If Watergate Happened Today, Would Nixon Have Survived?

Opinion

June 1st, 4:42am

Jonathan Bernstein

Jonathan Bernstein -

The 50th anniversary of the Watergate arrests is approaching: The first break-in at Democratic National Committee headquarters was on May 28, 1972, but the botched return on June 17 produced arrests and eventually brought Richard Nixon’s presidency to a premature end on Aug. 8, 1974. The Washington Post’s Margaret Sullivan has what is sure to be a popular opinion: Had Watergate played out in today’s media environment, Nixon would have survived. I’m not so sure. There are many issues involved — the media, Congress, overall partisanship, and the nature of Nixon’s crimes and presidency. Yes, today’s news environment is very different from that of the early 1970s, which was the peak of “neutral” media — that is, news organizations whose journalists explicitly thought of themselves as neutral. This doesn’t mean that they were truly neutral; no such thing is possible. But their biases were different from those of the explicitly partisan press of the 19th century — and the revived partisan press that has become far more important, especially on the Republican side, in the 21st century. It was also the peak of broadcast television, with the vast majority of TV viewers tuned in day after day and night after night. People watched the network evening news because there weren’t many other options. But Watergate wasn’t really a media story. Sure, the reporting was important. Yet the big breakthroughs in the investigation came from career prosecutors in the Department of Justice, the special prosecutors who took over the investigation in 1973, and Senate and House committees. Good investigative reporting broke stories, and those reports helped keep the pressure on the White House and Nixon’s campaign committee. But a lot of the pressure was internal, as various players who had committed a series of crimes attempted to shift the blame and find some set of someone-elses to take the fall. True, there was no significant Republican-aligned media to either ignore the whole thing or to blame Democrats for it. It’s not clear, however, how much of a difference that really makes. Fox News and other Republican-aligned media were already in place during former President George W. Bush’s second term, yet his approval ratings dropped below 40% when things went bad in Iraq — and below 30% when recession hit. Granted, that’s not the same thing as scandal. As for former President Donald Trump, it’s hard to be certain of where his approval ratings should have been based only on questions of peace and prosperity, but it certainly appears that economic conditions would have predicted solid approval ratings right up to the pandemic-induced recession in 2020. Instead, Trump’s approval ratings fell well below 40% in his opening months, and recovered only to the low- to mid-40s for most of the remainder of his presidency. What else can the Trump experience tell us? Like Nixon, Trump was unable to prevent a special prosecutor from being named to investigate him. But the course of the investigation was different. By the time Robert Mueller was named special counsel in 2017, it was clear that Trump had welcomed Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election and that he had almost certainly obstructed justice. That’s essentially what Mueller found. In 1973 and 1974, by contrast, regular disclosures made the crimes of Watergate look worse and worse. When the Ukraine scandal broke in 2019, Democrats moved toward impeachment fairly quickly, and put little effort into pushing for an independent counsel. The same happened with Trump’s effort to overturn the 2020 election — which, of course, could still wind up producing indictments of high-ranking officials, including the former president. At any rate, while Trump escaped conviction twice, the second time was hardly a sure thing, with seven Republican senators joining every Democrat in finding Trump guilty. The Watergate scandal unfolded slowly, and revelations continued right up to Nixon’s resignation in August 1974 (in fact, they continued for years after, since it took decades for all the White House tapes to be released). This was important not only because it made for a worse media narrative. It’s also important because for two years, Nixon had asked Republicans in Congress to trust him — only to have them find out he had lied. Trump certainly lies frequently and enthusiastically. But with regard to his scandals, his lies were mainly about things that were already known. And Trump never really asked congressional Republicans to trust him. He did, however, deliver on what congressional Republicans cared about: judicial nominations and a tax cut. In other words, he mainly deferred to them on policy — in contrast to Nixon, who had also failed to campaign for congressional Republicans in 1972. Would Nixon have survived in today’s conditions? One can never be sure. Partisan polarization would surely have made impeachment and conviction somewhat less likely, and therefore his resignation as well. Indeed, partisan polarization makes it much less likely that any president would treat Congress the way that Nixon did. But the same scandal might well have evolved in the same way, and I don’t see any reason to be confident that the outcome would have been different. Bloomberg

from Asharq AL-awsat https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/3677681/jonathan-bernstein/if-watergate-happened-today-would-nixon-have-survived

I Thought Putin Invaded Only Ukraine. I Was Wrong.

