi has denied any wrongdoing. France’s espionage agency, DGSE, helped Syria’s former general holiday to France in 2014, although it was denied asylum in the country in 2015 because it was involved in criminal acts. Mysteriously, he was then transported from France to Austria by Israeli intelligence agents where he was granted asylum, a judicial source told the Daily Telegraph. ‘Since he was not really ready to seek asylum in France, he would make contact with Mossad, who was in contact with Austria’s BVT. [the country’s domestic intelligence agency], ‘The source said. The report claimed that his asylum application was granted in December 2015 and Austrian authorities provided him with a four-bedroom apartment in Vienna. The scandal has taken place in Austria since it emerged in the country’s press this month, with many MPs describing Halabi as a ‘war criminal’.
from Asharq AL-awsat https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/2656076/mossad-helped-former-syrian-spy-chief-wanted-war-crimes-flee-austria-report
Lebanon Urges Self-Restraint after Killing of Iranian Scientist
Arab World
Asharq Al-Awsat
In this picture released by Iran's Defense Ministry and taken on Nov. 28, 2020, people pray over the coffin of Mohsen Fakhrizadeh during a funeral in Mashhad, Iran. (AP)
Lebanon on Monday called for self-restraint following the assassination of a prominent Iranian nuclear scientist, to avoid a slide towards the “worst scenario”. Lebanon, which is home to the heavily armed, Iranian-backed Hezbollah group, condemned the killing of Mohsen Fakhrizadeh last Friday in an ambush near Tehran. Iran has blamed Israel. In a statement, the Lebanese foreign ministry urged “all parties to exercise the greatest degrees of self-restraint to avoid the slide towards the worst scenario in the region”. Hezbollah, which was founded by Iran’s Revolutionary Guards in 1982, has said the response for the assassination is in Iran’s hands. Iran’s supreme leader promised on Saturday to retaliate for the killing, raising the threat of a new confrontation with the West and Israel in the remaining weeks of Donald Trump’s presidency.
from Asharq AL-awsat https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/2656071/lebanon-urges-self-restraint-after-killing-iranian-scientist
Lebanese Students abroad Fall Prey to Financial Crisis at Home
Features
Asharq Al-Awsat
People hold placards during a protest by parents of students studying abroad in front of Lebanon's central bank in Beirut, Lebanon November 18, 2020. (Reuters)
Lebanese medical student Lara Mustafa faces eviction from Russia and the end of her dream of becoming a doctor if her parents, hit by Lebanon’s worst financial crisis in decades, cannot send her money to pay for rent and expenses. Another medical student, Wassim Hachem, 24, had to drop out from his fourth year of university in Russia to return to Lebanon and work as a delivery driver after his father, who lost his job, was no longer able to support him. Mustafa and Hachem are among thousands of university students caught up in Lebanon’s financial crisis, which started in 2019 with popular protests against leaders whom demonstrators blamed for corruption and mismanaging the economy. An insolvent banking system, which had lent more than two thirds of its assets to the central bank and state, shut out all depositors from their dollar accounts, and Lebanon defaulted on its debts. The COVID-19 pandemic added to mass job losses and business collapses. Lebanon traditionally prides itself on its education system. American and French missionaries set up schools and universities in the 19th century that became platforms for young Lebanese to further their studies abroad. That is now becoming a dream for all but the richest, who managed to keep enough of their wealth outside Lebanon. Some students are struggling to make ends meet even in relatively low-cost countries like Russia. “You can say that my parents sank into debt in order to be able to send me money,” Mustafa, 23, who is on a scholarship, told Reuters from Russia via Zoom. “I live in the student dorms. The system at our university is that if I can’t pay the dorm fees not only will I be evicted but I will be forbidden from taking the end-of-semester exam. “Now I live in austerity, now I calculate every penny.” No access to money Some parents of the thousands of Lebanese students abroad have been protesting outside the Banque du Liban (BDL), Lebanon’s central bank. They insist the central bank forces commercial banks to implement a government decree to allow families with students abroad to transfer