Asharq Al-Awsat: If the Sudanese Had the Means to Escape

Originally posted on Levant's Agora:
By Elias Harfoush. As I watch the scenes in Sudan, of foreigners trying to leave Khartoum any which way they can, I think of the millions of Sudanese left behind. Not lucky enough to have a foreign passport that would allow them to escape this hell, they are stuck…

Westbank problems 2nd Weekend of April 2023

Friday April 7 2023 Tensions flare after Lebanese militants fire at Israel Saturday April 8 2023 Britons killed in West Bank | Two sisters shot dead by a Palestinian militant in the West Bank on Friday were killed in an apparent revenge attack after Israel bombed Gaza and Lebanon on Friday morning. No group immediately

The National: Why Lebanon’s time-zone troubles are no laughing matter

Originally posted on Levant's Agora:
The National Editorial. Sunday’s news that Lebanon’s residents woke up in two different time zones led to jokes about “Muslim time” and “Christian time” but it also exemplified some of the problems facing the state. The government announced that the usual start of Daylight Saving Time would be delayed…

Asharq Al-Awsat: Kremlin Time and Beirut Time

Originally posted on Levant's Agora:
By Ghassan Charbel. The world is living on Kremlin time. The decisions of its master leave their mark on the security of the planet and the prices of energy and grain. Experts agree that another year of the Russian war on Ukraine will be catastrophic to the world. Vladimir…

Rai al-Youm: Raisi to Riyadh

Originally posted on Levant's Agora:
By Abdel Bari Atwan. The Iranian-Saudi reconciliation is proceeding apace — but the US could still try to sink it The Saudi-Iranian entente launched by the signing of last week’s Chinese-sponsored bilateral agreements quickly moved towards the full normalisation of relations and ‘zeroing’ of all problems between the two…

The Associated Press: Syria hopes Iran-Saudi agreement will ease regional tension

Originally posted on Levant's Agora:
By Albert Aji and Bassem Mroue. Syria on Saturday welcomed the agreement reached between Iran and Saudi Arabia to reestablish diplomatic relations and reopen their embassies saying it will lead to more stability in the region. Iran has been a main backer of President Bashar Assad’s government, while Saudi…

The New Arab: Lebanese authorities ‘failed to uphold right to electricity’: HRW

Originally posted on Levant's Agora:
By The New Arab staff. An HRW report pointed to 30 years of “fundamental neglect” and corruption as the driver of the country’s current energy crisis. A Human Rights Watch (HRW) report released on Thursday concluded that Lebanese authorities have failed to “uphold the right to electricity” through corruption…

NNA: A Timeline of Economic, Political Dire Straits in Lebanon

Originally posted on Levant's Agora:
By AFP. Lebanon for more than three years has been mired in a deep financial, economic and social crisis, aggravated by a political deadlock. Here is a recap since turmoil broke out in October 2019. Protests erupt Mass protests follow a government announcement on October 17, 2019 of a…

African misery and women inequality

The widespread sectarian violence and ongoing military conflicts in several political hotspots, including Syria, Iraq and Lebanon, have not only claimed thousands of human lives and devastated fragile economies but also undermined the U.N.’s longstanding plans to eradicate hunger and extreme poverty worldwide. The U.N. Development Programme (UNDP), the world body’s lead agency monitoring human

Relieve the current humanitarian crisis in Syria

At the end of March the Samaritan Fund made a significant donation to an Emergency Appeal by the UK Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) to help relieve the current humanitarian crisis in Syria. This is in addition to the donation made in January to the UNICEF emergency appeal for children in Syria. The DEC appeal provides