LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
March 23/2020
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani

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Bible Quotations For today
Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things; there is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 10/38-42/:”Now as they went on their way, he entered a certain village, where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. She had a sister named Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to what he was saying. But Martha was distracted by her many tasks; so she came to him and asked, ‘Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to do all the work by myself? Tell her then to help me.’ But the Lord answered her, ‘Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things; there is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her.’”

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on March 22-23/2020
The Healing Miracle of the Paralyzed Miracle & The Significance Of Praying For Others/Elias Bejjani/March 22/2020
Health Ministry: 248 lab-confirmed Coronavirus cases in Lebanon
Lebanon's Coronavirus Cases Jump by 18 to Hit 248
Hariri Hospital Contractual Staff: To agree on a pension fund that guarantees our rights
Abdel Samad warns of 'Stage 4 Coronavirus outbreak'
Former member of Israel-backed militia killed in Lebanon
Man Found Killed, Reportedly over Fakhoury Ties
Geagea: Hayek Assassination a Stab in the Heart of Lebanese State
Lebanese Army Uses Helicopters to Ask Citizens to Stay Home
Fahmi Vows to Suppress Every Virus Lockdown Violation
Msharrafiyeh Promises Aid for Needy Citizens 'within Days'
Hariri Appeals to the Lebanese to Respect the Lockdown
Flying Roses: Drone Fetes Lebanon Mothers despite Coronavirus
Kubis: Government's procedures require the full commitment of Lebanese citizens and residents
Banking Association says it will continue to provide basic services to clients through public administrations, main centers
Labor Ministry denies news attributed to it on amending labor contracts, reducing wages
Yammine to Radio Lebanon: The issue of workers and employees is the government’s primary concern, and work is underway to secure their daily needs
Fadlallah contacts Berri, reviews plans of Bint Jbeil municipalities in facing Coronavirus
Interior Minister launches executive plan to confront Corona virus: Every violation will be repressed
Coronavirus: How to spend a fun time while being home-quarantined?/Manal Makkieh & Elissa Hassan/Annahar/March 22/2020
Megaphone: Amplifying voices from Lebanon’s uprising/A look at the media outlets that have chronicled Lebanon’s uprisings./Al Jazeera News/March 22/2020
Despite confinement Lebanon working on economic rescue plan/Samar Kadi/The Arab Weekly/March 22/2020
The Lebanese Army, Hezbollah and the coronavirus/Makram Rabah/The Arab Weekly/March 22/2020
Akkar, the spectacular and yet forgotten part of Lebanon/Samar Kadi/The Arab Weekly/March 22/2020

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on March 22-23/2020
Secret airstrike destroys Iran’s Albukamal base
US FDA approves first rapid coronavirus test with 45 minutes detection time
Rand Paul is first US senator to report positive for coronavirus
U.S. Treasury Says Coronavirus Relief Plan Calls for $4 Trillion
Germany’s Merkel in quarantine after doctor tests positive for coronavirus
Syria reports first coronavirus case
Iranian child in coma after being given alcohol for ‘coronavirus protection’
First coronavirus cases in Gaza spark fears of spread in confined space
Jordan announces 13 new coronavirus cases, total at 112
Spain Reports Virus Deaths Up 30% in One Day
UK Virus 'Accelerating' amid Fears Country on Same Path as Italy
US envoy says Kabul, Taliban hold first prisoner exchange talks
Iran leader defends virus conspiracy theories

Titles For The Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on March 22-23/2020
Iraq’s new prime minister faces a delicate balancing act/Salma Mohamed/Al Arabiya/March 22/2020
Iran’s ruling authorities divided over coronavirus crisis/Dr. Majid Rafizadeh/Arab News/March 22, 2020
The race to develop a COVID-19 vaccine/Dr. Theodore Karasik/Arab News/March 22, 2020
Virus measures likely to change our way of life/Yasar Yakis/Arab News/March 22, 2020
UN’s political process complicit in ongoing Syrian disaster/Dr. Azeem Ibrahim/Arab News/March 22, 2020
Iran’s ruling authorities divided over coronavirus crisis/Dr. Majid Rafizadeh/Arab News/March 22, 2020
Pandemic an opportunity for humanity to show its best side/Baria Alamuddin/Arab News/March 22, 2020
The race to develop a COVID-19 vaccine/Dr. Theodore Karasik/Arab News/March 22, 2020
Virus measures likely to change our way of life/Yasar Yakis/Arab News/March 22, 2020
UN’s political process complicit in ongoing Syrian disaster/Dr. Azeem Ibrahim/Arab News/March 22, 2020
Iran sends message of belligerence vowing new retaliation against US even as coronavirus crisis deepens/Thomas Seibert/The Arab Weekly/March 22/2020

The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on March 22-23/2020
The Healing Miracle of the Paralyzed Miracle & The Significance Of Praying For Others
Elias Bejjani/March 22/2020
الياس بجاني: عجيبة شفاء المخلع وأهمية الصلاة من أجل الآخرين
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/73457/elias-bejjani-praying-for-others-and-the-healing-miracle-of-the-paralyzed-miracle/

On the fifth Lenten Sunday the Catholic Maronites cite and recall with great reverence the Gospel of Saint Mark ( 02/1-12): “The Healing Miracle of the Paralytic”
This great miracle in its theological essence and core demonstrates beyond doubt that intercessions, prayers and supplications for the benefit of others are acceptable faith rituals that Almighty God attentively hears and definitely answers.
It is interesting to learn that the paralytic man as stated in the Gospel of St. Mark, didn’t personally call on Jesus to cure him, nor he asked Him for forgiveness, mercy or help, although as many theologians believe Jesus used to visit Capernaum, where the man lives, and preach in its Synagogue frequently.
Apparently this crippled man was lacking faith, hope, distancing himself from God and total ignoring the Gospel’s teaching. He did not believe that the Lord can cure him.
What also makes this miracle remarkable and distinguishable lies in the fact that the paralytic’s relatives and friends, or perhaps some of Jesus’ disciples were adamant that the Lord is able to heal this sick man who has been totally crippled for 38 years if He just touches him.
This strong faith and hope made four of them carry the paralytic on his mat and rush to the house where Jesus was preaching.
When they could not break through the crowd to inter the house they climbed with the paralytic to the roof, made a hole in it and let down the mat that the paralytic was lying on in front of Jesus and begged for his cure.
Jesus was taken by their strong faith and fulfilled their request.
Jesus forgave the paralytic his sins first (“Son, your sins are forgiven), and after that cured his body: “Arise, and take up your bed, and walk”.
Like the scribes many nowadays still question the reason and rationale that made Jesus give priority to the man’s sins.
Jesus’ wisdom illustrates that sin is the actual death and the cause for eternal anguish in Hell.
He absolved his sins first because sin cripples those who fall in its traps, annihilates their hopes, faith, morals and values, kills their human feelings, inflicts numbness on their consciences and keeps them far away from Almighty God.
Jesus wanted to save the man’s soul before He cures his earthy body. “For what does it profit a man, to gain the whole world, and forfeit his life?” (Mark 08:/36 & 37).
Our Gracious God does not disappoint any person when he seek His help with faith and confidence.
With great interest and parental love, He listens to worshipers’ prayers and requests and definitely respond to them in His own way, wisdom, time and manner.
“Ask, and it will be given you. Seek, and you will find. Knock, and it will be opened for you. For everyone who asks receives. He who seeks finds. To him who knocks it will be opened”. (Matthew 07/07 &08)
Is any among you suffering? Let him pray. Is any cheerful? Let him sing praises. Is any among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the assembly, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord, and the prayer of faith will heal him who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up”. (James 05:15)
In this loving and forgiving context, prayers for others, alive or dead, loved ones or enemies, relatives or strangers, are religiously desirable.
God hears and responds because He never abandons His children no matter what they do or say, provided that they turn to Him with faith and repentance and ask for His mercy and forgiveness either for themselves or for others. “
There are numerous biblical parables and miracles in which Almighty God shows clearly that He accepts and responds to prayers for the sake of others.
Jesus cured the centurion’s servant on the request of the Centurion and not the servant himself. (Matthew 08/05-33 )
Jesus revived and brought back to life Lazarus on the request of his sisters Mary and Martha. (John 11/01-44)
Praying for others whether they are parents, relatives, strangers, acquaintances, enemies, or friends, and for countries, is an act that exhibits the faith, caring, love, and hope of those who offer the prayers.
Almighty God, Who is a loving, forgiving, passionate, and merciful Father listens to these prayers and always answers them in His own wisdom and mercy that mostly we are unable to grasp because of our limited human understanding.
“All things, whatever you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.” (Matthew 21/22)
Almighty God is always waiting for us, we, His Children to come to Him and ask for His help and mercy either for ourselves or for others.
He never leaves us alone. Meanwhile it is a Godly faith obligation to extend our hand and pull up those who are falling and unable to pray for themselves especially the mentally sick, the unconscious, and the paralyzed.
In this realm of faith, love and care for others comes our prayers to Virgin Mary and to all Saints whom we do not worship, but ask for their intercessions and blessings.
O, Lord, endow us with graces of faith, hope, wisdom, and patience.
Help us to be loving, caring, humble and meek. Show us the just paths.
Help us to be on your right with the righteous on the Judgment Day.
God sees and hears us all the time, let us all fear Him in all what we think, do and say.
N.B: The above piece was first published in 2012/It Is Republished with minor changes

Health Ministry: 248 lab-confirmed Coronavirus cases in Lebanon
NNA/Sunday 22/2020
The Ministry of Public Health announced, in a statement on Sunday, that "eighteen new laboratory-confirmed cases infected with the novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) have been registered, including the cases diagnosed at the Rafic Hariri Governmental Hospital, and those reported from other university hospitals accredited by the Ministry.""The total number of confirmed Corona patients until today, March 22, has reached 248 cases," the Ministry's statement added. “These figures indicate the start of the outbreak phase of the disease, and accordingly, the Ministry emphasizes the crucial need to implement of all preventive measures,” the statement underlined. The Health Ministry, thus, reminded all citizens to strictly remain at home, stressing that "this has become a moral individual and social responsibility and the duty of each and every citizen, for any negligence in this regards will expose citizens to legal liability."