up to $10,000 a year at the official exchange rate of 1,500 Lebanese pounds to the dollar to cover tuition and expenses. Until now parents and students say the law is being ignored, with banks and exchange dealers refusing to make transfers at the set rate and instead demanding the market rate, currently around 8,300 Lebanese pounds. Central Bank Governor Riad Salameh told Reuters that “the law needs applications decrees from the government not from BDL.” Officials at the Lebanese banking association could not immediately be reached for comment. Mustafa’s mother Nidaa Hassan, 47, said they used to send her between $300-$700 a month but now manage much smaller amounts. She has taken her other children out of a private school and enrolled them in a state school because her husband’s salary, which was worth $2,000 a month last year, is now equal to $370 after the collapse of the Lebanese pound. “We are not only borrowing money from here, but also from (family) abroad to be able to send her money. I don’t know how much debt we have accumulated so far,” she said in Beirut. In a cruel twist, banks that can no longer honor their debts have for over a year denied depositors access to money, so even those with substantial funds cannot withdraw them. Lebanon’s middle class is being squeezed, and, like many other Lebanese, Nidaa blames the government. Lebanese politicians are trying to secure foreign aid to help them reduce huge debts, but they have yet to carry out the reforms that potential donors are demanding. The fact that they have been unable to form a government since the last one resigned in August over what it called endemic corruption is exacerbating the problem, according to Western diplomats. ‘I lost everything’ Mohammad Kassar, 22, was into his fifth year of medicine in Ukraine, aiming to become a general practitioner, when he was forced to return home in May because his father, whose furniture business went bust, was no longer able to transfer him money. “It is a very harsh feeling to lose hope. In one year I lost all the five years I have invested in...I lost the past, the present and the future. I lost everything,” Kassar said. Nadia Moussa, mother of Wassim Hachem, said her focus was now on survival. “Our dream now is to be able to eat, to put food on the table. Can we dream of anything else?” Wael Dib Hajj, a 30-year-old consultant, saved up for seven years and was accepted into Yale’s MBA program this year. But after requesting documents from the university, his bank refused to transfer the tuition fees. “When I first put the deposit in the bank, I had told them it would be for education...When the papers were ready, they said the file was okay, but then as soon as they saw the amount, they were like ‘no way, forget about it’. “These are my savings from my job and they’re in dollars...I’ve been saving for this for seven years.” He said that Yale had agreed to defer his studies until next year. He plans to apply for a loan, but since that would cover about 80 percent, he will work to cover the rest.
from Asharq AL-awsat https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/2656061/lebanese-students-abroad-fall-prey-financial-crisis-home
Women's World Cup to Be Expanded to 16 Teams From 2025
Sports
Asharq Al-Awsat
Women's World Cup to Be Expanded to 16 Teams From 2025
The number of teams participating in the women's Rugby World Cup will be increased from 12 to 16 from the 2025 edition, the sport's governing body announced on Monday. The decision was taken by the Rugby World Cup Board earlier this year and World Rugby chairman Bill Beaumont said it was a "milestone moment" for the women's game. "In 2017 we set out an ambitious eight-year plan to accelerate the development of women in rugby ... and an ambition to improve and expand the number of teams competing in pinnacle events," Beaumont said in a statement. "We have seen in recent years that more teams are making a statement at international level and unions are continuing to develop their women´s high-performance programs. "Expansion of the Rugby World Cup opens additional... playing pathway opportunities for unions at the highest level of the game and creates added incentive for unions worldwide to continue to invest and grow in their women's programs." The 2021 World Cup, the ninth edition since the inaugural tournament in 1991, will be held in New Zealand from Sept. 18-Oct. 16. New Zealand are the defending champions after winning their fifth title. The host selection process for the 2025 edition begins in February 2021 and is set to conclude in May 2022 with a council vote.