Opinion

June 1st, 4:30am

Thomas L. Friedman

Thomas L. Friedman -

I’ve been writing nonstop about the Ukraine war ever since Russia invaded on Feb. 24, but I confess that it took coming to Europe and meeting with politicians, diplomats and entrepreneurs here for me to fully grasp what happened. You see, I thought Vladimir Putin had invaded Ukraine. I was wrong. Putin had invaded Europe. He shouldn’t have done that. This could be the biggest act of folly in a European war since Hitler invaded Russia in 1941. I only fully understood this when I got to this side of the Atlantic. It was easy from afar to assume — and probably easy for Putin to assume — that eventually Europe would reconcile itself to the full-scale invasion Putin launched against Ukraine on Feb. 24, the way Europe reconciled with his 2014 devouring of Ukraine’s Crimean peninsula, a remote slice of land where he met little resistance and set off limited shock waves. Wrong, wrong, wrong. This invasion — with Russian soldiers indiscriminately shelling Ukrainian apartment buildings and hospitals, killing civilians, looting homes, raping women and creating the biggest refugee crisis in Europe since World War II — is increasingly seen as a 21st-century rerun of Hitler’s onslaught against the rest of Europe, which started in September 1939 with the German attack on Poland. Add on top of that Putin’s seeming threat to use nuclear weapons, warning that any country that interfered with his unprovoked war would face “consequences you have never seen,” and it explains everything. It explains why, practically overnight, Germany’s government dispensed with nearly 80 years of aversion to conflict and maintaining the smallest defense budget possible, and announced instead a huge increase in military spending and plans to send arms to Ukraine. It explains why, practically overnight, Sweden and Finland abandoned more than 70 years of neutrality and applied for membership in NATO. It explains why, practically overnight, Poland gave up playing around with pro-Putin, anti-immigrant populist Viktor Orban, the prime minister of Hungary, and opened its borders to more than two million Ukrainian refugees while also making itself into a crucial land bridge to funnel NATO arms into Ukraine. It explains why, practically overnight, the European Union threw off years of baby-step economic sanctions on Russia and fired a precision economic-sanctions missile right into the center of Putin’s economy. In sum, what I thought was just a Russian invasion of Ukraine has become a European earthquake — “an awakening — boom! — and then everything changed,” as Joschka Fischer, the former German foreign minister, put it to me. “The status quo ante will not come back. You are seeing a huge change in Europe in response to Russia — not based on American pressure, but because the threat perception of Russia today is completely different: We understand that Putin is not talking about Ukraine alone, but about all of us and our way of freedom.” Whether we like it or not, added Fischer, modern Europe is now in a “confrontational mode with Russia. Russia is no longer part of any European peace order.” There’s been “a complete loss of trust with Putin.” Is there any wonder why? Putin’s army is systematically destroying Ukrainian cities and infrastructure with the seeming intent not to impose Russian rule on these towns, communities and farms but rather to erase them and their residents from the map and make true by force Putin’s crackpot claim that Ukraine is not a real country. At the Davos World Economic Forum last week, I interviewed Anatoliy Fedoruk, the mayor of Bucha, Ukraine, the town where Russia stands accused of murdering scores of civilians and leaving their bodies on the streets to rot, or piled into a mass grave in a churchyard, before the Russian troops were driven out. “We had 419 peaceful citizens murdered in multiple ways,” Fedoruk told me. “We had no military infrastructure in our town. People were defenseless. The Russian soldiers stole, they raped and they drank. … I am really surprised that this is happening in the 21st century.” If that was the “shock” phase of this war — and it is still going on — the “awe” phase is something I detected among European officials in Davos and Berlin. To put it bluntly, while the United States of America seems to be coming apart, the United States of Europe — the 27 members of the European Union — have stunned everyone, and most of all themselves, by coming together to make a fist, along with a number of other European nations and NATO, to stymie Putin’s invasion. You could almost feel E.U. officials saying: “Wow, did we make that fist? Is that our fist?” Since February, the E.U. has imposed five packages of sanctions against Russia — sanctions that not only badly hurt Russia but are also costly for the E.U. countries in terms of lost business or higher raw material costs. A sixth package, agreed to on Monday, will cut some 90 percent of E.U. oil imports from Russia by the end of this year while also ejecting Sberbank, Russia’s biggest bank, from SWIFT, the vital global banking messaging system. Maybe the most impressive thing is how many Ukrainian refugees E.U. nations have been willing to house without much complaint. There is an awareness that Ukrainian menfolk are fighting to defend them, too, so the E.U. nations can at least house their women, children and elderly. “They are being given the same health care, childhood allowances and education that Poles are,” Mateusz Morawiecki, Poland’s prime minister, told me. “Why not? They are working and paying taxes. The only thing they don’t have is the right to vote.” Putin thought the E.U. would quickly splinter under his pressure, added Morawiecki, “but Putin was wrong. Europe is now much more united than before the Ukraine war.” Putin, observing all of this, must be asking himself: “Is that a fist I see coming at me from the E.U.? Can’t be! No, wait … it is! What’s going on here! I thought I had Germany in my pocket — bought and paid for with my cheap gas. I never dreamed they’d rally to Ukraine this way and see my invasion of Ukraine as an attack on all of them.” But that’s exactly what happened. Still, many in the E.U. are asking how long they will be able to maintain this painful fist. It is a legitimate question. “Putin is counting on the fatigue of the West,” Morawiecki said. “He knows that he has much more time because democracies are less patient than autocracies.” It’s true. Some E.U. leaders are already encouraging President Biden to call Putin and explore terms of a cease-fire. Putin’s forces in eastern and southern Ukraine are now out-pummeling the Ukrainian Army at various strategic junctions, volleying round after round of rockets and heavy artillery. They don’t need to be accurate; they just need to overwhelm the Ukrainian forces with their sheer volume. I hope the Ukrainians can hold their ground long enough for more advanced Western arms to arrive to even the fight and for the E.U. sanctions on Russia to really hurt, so that Ukrainians have real leverage with Putin in any negotiated settlement. That said, though, I could not help but notice another theme that has run through my conversations here. It is a conviction that because this is so much Putin’s war, and because the barbarism of his forces in this war has been so criminal, as long as Putin remains in power in Moscow it will be very difficult to trust Russia on anything regarding Ukraine. I heard no one advocate regime change, but I also heard no one say the West could return to any normalcy with Russia without it. All of which is to say something very big with Putin got broken here, and that is going to be a problem when we do move to the negotiating table — as long as Putin leads Russia. But Putin is a problem for the Russian people to deal with, not us. The New York Times

from Asharq AL-awsat https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/3677666/thomas-l-friedman/i-thought-putin-invaded-only-ukraine-i-was-wrong

Sick of Massacres? Get Rid of the Guns.

Opinion

June 1st, 4:20am

Gail Collins

Gail Collins -

How long does it take to get over a mass shooting? Well, for the families and friends of victims of the Buffalo supermarket disaster, where 10 people were killed by a gunman with a semiautomatic rifle, obviously forever. But when it comes to the rest of the country, one man who ought to know says the public has already started to move on. “That’s the pattern,” said Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut. “Despite gun violence rates going through the roof, the country only pays attention when there’s a mass shooting, and then the country only pays attention for 24 to 48 hours.” Murphy was formerly the congressman from the district where 20-year-old Adam Lanza killed 26 people, including 20 children, with a semiautomatic rifle at Sandy Hook Elementary in 2012. Murphy later moved on to the Senate, where in 2016 he staged an old-school filibuster, speaking for over 14 hours to protest the fact that his colleagues weren’t planning to do anything after the Pulse nightclub shooting that killed 49 in Florida. The gunman at the Pulse nightclub used a semiautomatic rifle. See a pattern here, anybody? And what do you think we should do about it? A) Toughen background check laws B) Limit the sale of semiautomatics to people with hunting licenses C) Good Lord, just get rid of them Yeah, C does simplify things, doesn’t it? After we learned that Payton Gendron, the 18-year-old suspect in the Buffalo shooting, had been able to buy an AR-15-style assault rifle with just a little more effort than it’d take to buy a burrito, inquiring minds wanted to know why. It turns out that in many states, semiautomatic rifles are basically regarded as weapons of sport — the kind of thing you’d use to go hunting deer or target shooting. “The industry has gone to an extreme effort to argue it’s a needed hunting gun. I think they doth protest too much,” said Ryan Busse, a former executive in the gun industry who’s now become a critic. (A memoir of his transformation, “Gunfight,” was published last year.) Claiming that you need a semiautomatic rifle for hunting, Busse said, is like arguing that you need a Formula One racecar to go shopping. “There’s a lot of safer and more effective ways to get to the stores.” Congress did indeed ban semiautomatic rifles in 1994, in a law with a 10-year expiration date. After the ban expired, the number of mass shootings increased. And Congress responded by … pretty much ignoring the matter completely. Hey, the Republicans had taken control. Same thing now, of course. Nobody believes anything as controversial as banning semiautomatic rifles is going to get through the current Senate. Joe Biden would love to take action, but he hasn’t come up with anything more dramatic than nominating a permanent director for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. A permanent director would be a post-Trump triumph. But not exactly the goal we had in mind. Guns like the infamous semiautomatic AR-15 aren’t really needed for sport. (OK, we might permit an exemption for the folks down South who need to cut back on the herds of very speedy 300-pound wild pigs.) In Connecticut, which has some of the most restrictive gun laws in the country, Murphy says tons of his constituents hunt and he never hears complaints about their inability to mow down deer without a rapid-fire rifle. In some ways, the assault rifle is now a symbol on both sides. “The AR-15 to most people in the firearms industry — it’s a statement. It’s a middle finger,” said Busse, who noted that during the Jan. 6 charge on the Capitol there were AR-15 “Come and Take It” flags waving. And the ban-that-rifle corps has to admit that getting rid of assault rifles won’t solve the gun problem as long as people in many states are allowed to own pistols and carry them when they stroll about the town. (We will pause here to recall that the Supreme Court is reviewing New York’s law prohibiting people from toting handguns around without a compelling reason. Any jurist who vents about the sanctity of human life during abortion cases had better examine his or her conscience before ruling in that one.) The get-up Gendron was wearing — body armor, video equipment attached to a helmet — is becoming more common. A sign of the times, I guess. Fifteen years ago, Busse notes, the firearms industry wouldn’t have allowed gear like that to be displayed at its trade shows. “But if you go there today, the marketing campaigns are terrific,” he said, adding he’s also run into “the most frightening video games you’ve ever been in.” We are not going to devolve into a discussion about how everything’s getting worse. Really, people, everything can’t be worse about everything. Let’s think positive, and if you want to get attention, a simple battle is the best bet. Get rid of assault rifles. All assault rifles. Ban them. Hunters can work on becoming better shots. The gun industry can diversify — and maybe start marketing swords and medieval knight costumes at its trade shows. I know swords can do a lot of damage, but we live in an age when one victim at a time would definitely be progress. The New York Times

