Hamas: US Decision to Continue Arming Israel Will Stoke Tensions
Arab World
Ramallah - Asharq Al-Awsat
Israeli troops block a road during a house-to-house search operation in the West Bank village of Beit Fajjar on August 8, 2019. (AFP)
The Palestinian Hamas movement slammed on Saturday the United States for agreeing to an arms deal with Israel, saying it will only stoke tensions in the region and encourage violations against the Palestinian people. “The US’ continued armament of the occupation will only increase tensions in the region and encourage Israel’s defiance of international laws and resolutions,” said Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem in a statement. He added that the American arms and financial support, as well as political cover to Israel’s occupation policies, makes Washington an accomplice in the aggression against the Palestinian people. On Friday, the US State Department said it approved the sale of 18 Sikorsky CH-53K heavy-lift helicopters to Israel in a deal worth around $3.4 billion. The State Department said in a statement that “the US is committed to the security of Israel, and it is vital to US national interests to assist Israel to develop and maintain a strong and ready self-defense capability.” Although the State Department announced the deal, the two sides have yet to sign a contract. In May, US media reported that the White House had approved a $735 million arms sale to Israel. The Washington Post said President Joe Biden’s administration has approved the arms sale as Tel Aviv was carrying out its offensive on the Gaza Strip. Also on Friday, the House of Representatives passed a bill that provides Israel with the annual $3.3 billion in US security assistance to build partnerships between Israelis and Palestinians through the Lowey Middle East Partnership for Peace Act.
from Asharq AL-awsat https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/3109161/hamas-us-decision-continue-arming-israel-will-stoke-tensions
Alexander Zorin, Putin’s Man for Difficult Missions, in Syria
Features
London - Ibrahim Hamidi
Alexander Zorin hands out pizza to journalists in Geneva in 2016. (AFP)
Alexander Zorin is a Russian officer known as the man to turn to for difficult tasks. He is Russian President Vladimir Putin’s envoy to Syria. While deployed at the Hmeimim air base in recent years, he managed to forge relations with various warring parties. The Russian and Syrian air forces may have used their air power to impose settlements in various parts of Syria, but Zorin also presented a “humanitarian” façade, taking part in funerals and offering assistance and reconciliation. When dealing with the opposition, he often adopts their rhetoric, surprising politicians and civil society figures. This approach even led him to approve the suggestions over the formation of a joint council between the Syrian army, factions, Kurds and defectors. Politically, he was among the “architects” of the national dialogue conference in 2018 and arranged the travel of opposition figures onboard a military jet from Geneva to Sochi. Behind closed doors, Zorin often complains of the regime’s stances and stubbornness. Openly, he animatedly explains the Russian position, while also presenting a more congenial image of Moscow. In 2016, he famously offered journalists in Geneva pizza as they awaited the announcement of a ceasefire agreement. Years ago, Damascus informed Moscow that it was no longer capable of “protecting” Zorin as he moves about in Syria, warning that his “life was in danger” from terrorists and gunmen. The Russian Defense Ministry consequently returned Zorin back to the command center in Moscow where he was promoted to oversee the Syrian file on behalf of Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu. Just days ago, Zorin landed in Damascus with a new mission. He arranged a brief visit to the headquarters of the Eighth Brigade of the Fifth Corps, commanded by Ahmed al-Audeh, in Busra al-Sham in the Daraa countryside. Audeh is credited with facilitating the implementation of the 2018 agreement on southern Syria. The agreement, between the United States, Russia, Jordan and Israel, called for the return of government forces to the South, deployment of Russian patrols and Washington’s abandoning of factions that were demanded to lay down their heavy weapons. In return, Iranian militias would be withdrawn from the border with Jordan and the Golan Heights. Audeh had dispatched a military convoy to Damascus to transport his “friend” to Busra al-Sham. Zorin informed his host that Damascus was not listening to Russia’s advice over the need to reach a settlement and abandon the military solution in order to enter Daraa al-Balad, the main opposition stronghold in the city. He informed Audeh that Russia will not dispatch its jets to support any army operation in the area that also includes 50,000 civilians. Zorin’s position is in line with his superior, Shoigu, who believes that the solution to the conflict in Syria lies in consolidating the zones of influence with military arrangements. This view is in contrast to that of Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, who still believes in the possibility that the country can be united through the implementation of United Nations Security Council resolution 2254, according to Russia’s interpretation. The Russian military view currently believes that Syrian forces are unable to control all parts of the country, citing a lack of human resources, the economic crises and intervention of foreign armies. Therefore, the “temporary solution” lies in the zones of influence: Reaching an agreement with Turkey over the northwest, an agreement with the US over the northeast, one with former fighters in the Free Syrian Army over the southwest and one with the government forces, Russia and Iran over the central-western regions. The talk here is over four zones of influence, not three as had been the case. Damascus, however, has different calculations. The Syrian leadership is content with the turnout in the recent presidential elections that were held in regions it controls. It has taken in the statements of Jordanian officials and their decision to open the border with Syria soon after the return of King Abdullah II from a visit to Washington. It has also perceived signs of Arab openness to normalize relations with Damascus. The leadership is now, therefore, seeking victory after the elections. This is unlikely to happen as the situation in the northwest remains thorny due to the understanding between Ankara and Moscow. So, the leadership set its sights on the “cradle of the revolution” – Daraa. It is seeking to persuade Moscow to support its position. Indeed, on Thursday the Fourth Division, headed by Maher Assad, President Bashar Assad’s brother, began striking Daraa al-Balad ahead of storming it. Iran, which has been accused of recruiting local fighters to compensate for its withdrawal in 2018 and of flying drones over neighboring Jordan, was not openly fighting in the attack. It is believed, however, that it is present on the ground given the lack of Russian air cover. The surprise came from the residents of Daraa and its factions. The Fifth Corps expanded its deployment in the eastern Daraa countryside after Zorin’s visit. In the western countryside, opposition fighters captured regime security checkpoints and detained some 500 Damascus loyalists. “New defections” were reported among individuals who had joined the army and security forces in wake of the 2018 agreement. After a bloody day, the Russians intervened and arranged meetings between Daraa representatives and the army in search of a new settlement. The new agreement would call for keeping some fighters away from the area, resolving the issue of light weapons, setting up checkpoints and opening the Amman-Damascus highway. The Fifth Corps would play a role in the agreement as all sides await a new round of fighting between opposition factions that want to preserve Daraa’s liberties and the regime that wants military victory.