from Asharq AL-awsat https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/2656051/womens-world-cup-be-expanded-16-teams-2025
Russia Begins Mass Trials of Second Coronavirus Vaccine
World
Asharq Al-Awsat
A Moscow metro depot employee disinfects a metro train in Moscow, Russia, Thursday, Oct. 22, 2020. (AP)
Russia plans to begin mass trials of its second coronavirus vaccine, EpiVacCorona, on people aged over 18 on Monday, the RIA news agency cited the consumer health watchdog Rospotrebnadzor as saying. EpiVacCorona, which is being developed by Siberia’s Vector Institute, was authorized this month to carry out trials on 150 volunteers over 60 and 3,000 volunteers over 18, the watchdog has said. The trials will be conducted in Moscow and several other cities including Kazan and Kaliningrad, the TASS news agency cited it as saying. Coronavirus cases have surged in Russia since September, but authorities have resisted imposing a touch lockdown and have said that targeted measures are enough to cope with the crisis. Russia said earlier this month that its other Sputnik V vaccine was 92% effective at protecting people from COVID-19 according to interim results. Authorities confirmed 26,338 new coronavirus cases on Monday, including 6,511 in Moscow and 3,691 in St. Petersburg, taking the national total to 2,295,654 since the pandemic began. They also reported 368 deaths in the last 24 hours, pushing the official death toll to 39,895.
from Asharq AL-awsat https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/2656036/russia-begins-mass-trials-second-coronavirus-vaccine
Khartoum- Asharq Al-Awsat
Sudanese residents shop in a bazaar in Khartoum, Sudan, May 4, 2019. REUTERS/Umit Bektas
Inflation in Sudan has risen to one of the highest levels in the world, and the country risks slipping into hyperinflation unless it gets its budget deficit and money supply under control, economists say. The runaway prices have worsened an economic crisis for millions of ordinary Sudanese and imperiled a political transition under a military-civilian power sharing deal. The government has run up enormous budget deficits by subsidizing the cost of fuel, it then financed the deficits by printing money. This has debased the currency, weakening it against other currencies and driving inflation up to annual 230 percent in October, according to the state statistics bureau. The skyrocketing prices have led many consumers to spend their salaries quickly, particularly on durable items that hold their value. Reuters quoted Idrees Abdelmoniem, who works in marketing at an engineering company in Khartoum, as saying that he had snapped up car spare parts and furniture but was not as quick with food and drink, whose prices were not increasing as fast. “If I have something I want to buy outside of the monthly house supplies, I buy it as soon as I get money, and I won’t even try to haggle because tomorrow it could be double the price,” he said. Central bank figures show the scale of money printing by the authorities with the M2 money supply measure increasing by over 50 percent in the year to end-September. In September alone M2 rose by 7.13 percent. Steve Hanke, a hyperinflation specialist at Johns Hopkins University, calculated that on a monthly basis, the inflation rate has accelerated to about 24 percent a month, dangerously high, but still below hyperinflation, generally defined as 50 percent a month. He placed Sudan among the five countries with the highest inflation. “It’s pretty scary,” he said, adding that it was hard to predict what direction inflation would go from here. A US decision to remove Sudan from its list of state sponsors of terrorism has provided little immediate relief from the economic crisis and the country has turned to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for help. Sudan is counting on a reform program drawn up with the lender to help get control of the deficit, exacerbated by decades of US economic sanctions and by economic mismanagement under President Omar al-Bashir, who was ousted in a popular uprising in April 2019. Gross domestic product (GDP) contracted by more than two percent in both 2018 and 2019 and is expected to shrink another 8.5 percent in 2020 after being walloped by the coronavirus pandemic, Sudan told the IMF in September. The one-year staff-monitored program signed with the IMF commits the transitional government to reforming energy subsidies and reducing government borrowing from the central bank, among other reforms. The program is designed to provide a track record that would qualify Sudan for debt relief from its official creditors. “The issue of hyperinflation is real, and it requires serious attention,” said Ibrahim Elbadawi, who stepped down as Sudan’s finance minister in July. “The starting point should be the subsidies because that will have unquestionable implications for the government’s finances.” Fuel subsidies, which account for 71 percent of all subsidies, were equivalent to 10.6 percent of GDP in 2019, according to the IMF. The government this year began allowing private companies to import petrol and diesel at near-market prices and has gradually reduced the number of stations where subsidized fuel is sold. In October, it doubled the price of locally produced petrol to 56 Sudanese pounds per liter, still among the lowest levels in the world. It says it stopped subsidizing petrol and diesel altogether as of September. The reforms should reduce fuel subsidies to 2.2 percent this year, the IMF said, but imported fuel will further stretch people’s resources as a collapsing currency pushes up its local price. This week one US dollar bought 255 Sudanese pounds on the black market, up from about 85 pounds a year ago. At the official rate, a dollar fetches 55 pounds.