Lebanon's Coronavirus Cases Jump by 18 to Hit 248
Naharnet/March 22/2020
Lebanon confirmed 18 more coronavirus infections on Sunday, raising the overall tally to 248, the Health Ministry said. “There are also five cases reported by laboratories not accredited by the Ministry and they require re-confirmation at the Hariri hospital,” the Ministry said in its daily report. It added that citizens and residents need to abide by “all the precautionary measures, “especially full home quarantine,” noting that staying home has become “an individual and societal obligatory responsibility.” “Any negligence in implementing it will subject violators to legal and penal prosecution,” the Ministry warned. The Lebanese government on Saturday called in the army and security forces to ensure people stay at home to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus that has killed four people nationwide. Last Sunday, the government ordered all people to stay at home and all non-essential businesses to close. The airport has been shut since Wednesday. Officials fear the local health system would struggle to cope if cases dramatically increase.

Hariri Hospital Contractual Staff: To agree on a pension fund that guarantees our rights
NNA/Sunday 22/2020
The Committee of Contractual and Daily Employees at the Rafic Hariri Governmental University Hospital announced, in a statement on Sunday, that it had contacted the Parliamentary Health Committee Chair, MP Assem Araji, to thank him for his stances in support of the hospital staff in various ways, most recently by signing a project law that aims at creating a pension fund that guarantees pension and optional early retirement for hospital personnel, as a token of gratitude and appreciation for their valuable sacrifices. The Committee highlighted the importance of creating a pension fund that guarantees the rights of contractual, part-time and daily employees at the hospital. In this connection, Parliamentary Health Committee Member, MP Bilal Abdallah, was contacted over the same subject, whereby he expressed his full personal support and the adoption of his parliamentary bloc of said project law. The Committee vowed to pursue all the necessary contracts and efforts to ensure that the Parliament Council passes this project law that would preserve the rights of its members to a decent living and secured retirement/

Abdel Samad warns of 'Stage 4 Coronavirus outbreak'
NNA/Sunday 22/2020
Minister of Information, Dr. Manal Abdel Samad Najd, warned in an interview with "Radio Lebanon" on Sunday, against "the danger of accelerating our move towards the fourth stage of the spread of the Coronavirus if we do not take the necessary measures, whether on part of the state and all its security apparatuses in controlling the mobility of citizens, or on part of citizens in adhering to self-curfew and not leaving their homes except in cases of extreme necessity, and taking precautionary measures to prohibit gatherings and thus, prevent the transmission of infection.”The Minister called on citizens to "abide by the guidelines [issued by the government], which are based on the experiences of other countries such as China, whose experience with self-isolation has proven successful in this regard," disclosing that the state will take harsher measures when necessary. Commenting on the role of the official media in this crisis, Abdel Samad indicated that "there is continuous coordination with the media outlets with regard to the awareness campaign launched under the headline, 'It is not a joke', and the videos that present useful messages to society ", thanking "all media institutions that cooperated in this respect, by devoting a large segment of their screening time or via news websites to keep up with this campaign and convey the useful image to society. "

Former member of Israel-backed militia killed in Lebanon
Associated Press/March 22/2020
Two Lebanese security officials said Antoine Hayek was killed with several bullets from a pistol equipped with a silencer inside his grocery store in the southern village of Mieh Mieh
BEIRUT: Unknown assailants shot dead a former member of an Israeli-backed Lebanese militia on Sunday, security officials said. The killing came three days after a jailed Lebanese-American man who belonged to the same militia was released in Beirut and flown to the U.S.
Two Lebanese security officials said Antoine Hayek was killed with several bullets from a pistol equipped with a silencer inside his grocery store in the southern village of Mieh Mieh, near the port city of Sidon. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.
According to Lebanese media, Hayek had been a warden at a prison run by the South Lebanon Army militia during Israel’s 18-year occupation of southern Lebanon, which ended in 2000.
The Lebanese-American man, Amer Fakhoury, had been jailed in Lebanon since September and charged with murder and torture of prisoners at the same SLA-run prison — charges he denied. A Lebanese judge ordered him released last week, saying more than 10 years had passed since the alleged crimes.
U.S. officials confirmed Fakhoury was aboard a U.S. Marine V-22 Osprey seen taking off from the U.S. Embassy compound northeast of Beirut on Thursday. Fakhoury’s case had significantly strained the already troubled ties between the U.S. and Lebanon.
Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of the powerful Hezbollah militant group, called Fakhoury’s release and exit from Lebanon a “blatant violation” of the country’s sovereignty and laws. Lawmakers from Fakhoury’s home state of New Hampshire had called for imposing sanctions on Lebanon to pressure Beirut to release him.
Local media outlets reported that Hayek had been close to Fakhoury. Hayek, a 58-year-old retired policeman, also reportedly worked as a warden at the SLA-run Khiam prison during Israel’s occupation.
Human rights groups have described the prison as a center for torture.
Lebanon’s intelligence service said Fakhoury confessed during questioning to being a warden there.
Fakhoury’s family in the U.S. and lawyer, however, said that although he was a SLA member, he had no direct contact with inmates and was never involved in any interrogation or torture. Fakhoury became a U.S. citizen last year.
Hundreds of SLA members fled to Israel, including Fakhoury, fearing reprisals if they remained in Lebanon. Others stayed and faced trial, receiving lenient sentences.
Hayek was one of those who stayed in Lebanon and was sentenced to 18 months in jail.
No one claimed responsibility for Hayek’s shooting.
Hasan Hijazi, a former inmate at Khiam prison, tweeted Sunday about his experience there. He said Hayek would flog prisoners with a whip and “turn detainees into a punching bag, and beat and kick them.”
Lebanon and Israel have been officially at war since Israel’s creation in 1948. Lebanon bans its citizens from traveling to Israel or having contact with Israelis.

Man Found Killed, Reportedly over Fakhoury Ties
Agence France Presse/Associated Press/Naharnet/March 22/2020
A retired policeman was found killed Sunday morning inside his grocery shop in the town of Miyeh w Miyeh near Sidon, the National News Agency said. MTV said he was shot by a silencer-equipped pistol from a close distance. Quoting high-level security sources, al-Jadeed TV identified the man as Antoine Youssef al-Hayek, saying he had served in the past as an official at the Khiyam Prison of the Israeli-backed South Lebanon Army militia. A judicial source told French news agency AFP that Hayek was accused of killing two prisoners during a riot at the jail in 1989. He was brought to trial in 2001 but then released because of a statute of limitations.
The prison's alleged senior warden Amer Fakhoury was likewise accused of murder over this case, the source added. Privately-owned Akhbar al-Yawm news agency said al-Hayek had been “a notorious aide" of Fakhoury.
“He joined the Internal Security Forces following the liberation of the South in the year 2000 and some former (Khiyam) prisoners had spotted him riding a traffic police motorcycle in Sidon,” the agency said.
“Local press had published several articles about this case, tackling his role in torture as an official at the Khiyam Prison,” it added.
Hundreds of SLA members fled to Israel in the year 2000 and afterwards, including Fakhoury, fearing reprisals if they remained in Lebanon. Others stayed and faced trial, receiving lenient sentences.
Hayek was one of those who stayed in Lebanon and was sentenced to 18 months in jail.
No one claimed responsibility for Hayek's shooting.
Hasan Hijazi, a former inmate at Khiyam, tweeted Sunday about his experience there. He said Hayek would flog prisoners with a whip and "turn detainees into a punching bag, and beat and kick them." The release of Lebanese-American citizen Amer Fakhoury has sparked controversy in Lebanon in recent days. Fakhoury went into exile more than two decades ago before returning to Lebanon in September, when he was arrested.
The 57-year-old was released on Monday over a statute of limitations on his alleged crimes, a judicial source said, though put under a travel ban, according to state media.
U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday hailed Fakhoury's return to the United States, saying he was suffering from late-stage cancer.
Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah on Friday slammed Fakhoury's departure to the U.S. as an "escape" organized by the U.S. embassy and a "flagrant violation of (Lebanese) sovereignty and justice".
Witnesses accuse Fakhoury of ordering or taking part in beatings of thousands of inmates at Khiyam, but David Schenker, the top U.S. diplomat for the Middle East, disputed accounts of Fakhoury's involvement, saying his name did not come up in previous prosecutions of SLA members and charging that some in Lebanon wanted to use the U.S. citizen's detention as a bargaining chip.

Geagea: Hayek Assassination a Stab in the Heart of Lebanese State
Naharnet/March 22/2020
Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea on Sunday described the killing of former Khiyam Prison warden Antoine al-Hayek as “a stab in the heart of the Lebanese state before anything else.”“The assassination of the citizen Antoine al-Hayek is a stab in the heart of the Lebanese state before anything else, as if someone is saying that they don’t believe in this state nor in its institutions, judiciary and security agencies,” Geagea said in a statement. “It is totally unacceptable for a party, which is organized as the crime’s details indicate, to assassinate the citizen Antoine al-Hayek in broad daylight given that he had surrendered to the Lebanese judiciary and the Lebanese laws in the best way possible,” the LF leader added.
He also urged security and judicial authorities to unveil the circumstances of the case in order to “fulfill justice” and “maintain the Lebanese citizen’s minimum level of confidence in the presence of a state in Lebanon.”
Unknown assailants shot dead retired policeman Hayek inside his grocery shop in the town of Miyeh w Miyeh near Sidon. MTV said he was shot by a silencer-equipped pistol from a close distance. A judicial source told French news agency AFP that Hayek was accused of killing two prisoners during a riot at Khiyam in 1989. He was brought to trial in 2001 but then released because of a statute of limitations. Privately-owned Akhbar al-Yawm news agency said Hayek had been “a notorious aide" of Amer Fakhoury, another former Khiyam Prison warden whose release this week has sparked major controversy in Lebanon. Hundreds of members of the Israeli-backed South Lebanon Army militia fled to Israel in the year 2000 and afterwards, including Fakhoury, fearing reprisals if they remained in Lebanon. Others stayed and faced trial, receiving lenient sentences. Hayek was one of those who stayed in Lebanon and was sentenced to 18 months in jail.
Hasan Hijazi, a former inmate at Khiyam, tweeted Sunday about his experience there. He said Hayek would flog prisoners with a whip and "turn detainees into a punching bag, and beat and kick them."
As for Fakhoury, witnesses have accused him of ordering or taking part in beatings of thousands of inmates at Khiyam, but David Schenker, the top U.S. diplomat for the Middle East, disputed accounts of the man's involvement, saying his name did not come up in previous prosecutions of SLA members and charging that some in Lebanon wanted to use the U.S. citizen's detention as a bargaining chip.