from Asharq AL-awsat https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/3109126/alexander-zorin-putin%E2%80%99s-man-difficult-missions-syria
US Welcomes EU Sanctions Regime on Lebanon’s ‘Corrupt Leaders’
Arab World
Washington - Elie Youssef
In this August 9, 2020 photo, a Lebanese flag set by citizens flies in front of the site of the deadly August 4 explosion at the Port of Beirut. (AP)
The US on Saturday welcomed the European Union’s adoption of a legal framework for a sanctions regime targeting individuals and entities who are responsible for undermining democracy or the rule of law in Lebanon. The sanctions regime is seen as the fruit of cooperation between Washington and the EU. It came amid reports predicting that the US could take a similar step in the near future. “Sanctions are intended, among other things, to compel changes in behavior, and promote accountability for corrupt actors and leaders,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said in a statement. Last Friday, the EU adopted the sanctions regime to impose sanctions on officials in Lebanon with hopes to speed up the formation of a government and enact the measures required to steer the country towards a sustainable recovery. It came only hours after Spokesperson of the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs, Agnes Von Der Muhl said that France is ready, with its European and international partners, to increase the pressure on Lebanese politicians to quickly form a fully operational government capable of launching the reforms that the situation demands and which are the prerequisite of any structural assistance. Meanwhile, the Washington Institute for Near Easters affairs published a testimony submitted to the House Foreign Affairs Committee on the Middle East by Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs David Schenker to diagnose Lebanon’s incapacitated institutions and prescribe remedies for its entrenched corruption and Iranian-Hezbollah domination. Schenker said that even if a government was formed in Beirut today, it would take time for reforms to be implemented and for IMF funds to be disbursed and start having an impact. “Lebanon’s recovery, even in a best-case scenario, will be measured in decades,” he wrote, adding that as frustrations and hunger increase, so too will petty and violent crime. According to Schenker, Washington should persist in sanctioning Lebanese political elites, regardless of sect, who perpetuate the system of endemic corruption that has led the state to ruin. “This includes designating not only Hezbollah officials, but also its political allies and others who obstruct the formation of a reform-oriented government and the implementation of reforms,” the Taube Senior Fellow at The Washington Institute said. At the financial level, Schenker explained that efforts should be made to claw back funds stolen through corruption from the Lebanese people, but the vast majority of this money is unlikely ever to be returned.
from Asharq AL-awsat https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/3109111/us-welcomes-eu-sanctions-regime-lebanon%E2%80%99s-%E2%80%98corrupt-leaders%E2%80%99
Russia’s New Form of Organized Crime Is Menacing the World
Opinion
The Editorial Board
The Editorial Board -
The display screen goes clean. A message seems in crude, Google Translate English, advising that every one of your data records have been encrypted — rendered unusable — and may be restored provided that you pay a ransom. After some forwards and backwards, you pay out in Bitcoin or another cryptocurrency, most probably to a Russian-based gang. There’s no alternative: It’s cheaper and much faster to pay up than to rebuild a pc system from scratch. To keep away from additional bother or embarrassment, many victims don’t even notify the police. A couple of years in the past, the ransom could have been a number of hundred bucks. In early May, Colonial Pipeline shelled out $5 million to the DarkSide ransomware gang to get oil flowing via its pipes once more. (Some was recovered by the Justice Department.) In June, the meat processor JBS paid $11 million to the Russian-based REvil (Ransomware Evil) gang. About a month in the past REvil got here again to attain what could also be the largest assault but, freezing the programs of a few thousand firms after hacking an IT service supplier all of them used. The ask this time was $70 million. The criminals behind ransomware have additionally developed, increasing from lone sharks to an enterprise by which duties are farmed out to teams of criminals specializing in hacking, amassing ransom or marshaling armies of bots. Ransomware assaults can cripple crucial infrastructure like hospitals and faculties and even core capabilities of main cities. Using strategies so simple as spoof emails, hackers can take over total pc programs and pilfer private information and passwords after which demand a ransom to revive entry. In a few dozen years, ransomware has emerged as a serious cyber problem of our time, large enough for President Biden to place it at the prime of his agenda with Russia’s president, Vladimir Putin, after they met in June and for lawmakers in Congress to be engaged on a number of payments that may, amongst different issues, require victims to report assaults to the authorities. It is a struggle that must be fought, and received. While the extortion enterprise is run by a comparatively small community of criminals looking for windfall income, their capacity to significantly disrupt economies and to breach strategically crucial enterprises or businesses additionally makes them a formidable potential risk to nationwide safety. The Colonial Pipeline assault created a virtually on the spot scarcity of gasoline and untold panic in the southeastern United States. Big strikes make the large information, however the foremost prey of the ransomware gangs is the small to medium enterprise or establishment that’s devastated by the disruption of its computer systems and the ransom fee. How many have been hit is anyone’s guess — in contrast to breaches of private info, the regulation doesn’t require most ransomware assaults to be reported (although that’s one other factor Congress could quickly change). The FBI web Crime Report for 2020 listed 2,474 assaults in the United States, with losses totaling greater than $29.1 million. The actuality might be of a unique magnitude. The German data-crunching agency Statista has estimated that there have been 304 million assaults worldwide in 2020, a 62 pc improve over 2019. Most of them, Statista mentioned, have been in the skilled sector — attorneys, accountants, consultants and the like. Whatever the true scope, the downside won’t be solved with patches, antivirus software program or two-factor authentication, although safety consultants stress that each bit of safety helps. “We’re not going to defend ourselves out of this problem,” mentioned Dmitri Alperovitch, the chairman of Silverado Policy Accelerator and a number one authority on ransomware. “We have too many vulnerabilities. Companies that are small, libraries, fire departments will never afford the required security technology and talent.” The battle has to be joined elsewhere, and the place to begin is Russia. That, in line with the consultants, is the place the majority of assaults originate. Three different international locations — China, Iran and North Korea — are additionally severe gamers, and the apparent commonality is that every one are autocracies whose safety apparatuses doubtlessly know full nicely who the hackers are and will shut them down in a minute. So the presumption is that the criminals are protected, both via bribes — which, given their obvious income, they will distribute lavishly — or by doing professional bono work for the authorities or each. It’s clear that the ransomware gangs take care to not goal the powers that shelter them. Security analysts discovered that REvil code was written in order that the malware avoids any pc whose default language is Russian, Ukrainian, Belarusian, Tajik, Armenian, Azerbaijani, Georgian, Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Turkmen, Uzbek, Tatar, Romanian or Syriac. Finding the criminals will not be the downside. The US authorities have the wherewithal to establish and arrest would-be cyber blackmailers by itself soil and to assist allies discover them on theirs. In reality, Washington has recognized and indicted many Russian cybercriminals — the FBI, for instance, has supplied a reward of three million dollars for info resulting in the arrest of one Evgeniy