from Asharq AL-awsat https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/3677661/gail-collins/sick-massacres-get-rid-guns

After Defeating Djokovic, Nadal Says 'I Haven't Won Anything Yet'

Sports

June 1st, 3:36am

Asharq Al-Awsat

Rafael Nadal celebrates winning his quarter-final. Reuters

Rafael Nadal insisted he still has work to do to win a 14th French Open despite knocking out Novak Djokovic and said it was "too late" to be playing after their quarter-final ended in the early hours of Wednesday. The Spaniard is still on track for a record-extending 22nd men's Grand Slam title and will face third seed Alexander Zverev in the semi-finals on his 36th birthday on Friday. Nadal took his head-to-head against defending champion Djokovic at Roland Garros to 8-2 with a 6-2, 4-6, 6-2, 7-6 (7/4) win which finished after 1:00 am local time. "In the end it has been a very emotional night for me," AFP quoted Nadal as saying. "I'm still playing for nights like today. "But it's just a quarter-finals match? So I didn't win anything. I just give myself a chance to be back on court in two days. Playing another semi-finals here in Roland Garros means a lot to me." The match ended in cool conditions under the Court Philippe Chatrier lights, with many fans covering themselves in blankets as the match stretched from May into June. "It is too late, without a doubt," said Nadal who had asked not to play in the night session. "I can't complain because we have two days off now, but if you only have one day off, or like Zverev had in Madrid, when he had to play the final the next day, then it's a big issue. "I understand the other part of the business, without a doubt, that television pays a lot of money... "We need to find a balance." Nadal, who won the Australian Open earlier this year, has struggled in recent weeks with a chronic foot injury. He said before his match with Djokovic that it could potentially be his last on the Paris clay.

from Asharq AL-awsat https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/3677656/after-defeating-djokovic-nadal-says-i-havent-won-anything-yet

Yemen Presidential Council Forms Security, Military Committee

Arab World

May 31st, 6:06am

Aden - Ali Rabih

UN envoy Grundberg meets with head of the Presidential Leadership Council Dr. Rashad Al-Alimi in Aden. (Office of the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Yemen).

The Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council announced on Monday the formation of a joint security and military committee. Veteran military official Haitham Qassem Taher was named as head of the 59-member committee. The formation of the body is part of the Council's efforts to consolidate its authority and efforts to unify the army and security forces. Official sources added that the PLC also agreed to restructure the armed and security forces in line with the declaration of the transition of power in the country. The Saba news agency said the meeting was chaired by PLC Chairman Dr. Rashad Al-Alimi and other members of the council. The sources added that the PLC agreed to form a committee that would assess and restructure the intelligence agencies. The members stressed the importance of these committees in carrying out their duties to achieve security and stability and unify the armed and security forces under one national command. This would boost the battle of restoring the state and protect the current national consensus, with the support of the Arab Coalition, led by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Yemenis are hoping that the security and military committee would be a changing point in that it would unify the military and security forces, which would consolidate the ability of the legitimate forces in confronting the Houthi coup and unite national forces that are keen on restoring the state and liberating the capital Sanaa from the militias. Meanwhile, the legitimate government warned that the ongoing nationwide truce was on the verge of collapse due to the intransigence of the Iran-backed Houthi militias. The truce is set to expire on Thursday. United Nations envoy Hans Grundberg pledged on Monday to extend the truce. He held talks with Al-Alimi, members of the PLC and Foreign Minister Ahmed bin Mubarak in the interim capital Aden. The UN office in Yemen tweeted that the meeting focused on re-opening roads in Taiz, which under a years-long siege by the Houthis, and renewing the truce. "Discussions focused on the need to deliver results for civilians in Taiz and across Yemen. Grundberg noted that renewing the truce is critical to solidify benefits delivered so far and provide space to move towards a political settlement," it added. The representative of the warring parties met for three days in the Jordanian capital Amman last week to discuss ending the siege. They failed to reach an agreement with the Houthis rejecting the government delegation's proposal to open the main roads. Lifting the siege was among the articles of the truce. The question of the blockaded city is key to extending the ceasefire. Grundberg said a proposal had been floated in what he described as "an initial round of discussions" for a phased reopening of roads in Taiz and elsewhere, which would help facilitate aid deliveries and the movement of suffering Yemenis. The representatives agreed to hold a follow up meeting. Bin Mubarak informed Grundberg on Monday that the government was keen on ensuring the success of the truce to ease the suffering of the people. He accused the Houthis of committing violations and stalling, complicating efforts to end the Taiz siege. He expressed the PLC's commitment to exercise restraint to ensure that the truce holds, demanding that the envoy and international community pressure the Houthis and guarantee that all articles of the truce are implemented. The sources said Grundberg hailed the government's position and keenness on respecting the truce to ease the people's suffering. He stressed that lifting the siege was at the top of his priorities and that he is keen on extending the truce.

from Asharq AL-awsat https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/3675596/yemen-presidential-council-forms-security-military-committee

Calls Mount in Iraq to Dissolve Parliament

Arab World

May 31st, 5:50am

Baghdad - Asharq Al-Awsat

A general view of the Iraqi parliament in Baghdad, Iraq February 7, 2022. (Reuters)

Calls have mounted in Iraq to dissolve the parliament as a way to end the political impasse in the country that has stretched on for seven months. Iraq held parliamentary elections in October 2021 with no party being able to reap a majority of bloc, which has consequently led to deadlock over the election of a president and formation of a government. Despite the impasse, the parliament has convened with the members of the "salvation coalition", which includes the Sadrist bloc of cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, the Sunni "sovereignty alliance" and Kurdistan Democratic Party. The lawmakers met to discuss several draft laws and approve others, including last week's law that criminalizes the normalization of ties with Israel. The Shiite pro-Iran Coordination Framework lawmakers voted in favor of the law, even though it was submitted by Sadr, their main Shiite rival. The cleric had proposed the law as a move that would unite Shiites, who are in agreement over opposing Israel in spite of their sharp disputes in Iraq. Meanwhile, the figures calling for the dissolution of parliament believe that its ability to ratify laws does not excuse it from failing to elect a president and form a government. Many of these figures have submitted requests to the Federal Supreme Court to dissolve the legislature. Coordination Framework MP Siham al-Moussawi warned that dissolving parliament and holding new elections could expose Iraq to problems greater than the ones it is grappling with now. She told Asharq Al-Awsat that the Framework hopes to resolve disputes away from political pressure in order to reach an agreement with the Sadrists to form a new government.

