Israel’s Army Suspends Soldiers for Attacking Activists in Hebron
Arab World
Ramallah - Asharq Al-Awsat
Israeli soldiers in Kafr Qaddum near Nablus on November 25, 2022. (EPA)
The Israeli army on Friday suspended two soldiers who physically assaulted and taunted left-wing activists in Hebron. It said in a statement that the incidents would be investigated by the commander of the Central Command, Maj. Gen. Yehuda Fuchs. “The soldiers involved were suspended from operational activity until the end of the investigation,” the army added. In footage shared by Breaking the Silence, a non-governmental organization that collects and publicizes mostly anonymous testimony by former Israeli soldiers about alleged human rights violations against Palestinians, soldiers can be seen confronting Palestinian and Israeli left-wing activists and assaulting them. They also boasted about far-right lawmaker Itamar Ben Gvir, who is set to become Israel’s next national security minister - an expanded public security minister role. “Ben Gvir is going to sort things out in this place,” one soldier said. “That’s it, you guys have lost … the fun is over,” he added. Asked by the filming activist, “Why? Am I doing something illegal?” the soldier replies, “Everything you do is illegal. I am the law,” and orders the activist to step back. In another footage, a soldier was seen knocking an activist to the ground and punching him. The soldier was wearing a patch attached to the back of his military vest that read, “One shot. One kill. No remorse. I decide.” The group of activists had traveled to Hebron to meet with local Palestinian families as an act of solidarity after Israelis visiting the city in an annual pilgrimage initiated clashes with them last week. “We can already see the effects of Ben Gvir’s appointment on the ground,” read a subsequent statement issued by Breaking the Silence. Military chief Aviv Kohavi condemned the soldiers’ actions, saying they were “extremely serious and contrary to the values of the Israeli army.” “The regulations and procedures allow soldiers freedom of action to carry out their mission, but they are not allowed to use force unnecessarily and they are not allowed to act violently,” Kohavi said in a statement. The army affirmed that patches other than those showing the logo of a military unit or an Israeli flag are against military regulations.
from Asharq AL-awsat https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/4010661/israel%E2%80%99s-army-suspends-soldiers-attacking-activists-hebron
$16b Total Assets of Oman’s Islamic Banking Sector
Business
Muscat - Asharq Al-Awsat
The headquarters of the Central Bank of Oman in the capital, Muscat. (Getty Images)
The total assets of Oman’s Islamic banking sector, including Islamic banks and windows operating in the sultanate, jumped by 9.1 percent year-on-year to reach at RO6.4 billion ($16.6 billion) by late September 2022. Oman’s Islamic banking assets now account for 16.2 percent of the country’s total banking system assets, according to latest data released by the Central Bank of Oman (CBO). According to Oman’s official news agency ONA, the total balance of financing granted by the sector also increased by 11.8 percent to about RO5.3 billion ($13.7 billion). The total deposits held with Islamic banks and windows also increased by 12.5 percent to RO4.8 billion ($12.5 billion) in September. Meanwhile, Standard and Poor’s (S&P) upgraded the country’s credit rating from “BB-”to “BB”, with stable future outlook due to its improved fiscal performance. The rating agency underlined in its credit rating report on Saturday the sultanate’s improved performance in the balance of payments, measures undertaken by the government within the Medium Term Fiscal Plan (MTFP) and a rise in oil prices as factors projecting positive outlook, coupled with the improvement in the net asset position in 2023. It expected a decline in the public debt rate vis-à-vis the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) from 61% in 2021 to 44% in 2022. The agency also projected a rise in Oman’s revenues over the next two years, along with sustained fiscal surplus in its budget for 2024, which will enhance levels of the country’s financial reserves and achieve a 5.8% financial surplus over the GDP in 2022. It expected the sultanate’s current account to post a 5.2% surplus vis-à-vis the GDP, compared to deficits of 4.9% and 16.2% in 2021 and 2020, respectively. It said that economic growth in Oman will be supplemented by a projected rise in hydrocarbon production, improved investment rates and government measures directed at supporting society and the private sector. S&P further expected Oman’s GDP to pick up by about 4% in 2022 and 3% in 2023. Meanwhile, non-oil activities are scheduled to be the prime motivator of growth over the coming years, according to S&P, which projects a private sector growth of 1.8% in 2022 and 2.5% over the period 2024-2025. The international agency commended the government’s tangible efforts in consolidating the principle of transparency and disclosure of financial statements and GDP data through the publication of regular circulars. S&P noted that Oman’s credit rating may persist in its upward trend, provided measures to enhance the State’s financial position are maintained by channeling more financial surplus into the public debt reduction course and augmenting fiscal flexibility to help address any unexpected crises or upheavals.