Lebanese Army Uses Helicopters to Ask Citizens to Stay Home
Naharnet/March 22/2020
The army was on Sunday staging patrols across Lebanon and using helicopters over many areas to ask citizens to stay home and respect a lockdown declared by the government over coronavirus.Army helicopters hovered over Beirut, the Bekaa, Keserwan, Upper Metn and Aley, according to the National News Agency and other reports. On the ground, army troops and security forces intensified their patrols to ensure non-essential shops and institutions are shuttered and people are not gathering in groups or moving around for non-urgent matters.
In a televised address on Saturday, Prime Minister Hassan Diab said the number of cases had risen to 230 in the country despite a call almost a week ago for all to remain at home. Warning of a further spike to epidemic levels if people continued to flout social distancing rules, he said the government was calling in the army and security forces. His government decided to "task the army, Internal Security Forces, General Security and State Security to... implement the order for citizens not to leave their homes, except out of extreme necessity, and prevent gatherings contravening" the order, Diab said. This would take the form of patrols and checkpoints, and those found disobeying would be pursued. Diab again called on all Lebanese to observe a self-imposed curfew, "as the state cannot face this creeping epidemic on its own."Last Sunday, the government ordered all people to stay at home and all non-essential businesses to close. The airport has been shut since Wednesday. The COVID-19 pandemic is the latest crisis to hit the country, already reeling from a financial meltdown and months of widespread public discontent. Officials fear the local health system would struggle to cope if cases dramatically increase. Earlier on Saturday, police patrolled several areas of the capital Beirut, using loudspeakers to call bystanders to go home.On the seafront, they pursued and flagged down joggers, pleading with them to head back indoors.

Fahmi Vows to Suppress Every Virus Lockdown Violation

Naharnet/March 22/2020
Interior Minister Mohammed Fahmi on Sunday launched an executive plan to enforce the government’s emergency measures over coronavirus.“The law will be implemented on everyone. Every violation threatening public safety will be suppressed and I won’t receive phone calls from anyone,” Fahmi said at a  press conference. “There is full coordination among the state’s agencies, especially security agencies, to apply the taken measures,” the minister added, calling on grocery shops, pharmacies and institutions still allowed to operate to “organize the entry of citizens to prevent crowding.” “Protect yourselves, your families and your society. Let us rescue ourselves, our families and our country,” Fahmi urged. Army troops and security forces intensified their patrols on Sunday to ensure non-essential shops and institutions are shuttered and people are not gathering in groups or moving around for non-urgent matters. In a televised address on Saturday, Prime Minister Hassan Diab warned of a spike to epidemic levels if people continued to flout social distancing rules, saying the government was calling in the army and security forces. His government decided to "task the army, Internal Security Forces, General Security and State Security to... implement the order for citizens not to leave their homes, except out of extreme necessity, and prevent gatherings contravening" the order, Diab said. This would take the form of patrols and checkpoints, and those found disobeying would be pursued.
Last Sunday, the government ordered all people to stay at home and all non-essential businesses to close. The airport has been shut since Wednesday.

Msharrafiyeh Promises Aid for Needy Citizens 'within Days'
Naharnet/March 22/2020
Social Affairs and Tourism Minister Ramzi Msharrafiyeh on Sunday announced that aid will be distributed “within a few days” to “needy citizens” affected by the coronavirus lockdown. In a tweet, Msharrafiyeh said the government will mete out the aid in collaboration with the relevant ministries, the army and the municipalities. “I reiterate my call for solidarity and cooperation among us all in order to overcome this difficult period,” he added. Lebanon has so far confirmed 248 coronavirus cases among them four deaths. The government on Saturday called in the army and security forces to ensure people stay at home to slow the spread of the virus. Last Sunday, the government ordered all people to stay at home and all non-essential businesses to close. The airport has been shut since Wednesday.Educational institutions, sport clubs, nightclubs, pubs, restaurants and cafes had been ordered closed prior to the government’s drastic emergency measures.

Hariri Appeals to the Lebanese to Respect the Lockdown
Naharnet/March 22/2020
Former Prime Minister Saad Hariri has appealed to all citizens, “to the fathers, mothers and young men and women all over Lebanon, to stay at home and deal with home confinement as the only safety line" against coronavirus. He said on Twitter: “The coronavirus epidemic is a treacherous enemy... I appeal to you to remain home and deal with home confinement as the only safety line." He continued: “Responsibility is shared between the country's official authorities concerned with determining the scientific steps to confront the epidemic and the citizens who are required to protect themselves and stop endangering the safety of others.” Hariri concluded: “The occasion calls on us to unite all efforts and support the medical teams responsible for the safety of people, primarily the medical and nursing teams at the Rafik Hariri Hospital and the Lebanese Red Cross teams deployed all over the Lebanese territory.”

Flying Roses: Drone Fetes Lebanon Mothers despite Coronavirus
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/March 22/2020
In a quiet Lebanese town under lockdown over the novel coronavirus, a drone buzzed towards a balcony on Saturday to deliver a red rose to a mother grinning in surprise. The COVID-19 pandemic may have put a damper on Mother's Day in Lebanon this year, but three students have come up with a new service to celebrate the occasion without flouting social distancing restrictions. Down in the street in the coastal town of Jounieh, 18-year-old Christopher Ibrahim texts a teenager who has ordered a flower drop-off for his mother, asking him to bring the family onto the balcony. He slips a single rose in a ring hanging under the aircraft and it lifts off into the air to carry the flower to its intended recipient. "It's Mother's Day and everything's closed," said the engineering student, wearing a light blue face mask. For almost a week, most Lebanese have been ordered to remain at home to stem the spread of COVID-19. The airport has closed and all non-essential businesses have been told to shutter. Lebanon has recorded 206 cases of the novel coronavirus so far, and counted four deaths. "I wanted to think of something that would enable people make their mothers happy in the safest way -- without there being contact with anyone," Ibrahim said. Ibrahim, who has filmed weddings using a drone and also volunteers for the Lebanese Red Cross, decided on the idea of an airborne rose. "I thought if it was delivered by drone, there would be zero contact," he said. But beyond cheering up mothers in lockdown, Ibrahim says the unconventional flower delivery service also aims to support medical workers battling the pandemic. "Everything we make from this project will go to the Red Cross," he said. Each rose delivery costs between 10,000 and 20,000 Lebanese pounds ($6.60-$13 according to the official exchange rate) depending on the location. Lebanese officials fear an increase in COVID-19 cases would overwhelm local hospitals, in a country already reeling from an economic crisis and mass anti-government protests. Lebanon has been largely quiet in recent days, although food stores have remained open and there have been some vehicles in the streets. Ministers and lawmakers have called for a full curfew, and Prime Minister Hassan Diab said the army and security forces would be stricter in enforcing the lockdown and so-called state of "general mobilization." An estimated 900 million people are now confined to their homes in 35 countries around the world -- two thirds by government lockdown orders, according to an AFP tally.

Kubis: Government's procedures require the full commitment of Lebanese citizens and residents
NNA/Sunday 22/2020
"The emergency measures declared by the Government to contain the spread of the coronavirus are necessary and require full compliance by the Lebanese and guests of Lebanon. Our self-discipline is a weapon in the fight against the virus,” tweeted United Nations Special Coordinator for Lebanon, Jan Kubis, on Sunday.

Banking Association says it will continue to provide basic services to clients through public administrations, main centers

NNA/Sunday 22/2020
The Association of Banks in Lebanon announced, in a statement on Sunday, that in the context of its commitment to "facilitate work in the banking sector during the general mobilization period, banks will continue, through their public administrations and their main headquarters, to secure basic banking services for their customers, either in terms of cash withdrawals through ATMs, or in terms of implementing urgent commercial operations related to ensuring food and medical supplies, or in terms of transferring financial aids and donations provided by clients to public or private beneficiaries within the framework of the national solidarity to face the health emergency resulting from the spread of the Corona epidemic.”"Working hours during the days specified by the banks are from 8:30 in the morning until 12:00 noon, with the exception of Saturdays, noting that information and call centers at the banks are continuously at the disposal of customers for any assistance or inquiry," the statement concluded.

Labor Ministry denies news attributed to it on amending labor contracts, reducing wages
NNA/Sunday 22/2020
The Ministry of Labor denied, in an issued statement on Sunday, the recently circulated news by “some media and social sites, that the Labor Ministry intends to submit a proposal authorizing the amendment of labor contracts and reducing wages to protect workers and employees from the repercussions of successive crises.”The Ministry categorically denied such news, stressing that “what is attributed to it in this context is completely groundless.” “In all cases, the Minister of Labor and the government are collectively prioritizing the study of proposals and setting scientific solutions to spare workers the repercussions of the emerging economic, financial and epidemiological crisis, as a result of the spread of the Corona virus that is weighing heavily on all productive sectors, particularly on workers who are facing many difficulties to maintain their jobs and secure their livelihoods, especially those who are daily workers and those with lower incomes," the statement indicated. The Labor Ministry concluded its statement by asserting that any opinion or position that is not officially issued by the Ministry does not represent it in any way, urging all sides “to verify all news before circulation in order to avoid any confusion.”

Yammine to Radio Lebanon: The issue of workers and employees is the government’s primary concern, and work is underway to secure their daily needs
NNA/Sunday 22/2020
Labor Minister Lamia Yammine indicated in interview with "Radio Lebanon" on Sunday, that "the problem of dismissing employees and workers from their jobs began with the outset of the revolution, and has exacerbated today due to the Corona virus," stressing that "the issue of laborers constitutes a basic concern for the government." “With the increase in the number of laid-off employees, especially the problem of daily-workers who are now without wages, the cabinet is adamant on exploring ways to provide them with aid and assistance," Yammine asserted. The Minister pointed to the difficult financial and economic situation, which "is not limited to Lebanon because the problem has become global in terms of aids. “However, the government has developed a plan to keep pace with this stage, respectively," she added reassuringly. “We, as a Ministry of Labor, are maintaining regular contact with the Trusteeship Authority over the National Social Security Fund, which is carrying out all its duties as much as possible, despite its unpaid dues by the state. Work is also underway on an initiative to assist companies through certain facilities in order for them to continue to pay the salaries of their employees,” stated Yammine. Regarding the government’s role, the Labor Minister revealed that it is exploring several possibilities as an initiative by the state or by donors, and putting a plan to keep pace. She stressed herein on "the importance of national solidarity and that institutions do not dismiss any of their employees due to the current crisis because Lebanon as a whole is threatened." Yammine, thus, called on institutions and companies to "show solidarity, despite the difficult conditions, so that everyone can be equal in earning their daily living." She also revealed that the government is currently working on extending assistance and facilities to private institutions, in addition to proposing the exemption from certain fees, noting that the Minister of Finance is preparing a plan and study in this regard, which may include exempting citizens from paying taxes and fees for a certain period.
Finally, Yammine reiterated that the issue of laborers and employees is the main concern of the government, and that work is underway to secure the daily needs of citizens, while appealing to the Lebanese "not to leave their homes and not to be reckless, so as to limit the spread of the virus and protect themselves and their families."

