Asharq Al-Awsat
Tunisia's President Kais Saied gives a speech at the government's swearing-in ceremony at the Carthage Palace outside the capital Tunis, Tunisia February 27, 2020. (Reuters)
Tunisia on Saturday launched a wide-ranging national consultation that will feed into drafting a new constitution, the North African country's technology ministry said. Part of a reform package pushed by President Kais Saied, the exercise calls on citizens to send in suggestions and will last until March 20. Eligible topics include electoral, economic, financial, social, developmental, health, education and cultural affairs. The constitutional referendum is planned for July 25, 2022 -- exactly a year after Saied sacked the government, suspended parliament and seized wide-ranging powers, according to AFP. The president later took steps to rule by decree, and in early December vowed to press on with reforms to the political system. The consultation -- dubbed "Your opinion, our decision" -- is initially targeting youth centers through an electronic platform across the country's 24 regions, the technology ministry said. "The platform will be open to everyone from January 15," it added. Citizens will alternatively be able to give their views in local committees, since only 45 percent of Tunisian homes are connected to the internet.
from Asharq AL-awsat https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/3390896/tunisia-launches-national-consultation-reforms
US Airport Chaos as More than 2,700 Flights Cancelled
World
Asharq Al-Awsat
A file photo of passengers at the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. Credit: Reuters Photo
Air travel continued to be severely disrupted in the United States on Saturday, with bad weather in parts of the country adding to the impact of a massive spike in Covid-19 infections fueled by the Omicron variant. The United States had 2,723 cancelled flights, more than half of the 4,698 cancelled worldwide, around 11:00 pm (0400 GMT Sunday), according to tracking website FlightAware. In addition, 5,993 domestic flights were delayed on Saturday, out of a total of 11.043 worldwide for the day, AFP reported. The worst affected US airline was SkyWest, which had to cancel 23 percent of its flight schedule, according to the site. In the United States, airports in Chicago were particularly hard-hit because of bad weather, with a snowstorm expected in the area on Saturday afternoon and into the night. The global air travel industry is still reeling from the highly contagious Omicron variant. Many pilots, flight attendants and other staff are absent from work after contracting Covid-19, or because they are quarantining after coming in contact with someone who has the infection. Some 7,500 flights were cancelled by airlines worldwide over the Christmas weekend.
from Asharq AL-awsat https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/3390871/us-airport-chaos-more-2700-flights-cancelled
Idlib - Firas Karam
A woman hangs laundry in a flooded refugee camp in Idlib province, Syria, December 21, 2021. (AP Photo/Ghaith Alsayed)
Russian warplanes hit areas in the countryside of Idlib, in the northwest of Syria, on New Year’s Eve, as 2021 registered the lowest yearly death toll since the start of the war in the country a decade ago. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights documented the death of 3,882 people in 2021. It said 1,558 civilians were killed, including 383 children under the age of 18, and 193 women over the age of 18. Also, 109 loyalists to Iranian and regime forces of non-Syrian citizens mostly of the Shiite sect were killed since the start of the year, in addition to 11 Hezbollah members, 30 Turkish soldiers and two Russians. Meanwhile, the Observatory said Russian fighter jets launched Friday eight airstrikes in Idlib’s countryside, targeting positions in Kansafra, Al-Bara in Jabal Al-Zawiyah, the surrounding areas of Kafr Daryan, the surrounding areas of Al-Jadidah town near Jisr Al-Shughour city and Al-Namerah area in Sahl Al-Rouj in Idlib countryside. “The Russian airstrikes targeted a poultry farm nearby Kafr Daryan on the Syrian border with Iskenderun, leaving two civilian casualties and six injuries,” the London-based watchdog said. Russian fighters also launched two airstrikes on the “Putin-Erdogan” area, targeting the vicinity of Bara village and the vicinity of Kansafra village in Jabal Al-Zawiyah in the southern Idlib countryside. The Observatory said the number of Russian airstrikes on the “de-escalation zone” since early December has exceeded 40. A day earlier, SOHR activists monitored four new raids by Russian fighter jets on the de-escalation zone, targeting Al-Sheikh Bahr area on the northern outskirts of Idlib city, bringing the number of airstrikes during the day to 12. On Friday, the Observatory said that bloodshed continues in Syria despite all attempts to reach solutions.