from Asharq AL-awsat https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/4010611/16b-total-assets-oman%E2%80%99s-islamic-banking-sector
Arab Stars Take Part in ‘King Farouk’ Musical Play in Dubai Opera
Varieties
Dubai - Asharq Al-Awsat
In this Sunday, Aug. 28, 2016 photo, a boat passes by the new Dubai Opera in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. (AP/Jon Gambrell)
Dubai Opera will host the musical play “King Farouk” on December 12. The show celebrates Arabian culture and original oriental music, and sheds lights on former Egyptian King Farouk, who will be the center of a huge royal, musical concert, surrounded by Arabic music from the golden age. “The play brings together Egyptian singer Reham Abd Elhakim and Nejma Abdullah, with the Art Musical Group led by Maestro Ahmed Taha,” said a statement by the show’s curator. The play will also see the participation of esteemed Arabic stars including Samiha Ayoub, Lebleba, Sawsan Badr, Poussi, and Safia el-Emari in great astounding scenes accompanied by original Arabic music from the era of King Farouk. The play comes as part of the Dubai Opera Season which presents a variety of shows that celebrates artistic authenticity in collaboration with singers and actors from the east and the west. Among these shows was Opera Dresden Ball, a project that aims at supporting and enhancing ties between Arabic and European cultures that was held on November 15. Dubai Opera will also host a concert by the European Chamber Music Academy for peace from Dresden.
from Asharq AL-awsat https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/4010556/arab-stars-take-part-%E2%80%98king-farouk%E2%80%99-musical-play-dubai-opera
Oppenheim to Asharq Al-Awsat: Our Problem Isn’t Houthis, It’s Their Destructive Behavior
Interviews
London – Badr al-Qahtani
UK Ambassador to Yemen Richard Oppenheim
The UK ambassador to Yemen, Richard Oppenheim, acknowledged that he has direct communication channels with the Houthis and confirmed that he had dined with the group’s spokesman, Mohammed Abdulsalam, in Muscat three months ago, as did his predecessor Michael Aron. In an interview with Asharq Al-Awsat, Oppenheim affirmed that the problem with Houthis is in their destructive behavior, not in them being a Yemeni group or participating in government. He reiterated the UK’s condemnation of their recent attacks on oil ports, describing them as “terrorist attacks.” While expressing concerns about consequences of the internationally recognized government designating Houthis as a “terrorist group,” he expressed his hope that the group would participate in Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council (PLC). Oppenheim also stressed the importance of maintaining the calm and supporting the efforts of the UN envoy to reach a lasting peace. The British diplomat explained his country’s views on many Yemeni files, including employee salaries, resource distribution, the performance of the PLC, and the southern issue. He also spoke about the role of the UN envoy and what priorities Yemenis should undertake. - Terrorist Attacks Without ambiguity, Oppenheim described recent Houthi aggressions as terrorist attacks. He asserted that his country’s stance was firm on the Houthis’ latest three attacks on oil infrastructure in Yemen. These assaults, according to the ambassador, are terrorist in nature. Regarding the government’s response to these attacks by blacklisting Houthi militias as a terrorist group, Oppenheim reminds all parties that the space for dialogue needs protection. The ambassador warned that the Houthi terrorist designation by the government may have ramifications on humanitarian access. Nevertheless, Oppenheim recalls how the Royal Navy’s HMS Montrose seized Iranian weapon-laden vessels that were en route to deliver to Houthis in Yemen. Participating in Yemen’s Governance Oppenheim did not hide his hopes for Houthis to come around and participate in Yemen’s PLC. He reiterated the UK’s support for PLC Chairman Rashad al-Alimi and the council’s remaining members. According to the ambassador, the PLC brings together all of Yemen’s parties, except the Houthis. Oppenheim noted that the PLC’s strength, unity, and stability, is vital for the current phase Yemen is experiencing. He moved on to stress that Houthis, who continue to refuse sharing power in Yemen, do not enjoy international relations. The diplomat explained that what Houthis have are ties with some international representatives. Oppenheim asserted that the Houthi government remains unrecognized. In his opinion, Oppenheim believes that the real question in Yemen today is: How can parties share power and resources found in the country? For this reason, Oppenheim notes that the question of salaries of public workers remains crucial and can be a prelude for a solution to the issue at hand. He, however, acknowledged that the matter is up to Yemenis to decide how they want to manage the situation. Oppenheim also said that Yemenis must decide on what political structures might work in a future political settlement. - PLC PLC members have proven that they can work together, even when they do not agree on everything, affirmed Oppenheim. As for whether disputes arise among PLC members, the British ambassador affirmed that they do, but continued to emphasize that coalition governments everywhere suffer from differences. Liberal Democrats disagreed vehemently with many of the things the Conservatives wanted, but they were still in coalition government together and worked together as a government, said Oppenheim about the experience of the UK. In fact, even within political parties there is often conflict in any country on various issues, but they still work together, the ambassador added.