from Asharq AL-awsat https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/3675586/calls-mount-iraq-dissolve-parliament

EU Leaders Ban Most Russian Oil, as Moscow Advances in Donbas

World

May 31st, 5:43am

Asharq Al-Awsat

Service members of pro-Russian troops drive an armored vehicle along a street past a destroyed residential building during Ukraine-Russia conflict in the town of Popasna in the Luhansk Region, Ukraine May 26, 2022. The writing on the vehicle reads: "Valkyrie". (Reuters)

European Union leaders have agreed to ban more than two-thirds of Russian oil imports, tightening economic screws on the country even as Moscow's forces press their offensive in Ukraine's eastern Donbas region. The compromise deal reached late Monday, meant to punish Russia for its invasion three months ago, cuts "a huge source of financing for its war machine," European Council chief Charles Michel tweeted. "Maximum pressure on Russia to end the war," he said. Leaders of the 27-nation bloc had met to negotiate the long-sought deal earlier Monday in Brussels, amid concerns raised by Hungary and other neighboring countries reliant on Russian fuel, AFP said. The agreement also includes plans for the EU to send nine billion euros ($9.7 billion) in "immediate liquidity" to Kyiv, Michel announced. Hours earlier, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had called an oil embargo the "key point" to any sanctions package. "I believe that Europe will have to give up Russian oil and oil products in any case, because this is about the independence of Europeans themselves from (weaponized) Russian energy," he said in his daily address to the nation. The Netherlands and Denmark on Tuesday were expected to join the growing list of European countries who have seen their gas shipments halted after refusing to pay Russian giant Gazprom in rubles, a demand meant to sidestep crippling Western sanctions. On the ground, Russian forces were making incremental gains in the Donbas region, including the industrial city of Severodonetsk, where they were edging closer to the city center. "The situation in Severodonetsk is as complicated as possible," Lugansk regional governor Sergiy Gaiday said on Telegram, saying the entire region was under continuous bombardment -- "air bombs, and artillery, and tanks. Everything". - 'Must never happen again' - As Europe announced its new sanctions on Moscow, Washington was taking a cautious line regarding weaponry for Ukraine. Ukraine has received extensive US military aid, with legislators approving another $40 billion assistance package in May. But US President Joe Biden said he would not send rocket systems that could hit Russian territory, despite urgent requests from Kyiv for exactly that. "We are not going to send to Ukraine rocket systems that can strike into Russia," Biden told reporters in Washington. His comments came as new US ambassador to Ukraine Bridget Brink -- filling a position vacant since 2019 -- and French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna both arrived in Kyiv. France will "continue to reinforce arms deliveries," Colonna said at a news conference with her Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba. The highest-ranking French official to visit the capital since Russia's invasion began February 24, Colonna also visited Bucha, near Kyiv, where Russian troops have been accused of committing war crimes against civilians. "This should never have happened," Colonna told reporters after visiting an Orthodox church in the town. "It must never happen again." Her visit came as a French journalist was killed while working in Ukraine. Frederic Leclerc-Imhoff was "on board a humanitarian bus" when "he was mortally wounded," French President Emmanuel Macron said on Twitter. - Oil sanctions - Participants in Monday's EU summit hatched a compromise deal that exempts deliveries by pipeline from the oil import ban, after Hungarian President Victor Orban warned halting supplies would wreck the country's economy. EU chief Ursula von der Leyen said the ban "will effectively cut around 90 percent of oil imports from Russia to the EU by the end of the year". Michel said the sanctions also involved disconnecting Russia's biggest bank, Sberbank, from the global SWIFT system, banning three state broadcasters and blacklisting individuals blamed for war crimes. Russia's Gazprom, meanwhile, was set to halt gas supplies to the Netherlands on Tuesday, with Denmark likely to see the tap turned off as well. The Netherlands' partly state-owned energy firm GasTerra revealed the looming shut-off Monday, saying it would not comply with payment requirements that breach EU sanctions. Moscow has demanded clients from "unfriendly countries" -- including EU member states -- pay for gas in rubles as it attempts to avoid Western financial sanctions. Danish energy company Orsted also warned its gas shipments could be cut off when a May 31 payment deadline passed. Russia has previously halted deliveries to Finland, Bulgaria and Poland, a move blasted by the EU as "blackmail". - Referendum cancelled - With Russia facing the oil import ban, a Georgian breakaway region delivered another blow to Moscow's hopes for further unity among local allies, with the leader of South Ossetia scrapping a planned July referendum on joining Russia. The Moscow-controlled enclave's president, Alan Gagloev, warned Monday about "uncertainty of the legal consequences of the issue submitted to a referendum." Since failing to capture Kyiv in the war's early stages, Russia's army has narrowed its focus, hammering Donbas cities with relentless artillery and missile barrages. But Ukrainian forces are pushing back in the southern region of Kherson, the country's military leadership has said. On Monday, Ukraine's southern command center said they had driven Russian troops from the village of Mykolayivka. A day earlier, the army claimed to have pushed Russian forces into "unfavorable positions" around the villages of Andriyivka, Lozovo and Bilohorka, forcing Moscow to send reserves to the area.

from Asharq AL-awsat https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/3675581/eu-leaders-ban-most-russian-oil-moscow-advances-donbas

One Woman Who Represented a Nation

Opinion

May 31st, 5:32am

Camelia Entekhabifard

Camelia Entekhabifard - Editor-in-chief of the Independent Persian.