Fadlallah contacts Berri, reviews plans of Bint Jbeil municipalities in facing Coronavirus
NNANNA/Sunday 22/2020
Member of the "Loyalty to the Resistance" Parliamentary Bloc, MP Hassan Fadlallah, contacted Sunday House Speaker Nabih Berri, briefing him on “the measures taken by municipalities in the South to address the Corona virus spread, and the obstacles facing their work, including the failure to transfer the financial dues to municipalities, in addition to interpreting Article 32 of the 2020 annual budget, which limits the powers of municipalities.”Fadlallah highlighted the need to "address these two obstacles in order for the municipalities to play their role especially that a great burden falls on their shoulders in limiting the spread of the corona virus.”The MP indicated that he received a promise from Speaker Berri to strive to address this matter at the nearest. On another note, Fadlallah was informed during his meeting with various municipality heads in the area of Bint Jbeil about their plans for sterilization and blocking gatherings, and following-up on the conditions of citizens and providing them with in-kind assistance, in addition to preparing government hospitals, especially Bint Jbeil Hospital.adlallah called herein on the Prime Minister and the Interior and Finance Ministers to "give priority to the municipalities, whether in terms of their entitlements or their powers under these exceptional circumstances.".

Interior Minister launches executive plan to confront Corona virus: Every violation will be repressed
NNA/March 22/2020
Interior and Municipalities Minister, Mohamad Fahmy, launched, in a press conference on Sunday, the executive plan to compel citizens not to leave their homes, saying, "There are some citizens who have not shown commitment, and the law will apply to everyone. Each violation that poses a threat to public safety will be suppressed…and I do not receive calls from anyone!"The Minister indicated that “complete coordination is taking place between all state apparatuses, especially the security forces, to implement the adopted measures, and I ask the governors to call the Sub-Security Council to convene when necessary.” He added: “We call for the creation of groups to intervene within each municipality to help with awareness, and the institutions and stores that are allowed to open will be monitored. In the event of any violation, they will be closed and the applicable laws will be implemented.” The Interior Minister, thus, urged owners of shops, institutions and pharmacies to "organize the entry of citizens by limiting them into specific numbers, in a bid to prevent overcrowding.""Protect yourselves, your family, and your community, and let us save ourselves, our people, and our country!" Fahmy concluded.

Coronavirus: How to spend a fun time while being home-quarantined?
Manal Makkieh & Elissa Hassan/Annahar/March 22/2020
In addition, people who are interested in writing can start a challenge like the seven-day journaling challenge to reflect on their day, health, and well-being
BEIRUT: As millions of people remain home due to the novel coronavirus, there's an urge to find effective home activities to boost everyone’s mental health. Samar Abu Assaly, Mental Health Pyscho-Social Support Consultant, argued that maintaining good mental health while being socially distanced requires indulging simple yet efficient activities like coloring and listening to music in our daily routine to mitigate high-stress levels caused by coronavirus. This will also prevent people from developing disorders such as Alzheimer in the long run. “People have survived the first months of self-quarantine and now it’s their time to sustain in a more relaxed environment and accomplish their work and life duties without negatively affecting their own mental well-being, ” she told Annahar. While being at home, multiple activities and options can be done to boost people's mood. These options entail jigsawing puzzles with family members, learning a new language on YouTube, redecorating a room, cleaning up clutter from the day, learning a dance routine, looking through photo albums, and connecting with the ones they love through online applications. In addition, people who are interested in writing can start a challenge like the seven-day journaling challenge to reflect on their day, health, and well-being as well as to ask themselves what brought them joy today. And since technology occupies a major part of our daily lives, people can still recognize its benefits via downloading informative and enriching applications such as Udemy, Aljazeera, Reuters, etc. that offer free or cheap courses. For example, the Fabulous Application uses science to better people’s well-being and build healthy habits. For the elders and children who suffer from reading difficulties, they can also have the option of learning online by checking audio Arabic books through KitabSawti or any other application that offers similar free services. During our busy lives, we don’t get much time to reflect. Thus, being at home isolation allows each person to reflect on their lives. Reflection involves going into deep serious thoughts and answer questions such as: Am I happy with what I’m doing? Did I choose the major that suites me? Is this the right thing to do? “Self-care must be our top priority today to surpass this critical situation,” mentioned Abu Assaly. “Thus, it’s very important to meditate and visualize what we want to manifest. Unplug your phones or put it away sometimes and stay off social media.”

Megaphone: Amplifying voices from Lebanon’s uprising/A look at the media outlets that have chronicled Lebanon’s uprisings.

Al Jazeera News/March 22/2020
From a nondescript residential block in downtown Beirut, Jean Kassir and his journalistic collective - Megaphone - are producing some of the most dynamic journalism of Lebanon's five-month uprising.
In a media landscape dominated by partisan journalism, Megaphone has become a trusted source for its critical take on the news and slick content that has outmatched its more established rivals.
"The majority of our team are volunteers. Many come to work with us after they have finished their day shift," Kassir told The Listening Post's Tariq Nafi. "The revolution was a major turning point. We used to produce two videos a month; during the first month of the revolution, we started producing two or three videos a day. Some on the team would work daily from noon until three or four in the morning. It is something I think we will never again experience in our lives."
The uprising has brought together a cross-section of Lebanese society in a revolt against a political system defined by sectarian identity, which has failed to provide even the most basic services.
It has also revealed much about the shortcomings of Lebanon's media outlets - too many of which are skewing their coverage - since they are split along the same lines as politicians.
"Given that the media is, by and large, run by politicians, political parties or businessmen with political ambitions, they have of course played a very important role in helping the elite reshape themselves," journalist Kareem Chehayeb told us. "They've done so by trying to rebrand a lot of these politicians as reformists who have been obstructed by their political rivals."
In Lebanon, just 12 families - most of them directly involved in politics - control close to 50 percent of the media. The remaining 50 percent of outlets are run by political parties or the state.
With so many media outlets so compromised by their ownership, journalism that confronts Lebanon's ruling elite is more necessary than ever.
"It is very difficult for one to think about political change, without a fundamental change to people's source of information," says Kassir. "When journalism confronts and challenges the various official narratives put forward by the sects or the parties or the factions, then we can actually change the rules of the game in this country. So it is not a detail – the media is a fundamental pillar in this process, whose role is to deconstruct a regime that has lasted too long and cost the country too much."
Contributors:
Jean Kassir - Managing Editor, Megaphone
Jamal Saleh - Creative Director, Megaphone
Kareem Chehayeb - Co-founder, The Public Source
Jad Abou Jaoudeh - Head of News, OTV

Despite confinement Lebanon working on economic rescue plan
Samar Kadi/The Arab Weekly/March 22/2020
BEIRUT - With an increasing number of people testing positive for COVID-19, Lebanon tightened confinement measures under state of “sanitary mobilisation” to rein in the outbreak of the virus, which has claimed four lives and infected more than 160.
“Citizens are urged to adhere to the strict measures issued by the official authorities, especially the mandatory home quarantine and the restrictions on movement, except when absolutely necessary,” a Lebanese Health Ministry statement said.
“There are six cases of an unknown origin and the reason is community infections. Security forces are asked to be stricter, to the extent of barring people from leaving their homes,” Lebanese Health Minister Hamad Hasan stated. While diagnosed cases have all been isolated at the Rafik Hariri University Hospital in Beirut (RHUH), the only public facility treating coronavirus patients, the ministry said it is preparing for Stage Four in its fight against the virus.
Preparations for Stage Four included equipping 12 government hospitals and at least five private facilities across the country with isolation units to receive infected people if the disease spreads and exceeds RHUH’s capacities. The effect of the coronavirus and falling oil prices may have damaged Lebanon’s chances of securing badly needed aid from foreign countries to deal with its worst financial crisis blamed on the political class corruption and mismanagement.
Lebanon has been unable to pay foreign currency sovereign debt for the first time and its currency lost some 40% of its value while dollar reserves are critically low. Work to draw up economic rescue plans continued despite the shutdown because of the virus, Economy Minister Raoul Nehme said. Major aspects of the plan, including how the state will cut the deficit and boost revenues, will probably be ready by mid-April, Nehme told Reuters.
While noting that it was too early to gauge the effect of the coronavirus outbreak, Nehme said aid from countries to which Lebanon has been looking for support “can be less significant” if they suffer their own financial problems.
“We will certainly seek the support of our friends in the Arab world but their revenues are going down drastically with the price of oil going down under $30 (per barrel) practically so that puts limitations on their capacity to assist us,” he added. Fears of spread of coronavirus triggered riots at two overcrowded Lebanese prisons. Inmates demanded to be released, even if temporarily, fearing the virus would spread rapidly in the closed environment. Police said precautions were being taken to protect the prisons from coronavirus. Only one person from each inmate’s family will be allowed to visit and prisons are regularly disinfected. The usually jammed streets of Beirut were mostly deserted as shops, restaurants, cafes, malls and businesses observed mandatory closure, which will last until at least March 29.
Police patrols on Beirut’s seaside promenade stopped the few recalcitrant strollers and joggers, forcing them to return to their homes.
The country’s air, land and seaports of entry and all non-essential public and private institutions were closed until the end of March.
*Samar Kadi is the Arab Weekly society and travel section editor.