from Asharq AL-awsat https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/4010546/oppenheim-asharq-al-awsat-our-problem-isn%E2%80%99t-houthis-it%E2%80%99s-their-destructive
London - Beirut - Asharq Al-Awsat
US soldiers take part in military drills alongside the Syrian Democratic Forces, east of al-Hasakah on September 7, 2022. (EPA)
Two rockets targeted international coalition forces at the US patrol base in northeastern Syria, the United States Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a statement late Friday. The attack at its base in al-Shaddadi was the third of its kind in a week but resulted in no injuries or damage to the base or coalition property. The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) visited the rocket origin site and found a third unfired rocket, the statement added. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition war monitor, in an earlier report about the Friday night rocket attack said “the area has been witnessing attacks by ISIS cells.” It later said that Iran-backed militias “are responsible for Friday’s rocket fire.” Such groups have significant influence in the Syria-Iraq border region, the war monitor noted, according to AFP. “Attacks of this kind place coalition forces and the civilian populace at risk and undermine the hard-earned stability and security of Syria and the region,” said Col. Joe Buccino, CENTCOM spokesman. On Nov17, rockets targeted the coalition's Green Village base, which is in Syria's largest oil field, Al-Omar, near the Iraqi border, CENTCOM said at the time. There were no injuries.
from Asharq AL-awsat https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/4010501/two-rockets-target-us-base-eastern-syria
AstraZeneca’s CEO on Covid: ‘We Just Have to Adjust to it’
Interviews
London - Ibrahim Hamidi
AstraZeneca’s Chief Executive Officer, Sir Pascal Soriot
AstraZeneca’s Chief Executive Officer, Sir Pascal Soriot, told Asharq Al-Awsat in an interview that Covid-19 is not over “and we just have to adjust to it like we live with the flu.” “Most people who get it basically get sick for a few days and do not need to be hospitalized because vaccines are providing a baseline immunity,” he said. He stressed the importance of tackling long Covid and protecting the immune compromised people. Asked about how he felt once he heard the good news from his company’s laboratories that he got the vaccine, he said: “I was very involved in the discussions with Oxford and the development of the vaccine. When we learned that we had a vaccine that works and our team said that we can manufacture it, I was incredibly happy because we thought we can make a difference.” He also advised people to listen to science and not to social media. On China’s zero-Covid policy, he said: “I understand the policy in the initial phase … I must say today they will have to transition at some point, China cannot be closed to the rest of the world for ever. They need to reopen to facilitate communication and trade with the rest of the world, people meeting each other.” Here is the full text of the interview: - We appreciate that AstraZeneca’s investments and interests go far beyond Covid-19, but is Covid-19 over? I don’t think Covid-19 is over unfortunately, I think Covid will stay with us for a little while and we just have to adjust to it like we live with the flu. I think this year the biggest problem actually is flu and Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infection (RSV). Covid-19 is still there but most people who get it basically get sick for a few days and do not need to be hospitalized because vaccines are providing a baseline immunity. With Covid, I think the two key things we now have to tackle are: 1- Long Covid, there are quite a substantial proportion of patients who get Covid and do not recover easily, long Covid can be mild or can be serious and goes all the way up to not being able to work for months. 2- Protecting the immune compromised people, for example people who underwent transplants or have blood cancer have zero immunity and do not respond to vaccine. Those who have multiple sclerosis and solid tumor cancers have some immunity and some limited response to the vaccine. Some people need a different level of different protection and we have developed a long acting antibodies combination called Evusheld to protect them for 6 months. Covid will still be there with us and we need to tackle it but it is mostly long Covid and the immune compromised that should attract our attention. - As you mentioned, we now have to learn to live with Covid. Thanks to some pioneers, some leaders, CEOs and companies, who helped us to get some immunity and to live with Covid, and definitely AstraZeneca is one of them, as well as yourself. How did you feel when you first heard about Covid and once you heard the good news from Oxford and your laboratories that you got the vaccine? How did you feel personally and as CEO of AstraZeneca? It was an evolution at the time because we basically heard about Covid-19 just like everybody around January 2020. We have a large presence in China, we are based in Shanghai and we have about 20,000 employees in China. So, as you can imagine, we heard about Covid and the impact on people in China very early on. We were tracking what was happening and we thought: how can we help? Initially we helped with simply buying masks, where we could and deliver them to hospitals that did not have any. Then we thought: what else can we do? We started looking at some of our medicines and repurposing them to see whether they could be used to treat Covid. After that we started the development of our long acting antibody combination Evusheld and then sometime around April 2020 as we were looking at what more we could do, we came across the vaccine at Oxford and we agreed with Oxford that we could collaborate with them. It was a very successful collaboration and we are very happy we were able to jump in and help. It has not been a very simple journey because as you can image we took a vaccine that had been created by a great team of scientists