Bogachev, a.okay.a. “lucky12345,” a grasp hacker in southern Russia whose malware has led to monetary losses of greater than $100 million. The secret is to compel Mr. Putin to behave towards them. At his summit with him in June, Mr. Biden mentioned he demanded that Russia take down the ransomware gangs it harbors and recognized 16 crucial sectors of the American financial system on which assaults would provoke a response. Yet two weeks later, REvil made the largest strike ever, hacking into Kaseya, a agency that provides administration software program for the IT trade, and attacking a whole bunch of its small-business clients. That led Mr. Biden to phone Mr. Putin and to say afterward that “we expect them to act.” Asked by a reporter whether or not he would take down REvil’s servers if Mr. Putin didn’t, Mr. Biden merely mentioned, “Yes.” Shortly after that, REvil abruptly disappeared from the darkish net. Tempting because it is perhaps to consider that Mr. Biden persuaded the Russians to behave or knocked the band’s servers out with American means, it’s equally doable that REvil went darkish by itself, intending, as occurs so typically in its shadowy world, to reappear later in different guises. So lengthy as the hackers concentrate on business blackmail overseas, Mr. Putin in all probability sees no purpose to close them down. They don’t hurt him or his buddies, and so they can be utilized by his spooks when crucial. Unlike the “official” hackers working for army intelligence who’ve drawn sanctions from Washington and Europe for meddling in elections or mucking round in authorities’ programs, Mr. Putin can deny any duty for what the felony gangs do. “It’s just nonsense. It’s funny,” he mentioned in June when requested about Russia’s function in ransomware assaults. “It’s absurd to accuse Russia of this.” The Russians apparently additionally consider they will parlay their management over the ransomware gangs into negotiating leverage with the West. Sergei Rybakov, the deputy international minister who leads the Russian facet in strategic stability talks launched at the Biden-Putin summit, indicated as a lot when he complained lately that the United States was specializing in ransomware individually from different safety points. Ransomware, he implied, was half of an even bigger pile of bargaining chips. That, mentioned Mr. Alperovitch, means that Mr. Putin doesn’t recognize how critically the new American president takes ransomware. For causes nonetheless unclear, Donald Trump as president was ready to provide Mr. Putin carte blanche for any cyber mischief. Mr. Biden, in contrast, sees himself as the champion of small enterprise and the center class, and it’s there that ransomware hurts the most. Writing in The Washington Post, Mr. Alperovitch and Matthew Rojansky, a knowledgeable on Russia who heads the Kennan Institute at the Wilson Center, argued that Mr. Biden ought to confront Mr. Putin with a transparent message: Crack down or else. If the Russians don’t, the authors wrote, the Biden administration “could hit Russia where it hurts by sanctioning its largest gas and oil companies, which are responsible for a significant portion of the Russian government’s revenue.” Drawing purple strains for Russia doesn’t normally work. The message would finest be delivered privately, in order that Mr. Putin wouldn’t be challenged to publicly back down earlier than the United States. It is feasible that Mr. Biden has already delivered such a message. The different crucial think about ransomware is cryptocurrency. By no coincidence, there have been few ransomware assaults earlier than Bitcoin got here into being a dozen years in the past. Now, cybercriminals may be paid off in foreign money that’s exhausting to trace or get well, although the US authorities managed to do exactly that when it recuperated $2.3 million of the Colonial Pipeline stash. Cryptocurrency is reportedly one of the points addressed in laws quickly to be launched by the Senate Homeland Security Committee. Congress can be being urged by federal regulation enforcement businesses to move regulation compelling firms in crucial trade sectors hit by a cyberattack to tell the authorities, and a number of different anti-ransomware laws is in the works. Mounting a multifront assault towards ransomware will take effort and time. Devising methods to regulate cryptocurrency is sure to be complicated and fraught. Companies shall be reluctant to wreck their model by acknowledging that they’ve been hacked or have paid ransom, and lawmakers have been historically cautious of passing legal guidelines that impose burdens on companies. But letting Russian hackers proceed to wreak havoc on America’s and the world’s digital infrastructure with impunity is an instantaneous and demanding problem. If this isn’t stopped quickly, additional escalation — and the progress of organized cybercrime syndicates in different dictatorships — is all however sure. Mr. Putin have to be made to know that this isn’t about geopolitics or strategic relations however a few new and menacing kind of organized crime. That is one thing each authorities ought to search to crush. If he refuses, Mr. Putin ought to know that he shall be thought to be a confederate and be punished as such. The New York Times
from Asharq AL-awsat https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/3109106/editorial-board/russia%E2%80%99s-new-form-organized-crime-menacing-world
Covid Fears Give Way to Biles’s Unseen Injury in Tokyo
Opinion
Tim Culpan
Tim Culpan -
Leading into the Tokyo Olympics, Covid-19 was understood to be a key danger for athletes, officials and the local community. So far, efforts to control its spread at the games seem successful, even as cases are spiking more widely in Japan. But now it’s time to consider another health risk that’s persisted largely ignored in elite sports for decades. Simone Biles reminded us of this hidden injury when she pulled out of the team gymnastics competition Tuesday night (she exited the individual all-around competition Wednesday). Back in May, tennis star Naomi Osaka spotlighted these hazards after withdrawing from the French Open. Dozens before them have battled with, been sidelined by, and have overcome one of sport’s most prevalent but undiscussed problems. Now, finally, it seems safe to talk about mental injury. After stumbling on her landing from the vault, Biles left the arena accompanied by the team doctor before returning with her right leg wrapped. Observers speculated about a physical sprain or tear. But the US’s preeminent gymnast later explained that it wasn’t her body that needed repair. “Physically, I feel good, I'm in shape,” she told NBC’s Today show. “Emotionally, that kind of varies on the time and moment. Coming here to the Olympics and being the head star isn't an easy feat.” Earlier in the week, the 24-year-old nodded to the burden in an Instagram post, telling 5.1 million followers that “I know I brush it off and make it seem like pressure doesn’t affect me but damn sometimes it’s hard hahaha!” Biles and Osaka received a largely sympathetic response, a reflection of today’s growing awareness of mental health issues that have been exacerbated by the Covid era. That hasn’t always been the case. At Athens in 2004, Australia’s Women’s 8 rowing team had fallen back to fifth in the final when one member simply stopped pulling with 400 meters to the finish line. She was accused of mental weakness and widely criticized by teammates and in the media. Years later, she said that pushing beyond her physical and mental limits had led to her collapse. Tokyo’s Covid bubble, which forces athletes to travel to the games without family and friends, stay inside defined boundaries, and get tested for the virus regularly, has ensured that the case count within the Olympic Village has remained low during the first week. That’s helped vindicate the organizers’ decision to go ahead despite the risks and low support within Japan. Yet what’s kept athletes and officials safe physically also heightened mental and emotional pressures even before the opening ceremony. Earlier this month, Australian basketballer Liz Cambage said it was too much and withdrew from the national team, noting that the lack of a support system — such as family and friends — was “terrifying,” and that she’d been suffering panic attacks. “Relying on daily medication to control my anxiety is not the place I want to be right now. Especially walking into competition on the world’s biggest sporting stage,” she posted on Twitter. While we expect a lot from sports stars, Cambage’s