The Lebanese Army, Hezbollah and the coronavirus
Makram Rabah/The Arab Weekly/March 22/2020
The Lebanese government was on the verge of declaring a state of national emergency that would lock down the entire country and grant the Lebanese armed forces extra-jurisdictional powers to enable them to limit the spread of the coronavirus.
However, the projected state of emergency was replaced by “total mobilisation,” which adopted the same measures but was short of empowering the Lebanese Army, which was met with bewilderment and outrage by the public.
The Lebanese Constitution allows the executive branch to declare a state of emergency to respond to or pre-empt imminent dangers. Empowering the Lebanese Army would have been the logical, not to say the ethical action to take, given that the Lebanese state and its various decrepit institutions lack the resources and the moral standing the Lebanese Army possesses with the public.
To understand the Diab government’s decision to settle for total mobilisation rather than a state of emergency one needs to understand the tensions the latter would have created between the Lebanese Army and Hezbollah.
Empowering the army to implement the state of emergency would seriously curtail Hezbollah’s ability to carry out its logistical operations, especially crossing in and out of Syria undetected, and would sooner rather than later place the Lebanese Army and this transnational militia at odds.
Despite having an implicit understanding with the Lebanese Army, Hezbollah always looks at this US-trained and -equipped institution with distrust and is always looking for ways to control it or render it ineffective.
On many occasions, the Lebanese Army found itself facing Hezbollah on matters related to jurisdictional and operational command and, despite having a coordination mechanism between the two, an Iran-sponsored militia and the legitimate army of the state cannot theoretically coexist.
During battles to root out Islamic State militants in eastern Lebanon, Hezbollah went out of its way to try to deny the Lebanese Army its much earned victory, one the entire country celebrated.
Despite the pandemic threat of the coronavirus, Hezbollah cannot afford to have its lifeline with Iran severed, especially the route that stretches from Beirut to Damascus that keeps it supplied with ammunition and, more important, fresh dollars.
That Hezbollah is accused of running many illegal border points with Syria, which it uses to keep a billion-dollar black economy going, is one more reason to refuse any oversight.
Coincidentally, keeping the Lebanese Army at bay even with the coronavirus is something that Hezbollah will continue to do even if this means exposing the Lebanese and their own constituency to further dangers. A full army-administered lockdown would allow access to Hezbollah areas and perhaps expose the suspected under-reporting of the coronavirus in the Shia community. Those suspicions are hugely based on the fact that Hezbollah has been leading many pilgrim expeditions to Iran, not to mention that many of its militants train there and are believed to have been exposed to coronavirus.
By disenfranchising the Lebanese Army, the Diab cabinet missed out on another chance to stand up not only to the biological pandemic but also to the political diseases eating at the heart of the state. Settling for total mobilisation proved that the Diab government, as well as the ruling establishment, will only carry out matters that are sanctioned by Hezbollah and its leadership in Iran.
In a televised speech, Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah reminded everyone that he was the only decision-maker, lecturing and advising his audience how to take precautions against the coronavirus. Interestingly, Nasrallah’s speech underscored the party’s mindset and flawed approach to any challenge. He said: “In any battle, there’s a target and an enemy, the problem in this battle is that the enemy is coronavirus.”
In this respect, Nasrallah proved to be no different from the hundreds of Americans who rushed to gun stores and supermarkets to stock up on bullets and on toilet paper, believing that the epidemic can be killed by guns or by double-ply tissue paper.
Deploying the Lebanese Army to fight the coronavirus is not only due to its tactical and logistical ability but rather because it is representative of a cross national/sectarian power base that would enhance unity and discipline, which are the only weapons humanity has to fight this disease and many like it. In essence it has nothing to do with the issue of total mobilisation or declaring a state of emergency but how the Lebanese state continues to fail in the test of statehood and how Hezbollah has proven, time and again, that it is more dangerous to Lebanon’s future than any flu or doomsday disease for which, sooner or later, there will be a cure.
*Makram Rabah is a lecturer at the American University of Beirut, department of history. His forthcoming book, “Conflict on Mount Lebanon: The Druze, the Maronites and Collective Memory,” (Edinburgh University Press) covers collective identities and the Lebanese Civil War.

Akkar, the spectacular and yet forgotten part of Lebanon
Samar Kadi/The Arab Weekly/March 22/2020
An hour’s drive from Qobayat is Akkar el Atiqa Fortress, a remnant of the Crusaders’ period.
QOBAYAT--It has history, ancient ruins and natural wealth, including cedar and pine reserves, but few Lebanese have been there or are aware of the attractions of Akkar, Lebanon’s northernmost region and one of the most disadvantaged.
Surrounded by lush forests that reach 2,000 metres above sea level, Qobayat, one of Akkar’s largest villages, is ideal for hikers and nature lovers, said Antoine Daher, a medical doctor and member of Qobayat’s Environment Council that has set up a watch tower to monitor arson and tree cutting.
“Akkar has the largest green space in Lebanon that is void of any construction and although it is rich in heritage and history with vestiges from different periods from the megalithic phase to the Roman, Greek, the Crusades, all the way to the Ottomans, we do not really exist on Lebanon’s tourism map,” Daher said.
“They say Akkar is a disadvantaged and deprived area and it is very true in that sense. Many Lebanese from other regions have never been to Akkar or do not really know about it. We can say it is a new area that the Lebanese are discovering now. Lots of sites need to be excavated and protected but there is a total absence of government interest. It is a forgotten part of Lebanon.”
Private local initiatives are helping promote the region as a destination for ecotourism and religious tourism, in view of its many old churches and monasteries.
“You can stay 30 days in Qobayat and walk a different trail every day. They are of different levels of difficulty and length and go from 500 [metres] up to 900 metres [above sea level],” Daher said.
Tour packages can be checked and booked online and through smart phone applications. Specially trained guides can be hired to lead hikers and explain the area’s geography, ecology and history.
Daher said Qobayat’s Environment Council has been organising the Rif Festival to highlight the countryside and rural areas. “For four days, we seek to raise awareness about the importance of protecting and sustaining rural life, heritage and environment through film screenings, hikes and debates,” he said.
Qobayat, voted among the most charming three villages in Lebanon, boasts unique places of worship, such as the Church of Saydet el Ghessaleh, as well as shrines, including Mar Elias, the Convent of Mar Doumit and the Church of Mar Challita.
The Scientific Permanent Museum for Animals, Birds and Butterflies in Mar Doumit Convent displays a collection of 161 bird and 23 animal species from Lebanon and neighbouring countries. It is the only museum for butterflies in Lebanon with a 4,000-strong butterfly collection of species from all over the world, including one type that can only live in the vicinity of cedar forests, said Roman Catholic priest Ayyoub Yaacoub.
“The convent was built in the first half of the 19th century. The first school in the region was born here, just under this tree,” Yaacoub said pointing at a big 200-year-old oak tree.
The Church of Mar Challita, or Saint Artemius, in Qobayat was built in the fourth century on the ruins of a pagan Roman temple. It was destroyed in an earthquake and remained a pile of stones until Laurice Kodeih, 75, vowed to rebuild it.
“My son was between life and death after falling from the fifth floor so I made a vow to rebuild the church if he survived. People volunteered to help me in the digging and the removal of the huge stones, which I used in the reconstruction,” Kodeih said.
It took Kodeih 30 years to rebuild the church. Her son, who survived for 10 years, is buried in the churchyard. “I rebuilt it stone by stone for him,” she said. The place is now a pilgrimage place for both Christians and Muslims.
An hour’s drive from Qobayat is Akkar el Atiqa Fortress, a remnant of the Crusaders’ period. Sitting atop a hill between the two dramatically deep valleys of Akkar and the two Ostwan creeks, the fort is only accessible on foot. Following attacks by Prince Fakhreddine in the 17th century, the fortress was destroyed and only a few passages, arcades, rooms, canals and rock-engraved graveyards remain.
The valley and plain of Ouyoun el Samak, on the border of Akkar Mountain, is another attractive spot. This barely known place of beauty is abundant in water with numerous small lakes, a dam and the River Nahr Moussa. A cascade of water from the mountain gushes plentifully into the valley with the melting of the snows. Restaurants and cafes have been set up in the area, where Lebanese cuisine can be enjoyed looking out on one of the most enviable views in the country.
To take full advantage of all that Akkar has to offer — be it from its religious heritage or its rich and well-preserved natural environment — one can choose among facilities in Qobayat, including cottages for rent, as well as an ecolodge.
*Samar Kadi is the Arab Weekly society and travel section editor.

The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on March 22-23/2020
Secret airstrike destroys Iran’s Albukamal base
At least 26 fighters from Iranian-backed units in Syria were dead. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights pointed a finger at the US and western countries. The US-led Coalition said it wasn’t them.
Seth J. Frantman/Jerusalem Post/March 22/2020
On Wednesday, March 11 a rocket attack killed several members of the US-led Coalition at Iraq’s Camp Taji. Hours later people in Albukamal in Syria and across the border in Qaim, Iraq reported airstrikes.
They assumed the Americans were retaliating. The US had retaliated in December after Iranian-backed proxies killed a US contractor. It turns out the intensity of the airstrikes on the night of March 11 were unique and badly damaged the Iranian base. On the morning of March 12, the wreckage was clear. At least 26 fighters from Iranian-backed units in Syria were dead. The London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights pointed a finger at the US and Western countries. The coalition said it wasn’t them. The mystery was left to percolate for a week. Now we know that the airstrikes that night badly damaged or destroyed 15 structures according to images from Image Sat International (ISI). The images, distributed on Wednesday, March 18 include an assessment about the “massive attack” which was designed to get Iran to “abandon this base and to send a clear message that the US will not tolerate the presence of IRGC Quds Force and its allies in this area.”The US has carried out airstrikes in the past in retaliation, as noted above, against targets in both Syria and Iraq. In those strikes on December 29, five targets were destroyed in Iraq and Syria. The US targeted Kataib Hezbollah, a pro-Iranian proxy. However, the claim that the US ripped apart the Imam Ali base is complicated by the fact the US officially says it retaliated on March 13, hitting warehouses related to pro-Iranian groups in Iraq. Days later the US withdrew from a post near Qaim in Iraq.
The Imam Ali base has been hit numerous times in the past. In June 2018 airstrikes rained down on a Kataib Hezbollah headquarters near Albukamal. In September last year reports noted that a new Iranian base called “Imam Ali” was under intense Iranian construction. It was struck on September 8, 2019. Reports Iran was rebuilding parts of the base were published last November. In December more details emerged about Iran’s role at the base. It was bombed on January 5, according to local reports. But Iran keeps building fortified warehouses and tunnels.
Now it has been bombed again. This is more “massive,” says ISI, which produced satellite photos of it. Critical facilities, including a barracks, were destroyed. The attack did not destroy an underground tunnel but did destroy many warehouses. In a series of photos the destroyed warehouses can be seen in numerous parts of the compound. These are the most wide ranging airstrikes to have occurred at the Imam Ali complex, which stretches over several square miles.
Most Iranian sources, as well as pro-Iranian sources in Iraq and Syria, have remained quiet about the airstrikes. However they come amid tensions between Iranian-backed militias and the US.
The State Department has warned Iran and its proxies to stop messing with the Americans in Iraq. No more rocket attacks. Despite US warnings the pro-Iranian groups are strategizing about how to threaten the US and get US troops to leave Iraq.  Some voices believe it is best to let the US leave on its own, judging that US President Donald Trump wants to withdraw. The US repositioned forces last week amid the coronavirus pandemic. Some pro-Iranian groups believe this is a stage in withdrawal. But others want to strike harder, including Kataib Hezbollah and Harakat Hezbollah al-Nujaba.
The differences of views also relate to backing for a new prime minister-designate in Baghdad named Adnan Zurufi. The pro-Iranian factions, including Ammar al-Hakim and Hadi al-Amiri of the Fatah Alliance may prefer to politically maneuver the removal of the US. Others such as Muqtada al-Sadr also want to capitalize on local protests and anger at the US to get the Americans out. But the Hashd al-Shaabi or Popular Mobilization Units, which include the pro-Iranian armed groups, are looking for ways to harass the US. Meanwhile at the border the Iranian weapons trafficking that runs through Qaim is one of Iran’s main projects in the region. Iran has sent ballistic missiles to Iraq, according to reports, and sent drones and air defense to Syria. Imam Ali base is a key conduit for weapons that run to Iranian warehouses at bases such as T-4 in the desert on the way to Homs or Damascus.
Iran is now concerned that its facility, into which it invested what limited resources it had, has been eviscerated. The airstrikes remain hidden in the shadows, with no one wanting to take responsibility. Iraq’s former prime minister blamed Israel for airstrikes in Iraq in July and August of last year. However Iran has remained quiet this time.