but in an academic lab and they had started to develop it but they were developing it doing trials the way an academic center would do it, not the way industry would do it. It was challenging at times, for instance the US asked all sorts of questions because the way the initial trials run by Oxford were not run the way industry does them so we had to catch up and do all sorts of work to bring the program to an industry standard and FDA (Food and Drug Administration) standard. There were weeks and months of intense work, it was very challenging of course but very rewarding because we made a huge difference. As you know we delivered more than 3 billion doses of vaccine and it has been independently estimated that the vaccine saved 6.3 million lives globally. - On a personal level, how did you feel when you heard the news from your team that AstraZeneca developed the vaccine and it was approved? I was very involved in the discussions with Oxford and the development of the vaccine. When we learned that we had a vaccine that works and our team said that we can manufacture it, I was incredibly happy because we thought we can make a difference. We had set up supply chains around the world to supply different geographies through different supply chains so we can supply everybody. One problem we faced was that we had agreed to partner with the Serum Institute of India (SII) who have a large capacity to manufacture extensively and we had agreed with SII and the Indian government that half of the production of SII would be kept in India and the other half would be exported to a number of countries around the world. But when Covid cases exploded in India, the government had to prioritize their population and decided to keep everything for India. This created a supply issue in many countries. We faced many challenges no doubt, but everybody at AZ was very happy to deliver this vaccine. - You succeeded in this while working with scientists and different people. What lessons were learned through that process? Are we more ready now to face any potential pandemic in the future? As a society, probably we are more ready, it is not perfect but we are more ready mainly because people have the challenge created by pandemics in mind. But the question is: What about in 10 years time if there are no other pandemics, which I hope there would not be, then people might focus on other priorities and reduce their attention to pandemic preparedness. Today two things exist: 1- There are centers around the world monitoring the emergence of new viruses and working together 2- With Covid, initially people thought it was only a Chinese issue. I can tell you I was in Europe at the time and it came to Italy and many people and many countries around Europe thought it was only an Italian issue, as if there was a border between Italy and the rest of Europe that can stop Covid. There was denial at the time in many places. I don’t think there will be a denial again. Now there are centers monitoring the emergence of new viruses. Governments are more likely to potentially even overreact to some new viruses instead of ignoring them. We will have new technologies that can bring new vaccines to patients much faster. The world has learned that for vaccines on that scale you need collaborations between the private and public sectors, we have to have governments working with private industry and with academics to bring vaccines to the world much faster. It is worth mentioning that without the US government investment, I do not think we would have had those vaccines at that scale so fast. The US government funded the development of several vaccines because it is a risky proposition. You have a new virus, a new vaccine and you do not know if it is going to work. It cost hundreds of millions of dollars to develop, you have to set up a manufacturing network which cost a lot of money and you need to have all this money spent in advance of knowing if the vaccine works. The US government placed advanced orders and put money at risk in those developments. Without the U.S. I do not think the world would have reacted as well as we did. - Different people have different views on how they deal with vaccine, how they deal with Covid and how they deal with the pandemic. As CEO of one of the largest companies what is your advice to the public? I am leading a scientific organization so of course I believe in science and believe in looking at data. My advice is for people to look at data. Society reacted incredibly fast to this virus and there was a lot we did not know about the virus and a lot that we did not know about the vaccines. Some people said that the vaccines were not made available fast enough, that poor countries did not get the vaccines fast enough. If we look back, the response was incredibly fast, not fast enough for some countries of course but overall very fast. There were a lot of unknowns, we did not know how to use the vaccines, we did not know the consequences of vaccinations, we were not so sure who to vaccinate. When you have this, different people come up with their own ‘realities’ and own ‘truths’. Today a lot more data is available and people can look at the data, it is clear now from the data that the vaccination for Covid is really very useful for people over 50-55 years old and those who suffer from severe chronic diseases. For younger people, vaccination is probably less critical and two doses might be sufficient and we might not need so many boosters because they have baseline immunity provided by the vaccine and which probably lasts a long time. There is a lot more data that has emerged and everybody has to make their own decision for themselves. It is a personal healthcare issue and you have to decide how to treat yourself and everybody has to make their own choice. Fundamentally people should look at the data and not look at social media. They should ask scientists and not look at the media. A problem is that, because there were many unknowns and we were moving so fast, some experts said things that proved to be wrong and this created an environment