admission is a reminder that athletes demand a lot from themselves. What sometimes comes across as arrogance, with braggadocious claims of being the greatest of all time — as Biles signaled with her GOAT leotard — should also be thought of as the necessary mindset needed to compete at the highest level. It takes incredible self-confidence to believe that you can launch yourself off a springboard, contort, invert and spin your body multiple times before landing safely back on earth. Such a mental demand leaves no room for self-doubt. So if we acknowledge that an athlete with a torn shoulder or sprained ankle is best sitting out an event, we must accept that one whose mind isn’t at its peak should also be rested. And that’s what Biles did. It was also Osaka’s decision when she departed after the second round at Roland Garros, following repeated attempts by organizers to get her to press conferences. Our understanding of both mental strength and neurological activity in sport has developed dramatically over the years. Doctors and researchers have sought to find the connection between the brain and the body in the realm of elite performance, and in so doing better comprehend how mental and physical strength interact. In 1996, South African scientist Tim Noakes postulated that the body doesn’t perform in a vacuum, but is closely regulated by the brain. His central governor theory — that fatigue is not a physiological state but a brain-derived emotion used for protection — was controversial at the time, but has gained wider acceptance and helped advance our understanding of true physical limits. This can be demonstrated in numerous research experiments where subjects were tasked with exercising until they’re totally exhausted, and then required to put in a short burst of intense effort — seen as proof that such fatigue was perceived and not necessarily physical. Yet perception is reality. Trainers, coaches, and sports-medicine doctors help an athlete build up the requisite skills and put them into top physical shape to perform at their best. In recent decades, sports psychologists have been brought in to help them get into mental shape, find focus and push themselves to reach those physical limits. The flipside is injury. When we build our bodies to maximum capability, then push to perform at the edge, physical breakdown is bound to happen. Every athlete understands that injury is not only a fact of life, but that the right training plan is optimized to avoid it. They also know that powering through will worsen the problem, with the best course being to rest and repair the body before starting a recovery process. That same approach needs to be taken with the hidden injury of mental distress. Training regimes should be optimized for psychological health, and recovery programs put in place when breakdown occurs. Unfortunately, few athletes truly understand their own mental health. I, too, have burst into tears at the end of an Ironman triathlon race, unsure whether the emotional response was elation from finishing the grueling 226 kilometers (140.6 miles) of swimming, cycling and running or the disappointment of not doing better. Similar tears are shed by amateur and elite athletes before, during and after competition with little understanding of the cause or their underlying mental state. We all know that elite performance is in the mind, but we still lack clarity on the mechanisms that underpin that process. Thankfully for all of us, we have the leadership of heroes like Simone Biles to navigate such uncharted territory on our behalf. By understanding herself, her needs and the way forward, she’s earned the title of GOAT and turned these games into a new example of sporting excellence. Bloomberg
from Asharq AL-awsat https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/3109091/tim-culpan/covid-fears-give-way-biles%E2%80%99s-unseen-injury-tokyo
Rights Record under Scrutiny as Iran’s Raisi to Be Sworn in as President
Iran
Asharq Al-Awsat
Ebrahim Raisi will be sworn in on Tuesday. (Getty Images)
Ultraconservative Ebrahim Raisi will be inaugurated on Tuesday as the new president of Iran, a country mired in deep economic crisis and hit by crippling US sanctions. He replaces moderate president Hassan Rouhani, whose achievement was the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and six world powers. Raisi, 60, will have to tackle the nuclear talks aimed at reviving the deal from which the US unilaterally withdrew. Two days after Tuesday’s inauguration by supreme leader Ali Khamenei, Raisi will take the oath before parliament. He won June’s election when more than half the voters stayed away after many political heavyweights were barred from standing. A former judiciary chief, Raisi has been criticized by the West for his human rights record. Iran’s economic problems, exacerbated by the American sanctions, will be the new president’s greatest challenge, according to Clement Therme, a researcher at the European University Institute in Italy. “His main objective will be to improve the economic situation by reinforcing the country’s economic relations with neighboring countries,” Therme told AFP. “The goal would be to build a business model that would protect Iran’s economic growth from American policies and decisions.” Therme believes Raisi’s main priority will be to “remove US sanctions” so Iran can bolster trade with its neighbors and non-Western countries such as China and Russia. The 2015 deal saw Iran accept curbs on its nuclear capabilities in return for an easing of sanctions. But former US president Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew from the accord three years later and ramped up sanctions again, prompting Tehran to pull back from most of its nuclear commitments. Trump’s successor Joe Biden has signaled his readiness to return to the deal and engaged in indirect negotiations with Iran alongside formal talks with the agreement’s remaining parties -- Britain, China, France, Germany and Russia. Economic malaise The US sanctions choked Iran, including by seeking to stop its oil exports, and the economy contracted by more than six percent in both 2018 and 2019. This was a blow to Rouhani who had hoped to liberalize the economy and develop the private sector. In the winter of 2017-2018, and again in 2019, street protests sparked by economic woes rocked the country. And in July this year, demonstrators in the oil-rich Khuzestan province, which has been hit by drought, took to the streets to vent their anger. The economic malaise has been exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic, which has left many Iranians struggling to get by. Iranian reformist economist Saeed Laylaz said that the outgoing president was an “idealist” in his approach to the West. “Rouhani believed he would be able to solve all the country’s problems quickly,” said Laylaz, who has acted as an adviser to Iranian presidents. Laylaz believes that Raisi will choose a different path. After his election, Raisi made clear that his key foreign policy would be to improve ties with regional countries. In mid-July, Rouhani said he hoped his successor can clinch a deal to lift US sanctions and conclude nuclear talks. But Khamenei, who will preside over Raisi’s inauguration on Tuesday and whose word is final in policy matters, has warned against trusting the West. Nuclear talks Raisi himself has already said he will not negotiate with the other parties to the nuclear deal, and indirectly with the US, just for the sake of negotiations. His government will support talks that “guarantee national interests”, he has said. Six rounds of nuclear talks between Iran and world powers were held in Vienna between April and June. The last round concluded on June 20, and no date has been set for another. Officials in Tehran said there would be no new talks until Raisi assumed office. According to Therme, the new administration in Tehran, where the ultra-conservative camp deeply distrusts the United States, has no wish to press things. There is a will in Tehran “to show the American side there is no urgency for a quick compromise”, he said. The new government also wants to show “it can clinch a better deal than the previous one”, Therme added. According to Laylaz, the future of the nuclear deal will be one of the factors that will affect the fate of the economy. “If Iran declares its intention not to pursue the negotiations, the sanctions will remain,” he said. But he also expects Washington and Tehran to reach a compromise. “Iran and the United States cannot continue with the status quo,” Laylaz said.