from Asharq AL-awsat https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/2656026/sudan-inflation-soars-threatens-hyperinflation
Hamilton Wins Bahrain GP, Grosjean Escapes Burning Car
Sports
Asharq Al-Awsat
Staff extinguish flames from Haas driver Romain Grosjean of France's car after a crash during the Formula One race in Bahrain International Circuit in Sakhir, Bahrain, Sunday, Nov. 29, 2020. (Brynn Lennon, Pool via AP)
Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton won a crash-marred Bahrain Grand Prix where Romain Grosjean somehow escaped with only minor burns after his car exploded into a fireball. The 34-year-old French driver slid off the track at high speed on the first lap and his Haas car burst into flames after being sliced in two by a barrier. Grosjean clambered out with the fire roaring behind him and his race helmet singed. He was conscious and stable and then taken by helicopter to a military hospital. “I think it is a reminder to us and hopefully to the people that are watching that this is a dangerous sport," Hamilton said. Grosjean's relieved team said the driver had only light burns to his hands and ankles. The crash happened with seven-time F1 champion Hamilton leading from Red Bull's Max Verstappen and Racing Point's Sergio Perez. Hamilton, who secured his title at the Turkish GP on Nov. 15, was subdued and did not celebrate his win after climbing out of his car, other than a brief fist-pump with the Red Bull drivers. “It was such a shocking image to see ... horrifying. It could have been so much worse,” The Associated Press quoted Hamilton as saying. “I respect the dangers that are in this sport." Moments after the race restarted about 90 minutes later, on Lap 3 of 57, there was another incident as Lance Stroll's Racing Point clipped the AlphaTauri of Daniil Kvyat and flipped over. Stroll joked about hanging upside down in his car, before squirming out. The Canadian driver was unharmed. Kvyat was involved in both crashes but not at fault. The first accident happened when Grosjean lost grip and slid to the right, where his back wheel clipped the front of Kvyat’s car and he flew off into the barrier. Hamilton's record-extending 95th win saw him finish ahead of Verstappen, who took his 41st career podium and a bonus point with the fastest lap. The 35-year-old Hamilton looked drained at the end. “It’s physical, this track has always been physical. We’ve got lots of high-speed corners so I was definitely feeling it,” he said. “I managed to just about reply to him (Verstappen) when I needed to but I was sliding around a lot out there and I wasn’t really quite sure how it would play out at the end." Perez looked set to finish third and clinch his 10th career podium, but his engine blew with three laps left and flames poured from the back of his car as he pulled over to the side. That put Red Bull's Alexander Albon into third ahead of the McLarens of Lando Norris and Carlos Sainz. Jr. while Hamilton’s Mercedes teammate Valtteri Bottas was only eighth. There is another race in Bahrain next Sunday — on Sakhir's shorter outer circuit — before the 17-race season concludes in Abu Dhabi.
from Asharq AL-awsat https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/2654391/hamilton-wins-bahrain-gp-grosjean-escapes-burning-car
Turkey Virus Death Toll Hits Record for 7th Day in a Row
World
Asharq Al-Awsat
A general view of a deserted street during a curfew in Istanbul, Turkey. Reuters file photo
Turkey's daily COVID-19 death toll hit a record high for a seventh consecutive day on Sunday, with 185 fatalities in the last 24 hours, data from the Health Ministry showed. The number of new cases of coronavirus infections, including asymptomatic ones, fell slightly to 29,281. For four months, Turkey only reported symptomatic cases, but since Wednesday it has reported all cases. No country can report exact numbers on the spread of the disease since many asymptomatic cases go undetected, but the previous way of counting made Turkey look relatively well-off in international comparisons, with daily new cases far below those reported in European countries including Italy, Britain and France. The total number of deaths since the start of the pandemic in March stood at 13,558 in Turkey, data released Sunday showed. The country has reached an agreement to receive 50 million doses of the vaccine developed by Chinese pharmaceutical company SinoVac and hopes to begin administering it to medical staff and the chronically ill next month. It is also in talks to purchase the vaccine developed by Pfizer in cooperation with the BioNTech pharmaceutical company. A Turkish-developed vaccine is scheduled to be ready to use in April.
from Asharq AL-awsat https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/2654321/turkey-virus-death-toll-hits-record-7th-day-row