where some people could say: look at that expert, he said a,b,c and it was totally wrong so why should we listen to experts? But today we have a large amount of data and the scientific view is becoming more coherent. My advice is for people to listen to science and to not listen to social media. - One reason that people like you helped us to face this pandemic was working together: the private sectors, governments, scientists and companies as it was cross border crisis which is very similar to the climate change. What lessons to bring from tackling the pandemic to tackle the climate? You with other companies made this great initiative on the eve of COP27 in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt? How to copy the success in facing climate change? I think the recipe is very similar in many ways: 1- We have to look at science and technology to help us find solutions because there are many solutions to climate change. 2- Partnerships between public and private sectors are critical. During Covid vaccine, we had great partnerships with the Saudi government and talked with Saudi officials many times via video, we also worked with the Moroccan government, and I was very impressed by how very organized they were early on. We also partnered with Egypt. Those collaborations were very successful and we even shipped the vaccine to Palestine. There were so many countries that we did not necessarily think about but during the course of various discussions we were asked if we can ship vaccines to Palestine because they did not have vaccines, so we did that. Collaboration across public and private was very successful and the same can apply to the COP27. While attending COP27 I met with the Egyptian prime minister and the health minister and we have a program in Egypt called ‘Green Hospitals’. This initiative is a partnership between the private and public sectors as well as with academic organizations like hospitals. Collaboration is really a key solution. - Do you sense that the same urgency in dealing with climate change? It is human nature to react to a big threat very fast with great intensity but with climate change some people realize it is urgent and some other people do not realize it is urgent. The reality is right now people across geographies and countries are still arguing with one another about various other issues. If tomorrow we are threatened as a human species by a massive natural catastrophe then everybody will quickly realize we are all in the same boat. We are all sharing the same planet and we all have to work together. But today the urgency is not as high as it should be unfortunately. However, the realization that something has to be done is growing. When you see what happened in Pakistan and the floods that affected more than 10 million children. I am French and also Australian and I lived through the great fires in Australia and then the floods, you see the impact of climate change. More and more people are realizing that something needs to be done. - There is another element I think may link the Covid 19 and climate change which is justice. AstraZeneca actually played a big role in establishing justice by providing the vaccine to poor people almost free of charge without any profit. But there is this feeling that poor countries and poor people are paying a higher price for the pandemic and for climate change. Absolutely, and that is true. I met with the Secretary General of the Commonwealth. The Commonwealth is made of 56 countries with the biggest one is India which has 1.4 billion people and the smallest is an island with a population of 11,000. Within the Commonwealth you see countries that are starting to suffer. Some islands are saying soon enough there will be no country for us, we will be submerged. When you realize that a big part of the Antarctic is starting to break off and if it melts, that may lead to an increase of 63cm in the water level everywhere round the world. Some parts of the world will disappear under water. Typically, the poorest parts of the world will suffer first, as always unfortunately. If you look at climate change, people are talking about an average of 1.5 degrees or 2 degrees in the increase of temperature, but some parts of the world will suffer a lot more than this. In the northern part of Africa the increase in temperature will be much more, and they will suffer draughts and it will be terrible for people there and we will witness mass migration. At COP27 it was agreed to create a fund to help poor countries and I think this is a good thing but it is not sufficient. The answer is to really stop carbon emissions. Otherwise, we are on a road to massive catastrophe for everybody. - Are you more optimistic now than you were few years ago in terms of tackling the climate change? I am, because the realization is growing, private industries and private organizations are jumping in and the US government now is also taking the lead. Many governments have that in their agendas. I realize that some companies and some governments are talking green but don’t take much action but there are more and more countries and companies that are taking real measures. There is a growing trend for industries to disclose what they are doing about climate change and people can monitor, track and criticize what the companies are doing. I believe we are moving in the right direction but the problem is are we going to be moving fast enough? Actually the scientists tell you that their predictions of 10-15 years ago are happening much faster than they thought and we are in this vicious circle where things are getting worse than expected and accelerating even more. - Living in Europe, we noticed the past few months did not bring good news because once again because of the war in Ukraine, we heard that some European countries and some European entities are talking about using the old sources of energy, like coal and oil. There was this perception that there is a bit of retraction from the policies of giving more priority for green energy? Absolutely. The reality is that we have to be