“It’s not all about the power of women. It’s about the power of human beings. If you believe in yourself, it means that you can.” These are words by Zar Amr Ebrahimi during her press conference on Sunday night following her winning of the best actress award at the 75th Cannes Film Festival. Speaking to reporters, Zar fought back tears to speak of her suffering. Shaking her head, she tearfully said: “They wanted to erase me and thought maybe I’d kill myself.” The efforts of Zar are efforts of millions of dismayed Iranians, striving for success as they’ve been dispersed around the world in the last forty plus years; as they‘ve been driven to elimination and margins. The tears of this one young woman were those of all Iranians caused by the Islamic Republic of Iran and its authorities who, for decades, have done so much to this nation and have made even their daily life and basic entertainment subject to their poisonous sectarian government. Iran, this incomparable land — this land of poetry, art, literature, wealth, glory and beauty — has been driven to such terrible conditions due to the incompetence of its rulers. Zar’s story is that of Iran; a true story of an Iranian whose nation has been so restricted by the mullahs and governmental rulers that today dissidents have few ways out other than fleeing the country, suicide, isolation or desperation. During the past forty years, schools have spread lies, deceit and curiosity about the private lives of others. In society, they’ve promoted deception as a way of making a living or gaining social status. Ethical poetry and teachings of the Iranian tradition have been eliminated from schoolbooks. Instead, they’ve been replaced with social desperation, polygamy, marriage of children, superstition and nonsense. The history of this land shows that morality and religion have long been part of the lives of its people. Zoroaster, the world’s first prophet annunciating monotheism, came from the lands of Iran. Iranian teachings are filled with goodness, good thoughts, honesty and righteousness. What the dominant regime in Iran teaches and promotes is division, sectarianism, ignorance, darkness and pessimism toward others. When such an attitude gets an opportunity to rule in any country, catastrophe follows. Other religions, too, have extremist groupings that, if given an opportunity for absolute rule, would go on to create catastrophic conditions like Iran. In people-centered democracies, religion is a private matter and extremist religious forms are also respected so long as they don’t threaten the security and freedom of other people in society. For instance, there are fundamentalist Mormon sects who believe in polygamy (unlike the mainstream Mormons which have denounced it), certain traditionalist ultra-Orthodox Jewish sects, or the Velayat Faqih-supporting Shiites. In the United States, evangelical Christian groups lack executive power and have sometimes clashed with the government and armed forces. But in the Middle East, home of religion and center of religious developments, things are different. What accounts for the progress of counties in our region — other than grand policies and management of resources and human affairs — is rejecting extremism and fundamentalist Islamic groups. We remember not long ago, around 50 years ago, when Iran was a progressive and pioneering country in bringing about reforms and changes that had turned our country and our people into a model for the region. In education, religious freedom, female suffrage, female presence in government and social centers, education of scientific cadre, grand economic planning, infrastructural development and management of resources, Iran was ahead of countries of the region. The Iranian revolution and coming to power of a religious Velayat Faqih Shiite government was due to demagogy by religious politicians and the communist Tudeh Party. The collective memory of many of the 30 million Iranians who lived through 1979 remembers how some people were able to blow up the country’s problems to provoke public emotions and bring people to streets. If there had been internet back in the day, and mass media and satellite like we have now, things could have been clarified, there would have been easy access to information and no revolution would have happened in Iran. The Iranian revolution also affected the conditions of change and reform in the countries of the region. Better put, it delayed them. But they quickly learned and followed necessary changes to go on the unfinished path of the late Shah of Iran for reform and development. Changes and reforms that are ongoing in Saudi Arabia today are, in my opinion, a continuation of the path started by the Shah of Iran for his people and his country. Cutting short the reach of religious extremists from power and from personal lives of Saudis has been the biggest change and the Crown Prince’s efforts in bringing equal rights to men and women have opened the path for development and all-round participation. Other than fundamental reforms, Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman has suggested to the country’s consultative assembly a change in the national anthem and elimination of the sword from the country’s flag. He believes this symbol still give an extremist and fundamentalist image of his country. Supported by the awakened and enlightened youth and society, he carries on fundamental reform. I believe any reform or change in the Middle East, which is a center for fundamentalism and rise of fundamentalist and extremist groups, will be effective and useful for the bordering countries. Saudi Arabia is now a point of inspiration for the countries of the region. Zar Amir Ebrahimi showed the world that Iran is still Iran; a beautiful Iran with film, art, poetry, literature, religion, dance, music and a capable and knowledgeable people; an Iran that has been suppressed for forty years but whose people still have the same qualities. She showed to the people of Iran and many others driven from their homelands that the current government, and the obscurantism it promotes, will not be able to block the development of a person. Zar’s success was, for us, more than the recognition of an artist. By speaking of the "power of human beings", she went beyond the gender divisions and shows the depth of her view. I don’t want to go into cliches and exaggerations. I do want to sincerely tell Zar that she was all of us. She represented all Iranians who, in the last forty plus years, were driven to death, desperation and hopelessness. She showed that it is possible to escape this anti-human regime and eke out a path to success. One person alone represented us, our Iranianness; she highlighted the hurt pride of millions for us to believe more in ourselves. Zar, we thank you for having represented us so well.

from Asharq AL-awsat https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/3675576/camelia-entekhabifard/one-woman-who-represented-nation

Job Market Is Heading for a Soft Landing of Its Own

Opinion

May 31st, 5:20am

Conor Sen

Conor Sen -

The Federal Reserve has talked a lot about its goal of a soft landing for the economy as it raises interest rates to fight inflation, but there hasn't been as much talk about what that would look like for workers. Fed Chairman Jerome Powell has called the labor market “tight to an unhealthy level,” with demand outpacing supply. Restoring balance is going to require not just more people entering the labor market, but more “involuntary churn.” That means more workers being laid off, and, hopefully, a labor market that’s still strong enough to reabsorb them quickly. The good news on the supply front is that over the past six months, thanks to both a stronger job market and learning to live with Covid-19, Americans have been going back to work. From November 2020 through October 2021, the US labor force increased by only 800,000 people. But over the past six months it’s grown by 2.4 million. More people working should help relieve labor shortages and are one reason the Federal Reserve believes the economy is becoming more balanced. But the Fed wants to see somewhat lower labor demand as well, and for workers that’s the trickier part. Perhaps because of overstaffing in the retail industry and signs of cutbacks in pockets of the tech industry, layoffs have been rising since March. From a low of 166,000 in the week ended March 19, initial jobless claims have risen to 218,000 in the most recent week, the highest level since January. Is this a sign of a looming recession or part of the rebalancing story that will lead to a soft landing? That’s where continuing jobless claims — the number of people who haven’t yet found a job and are still filing for unemployment benefits — are sending a more optimistic message. Since that same week ended March 19, the level of continuing claims has fallen by almost 200,000 people. So while more people are being laid off every week now than two months ago, there are fewer people on unemployment now than there were then as more people return to work. When labor demand wasn’t this high — basically any time in the past 20 years — tracking the state of the job market and what it meant for monetary policy was easy. “More jobs” was good, “more layoffs” was bad. But now, since the Fed has told us that the labor market is out of balance and needs to soften at least a little, the analysis is more nuanced. Rising initial jobless claims don’t necessarily mean the level of unemployment is rising, just that there’s more churn happening among employers. Here's what a soft landing in the labor market should look like: Thanks to more people joining the labor force, the level of employment continues to grow, but the unemployment rate stops shrinking (or if it falls, the decline must be very gradual). Jobless claims rise somewhat as companies cut back, but not too much, and the number of job openings falls at a modest pace. Continuing jobless claims stabilize, indicating a stable labor market that’s neither overheating nor unraveling. The number of people unemployed between five and 14 weeks, which is in the monthly jobs report, is also stable, suggesting that whoever is laid off is able to find another job quickly. Wage growth stabilizes at a rate below 5%, and preferably closer to 4%, which in a more benign inflation environment is a level that would allow workers to see inflation-adjusted raises with enough room for companies to grow profit through productivity or efficiencies. This is a lot to process, and the different dynamic will take some time getting used to as economic and employment growth slow in the months ahead. But it’s a core piece of what policy makers, investors and workers should be watching to judge how this economic adjustment is going. Of course, even the most careful attempt at rebalancing can turn into something nastier than policy makers were hoping. But so far, the labor market is lining up with the Fed’s goal for a soft landing. Bloomberg

from Asharq AL-awsat https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/3675571/conor-sen/job-market-heading-soft-landing-its-own