from Asharq AL-awsat https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/3109086/rights-record-under-scrutiny-iran%E2%80%99s-raisi-be-sworn-president
Najib Saab
Najib Saab - Secretary-General of the Arab Forum for Environment and Development (AFED) and editor-in-chief of Environment & Development magazine
Going through some old papers, I came across a letter from a former minister of environment, accompanied by a list containing dozens of projects and programs funded by international organizations. The minister, who was surprised by the number and scale of these projects on his first day in office, wanted to verify their feasibility and benefits. The projects covered a variety of issues, including environmental legislation, green investment planning, coastal zone and forest management, climate change and awareness. My answer to the minister highlighted the need for these projects and programs to be part of an integrated plan, and to be subject to priorities set by the ministry, so that the employees assigned by the international organizations do not turn into an auxiliary administration. Yet, after around two decades, and hundreds of international environmental programs, on which thousands of millions were spent across Arab countries, the situation hasn’t changed much, and the evaluation still focuses on the number of programs and their catchy titles, rather than assessing their results in terms of positive impact in the country. International cooperation on environment is very important, as supporting developing countries with technology, expertise, training and financing is essential to bring about change. But this is lost unless it takes place within the framework of a national plan that is embraced and implemented by the government. Therefore, it is more useful to support government institutions to be able to manage, coordinate and supervise public projects, rather than creating a parallel administration. Let’s start by setting priorities. It is well known that there are global environmental goals, supported by technical and financial assistance programs. But the need to engage in such programs, in order for a country to be part of international endeavors, does not mean neglecting local priorities. Climate change, due to carbon dioxide emissions, should not overshadow air pollution due to sulfur, carbon monoxide and nitrogen oxides, for example, which are directly harmful to health. Addressing polluting heavy metals, such as mercury, does not justify postponing the treatment of sea pollution by bacteria from sewage in rivers and seas. Also, securing a continuous and clean supply of electric power must precede the launch of programs and setting incentives to encourage electric cars. Any program is doomed to fail if it is not relevant. In the absence of coordination, programs funded by various international bodies are often duplicated. Four programs to establish rules for environmental impact assessment were funded in one single country, over a period of two years, most of them copied from preceding ones. After one ministry adopted an environmental awareness plan funded by an international organization, two similar studies were funded, in the following year, by two organizations, one international and the other European. After tons of dead fish washed up on the shore of Lake Qaraoun on the Lebanese Litani River last April, it became apparent that tens of millions allocated by international programs, during a quarter of a century, to prevent the pollution of the river and the lake into which it flows, were lost as a result of the absence of sound studies, correct implementation, accurate coordination and timely monitoring. The irony is that pollution levels have increased exponentially instead of decreasing, as successive programs did not address the source of pollution, namely domestic sewage, factory waste and toxic agricultural pesticides, which all end up in the river and its lake. Accordingly, it was not surprising to see a European body funding a campaign to collect plastic waste from the beaches in some south Mediterranean countries, through campaigns carried out by volunteers, while the use of single-use plastic products is still allowed in most of these countries. It would have been more useful to help find alternatives to plastic bags, enact laws to prevent their use, and impose implementation, as was the case in Morocco. What is the long-term benefit of the millions that are being spent on transient cleaning campaigns by volunteers, other than the distribution of grants to some associations? In many cases this follows a trend of sharing favors among groups acting as civil society fronts for politicians. It won’t be surprising either if we read about an internationally funded project to study the “Gender Impact on Climate Change”, focusing on the disparity between men and women in responding to the climate problem. Is this a priority in countries that are still in the early stages of dealing with climate change and understanding its dimensions? Worst of all is an internationally funded advertising campaign on the issue of gender equality, filling the streets of Beirut, which is still reeling under the ruins of the port explosion, not to mention the agony of economic, political and social collapse. There are several types of environmental and developmental projects and programs, with international and external funding. Some are implemented by donors through local and foreign employees working in the donor’s offices and under their management, while others are implemented by the relevant ministries. There are also programs that go on for years, implemented by local employees, chosen by international bodies to perform specific tasks in the offices of the relevant ministries. This leads to a host of problems, as these local employees, who are considered “international experts”, receive much higher salaries than those of their fellow citizens, in the same ministry, who often have similar qualifications. Instead of being an “added value” to improve the performance and productivity of their fellow government employees, they establish a substitute, isolated administration. They consider their appointment to be a temporary stepping stone to gain experience that will qualify them to move later on to permanent jobs in international organizations, often outside their countries. Worst of all, many of these supposedly international programs receive funding from national governments, which pay the salaries of local “experts” through the international organization concerned. Those organizations keep a portion for themselves as administrative expenses, and pay the rest - equal to multiples of local salaries - to the program staff. While few of these programs are managed efficiently and bring tangible benefits to the countries concerned, in most cases they remain a mere factory of paperwork, and their evaluation is largely limited to reports about fictitious achievements, without actual independent external supervision. Today I can tell my friend, the former minister, who tried to affect change but was shocked by the coalition of interests which blocked his efforts, that the situation has not changed. Dozens of international programs during his time in office have become hundreds. Yet the air is still polluted, sewage is still being dumped into the sea untreated, random landfills are expanding and forests are dying under the blows of random logging and fires. The only solution is to rehabilitate and strengthen the national environmental institutions, so that they are able to streamline international programs to yield realistic benefits, in the framework of a well-defined national environment strategy.
from Asharq AL-awsat https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/3109081/najib-saab/reforming-international-environment-programs
Tunisia’s Ennahda Puts off Party Meeting amid Crisis
Arab World
Asharq Al-Awsat
Parliament Speaker Rached Ghannouchi poses during an interview with Reuters in Tunis on March 9, 2021. (Reuters)
The head of Tunisia’s biggest party, the moderate Islamist Ennahda, on Saturday postponed a meeting of its highest council after senior members called for his resignation over his handling of the political crisis, party sources said. Rached Ghannouchi, who is also parliament speaker, has played a critical role in Tunisia’s democratic crisis this week after quickly accusing President Kais Saied of a coup when he declared he was seizing executive authority. The moves have caused the biggest crisis in Tunisian politics since the 2011 revolution, with no announcement by Saied of a new prime minister or roadmap to end the emergency period. Saied’s moves, which also included freezing parliament and dismissing the prime minister, have also thrown Ennahda into turmoil, leading to recriminations within the party over its strategy and leadership. The party has been the most consistent in Tunisia since the revolution, playing a role in backing successive coalition governments and has lost support as the economy stagnated and public services declined. On Saturday Ghannouchi postponed a meeting of its Shura Council, the party’s highest internal authority, shortly before it was due to take place, three party sources said. Dozens of younger party members and some of its leaders including Samir Dilou, a parliament member, had called on Ghannouchi to resign, the sources said. Ghannouchi has led Ennahda for decades, including from exile in Britain before the revolution, after which he returned to a tumultuous welcome at Tunis airport. He stood for election for the first time in 2019, winning a parliament seat and becoming speaker.