pragmatic and practical about it. The reality of life is that governments are elected, at least in democracies, and they are going to focus on their own countries and are going to think about what they need to do for their own electorate, for their own people. Covid 19 is a good example again of what happens in these situations. Some countries were producing lots of vaccines and the world was saying you need to share. They did not share. They started sharing when they had enough for themselves. As soon as they had enough to cover their own population, they started sharing but before that they never shared much. You may criticize this but at the end of the day that is a reality of life. Elected people will look after their own people, it is a bit unfortunate and you would hope they would share more and faster but they really cannot. It is indeed the same in this energy situation, countries say they have to make sure that people have electricity and heating for the winter, otherwise as politicians they will be removed at the next elections. We have to consider this in how we plan for the climate change. On the other hand, the silver lining in this war and the sanctions is that people realize that we need to move to renewable sources of energy to become independent. Scotland aims to become totally self-sufficient with renewable energy. I met the prime minister of Ireland recently and they have the same goal. You see countries really progressively setting up an agenda that will give them energy independence through green sources. - On November 10 AstraZeneca announced its third quarter financial results with revenues higher than forecasted, noting that those profits were not a result of the Covid vaccine, but rather from other sources. How were these revenues achieved? Our focus as a company is on medications for cancer, cardiovascular diseases, kidney diseases, diabetes, diseases related to metabolism, as well as respiratory diseases, asthma and rare diseases. We have a very strong portfolio of new products which we are launching everywhere. Our growth is driven by all those new products. During the 3rd quarter we obtained 19 approvals for new products and new indications. We are growing because our core business is growing. Covid vaccines did not make any profit. Still this year we are still delivering but the vaccine sales do not generate much profit as we sell more or less at cost. - There was an 11-12% growth? Actually a bit more than 11% for the quarter, coming from all sorts of products, we have an expensive product for kidney disease, heart disease, diabetes, several products for cancer are also growing a lot, we invest in R&D, year-to-date for end of September revenue grew by 36% driven by R&D and delivering new products. The 3rd quarter saw an increase of 19% with the 11% you referred to was for core business, excluding all the additions. If we include the additions like rare diseases business that we acquired and all the new products launches, the year-to-date is 37% and 19% in the quarter. - You are not producing much of the Covid vaccine. Is that right? We are producing Covid vaccine through our network. Some was manufactured by our partner in India. We have manufactured vaccine in Thailand for South Asia, in Brazil for Brazil and in Mexico for Latin America. We have a whole network of manufacturers in many geographies around the world. Also we manufactured in Europe, UK, in Japan and in China. We have a partnership in China but the Chinese government decided to focus on their locally developed vaccines which they supplied to some countries and I know the United Arab Emirates also sourced a lot of Chinese vaccines. - What do you think of Chinese policy of zero-Covid from science point of view? From a science point of view, I understand the policy in the initial phase because in the initial period they really protected their population very well. I must say today they will have to transition at some point, China cannot be closed to the rest of the world for ever. They need to reopen to facilitate communication and trade with the rest of the world, people meeting each other. When you go back to this carbon threat and climate change threat I really think collaboration around the world is key and also people realizing that we are all the same and share the same planet. At the end of the day, we all have the same hopes, same concerns and same fears. We are the same people wherever we are in the world. You only realize this if you meet people. If you live in a country and you never leave your country, and you never meet people from another country, it is very easy to think that these people are different. Then you meet them and you realize that they are like you, with the same hopes and concerns. I hope China will re-open fully very soon so people can meet and collaborate again. I am really delighted because next week in Dubai we will meet our Chinese team who will be joining us, Middle East and the rest of the international region. Our team is coming together again and this is very exciting. - What is AstraZeneca's future outlook globally and in the MENA region? Our outlook is very strong. We told the market that we expect to grow by low double digit which is 10-12% year-on-year up to 2025. Post 2025 we typically do not give guidance but we told the market we expect to grow at industry leading growth, which many analysts have translated into high single digit figure and we expect to achieve this by launching new products. In the Middle East and Africa region, in the whole international region, in Latin America and South Asia, China, we will grow because this is where the large number of people is and we have a portfolio of products that cover diseases that are common that may be treated with low cost products all the way to expensive products to treat cancer and rare diseases. In Middle East and Africa, diabetes, kidney diseases and heart diseases are very common, asthma diseases are common and we have products that are not so expensive that address those diseases and we expect to grow a lot in all those regions.