UAE, Turkey Discuss Developing Military, Defense Cooperation

Gulf

May 31st, 5:11am

Asharq Al-Awsat

UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan holds talks with Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar. (WAM)

President of the United Arab Emirates Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan received in Abu Dhabi on Monday Turkish Minister of Defense Hulusi Akar, reported the state news agency WAM. The Turkish minister conveyed to Sheikh Mohamed the greetings of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and his wishes of further progress and prosperity to the UAE. He also offered his condolences over the passing of Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan and congratulated Sheikh Mohamed on his election as president. The officials discussed the prospects of further advancing their ties of friendship and various aspects of cooperation between their countries. The meeting was attended by Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs, Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Sheikh Mohammed bin Hamad bin Tahnoon Al Nahyan, Advisor for Special Affairs at the Ministry of Presidential Affairs, Mohammed bin Ahmed Al Bowardi, Minister of State for Defense Affairs, Sheikh Shakhboot bin Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of State, and Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces, Lieutenant General Hamad Mohammed Thani Al Rumaithi. Also on Monday, Akar held talks with Al Bowardi, his UAE counterpart. The meeting took place in the presence of General Hamad Mohammed Thani Al Rumaithi, Chief of Staff of the UAE Armed Forces, Mattar Salem Ali Al Dhaheri, Under-Secretary of the Ministry of Defense, and several senior military officers and officials at the ministry. Al Bowardi stressed the importance of the historic relations between the UAE and Turkey that date back many decades. The meeting discussed ways to boost cooperation between their countries, especially in the military and defense fields, and contribute to maintaining peace and security in the region. The officials reviewed the development of cooperation in military training and defense industries fields, as well as exchanged expertise to serve the interests of their countries. After the meeting, the Turkish minister and his delegation toured a number of Emirati companies specialized in manufacturing military hardware and equipment, and were briefed on the latest technologies in this field, reported WAM.

from Asharq AL-awsat https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/3675561/uae-turkey-discuss-developing-military-defense-cooperation

To Fight Monkeypox, Remember the Lessons of Covid and H.I.V.

Opinion

May 31st, 4:31am

James Krellenstein, Joseph Osmundson and Keletso Makofane

James Krellenstein, Joseph Osmundson and Keletso Makofane -

When Covid-19 cases were exploding across the United States in early 2020, public health officials remained in the dark, in large part because of major errors in developing a test for the illness. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was the manufacturer of the only Covid-19 test then available in the United States, and there were blunders in the design and manufacture of the test that the agency mailed out in February 2020. This, coupled with the Food and Drug Administration’s initial refusal to allow qualified laboratories to develop or use their own Covid-19 tests, meant that testing was all but impossible to access in the United States in the early weeks of the pandemic. As the world confronts monkeypox, we must not make similar mistakes in disease surveillance and public communication. While monkeypox and the coronavirus are not the same, there are lessons to be learned from Covid-19 and prior pandemics: We cannot stop transmission of a disease we can’t see, and we can’t help people if we don’t let them know what they’re up against. As public health experts and advocates, we are concerned about how far monkeypox has spread around the world. The lack of easy testing and surveillance makes the size of the outbreak difficult to estimate. As queer men from the United States and South Africa, we are also concerned for our communities. Much, though not all, of the spread outside the regions where monkeypox is more common has been among men who have sex with men. Monkeypox is a type of orthopoxvirus that usually spreads from animals to humans. This new outbreak marks the first time extensive human-to-human spread has occurred outside the places where the virus has been known to spread, like central and western Africa. So far, nearly 400 cases of monkeypox have been confirmed in more than 20 countries, including around 12 cases in the United States. Testing for monkeypox in the United States remains cumbersome. Currently, if an individual is suspected to have monkeypox, the person’s physician must contact a state or local public health department to test for the disease. Then a C.D.C. laboratory partner runs a generic orthopoxvirus test on the sample. If that test is positive, the sample is sent to the C.D.C. headquarters in Atlanta so a monkeypox-specific test can be performed to confirm. There are 66 public health labs that can test for orthopoxvirus. The C.D.C. estimates the partner labs have the capacity to do 6,500 orthopoxvirus tests per week, which the C.D.C. says is more than current demand. From May 17 to 24, the labs were sent fewer than 60 samples for orthopoxvirus testing. Given that some of the cases detected so far appear to not be linked to travel, we remain concerned about efforts to identify and test ongoing community spread. We worry the centralization of testing wastes precious time and would limit capacity if more testing is needed. Monkeypox tests, like Covid-19 tests, are based on P.C.R. technology that is available in hospitals and clinical labs across the country. Many labs at major hospitals, commercial sites and city and state health departments have capacity to develop, manufacture and run tests for monkeypox rapidly if they are given guidance and samples to use to validate their tests. Even if widespread testing is ultimately not needed, the cost of being prepared is low, and the risk of being caught off guard is high. Increasing the nation’s monkeypox testing capacity will allow health leaders to intervene and slow the possible spread of the outbreak. The C.D.C. should widely release the details of its monkeypox testing protocols so that more labs around the country can develop and run their own tests for monkeypox. The F.D.A. should also issue guidance to all labs with credentials to perform complex laboratory tests and clarify what regulatory authority, if any, it will exercise over monkeypox tests developed elsewhere. The C.D.C. says that any state health department that confirms a patient has orthopoxvirus should behave as if the person has monkeypox and immediately begin containment efforts like contact tracing. The agency says it is monitoring its testing kit availability should it need to be expanded. Thankfully, there are monkeypox vaccines and an F.D.A.-approved antiviral at the ready in the Strategic National Stockpile. Prioritizing people at immediate monkeypox risk, such as those with a recent close contact, is essential. Vaccinating those who have been exposed, also called ring vaccination, can prevent further spread. Proactive vaccination of those most at risk should also be considered. These efforts and the effective deployment of antivirals require a rapid diagnosis of cases, which is why testing must be a priority, alongside vaccination. Even if cases among men who have sex with men continue, we will certainly not be the only ones falling ill. Infectious disease epidemics are shaped by the pattern and frequency of contact among people, the pathogen and population immunity and susceptibility. As we learned from Covid-19, epidemics are unpredictable, and human health is globally connected: Variants and viruses that occur in one country can easily cross borders into another. Our own community of queer people can increase awareness of a novel disease that may present like many other common infections. In the past, we have often been able to lead our physicians and communities by sharing knowledge about our health and ways to intervene with stigma-free care. When bacterial meningitis outbreaks began spreading among gay communities, health officials provided vaccines at nightlife spots and places where men meet for sex. As summer and pride festivities near, we need similar approaches to help keep one another safe. Public health officials must develop and carry out a testing and vaccination strategy focusing on all communities that are likely to be affected. Testing and community education focused only in major cities, for example, could increase health disparities along racial, class and geographical lines. We cannot let monkeypox become a disease of those disconnected from health care access. As experts provide preventive care to those at higher risk, researchers must also initiate studies to answer essential questions about monkeypox transmission. For example, is the virus in saliva and semen, or is it just on skin lesions? The lack of accurate scientific information is now a global problem, and it’s one that could have been addressed much earlier. The first human case was reported in 1970, and human-to-human transmission has been reported in recent years. This is yet another example of the importance of taking neglected diseases seriously in the scientific community even when they don’t appear to be a threat to white people living in the Global North. People who expect to be in close contact with others should monitor for skin lesions or symptoms that are consistent with this virus or many other sexually and skin-contact transmitted diseases like syphilis and herpes. If monkeypox is being transmitted in part via similar social networks as H.I.V., then H.I.V. and sexually transmitted infection experts will be key stakeholders in preventing a public health emergency. These clinicians and professionals have spent decades building relationships with the queer community, and the trust they have developed is critical for a successful response to an emergent threat. We are not currently in a public health emergency because of monkeypox, and monkeypox is not a gay disease. By taking this moment seriously and by acting with care and immediacy but without stigma, the United States may well avert an emergency entirely and ensure that we won’t be dealing with yet another pandemic this summer and fall. The New York Times