from Asharq AL-awsat https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/3109076/tunisia%E2%80%99s-ennahda-puts-party-meeting-amid-crisis
US Military Aids Israel-Managed Tanker Attacked off Oman
Iran
Asharq Al-Awsat
Sailors prepare an MH-60S Sea Hawk helicopter, attached to the “Golden Falcons” of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 12, to launch on the flight deck of aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76), in response to a call for assistance from the Mercer Street, in the Arabian Sea July 30, 2021. Picture taken July 30, 2021. (UN Navy handout via Reuters)
The US Navy is assisting an Israeli-managed petroleum products tanker attacked off Oman with two crew members killed, the US military said on Saturday, adding the ship was most likely hit by a drone strike. Mercer Street, a Liberian-flagged, Japanese-owned vessel that was attacked on Thursday, is being escorted by the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan, US Central Command said in a statement. “US Navy explosives experts are aboard to ensure there is no additional danger to the crew, and are prepared to support an investigation into the attack,” said Central Command, which oversees American military operations in the Middle East and Central Asia. “Initial indications clearly point to a UAV-style (drone) attack,” it added. Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid blamed Iran on Friday for the attack, which killed a Briton and a Romanian, and said it deserved a harsh response. There was no immediate official reaction from Iran to the accusation that it was responsible. Lapid spoke with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken about the incident on Saturday evening, he said on Twitter. “We are working together against Iranian terrorism, which poses a threat to all of us, by formulating a real and effective international response,” Lapid said. Lapid added on Twitter: Iran “repeatedly errs in understanding our commitment to protecting ourselves and our interests.” US and European sources familiar with intelligence reporting said on Friday that Iran was their leading suspect for the incident. Al Alam TV, the Iranian government’s Arabic-language television network, cited unnamed sources as saying the attack on the ship came in response to a suspected, unspecified Israeli attack on Dabaa airport in Syria. The vessel is managed by Israeli-owned Zodiac Maritime. The company said on Friday the vessel was sailing under the control of its crew and own power to a safe location with a US naval escort. Iran and Israel have traded accusations of attacking each other’s vessels in recent months. Tensions have risen in the Gulf region since the United States reimposed sanctions on Iran in 2018 after then-President Donald Trump withdrew Washington from Tehran’s 2015 nuclear deal with major powers. The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO), which provides maritime security information, said the vessel was about 152 nautical miles (280 km) northeast of the Omani port of Duqm when it was attacked. According to Refinitiv ship tracking, the medium-size tanker was headed for Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates, from Dar es Salaam in Tanzania.
from Asharq AL-awsat https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/3109071/us-military-aids-israel-managed-tanker-attacked-oman
US Cyclist Fields Moved from ICU after Horrific BMX Crash
Sports
Asharq Al-Awsat
Medics prepare to carry away on a stretcher Connor Fields of the United States after he crashed at the first bend in the men's BMX Racing semifinals at the 2020 Summer Olympics, Friday, July 30, 2021, in Tokyo, Japan. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)
BMX rider Connor Fields was transferred from the intensive care unit at a Tokyo hospital to a high-level care wing Saturday, one day after a horrific crash during the semifinals of the Olympic race left him laying motionless on the asphalt. The 28-year-old from Las Vegas sustained a brain hemorrhage in the crash, and the Olympic neurosurgeon was on standby in case surgery was needed to relieve pressure on his brain. But the most recent CT scan showed no additional brain injury, USA Cycling said in a statement, and doctors are confident that Fields will not need surgery. The gold medalist at the Rio de Janeiro Games, Fields also sustained a collapsed lung and broken ribs in the crash, reported The Associated Press. “Connor is still constantly sleeping but is cogent and communicative when awakened,” said his mother, Lisa Fields, who has been in regular communication with the doctors from USA Cycling and the US Olympic team. No family members of athletes were allowed to travel to Tokyo because of the pandemic, so Lisa and her husband, Mike, have been getting updates from US Olympic team chief medical officer Dr. Jonathan Finnoff. Members of the USA Cycling medical team and coaching staff also have accompanied Fields to St. Luke’s International Hospital. “Connor is getting excellent care at the hospital,” Lisa Fields said. Fields had already qualified for the finals based on his first two heats when the gate dropped for the third one. He was in the middle of a pack of riders when he landed hard on a jump heading into the first turn. Fields hit the deck hard and was hit by two others riders, and he remained motionless while the rest of the field finished the run. Medical personnel rushed out to attend to Fields, who was eventually loaded onto a stretcher and taken to an ambulance. Australian cyclist Saya Sakakibara also had to be removed on a stretcher following a crash Saturday. This is not the first time Fields, a two-time world champion, has been in a bad crash. At the national championships in 2018 he hit his head and was knocked unconscious. He awoke strapped to a stretcher and was taken by ambulance to a hospital. “When I asked what happened,” he recalled ahead of the Tokyo Games, “they told me I had a seizure on impact. I haven't really ever been knocked out before, and when they told me that I was absolutely terrified.” He was cleared to ride again a few months later, and began to work toward qualifying for the next Olympics.