from Asharq AL-awsat https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/4010346/astrazeneca%E2%80%99s-ceo-covid-%E2%80%98we-just-have-adjust-it%E2%80%99
Elizabeth Taylor's 'Lucky Charm' Oscar Dress Found in Suitcase in London
Fashion
Asharq Al-Awsat
A Christian Dior dress worn by Elizabeth Taylor at the 1961 Oscars was discovered in a suitcase in London after more than 50 years Daniel LEAL AFP
A "lucky charm" Christian Dior dress worn by Elizabeth Taylor on the night she won best actress at the 1961 Oscars is to be sold at auction next month, after being stored in a suitcase in London for over 50 years. It had been assumed the floral print gown with a crimson silk bloom at the waist was already in the Christian Dior archive in Paris, AFP said. In fact, the gown -- along with 11 other garments owned by the star -- had been carefully stored in a large plastic suitcase in her former personal assistant's spare room since 1971. Taylor, accompanied by fourth husband Eddie Fisher, wore the dress designed by Marc Bohan for Dior to the 33rd Academy Awards. Her relationship with Fisher, whom she was accused of stealing from actor Debbie Reynolds, was considered a scandal and had sparked a storm of negative publicity. The outcry had left Taylor convinced she would not win, said Kerry Taylor, whose specialist vintage fashion auction house is selling the dress. "She had been the bridesmaid and never the bride at the Oscars and on this occasion she really didn't expect to win having been passed over before and having had all the negative press over Eddie Fisher," she told AFP. After her Oscar triumph, the star came to regard the dress as "something of a lucky charm" and took it with her all over the world. "Elizabeth Taylor was still taking this dress from place to place with her after 10 years. She didn't wear it on other occasions, she just liked to have it with her," Taylor said. 'Just second hand dresses' The garments in the suitcase were among a large number gifted to former employee Anne Sanz, whose husband Gaston worked as Taylor's chauffeur and bodyguard. The couple travelled the world with the actor and her fellow Hollywood star husband Richard Burton at the height of their fame in the 1960s and 70s. But despite the Dior dress's sentimental value, by 1971 Taylor's travel wardrobe was sometimes running to 40 huge suitcases and she was happy to let it go. The actor opened up her wardrobe at London's Dorchester Hotel one day in 1971, telling Sanz "take whatever you like!" Taylor had also given Sanz a white cocktail dress and matching bolero for her wedding. Other items due to be sold include Tiziani haute couture by Karl Lagerfeld and a "black widow" robe Taylor wore in the 1967 film "Boom", also by Lagerfeld. Taylor and Burton were godparents to the Sanz's daughter Elizabeth but Anne and Gaston quit after their star employers' second separation, torn over who to continue working for. Over the years, Sanz wore a couple of the dresses and gave others away to friends and family, never regarding them as particularly significant or valuable. "Anne obviously wore the white matelasse dress for her wedding and there was one other dress that she wore -- a yellow and blue dress with matching coat," Kerry Taylor said. "But in a sense, these were just second-hand dresses that belonged to Liz Taylor. So what? This was before celebrity mentality became the thing," she added. The auction at which the Dior Oscar dress is expected to fetch between £40,000-60,000 ($48,000-$73,000) will take place in London on December 6.
from Asharq AL-awsat https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/4009246/elizabeth-taylors-lucky-charm-oscar-dress-found-suitcase-london