US FDA approves first rapid coronavirus test with 45 minutes detection time
Reuters/March 22, 2020
The test’s developer said it had received an emergency use authorization from the FDA for the test
The US Food and Drug Administration has approved the first rapid coronavirus diagnostic test, with a detection time of about 45 minutes, as the United States struggles to meet the demand for coronavirus testing. The test’s developer, California-based molecular diagnostics company Cepheid, said on Saturday it had received an emergency use authorization from the FDA for the test, which will be used primarily in hospitals and emergency rooms. The company plans to begin shipping it to hospitals next week, it said. The FDA confirmed its approval in a separate statement. It said the company intends to roll out the availability of its testing by March 30. Under the current testing regime, samples must be sent to a centralized lab, where results can take days. “With new tools like point-of-care diagnostics, we are moving into a new phase of testing, where tests will be much more easily accessible to Americans who need them,” US Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar said on Saturday. The United States is not even close to meeting domestic demand for coronavirus testing. Many medical experts have predicted that delayed and chaotic testing will cost lives, potentially including those of doctors and nurses. On Friday, Anthony Fauci, director of National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, was asked whether the United States can currently meet demand for tests. “We are not there yet,” Fauci said. The diagnostic test for the virus that causes COVID-19 has been designed to operate on any of Cepheid’s more than 23,000 automated GeneXpert Systems globally, the company said. The systems do not require users to have special training to perform testing, and are capable of running around the clock, Cepheid President Warren Kocmond said in the statement. The company did not give further details or say how much the test will cost. The US FDA has been pushing to expand screening capacity for the virus while the World Health Organization has called for “order and discipline” in the market for health equipment needed to fight the outbreak.

Rand Paul is first US senator to report positive for coronavirus

The Associated Press/Sunday 22 March 2020
Kentucky Senator Rand Paul says he has tested positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by coronavirus. The Republican is the first member of the Senate to report testing positive. He said in a tweet on Sunday that he is feeling fine and is in quarantine. Paul, a doctor, said he has not had symptoms and was tested out of an abundance of caution due to his extensive travel and events. Paul said he was not aware of any direct contact with any infected person. Two House members, Reps. Mario Diaz Balart of Florida of Ben McAdams of Utah, have tested positive. The Senate was in session on Sunday seeking a bipartisan response to the pandemic.

U.S. Treasury Says Coronavirus Relief Plan Calls for $4 Trillion
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/March 22/2020
The emergency coronavirus relief package that the U.S. Congress is negotiating for businesses and people hit hard by the pandemic calls for up to $4 trillion in aid, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said Sunday.Under one component of the plan a "significant package working with the Federal Reserve will have up to $4 trillion of liquidity that we can use to support the economy," Mnuchin told "Fox News Sunday." America is enduring its own fast-growing slice of the world upheaval that has seen businesses shut down en masse, workers laid off overnight, schools close and millions of people adjusting to life confined to their homes.

Germany’s Merkel in quarantine after doctor tests positive for coronavirus
The Associated Press/Sunday 22 March 2020
German Chancellor Angela Merkel has gone into quarantine after being informed that a doctor who administered a vaccine to her has tested positive for the new coronavirus. Merkel’s spokesman said the German chancellor was informed about the doctor’s test shortly after holding a news conference Sunday announcing new measures to curb the spread of the virus. Her spokesman, Steffen Seibert, said Merkel had received a precautionary vaccine Friday against pneumococcal infection. Seibert said in a statement that Merkel, 65, would undergo “regular tests” in the coming days and continue with her work from home for the time being.

Syria reports first coronavirus case

Reuters/Monday 23 March 2020
Syria on Sunday confirmed its first case of coronavirus, in a person who had come from abroad. Health Minister Nizar al-Yaziji told state media “necessary measures” had been taken regarding the 20 year-old woman, who he said would be quarantined for 14 days and given medical checks. There have been unconfirmed reports in recent weeks of coronavirus cases in Syria, whose health system, housing and infrastructure have been ravaged by nine years of civil war, but the authorities have denied any outbreak. Damascus announced a ban on public transport on Sunday as it stepped up a lockdown introduced in recent days, including the closure of schools, parks, restaurants and various public institutions, as well as calling off army conscription. Medics say the country is also vulnerable with thousands of Iranian-backed militias fighting alongside the forces of President Bashar al-Assad, who maintain a strong presence in main cities and have their headquarters in the Damascus Shia suburb of Sayeda Zainab. Iran’s Mahan Air still has regular flights from Tehran to Damascus, according to Western diplomats tracking Syria, even though other Syrian flights have been suspended. Medics in the opposition-held northwest also fear the virus could spread quickly in crowded camps for tens of thousands of displaced Syrians.

Iranian child in coma after being given alcohol for ‘coronavirus protection’
Yaghoub Fazeli, Al Arabiya English/Sunday 22 March 2020
An Iranian child went into a coma and lost his sight after being given alcohol by his family as a supposed protective measure against coronavirus, according to a video circulating on social media. Over 200 people have died across Iran in recent weeks from alcohol poisoning after they resorted to drinking homemade or industrial alcohol hoping it would prevent coronavirus infection. “This child was fed alcohol by his family to protect him against coronavirus. The child has lost sight in both eyes and is in a coma,” said a medical professional standing at the child’s bedside in a video shared on social media. “I beg of you, do not give alcohol to your children. It is very dangerous,” he added.Alcoholic drinks have been banned in Iran since 1979, but many people, especially those with less money, drink spirits distilled at home, which have high concentrations of methanol and are dangerous, or even resort to industrial alcohol with fruit flavoring which is available in supermarkets. Methanol is an industrial alcohol used as a solvent, pesticide, and alternative fuel source. In extreme cases, alcohol poisoning could lead to permanent blindness, brain damage or heart attacks. As of Saturday, 1,556 in Iran have died from coronavirus, and there are 20,610 confirmed cases.

First coronavirus cases in Gaza spark fears of spread in confined space

The Associated Press, Gaza City/Sunday 22 March 2020
The arrival of the coronavirus in the Gaza Strip, an impoverished enclave where the health care system has been gutted by years of conflict, raised fears Sunday the pandemic may soon prey on some of the most vulnerable populations in the world. Authorities in Gaza, which has been under an Israeli and Egyptian blockade since the Palestinian militant group Hamas seized power from rival Palestinian forces in 2007, confirmed its first two cases overnight, in returnees who had come from Pakistan. An outbreak could wreak havoc on the Palestinian territory, which is home to over 2 million people, many living in cramped cities and refugee camps. There are similar concerns about a catastrophe if the virus turns up in war-torn Syria, Libya or Yemen. The virus causes only minor flu-like symptoms in most people, who recover in a matter of weeks. But it is highly contagious and can cause severe illness or death in some patients, particularly the elderly and those with underlying health problems. Severe cases are often only able to breathe with respirators. Abdelnasser Soboh, director of the World Health Organization’s Gaza office, said the territory only has 62 ventilators, with all but 15 already in use. He estimates the territory needs 50 to 100 more to address an outbreak. With its current capacity, he estimated Gaza’s hospitals can handle the first 100 cases if they come in gradually. “If there is a spread to hundreds, this will cause a challenge to the health care system,” he said. Gaza’s isolation likely delayed the arrival of the coronavirus, which has infected more than 300,000 people worldwide and killed more than 13,000. More than 90,000 people have recovered.

Jordan announces 13 new coronavirus cases, total at 112
Souad El Skaf, Al Arabiya English/Sunday 22 March 2020
The Jordanian Health Ministry reported on Sunday 13 new cases of the novel coronavirus, bringing the total number of infections in the Kingdom to 112. The Jordanian Health Minister Saad Jaber said one of the infected patients recovered, according to a statement carried by Jordan News Agency (Petra). On Saturday, Jordan blew sirens at the start of a nationwide curfew, limiting the mobility of its 10 million citizens indefinitely to combat the spread of coronavirus, witnesses and officials said. Anyone violating the curfew, which severely restricts movement beyond emergencies and essential services, would be jailed up to a year, the army said.