from Asharq AL-awsat https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/3389636/russian-warplanes-hit-areas-northwest-syria
Spain and Argentina Cruise to Opening Wins at ATP Cup
Sports
Asharq Al-Awsat
Diego Schwartzman from Argentina hits a backhand to Nikploz Basilashvili of Georgia during their match at the ATP Cup tennis tournament in Sydney, Saturday, Jan. 1, 2022. (AP)
Argentina's Diego Schwartzman and Spain's Roberto Bautista Agut led their respective teams to comfortable victories Saturday on the opening day of the 16-team ATP Cup tournament. Argentina beat Georgia 3-0, while Spain easily accounted for Chile by the same margin in the opening ties of the team-based tournament being played across two Sydney stadiums. World number 13 Schwartzman defeated Georgia's Nikoloz Basilashvili 6-1, 6-2, after compatriot Federico Delbonis won by the same score against Aleksandre Metreveli to give Argentina an unassailable 2-0 lead from the singles matches. Maximo Gonzalez and Andres Molteni then gave the Argentines a clean sweep defeating Georgian pair Saba Pertseladze and Zura Tkemaladze 6-1, 6-2 in the doubles tie to give Argentina a 3-0 win. In the day's other tie, World No.20 Pablo Carreno Busta gave Spain an early lead as he rallied from being a break down in both sets to defeat Chile's Alejandro Tabilo 6-4, 7-6 (7-4). Roberto Bautista Agut appeared in excellent form as he disposed of Chile’s world No.17 Cristian Garin 6-0, 6-3 to seal the tie for Spain. Alejandro Davidovich Fokina and Pedro Martinez clinched a clean sweep for Spain with a 7-6 (3), 4-6, 10-7 win over Chile's Tomas Barrios Vera and Tabilo. Even without Rafael Nadal, who's preparation for the Australian Open has been disrupted by a positive test for coronavirus, Spain showed why they are among the favored teams at the tournament. “Today was a good start for me, a very solid game, really happy. I like these conditions," world No.19 Bautista Agut said. Serbia, which is without world No.1 Novak Djokovic, begins its tournament against Norway, led by world No.8 Casper Ruud, later on Saturday. Greece play Poland in the evening's other tie, which will see the tournament's first top-10 rubber with world No. 4 Stefanos Tsitsipas facing 9th-ranked Hubert Hurkacz. The other eight teams begin play Sunday: Russia vs. France, Italy vs. Australia, Canada vs. the United States and Germany vs. Britain.
from Asharq AL-awsat https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/3389626/spain-and-argentina-cruise-opening-wins-atp-cup
Hezbollah Hands Over to Israel a Man Wanting to Join its Ranks
Arab World
Tel Aviv - Asharq Al-Awsat
A convoy of UN peacekeepers (UNIFIL) vehicles drive in Naqoura, near the Lebanese-Israeli border, southern Lebanon Oct. 14, 2020. Reuters
An Arab-Israeli man who had crossed into Lebanon from Israel about a month ago was repatriated by Hezbollah through the mediation of UN peacekeepers. The negotiations for his return "were handled quietly and carefully" while he remained in Lebanon, according to Israeli army spokesman Brig. Gen. Ran Kochav. He crossed into the territory on foot, Kochav said, and "returned unharmed and in good health,” via Ras al-Naqoura. The man is identified as a civilian resident of the south with a criminal record and known mental health issues. The man had intended to get to Lebanon in order to join Hezbollah’s ranks. After crossing, he was stopped by Hezbollah members who took him in for questioning. In February, to secure the release of an Israeli woman held in Syria, Israel agreed to finance a supply of Russian-made Covid-19 vaccines for Damascus. In return for her freedom, the Israeli government announced, she had been exchanged for two Syrian shepherds captured by the Israelis. In secret, Israel had in fact also agreed to a far more contentious ransom: the financing of an undisclosed number of coronavirus vaccines for Syria.
from Asharq AL-awsat https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/3389611/hezbollah-hands-over-israel-man-wanting-join-its-ranks
In New Year’s Speech, Taiwan President Warns China against ‘Military Adventurism'
World
Asharq Al-Awsat
Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen speaks at a rank conferral ceremony for military officials from the Army, Navy and Air Force, at the defense ministry in Taipei, Taiwan December 28, 2021. (Reuters)
Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen marked the new year with a message for China: military conflict is not the answer. "We must remind the Beijing authorities to not misjudge the situation and to prevent the internal expansion of 'military adventurism'," Tsai said on Saturday in her New Year's speech broadcast live on Facebook. China claims democratically governed Taiwan as its own territory and has increased military and diplomatic pressure in the past two years to assert its sovereignty claims. In Chinese President Xi Jinping's New Year address the day before, he said the complete unification of "the motherland" was an aspiration shared by people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait. Taiwan says it is an independent country and has repeatedly vowed to defend its freedom and democracy. "The military is definitely not an option for solving cross-strait disagreements. Military conflicts would impact economic stability," Tsai said. "Our two sides jointly shoulder the responsibility of maintaining regional peace and stability." Taiwan's stance has always been "to not succumb when facing pressure and to not rashly advance when receiving support," Tsai said. To ease tension in the region, both Taipei and Beijing must "work hard to take care of people's livelihoods and calm the hearts of the people" in order to find peaceful solutions to problems together, Tsai said. Tsai also said Taiwan would continue to monitor the situation in Hong Kong, adding that interference in the recent legislative election and the arrests this week of senior staff at the pro-democracy media outlet Stand News "made people worry even more about human rights and freedom of speech in Hong Kong." Steady governance is Taiwan's most important goal in 2022, Tsai said. "We will hold fast to our sovereignty, uphold the values of freedom and democracy, defend territorial sovereignty and national security, and maintain peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region."