from Asharq AL-awsat https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/3107711/us-cyclist-fields-moved-icu-after-horrific-bmx-crash
Pentagon Grappling with New Vaccine Orders; Timing Uncertain
World
Asharq Al-Awsat
United States Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin holds a press conference with Philippines Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana (not in photo) after a bilateral meeting at Camp Aguinaldo military camp in Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines Friday, July 30, 2021. (Rolex dela Pena/Pool Photo via AP)
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is vowing he “won't let grass grow under our feet” as the department begins to implement the new vaccine and testing directives. But Pentagon officials were scrambling at week's end to figure out how to enact and enforce the changes across the vast military population and determine which National Guard and Reserve troops would be affected by the orders. The Pentagon now has two separate missions involving President Joe Biden's announcement Thursday aimed at increasing COVID-19 vaccines in the federal workforce. The Defense Department must develop plans to make the vaccine mandatory for the military, and set up new requirements for federal workers who will have to either attest to a COVID-19 vaccination or face frequent testing and travel restrictions. Austin said Friday the department will move expeditiously, but added that he can’t predict how long it will take. He said he plans to consult with medical professionals as well as the military service leaders. Any plan to make the vaccine mandatory will require a waiver signed by Biden, because the Food and Drug Administration has not yet given the vaccine final, formal approval. According to federal law, the requirement to offer individuals a choice of accepting or rejecting use of an emergency use vaccine may only be waived by the president, “only if the president determines in writing that complying with such requirement is not in the interests of national security.” Mandating the vaccine prior to FDA approval will likely trigger opposition from vaccine opponents, and drag the military into political debates over what has become a highly divisive issue in America, said The Associated Press. Military commanders, however, have also struggled to separate vaccinated recruits from those not vaccinated during early portions of basic training across the services in order to prevent infections. So, for some, a mandate could make training and housing less complicated. Military service members are already required to get as many as 17 different vaccines, depending on where they are based around the world. Some of the vaccines are specific to certain regions. Military officials have said the pace of vaccines has been growing across the force, with some units seeing nearly 100 percent of their members get shots. According to the Pentagon, more than 1 million service members are fully vaccinated, and another 233,000 have gotten at least one shot. There are roughly 2 million active duty, Guard and Reserve troops. A vaccine mandate will also raise questions about whether the military services will discharge troops who refuse the vaccine. National Guard officials said initial guidance suggests that Guard troops who initially refuse the vaccine once its mandatory will receive counseling from medical personnel. If they still refuse they would be ordered to take it, and failure to follow that order could result in administrative or punitive action. On Friday, Guard officials said leaders were still nailing down legal recommendations on which citizen soldiers would be affected by the new requirements and who would not. Officials said it appears the bulk of the Guard would eventually have to get the vaccine, when it is mandated. Guard troops on federal active duty would be given the vaccine in their units wherever they are deployed, and others would get it when they report to their monthly drill weekend or annual training. The system, according to Guard officials, would resemble any other vaccine requirement. Guard members who are on state active duty would not be subject to the requirement initially because they are subject to state laws. But once they return to a monthly drill, the order would apply to them. Guard officials spoke about the new vaccine process on condition of anonymity because procedures are still being finalized. While the number of COVID-19 deaths across the military has remained small —- largely attributed to the age and health of the force — cases of the virus have been increasing. As of this week, there have been more than 208,600 cases of COVID-19 among members of the US military. Of those, more than 1,800 have been hospitalized and 28 have died. Earlier this year, the number of cases and hospitalizations had been growing by relatively small, consistent amounts, and the number of deaths had stalled at 26 for more than two and a half months. In recent weeks the totals spiked. The number of cases increased by more than 3,000 in the last week alone, and those hospitalized grew by 36. Two Navy sailors also died last week.
from Asharq AL-awsat https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/3107691/pentagon-grappling-new-vaccine-orders-timing-uncertain
Glimpses of Bygone Era in English Seaside Holiday Village
Entertainment
Asharq Al-Awsat
People sit on the beach facing the Teign estuary and the the holiday resort of Teignmouth in Shaldon, Devon, England, Wednesday July 21, 2021. (AP Photo/Tony Hicks)
They are simple pleasures that hark back to analog, unplugged summer days: a book and a picnic blanket, a bucket and spade, fish and chips. They are also the traditional trappings of the great British seaside holiday that is making a comeback amid foreign travel concerns during the COVID-19 pandemic. Back in the day, as the eagerly awaited school summer break loomed on the horizon, one question dominated the playground: “Where are you off to on holiday?” This was the ’70s, and time may have dimmed the memories, but I don’t recall any of the 30 children in my class saying they were heading overseas. I was part of the last generation for whom the British seaside holiday was still king, said The Associated Press. Its heyday stretches back to Victorian times and probably peaked in the post-war years of the 1950s and 1960s. Full employment and annual paid leave gave the working and middle classes the financial clout to take a break on the coast each summer. For people in southern England like my family, that meant heading to Margate, Camber Sands, Brighton, Weymouth or other coastal towns. A longer drive west took you to the English Riviera. Elsewhere, holiday towns like Blackpool on the northwest coast or Clacton-on-Sea on the east were flooded with visitors during school holidays. The glory days began to wane with the arrival of cheap airline travel and package tour holidays that whisked families to resorts dotted around the warm waters of the Mediterranean Sea, where sunshine was almost guaranteed. Visiting the fishing village of Shaldon in Devon, a small cluster of mainly Georgian houses and shops at the mouth of the River Teign, is like stepping back into a bygone era of simple pleasures. Even as a recent heat wave sent Britons flocking to the coast to cool off, Shaldon retained an effortless tranquility. The ingredients are simple: Two nice beaches, a handful of pubs, a shop selling the quintessentially British holiday fare of fish and chips (though the meal is sadly no longer wrapped in old newspapers), and a pitch-and-putt golf course with lovely views across the Teign estuary. Take a cool dip between small fishing boats and less traditional stand-up paddle boards. Cast a line into the estuary at low tide as the day's last rays of sun illuminate green seaweed-covered stones. Finish things off with a pint in a pub beer garden. For those seeking a staycation destination, Shaldon ticks many boxes for a great British seaside stay.
from Asharq AL-awsat https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/3107676/glimpses-bygone-era-english-seaside-holiday-village
Italian Community Hopes to Save Fire-ravaged Ancient Tree
Varieties
Asharq Al-Awsat
"The Patriarch", as it is known in the west of the Italian island region, was a massive wild olive tree with a trunk about 10 meters (33 feet) around and 16.5 meters (54 feet) high Valentina SINIS AFP/File
Scientists in Sardinia are hoping a thousand-year-old olive tree nearly destroyed by recent fires can be saved, mobilizing volunteers to stand guard around the remains of the ancient tree. "The Patriarch", as it is known in the west of the Italian island region, was a massive wild olive tree with a trunk about 10 meters (33 feet) around and 16.5 meters (54 feet) high. But it was nearly completely devoured by flames that ripped through the area last weekend when over 20,000 hectares (50,000 acres) burned in the worst fires seen on the island in decades. The blaze destroyed homes and killed livestock as it ravaged thousands of Sardinia's olive trees, along with juniper groves, cork trees, oaks and pines. After an examination of the tree earlier this week, experts said they hoped there might be signs of life in the root system and the side of the trunk that was spared the worst burns. The community of Cuglieri has organized volunteers to stand guard to prevent people from walking on its fragile root systems on the advice of experts, including botanist Gianluigi Bacchetta of Cagliari University. "Keeping this tree alive means keeping everyone's hope alive," he said of the specimen, which registered on Italy's list of monumental trees. Bacchetta said after an examination of the area Wednesday that water added to the soil around the tree had helped lower its temperature. Another scientist who surveyed the damage, University of Sassari botany professor Ignazio Camarda, wrote on Facebook that all that was left of the mighty tree were "miserable remains that lie on the ground and a few blackened stumps, as well as a section of the base". But he also noted "a glimmer of life from which a new sapling could emerge". Firefighters were still on the ground in western Sardinia Friday, extinguishing new outbreaks and clearing areas, even as scorching temperatures of over 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) and winds mean that the risk of fire remains high.