Spain Reports Virus Deaths Up 30% in One Day
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/March 22/2020
Spain on Sunday announced 394 new deaths caused by the novel coronavirus, raising to 1,720 the official death toll in Europe's worst-hit country after Italy, a 30 percent increase over the previous day. The number of confirmed cases of the disease rose by 3,646, or 14.6 percent, to 28,572, according to health ministry figures, with officials warning infections will rise further in the coming days. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said his country's situation was now the most difficult since the 1936-39 civil war. The outbreak in Spain, already among the harshest in the world, would continue to worsen, he warned. "We must prepare ourselves emotionally and psychologically for very hard days ahead," he told the nation in a televised address late on Saturday. "We have yet to receive the impact of the strongest, most damaging wave, which will test our material and moral capacities to the limit, as well as our spirit as a society," he added. With 1,785 people being treated in intensive care units for the virus, there is mounting concern about the ability of hospitals to cope. Health care workers accounted for over 10 percent of all confirmed cases of coronavirus, the health ministry's emergencies coordinator, Fernando Simon, said. "This is a significant problem for our health care system," he told a news conference. Authorities have called up 52,000 extra workers to help the country's health service as it struggles to contain the virus, including 14,000 retired doctors and nurses. Soldiers helped move coronavirus patients on Sunday to a makeshift field hospital set up at a Madrid conference center which is to be fitted with 5,500 hospital beds, which would make it the biggest such facility in Europe. About 1,300 hospitals beds have so far been set up at the facility and officials plan to move over 300 patients there this weekend, the director of the field hospital, Antonio Zapatero, said in an interview with daily newspaper El Mundo. Spain on March 14 issued lockdown orders for its roughly 46 million residents who are only permitted to leave their homes for essential work, food shopping, medical reasons or to walk the dog. Sanchez is expected to ask parliament to extend the initial 15-day state of emergency for another two weeks.

UK Virus 'Accelerating' amid Fears Country on Same Path as Italy

Agence France Presse/Naharnet/March 22/2020
Prime Minister Boris Johnson warned Sunday the coronavirus outbreak was "accelerating", as fears grew that the crisis in Britain was following the same path as the one devastating Italy. Johnson's plea came after latest health department figures showed that 233 people have died from COVID-19 in the UK, with the number of those testing positive for the virus standing at 5,018. That death toll mirrors the same figure declared in Italy on March 7. On Saturday, Rome said that 4,825 people had perished in the country, a third of the world's total. "The numbers are very stark, and they are accelerating," Johnson said in a statement ahead of a planned press briefing later in the day. "We are only a matter of weeks -- two or three -- behind Italy. The Italians have a superb health care system. And yet their doctors and nurses have been completely overwhelmed by the demand."
Johnson's warning came amid a growing debate about whether people are taking warnings to socially distance from each other seriously enough and whether or not government should enforce stronger restrictions. The government has outlined emergency legislation to give police, public health and immigration officers extra powers to contain the outbreak. London is the city worst affected and Mayor Sadiq Khan told the BBC that police may have to be given powers to enforce social distancing. "It's really important that the police are focused on the priorities that they've got," he said. "But clearly, if it is the case that people continue to act in a way that's leading to this disease spreading, then those sorts of things will have to be considered."On Friday, Downing Street announced stronger measures to try and combat the spread, including the closing of bars, pubs and restaurants as fears that health services could soon be overwhelmed. Housing secretary Robert Jenrick told Sky TV on Sunday morning that if the public did not follow their advice they will "have to consider other options". There were also signs of a political fallout. Downing Street denied a "highly defamatory" Sunday Times newspaper story that Johnson's chief adviser, Dominic Cummings, had initially argued against strict measures to contain the virus, in an argument summed up as "if that means some pensioners die, too bad". Most at risk  The concerns came as authorities in the UK told 1.5 million people most at risk to stay at home for 12 weeks. As part of the latest measures to try and protect the vulnerable, the government advised those with underlying health conditions such as bone or blood cancers, cystic fibrosis, or who have had an organ transplant to do all they can to shield themselves from the virus, including confining themselves at home for a long period. "People should stay at home, protect our NHS and save lives," Jenrick said. He also said the government would get protective gear to NHS staff on the frontline "as soon as possible" as fears the virus could be spreading due to a lack of equipment for medics. In a further sign of growing concern, environmental and heritage charity the National Trust said it would close all of its parks and gardens. This reversed an earlier decision to keep them open during the crisis, because of fears over social distancing.

US envoy says Kabul, Taliban hold first prisoner exchange talks
AFP/Monday 23 March 2020
The Afghan government and the Taliban on Sunday held their first discussion on arranging prisoner exchanges, the US special envoy for Afghanistan said on Twitter. “Today, the US and Qatar facilitated the first Afghan government to Taliban technical talks on prisoner releases, via Skype video conferencing,” Zalmay Khalilzad said. He had said on Wednesday that it was “urgent” to quickly conclude plans for such exchanges - as called for in a historic US pact with the Taliban - as the coronavirus pandemic was complicating diplomatic contacts. The agreement, signed by Khalilzad and a Taliban official on February 29 in Doha, laid a framework for bringing to an end America’s longest war, begun after the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks. It calls notably for the liberation of up to 5,000 Taliban fighters held by Kabul, and up to 1,000 members of the Afghan government forces in insurgent hands. That was meant to take place before the start of inter-Afghan peace negotiations, originally set for March 10. But the Afghan government, which was not involved in the American-Taliban talks, initially refused before finally saying it would consent to gradual and conditional prisoner releases. The Taliban in turn rejected that proposal, and the talks with the government have yet to begin. The Doha accord calls for the gradual withdrawal of American and other foreign troops over a 14-month period, the first phase of which has already begun. In exchange, the Taliban committed to continue fighting against terrorist groups like al-Qaeda and promised to negotiate for the first time with Kabul.

Iran leader defends virus conspiracy theories
AP/March 22/2020
While his country's leaderhip faces mounting public anger over its policies at home and abroad, including its management of the coronavirus outbreak, Iran's supreme leader is again emphasising unfounded conspiracy theories that the virus was US-made to target Iranians.
80-year-old Ayatollah Ali Khamenei chose to traffic in the same conspiracy theory Sunday to deflect blame for the pandemic and to reject Washington's offer of medical help. “Possibly your (offered) medicine is a way to spread the virus more,” Khamenei said. “Or if you send therapists and doctors, maybe he wants to see the effect of the poison, since it is said that part of the virus is built for Iran."Khamenei made the comments in a speech in Tehran broadcast live across Iran marking Nowruz, the Persian New Year. He had called off his usual speech at Imam Reza shrine in Mashhad over the virus outbreak. His comments come as Iran has over 20,600 confirmed cases of the new coronavirus amid 1,556 reported deaths. Iran is one of the hardest-hit countries in the world by the new virus. Across the Mideast, Iran represents eight of 10 cases of the virus and those leaving the Islamic Republic have carried the virus to other countries.  Reassigning blame could be helpful to Iran's government, which faces widespread publuc distrust after denying for days it shot down a Ukrainian jetliner, killing 176 people. Dire economic problems as well has seen mass demonstrations in recent years that saw hundreds reportedly killed. There is no scientific proof offered anywhere in the world to support Khamenei's comments, even if his claims come after Chinese government spokesman Lijian Zhao tweeted earlier this month that it “might be US army who brought the epidemic to Wuhan. Be transparent! Make public your data! US owe(s) us an explanation!”Lijian likewise offered no evidence to support his claims, which saw the US State Department summon China's ambassador to complain. On the opposite side of conspiracy theorists, a US senator from Arkansas has trafficked in the unfounded allegation that the virus was a man-made Chinese bioweapon. The overwhelming majority of scientists rejects conspiracy theories. An article published last week in the scientific journal Nature Medicine said there is “strong evidence” the virus “is not the product of purposeful manipulation.”“It is improbable that (the virus) emerged through laboratory manipulation of a related SARS-CoV-like coronavirus,” the article's authors found. Iranian hard-liners have supported conspiracy theories in the past when it suited their interests. Following the Sept. 11 attacks, some publicly doubted al-Qaida's role and state TV promoting the unfounded conspiracy theory that the Americans blew up the building themselves. Former hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad similarly raised doubt about the Sept. 11 attack, calling it a “big lie," while also describing the Holocaust as a “myth.”

The Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on March 22-23/2020
Iraq’s new prime minister faces a delicate balancing act
Salma Mohamed/Al Arabiya/March 22/2020
Following years of Iranian influence in Iraqi politics, the tides of change may finally be moving in the Iraqi people’s favor. The game of parliamentary musical chairs that has been dominated by Iran, may have finally ended after Prime Minister-designate Mohammed Tawfiq Allawi stepped down two weeks ago.
Allawi failed to gain the support of Sunni and Kurdish forces for his government and since trust could not be established, the only viable course of action was to resign and make room for a new Iraqi prime minister.
Many Iraqis, who have been protesting Iran’s stranglehold on the country’s internal affairs for nearly two decades, welcomed this news. Since American forces deposed Saddam Hussein in 2003, Iran has sought to exploit the power vacuum and infiltrate nearly every aspect of Iraqi politics, military, and society.
Protests against Iranian infiltration began in earnest last October when a diverse and non-partisan group of mostly youths came together, tearing down the Sunni-Shia sectarian divide that had long kept them apart. Their goal has been for a unified Iraq, free of corruption - and Tehran’s interference. Iran’s repeated efforts to undermine these protests drew even further ire.
Last week, Iraqi President Barham Salih appointed Adnan al-Zurfi as the new Prime Minister-designate. Al-Zurfi is a former official who helped take over Iraq after Saddam Hussein was removed from power by the US invasion in 2003. The former Najaf governor now has 30 days to form a cabinet to be approved by Iraq’s parliament.
These efforts to establish a new government follow the resignation of former Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi, who stepped down in December after widespread demonstrations decrying his ineptitude and wrongdoing. Protesters saw Mahdi’s government as corrupt and failing to provide for basic needs. More to the heart of the protesters’ message was Mahdi’s perceived enabling of Iranian intervention - he was seen as a puppet that placed Tehran’s needs above those of his own people.
Al-Zurfi is considered a less confrontational figure who is wary of Iran, but who also is perceived by some as being pro-West and sympathetic towards Washington. Perhaps signifying a departure from his predecessors, however, al-Zurfi’s core focus addresses the widely held non-sectarian and national unity sentiment. He seems eager to end the ethnic tensions - often inflamed by foreign powers - that have crippled much of the country and allowed nations like Iran to gain such a strong foothold.
Iraq’s Shia, Sunni and Kurdish demographic means it must grapple with a unique set of circumstances. When these different groups of people are divided, that sectarianism essentially gives power away to external forces.
However, some are concerned that Al-Zurfi may be considered too close to Washington – he is after all technically a US citizen. This could cause a new potential rift as many Iraqi politicians and citizens are still skeptical of American aid given Washington’s policy flip-flops over the years.
Al-Zurfi must now find the proper balance between rejecting Iran and its long-standing influence and meddling with a more tempered approach to the United States. He is considered a strong politician and has found a way to build positive relations with the religious establishment in the country. Still, that does not temper concerns among other pro-Iran political leaders in Iraq who worry about his long-standing ties to the West.
This close relationship could pose a serious challenge in gaining votes of confidence as he builds his cabinet - Iran still has significant influence on militias and other political associates who continue to hold sway in Iraqi politics.
But al-Zufi may be able to sway enough of his countrymen and politicians through subtle messaging and alliances.
The new prime minister conspicuously wears a suit and necktie, which is standard for those Iraqis who want to portray deliberate distance between themselves and Iran. The necktie is considered a pro-Western relic in Iran and is not worn in the country as a deliberate rejection of the former Shah and his European and American allies.
Al-Zurfi’s ascent to power was born out of conflict. When a Shia uprising in southern Iraq against Saddam Hussein failed in 1991, Al-Zurfi fled to Saudi Arabia. He eventually ended up in the United States, working as a shopkeeper in Michigan where he continued to oppose Saddam while in exile. After Saddam was deposed, he was brought back to Iraq by the United States and made governor of Najaf in 2004 and a year later was appointed an Iraqi intelligence operative.
His background as a former refugee may strike a chord with protesters who see themselves as victims of the former Iraqi regimes. If al-Zurfi can win over protesters’ support as well as appease Iraq’s ever-growing pro-sovereignty movements, he may stand a chance of forming a government. Pro-sovereignty groups, under the banner of the Sovereignty Alliance for Iraq, such as the Najafa Brothers, the National Wisdom Movement, or the National Independent Iraqi Front, are proving popular for their anti-Iran and anti-sectarian platforms. Al-Zurfi will need to win these sorts of group over if he is serious about reasserting Iraq’s sovereignty and rebuilding the state.
Clearly, Iraq’s new prime minister faces a delicate balancing act that, if done properly, will position him to form a governing coalition that places Iraq’s interests first.