from Asharq AL-awsat https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/3675521/james-krellenstein-joseph-osmundson-and-keletso-makofane/fight-monkeypox

Russian Forces Moving Deeper into Sivierodonetsk, Says Luhansk Governor

World

May 30th, 7:26am

Asharq Al-Awsat

A view shows a residential building damaged by a military strike, as Russia's attack on Ukraine continues, in Sivierodonetsk, Luhansk region, Ukraine April 16, 2022. (Reuters)

Russian troops are moving into the city of Sivierodonetsk from the outskirts, Luhansk region governor Serhiy Gaidai said on Monday. Sievierodonetsk, the largest city that Kyiv still partly controls in the Luhansk region of the Donbas, has been the focus of Russia's attacks in eastern Ukraine. "Unfortunately we have disappointing news, the enemy is moving into the city," Gaidai told national television. He said the neighbouring city of Lysychansk was still under Ukrainian control, while the main road into the two cities has been shelled, but not blocked. Having failed to take the capital Kyiv in the early phase of the war, Russia is seeking to consolidate its grip on the Donbas, large parts of which are already controlled by Moscow-backed separatists. Unlike in the previous stages of the war, which Moscow calls a "special military operation" to demilitarize Ukraine and rid it of nationalists threatening Russian-speakers there, Russia has concentrated its firepower on a small area. "They (Russian army) use the same tactics over and over again. They shell for several hours - for three, four, five hours - in a row and then attack. Those who attack die. Then shelling and attack follow again, and so until they break through somewhere," Gaidai said.

from Asharq AL-awsat https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/3673886/russian-forces-moving-deeper-sivierodonetsk-says-luhansk-governor

Israel Warns Against Travel to Turkey Citing Iran Assassination

Iran

May 30th, 7:17am

Asharq Al-Awsat

Konyaaltı beach amid the COVID-19 outbreak, in the southern Turkish resort city of Antalya, Turkey, June 19, 2020. (Reuters Photo)

Israel on Monday warned its citizens against travel to Turkey, citing Iranian threats of revenge for the assassination last week of a Revolutionary Guards colonel. Teheran has blamed Israel for the killing of Hassan Sayad Khodai, who was shot dead at the wheel of his car by two people on a motorcycle and has vowed retaliation. According to Reuters, Israel's National Security Council said in a statement that Tehran could be looking to harm Israelis in Turkey and classified it as a "high-risk country." Turkey is a popular tourist destination for Israelis and the two countries have been mending their ties after more than a decade of strained relations. Israel has accused Khodai of plotting attacks against its citizens worldwide. Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett's office, which oversees intelligence agency Mossad, has declined to comment on the assassination but Bennett said on Sunday that Teheran would "pay the full price" for instigating attacks on Israelis.

from Asharq AL-awsat https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/3673876/israel-warns-against-travel-turkey-citing-iran-assassination

Four People Killed in Building Collapse in Central Baghdad

Arab World

May 30th, 6:05am

Baghdad - Asharq Al-Awsat

Iraqi Civil Defense workers sift through rubble at the site of the collapse of a fast-food restaurant after an explosion caused by a leak from cooking gas, in Baghdad on Sunday. Reuters

Four people were killed and at least eight people, including foreign workers, were injured after a building that housed a restaurant collapsed Sunday morning in the Iraqi capital of Baghdad, medical and security sources told AFP. A Civil Defense source told the news agency that the two-story building collapsed as a result of an explosion caused by a gas leak at the Layla Restaurant, which appeared to be empty at this time of day, in the Jadriyah area of the city’s inner city, Baghdad. Meanwhile, several sources said that the gas system in a restaurant on Al-Wazir Street in the Jadriyah, a neighborhood in the capital of Iraq, exploded in a three-story building, causing its complete collapse. They mentioned that civil defense teams were able to retrieve from the rubble four bodies of restaurant workers, after more than four hours of rescue. “Four people died in the accident and eight were injured, including workers from Bangladesh,” a police source told AFP. A medical source also confirmed that the hospital accepted the bodies of four people and treated the wounded. The explosion caused the entire building to collapse, blocking the exit of workers from the building’s basement, which is used as a kitchen. Photos of the complete collapse of the building where then shared on social networks. Most buildings in Baghdad, with a population of around ten million people, lack security measures, causing accidents and loss of life when they occur, while large commercial centers in Baghdad witness fires that sometimes result in injury in addition to great property loss. Last year, about 150 people died in two hospital fires, one in the south and another near the capital, exacerbated by a lack of necessary security measures.

from Asharq AL-awsat https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/3673751/four-people-killed-building-collapse-central-baghdad

King Salman Issues a Number of Royal Orders

Gulf

May 30th, 4:47am

Asharq Al-Awsat

King Salman chairs a cabinet meeting. (SPA file)

Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz issued on Sunday several royal orders. He relieved Dr. Tawfiq bin Fowzan bin Mohammed Al-Rabeeah, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Saudi Food and Drug Authority, of his post and appointed Fahd bin Abdulrahman bin Dahes Al-Jalajel in his place. He named Adel bin Ahmed Al-Jubeir as envoy for climate affairs. He will retain his position as Minister of State for Foreign Affairs. King Salman ordered the appointment of Eng. Khalid bin Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Salem as Chairman of the Royal Commission for Jubail and Yanbu at the rank of minister. He relieved Abdulrahman bin Ahmad bin Hamdan Al-Harbi, Chairman of the General Authority for Foreign Trade, of his post and named him Saudi Ambassador to China at the excellent rank. He relieved Badr bin Abdulmohsen bin Abdullah bin Hadab, Assistant Minister of Commerce, of his post and appointed him as Assistant to the Chairman of the Bureau of Experts at the Council of Ministers at the excellent rank. King Salman ordered the appointment of Eng. Tareq bin Abdulaziz bin Abdulrahman Al-Faris as advisor at the Secretariat General of the Council of Ministers at the excellent rank. Another decree ordered the appointment of Dr. Najm bin Abdullah Al-Zeid as Deputy Minister of Justice at the excellent rank. Hmoud bin Baddah Al-Mreikhi and Dr. Abdulrahman bin Abdullah bin Abdulrahman Al-Kanhal were appointed advisors at the Royal Court at the excellent rank. Another decree appointed Ahmad bin Abdulaziz bin Ibrahim Al-Issa as Director General of General Directorate of Investigation at the excellent rank. Major General Nayef bin Majid bin Saud Al Saud was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant General and Major General Mohammed bin Abdullah Al-Basami was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant General and appointed Director General of the Public Security. Abdulrahman bin Suleiman Al-Sayari was appointed a member of the Shura Council.