from Asharq AL-awsat https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/3107661/italian-community-hopes-save-fire-ravaged-ancient-tree
Prada Beats Profit Expectations in First Half of 2021
Fashion
Asharq Al-Awsat
A man wearing a face mask following the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak walks past a store of Italian luxury brand Prada on a shopping street in Beijing, China, January 20, 2021. REUTERS/Tingshu Wang
Italian luxury label Prada posted Thursday a first-half profit that was above analysts' expectations, while indicating that its sales recovery should continue. Net profit for the first half of 2021 rose to 97 million euros ($115 million), from a loss of 180 million euros a year earlier at the height of the coronavirus pandemic. Analysts, on average, were expecting net profit of 78 million euros, according to financial information provider Factset Estimates. Sales leapt by 60 percent to 1.5 billion euros in the half, again ahead of the analysts' consensus of 1.42 billion euros, reported AFP. Despite 17 percent of Prada's stores remaining closed in the first half of the year due to ongoing Covid-19 restrictions, retail sales reached €1.28 billion, surpassing the pre-pandemic level with an eight-percent increase over the same period in 2019. The haute couture house posted a core operating profit (Ebit) of 166 million euros, which was better than expected as well, and better than the 150-million-euro result a year earlier. Prada chief executive Patrizio Bertelli said the group had managed to raise its profit "despite a still uncertain environment. "The sales momentum will stay strong in the second half of the year," he added in a statement, driven by growth in Asia. For 2020 as a whole, the label posted a net loss of 54 million euros.
from Asharq AL-awsat https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/3107641/prada-beats-profit-expectations-first-half-2021
Lapid to Visit Morocco to Open Israeli Diplomatic Mission
Arab World
Ramallah- Kifah Zboun
Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid (AFP)
Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid is planning to visit Morocco next month after a 20-year rupture in relations between the two countries. The Times of Israel said that this would be the first visit to Rabat by an Israeli foreign minister. Lapid had made a similar "historic" visit in late June to the UAE to open the Israeli embassy in Abu Dhabi and the consulate in Dubai. The Israeli Foreign Ministry said that Lapid's visit to Morocco would take place on August 11 and 12, during which the Israeli diplomatic mission in Rabat will be officially inaugurated. The Times of Israel confirmed that Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita would also visit Israel at the invitation of Lapid to open his country's mission in Tel Aviv. "After my trip to Morocco, Minister Bourita will come to visit Israel to open missions here," Lapid said at a Yesh Atid faction meeting in the Knesset last week. The Foreign Ministry Director-General, Alon Ushpiz, visited Morocco three weeks ago, delivering Bourita the written invitation from Lapid. The Israeli Foreign Minister stressed in his letter that restoring relations between the two states was a historical milestone. He also expressed his desire to make progress in bilateral cooperation between Israel and Morocco in trade, technology, culture, and tourism. Lapid said the invitation showed that establishing diplomatic and direct relations between the two countries and their citizens is a "top priority" for Israel. The announcement comes seven months after the two sides normalized their relations, in an agreement brokered by the United States, as part of a wave of normalization agreements between several Arab countries and Israel. A week ago, the first direct commercial flight from Tel Aviv landed in Marrakesh, carrying one hundred Israeli tourists. The two countries will link direct flights between Tel Aviv, Marrakesh, and Casablanca to attract 50,000 Israeli tourists to Morocco by the end of the year. Morocco is home to the largest Jewish community in North Africa, with a population of 3,000 people. About 700,000 Jews of Moroccan origin live in Israel. Morocco aspires to attract 200,000 Israeli tourists by 2022. Also this month, a Moroccan air force plane landed in Israel's Hatzor Air Base, reportedly to take part in a multinational Israeli Air Force exercise later this month. Israel and Rabat only exchanged diplomatic offices instead of embassies, and they maintained close official relations, but Morocco suspended relations after the second Palestinian intifada in 2000.
from Asharq AL-awsat https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/3107636/lapid-visit-morocco-open-israeli-diplomatic-mission
New Netflix Documentary on 'Multi-layered' Michael Schumacher
Sports
Asharq Al-Awsat
Michael Schumacher during his days at Ferrari. Image credit: Reuters
Seven-time Formula One world champion Michael Schumacher is the subject of a new Netflix documentary to be released on September 15, the platform announced on Friday. The film titled "Schumacher" retraces the life and career of the German driver, who has not been seen in public since a serious skiing accident in 2013, and promises unseen archive material that shows the "many facets of his multi-layered personality". The portrait of the racing legend, now 52, is "the only film supported by his family", the platform said in a press release. Schumacher’s manager Sabine Kehm describes the film as the "family's gift to their beloved husband and father". The documentary features exclusive interviews with his wife Corinna, his two children Gina and Mick, himself an F1 driver since this season, and brother Ralf, as well as those who worked with or raced against Schumacher, including Jean Todt, Bernie Ecclestone, Sebastian Vettel, Mika Hakkinen, Damon Hill and David Coulthard. Schumacher, who won 91 Grand Prix before retiring from Formula One in 2012, suffered a serious head injury on December 29, 2013 in the French Alps and his state of health remains secret. "The greatest challenge for the directors was certainly to find the balance between independent reporting and consideration for the family," said Vanessa Nocker who directed the film along with Hanns-Bruno Kammertons and Michael Wech. "Corinna Schumacher herself was our greatest support in this. "She herself wanted to make an authentic film, to show Michael as he is, with all his ups and downs, without any sugarcoating. "She was great and brave enough to let us do what we wanted, and so we respected and kept her boundaries. A very inspiring, warm woman who made a lasting impression on all of us." It will be released 30 years after the German's first Grand Prix in Belgium in August 1991.
from Asharq AL-awsat https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/3107621/new-netflix-documentary-multi-layered-michael-schumacher
London - Asharq Al-Awsat
A trader in the currency pit at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange in 2010 (John Gress / Reuters)
People are quicker to jump to the worst conclusion when they are stressed, new research suggests. The study into the subject found you're far more likely to reach undesirable conclusions based on weaker evidence than when you're relaxed. In other words, you'll always see the worst possible scenario, reported The Metro. Professor Tali Sharot, from University College London, explained: "Many of the most significant choices you will make, from financial decisions to medical and professional ones, will happen while you feel stressed. Often these decisions require you to first gather information and weigh the evidence." "For example, you may consult multiple physicians before deciding on a best course of medical treatment. We wanted to find out: does feeling stressed change how you process and use the information you gather? Our research suggests that under stress, people weigh each piece of evidence that supports undesirable conclusions more than when they are relaxed. In contrast, how they weigh evidence that supports desirable conclusions is not affected by stress. As a result, people are more likely to conclude the worst is true when they are stressed," Sharot said. The small study saw 91 volunteers play a categorization game, in which they could gather as much evidence as they wanted to decide whether they were in a desirable environment (associated with rewards) or an undesirable environment (associated with losses). The participants were incentivized for accuracy. Before playing the game, 40 of them were told they had to give a public speech, which would be judged by a panel of experts, prompting them to feel stressed and anxious. UCL researchers found that under stress, the volunteers needed weaker evidence to reach the conclusion of being in the undesirable environment. But the stress did not change the strength of the evidence needed to reach the conclusion they were in the desirable environment, the study found.
from Asharq AL-awsat https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/3107611/scientists-explain-responses-under-stress