from Asharq AL-awsat https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/3389571/new-year%E2%80%99s-speech-taiwan-president-warns-china-against-%E2%80%98military-adventurism
How Did Washington Deal with the Yemeni Crisis in 2021?
Features
Washington - Muath Alamri
US envoy to Yemen, Tim Lenderking. (US State Department)
Twenty-eight days separated the policies of US presidents Donald Trump and Joe Biden in dealing with the crisis in Yemen. The former had on the final day of his administration, January 20, 2021, blacklisted the Iran-backed Houthi militias, while Biden was quick to reverse the decision on February 16, 2021. Soon after he appointed a new American envoy to Yemen, Tim Lenderking. From blacklisting and the consequent reversal, the new American administration outlined its approach to Yemen. It focused on delivering humanitarian aid to the people, urged the international community to assume its duties and repeatedly demanded a return to the negotiations table and establishing a ceasefire between Yemeni parties. In describing the approach to Yemen, Lenderking has frequently said the "devil is in the details". He has so far visited the region 15 times during which he met with Yemeni and Saudi government officials, "yesterday's terrorists" the Houthis, and several officials from the Gulf Cooperation Council. At the beginning of his mission, the envoy focused on reaching a ceasefire between the warring parties. He offered suggestions based on the initiative of the United Nations and its former envoy Martin Griffiths. He also suggested he would pursue further rapprochement with the Houthis if they met international demands and returned to the negotiations table and implemented a ceasefire. The Houthis' response to these efforts, however, "disappointed" Lenderking and the conflict escalated. The US describes the crisis in Yemen as the world's worst humanitarian disaster amid massive poverty, famine, the COVID-19 outbreak and the Houthis' manipulation of fuel and food prices, as attested to by several observers and Lenderking himself before the Congress. Soon after, Lenderking shifted his approach from his extreme keenness on reaching a ceasefire - as the battle for Marib intensified - to attempting to garner international support to pressure the Houthis. At one point, the envoy broke his silence and declared that Marib will not fall in Houthi hands. "It's not falling now, and it's not going to fall anytime in the foreseeable future," he added. His statement was interpreted as American support to the Yemeni government and the Saudi-led Arab coalition in the battle for the northern province. In an interview with Asharq Al-Awsat in October, Lenderking again spoke of possible sanctions and of adding members of the militias back on the sanctions list. He stressed that Washington is committed to resolving the crisis in Yemen through imposing security and peace in a turbulent region. It is committed to defending some 70,000 Americans residing in Saudi Arabia, which is a frequent target of Houthi missiles and drones. In 2021, the US seized three arms shipments that were headed to the Houthis from Iran. The first capture took place in early February, the second in May and the third in December. It blacklisted four Houthi leaders, as well as entities connected to them and involved in providing them with funds so they can continue their combat operations. Even though Lenderking has been "unlucky" so far in persuading the Houthis to agree to a ceasefire and return to the political negotiations table, the State Department had outlined to Asharq Al-Awsat the envoy's three priorities in Yemen. The first focuses on tackling the immediate humanitarian and economic priorities, restarting the political process and benefitting from the unprecedented international consensus. It has grown increasingly clear that the American administration policy towards Yemen is changing. More and more critical statements are coming out from the White House, State Department and Pentagon. Several Congressional leaderships, especially among the Democrats, have also voted with a majority in favor of selling American defense weapons to Saudi Arabia so it can confront Houthi attacks. Observers believe that the call to the negotiations table and for a ceasefire and laying down of arms will be among Washington's declared messages on Yemen this year. However, several Yemeni and non-Yemeni voices have urged the need to take a stronger approach with the Houthis and that they should not be lenient with them as Iran's nuclear negotiations continue in Vienna. David Schenker, a former envoy to Yemen, said in November that "Yemen is yet another problem from hell for the Biden administration."
from Asharq AL-awsat https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/3389396/how-did-washington-deal-yemeni-crisis-2021