from Asharq AL-awsat https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/3673701/king-salman-issues-number-royal-orders

Sudan’s Burhan Lifts State of Emergency from Coup

Arab World

May 30th, 4:30am

Asharq Al-Awsat

In this file photo taken on October 26, 2021 Sudan's top army general Abdel Fattah al-Burhan gives a press conference at the General Command of the Armed Forces in Khartoum. (AFP)

Sudan’s leading general lifted a state of emergency Sunday that was imposed in the country following the October coup he led. The decision by Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan, head of Sudan’s ruling sovereign council, came hours after the Security and Defense Council, Sudan’s highest body that decides on security matters, recommended an end to the state of emergency and the release of all detainees. The recommendations are meant to facilitate dialogue between the military and the pro-democracy movement, the defense minister, Maj. Gen. Yassin Ibrahim Yassin, said in a video statement. They come as the country faces protests against military rule and an unknown number of activists and former officials remain in detention. Earlier Sunday, the UN envoy for Sudan, Volker Perthes, called for the country’s leaders to lift the state of emergency. He decried the killing of two people in a crackdown on pro-democracy protesters who once again took to the streets of the capital to denounce the Oct. 25 coup. "Once again: It is time for the violence to stop,” said Perthes on Twitter. Hundreds of people marched Saturday in Khartoum, where security forces violently dispersed the crowds and chased them in the streets, according to activists. The two were killed during protests in Khartoum’s Kalakla neighborhood. One was shot by security forces and the other suffocated after inhaling tear gas, said the Sudan Doctors Committee, which is part of the pro-democracy movement. Sudan has been plunged into turmoil since the military takeover upended its short-lived transition to democracy after three decades of repressive rule by former president Omar al-Bashir. Al-Bashir and his Islamist-backed government were removed by the military in a popular uprising in April 2019. Saturday’s protests were part of relentless demonstrations in the past seven months calling for the military to hand over power to civilians. At least 98 people have been killed and over 4,300 wounded in the government crackdown on anti-coup protests since October, according to the medical group. Hundreds of activists and officials in the disposed government were also detained following the coup, many were later released under pressure from the UN and other western governments. The protesters demand the removal of the military from power. The generals, however, have said they will only hand over power to an elected administration. They say elections will take place in July 2023 as planned in a constitutional document governing the transition period. The UN, the African Union and the eight-nation east African regional group called the Intergovernmental Authority in Development have been leading concerted efforts to bridge the gap between the two sides and find a way out of the impasse. Meanwhile, the trial of four activists accused of killing a senior police officer during a protest earlier this year began Sunday amid tight security outside the Judicial and Legal Science Institute in Khartoum. Dozens of protesters gathered in the area in a show of support for the defendants. The four were detained in raids after police Col. Ali Hamad was stabbed to death as security forces dispersed protesters on Jan. 13. Their defense lawyers deny the allegations. The court’s judges in Sunday’s proceedings ordered the defendants be medically examined after their lawyers claimed they were tortured and mistreated in police detention. The trial resumes June 12.

from Asharq AL-awsat https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/3673691/sudan%E2%80%99s-burhan-lifts-state-emergency-coup

Nadal, Djokovic Set Sights on French Open Showdown

Sports

May 29th, 8:22am

Asharq Al-Awsat

Novak Djokovic returns to Grand Slam action for the first time since losing last year's US Open final to Daniil Medvedev Andreas SOLARO AFP/File

Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic will look to book a heavyweight French Open quarter-final clash Sunday, while Carlos Alcaraz hopes to extend his run after becoming the youngest man to make the last 16 since 2006. Record 13-time Roland Garros champion Nadal takes on Felix Auger-Aliassime, the Canadian ninth seed trained by Toni Nadal, the Spanish star's uncle and coach for the best part of three decades, AFP said. "For me, it's very simple," said Nadal. "He is my uncle. He will not want me to lose. He wants the best for me and I want the best for him. But he's a professional and with another player now. It's zero problem." Auger-Aliassime started working with Toni Nadal in April 2021, four years after Nadal and his uncle called time on their 27-year, trophy-laden association. "We knew it was a possibility that eventually I would play Rafa when I'm working with Toni," said Auger-Aliassime, who made his first Grand Slam semi-final at the US Open in September. "I think Toni will watch from a neutral place and enjoy the match. From my part it's another match. "Rafa's career and what he did with Toni is much bigger than the match on Sunday." Nadal's record at the French Open reads 108 wins against just three defeats. He has reached at least the last eight in 15 of 17 visits to Paris. Nadal lost to Robin Soderling in the fourth round in 2009 and withdrew before the third round in 2016 with a wrist injury. Another victory for Nadal would send him through to a quarter-final with Djokovic should the world number one and defending champion defeat Argentina's Diego Schwartzman in his last-16 clash. - Alcaraz follows in Djokovic footsteps - Djokovic has won all six previous meetings with Schwartzman, the 15th seed from Argentina, including a five-set victory in the third round at Roland Garros in 2017. Alcaraz, 19, is the youngest man through to the second week of the French Open since Djokovic 16 years ago. After saving a match point in the second round, the sixth seed gained revenge against the only man to beat him on clay this year, defeating American Sebastian Korda in straight sets. "I think I am ready," said Alcaraz. "If I win this tournament I would say it's my golden ticket." He has won 20 of 21 matches on clay this season and next faces 21st seed Karen Khachanov. Third seed and 2021 semi-finalist Alexander Zverev plays qualifier Bernabe Zapata Miralles, the 134th-ranked Spaniard who is enjoying his best run at a major and took down John Isner in the last 32. Last year's US Open runner-up Leylah Fernandez tackles American 27th seed Amanda Anisimova, who made the last four in Paris three years ago and knocked out Naomi Osaka in the first round. Coco Gauff, 18, seeks a repeat of her quarter-final appearance from a year ago when she meets Belgium's Elise Mertens, while Swiss 23rd seed Jil Teichmann plays former US Open champion Sloane Stephens, who lost the 2018 Roland Garros final. Aliaksandra Sasnovich will try to reach the last eight of a major for the first time against Italy's Martina Trevisan, a surprise quarter-finalist in 2020.

from Asharq AL-awsat https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/3672176/nadal-djokovic-set-sights-french-open-showdown