Iran’s ruling authorities divided over coronavirus crisis
Dr. Majid Rafizadeh/Arab News/March 22, 2020
Disagreements and tensions within Iran’s theocratic establishment have reached unprecedented levels. The regime has become significantly divided over the coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis, its severity and scope across the nation, and what concrete steps ought to be taken in order to handle the outbreak.
The number of people in Iran who have been infected with COVID-19 is staggering and continues to rise. This has created a deep gap between the senior officials who make the final decisions (including Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, the senior cadre of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, and the Quds Force) and lower-level politicians and health officials.
One case in point is the battle between officials over the magnitude and scope of the crisis. The top officials continue to downplay the outbreak, which is posing a threat not only to the Iranian people but also the rest of the world. According to the official numbers, more than 20,000 people have been infected in Iran, while more than 1,500 have died. This is a significant spike in fatalities compared to two weeks ago.
But some of Iran’s lawmakers and health officials are, surprisingly, challenging the top officials’ efforts to minimize the scope of the crisis. For example, Massoud Pezeshkian, first deputy speaker of the parliament and a former health minister, recently criticized the government, saying that the official statistics were inaccurate. “The (official) numbers are not real because there are a number of patients who show no symptoms. We locate 95 (infected) people and two die, so we say two have died out of 100, whereas it may be that 2 percent of 10,000 have died.”
The unofficial number of COVID-19 infections and deaths in Iran appears to be much higher than the authorities are acknowledging publicly. The actual death toll across all 31 Iranian provinces has exceeded 8,800, based on a report provided by oppositional group the National Council of Resistance of Iran.
Iran’s regime has become significantly divided over the coronavirus crisis, its severity and scope across the nation, and what concrete steps ought to be taken in order to handle the outbreak.
The political divisions can also be witnessed as Iran’s health authorities have been calling on the regime to lock down cities such as Gilan and Qom. They are warning the top officials that, if they do not take these steps, the number of fatalities will go up exponentially. Dr. Afruz Eslami, who is a medical doctor and a journalist, cited a recent study by Tehran’s Sharif University of Technology, pointing out that if the “medical facilities are not sufficient, there will be 4 million cases, and 3.5 million people will die.”
Nevertheless, Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, which is chaired by the so-called moderate President Hassan Rouhani, continues to reject such calls and persists with downplaying the crisis. Rouhani, who has been appearing in public less frequently, has declined to acknowledge the gravity of the issue, saying at the beginning of the month that “everyone will have to resume work and production as of next week,” because “life will be back to normal.”
Furthermore, there has been a split over whether the government ought to accept foreign medical assistance. While some officials have been urging the government to seek help, it continues to decline to do so. A member of parliament, Bahram Parsai, said: “The reality goes beyond the (official) statistics… and if the world does not rush to the aid of our selfless doctors and medical staff, we will all be lost.” During a joint press conference with Irish Taoiseach Leo Varadkar at the White House on March 12, US President Donald Trump offered to help the Iranian authorities fight the coronavirus, but Tehran rejected the offer as “hypocritical” and “repulsive.” “We do not need American doctors,” Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi said.
Instead of putting differences and disagreements aside in order to save its own citizens, Iran’s leadership is, unfortunately, playing the blame game. Tehran recently pointed a finger at the US, arguing that Washington’s sanctions are the reason behind the spread of coronavirus in Iran. But the reality is that the theocratic regime continues to lie, misreport the number of deaths and casualties, deliberately misinform the public, and handle the crisis with total incompetence.
Iran’s top authorities are also attempting to silence those who oppose them. Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) members have been threatening the families of those who died from the coronavirus, warning them not to report any details to the media. Even though many deaths in hospitals are linked to COVID-19, the IRGC has reportedly been encouraging medical staff to register the cause of death as anything but the coronavirus. The regime has also been secretly creating mass graves near the city of Qom to bury coronavirus victims.
As the COVID-19 virus continues to spread rapidly across Iran thanks to the regime’s incompetence, the divisions within the theocratic establishment are also deepening.
*Dr. Majid Rafizadeh is an Iranian-American political scientist. He is a leading expert on Iran and US foreign policy, a businessman and president of the International American Council. Twitter: @Dr_Rafizadeh

Pandemic an opportunity for humanity to show its best side
Baria Alamuddin/Arab News/March 22, 2020
There is a famous quote that says, “Optimism is a moral duty.” I have pondered this quote in recent days when speaking to friends navigating various self-isolation regimes: From one distressed lady who, after 48 hours confined to her home, told me she was ready to murder her nagging husband to others who have embraced this as a refreshing opportunity to detox from the pressures of their professional lives. With experts warning that the pandemic may last for 18 months or more, for the sake of our sanity — and the sanity of those around us — we must approach these challenges with positivity and optimism.
Fifty years ago, quarantine meant absolute isolation from the world. Nowadays, we are spoilt for choice for virtual methods of communication. I have spent so much time in touch with loved ones, enjoying the pleasure of leisurely daily chats with my grandchildren. Young neighbors have knocked on my door to check whether I need assistance. We have rediscovered the wartime mentality of “we’re all in this together,” with everybody looking out for one another.
As previously unthinkable measures are enforced around the world, it is just beginning to sink in how profoundly this crisis will impact our societies. Those who are self-employed, or who have ad hoc sources of work, are suddenly staring into the financial abyss. A US survey found that half of small businesses could be wiped out within three months without urgent assistance. Nations are faced with an impossible choice of either letting the virus run its course or indefinitely stifling the economy through draconian measures to slow the contagion.
Soon there will be a huge proportion of families who, through no fault of their own, can’t afford to feed themselves or are left drowning in unaffordable debt. The crisis is already proving disastrous for cultural organizations and charities, whose activities and funding sources have been radically curtailed. This is where we discover what sort of society we really live in. Do we hoard supplies and prioritize selfish interests or come together to ensure everyone is looked after?
My native Lebanon was already on the cusp of financial meltdown. With it expected to default on a succession of loan payments and an International Monetary Fund bailout looking increasingly unlikely, coronavirus is a further body blow. The number of Lebanese living in poverty now exceeds 50 percent, with the unemployment rate for under-25s soaring above 37 percent. Since September, 800 Lebanese food and beverage businesses have closed, ensuring thousands of further job losses. With the virus’s inevitable economic carnage still to be fully felt, this is just the tip of the iceberg. Meanwhile, Iraq’s hospitals are so dilapidated that those with coronavirus have avoided seeking care until it is too late. Thus, there are many recent cases of people dying immediately after being admitted to hospital, complicating efforts to prevent the further spread of the virus.
In neighboring Iran, where most Middle Eastern coronavirus cases have originated, official statistics report that one citizen is dying from the virus every 10 minutes, with research warning that up to 3.5 million Iranians could die. Yet the authorities seem more interested in covering up the outbreak, while continuing their regional warmongering and meddling. Similarly, Syrian hospital staff members were reportedly detained by the regime for leaking information about official attempts to hide the virus’s proliferation.
The experience of many Gulf states has been radically different. Bahrain has been the worst hit relatively, with a rash of cases from citizens returning from pilgrimage to Qom. However, the authorities’ rapid response — chasing down possible cases and thoroughly testing all those potentially exposed — has, for now, stopped the spread of the virus in its tracks. In one video I have seen, Lebanese citizens living in Bahrain praised the stringent measures, noting how safe they feel compared with other locations, where the absence of rigorous testing or official transparency makes it impossible to comprehend the real threat level. While most of us welcome drastic measures to keep us safe, authoritarian regimes in states like Russia and China are arbitrarily expanding their restrictive powers. In Israel, despite losing the election, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is exploiting the crisis to keep himself in office and indefinitely shelve the corruption charges that could kill his political career and put him behind bars. Do we hoard supplies and prioritize selfish interests or come together to ensure everyone is looked after?
Aid agencies, meanwhile, warn that coronavirus threatens to inflict “carnage” upon densely crowded refugee camps, whether they are hosting Syrians, Palestinians or Afghans. Many refugees don’t have access to clean water, already suffer from poor health, and have minimal access to medical assistance. But let’s keep matters in proportion: An estimated 25,000 people die of hunger every day — that’s more than 9 million every year. Scandalously high sub-Saharan African infant mortality rates result in one in nine children dying before the age of five. Malaria kills about 3,000 Africans every day. Why are these crises of extreme poverty not also afforded top priority?
Enforced quarantine is, furthermore, a reminder of the environmental impact of our everyday lives. Industrial pollution in Chinese cities and elsewhere has fallen dramatically. Far fewer people are taking flights. A New York study into the impact of coronavirus found reductions in carbon monoxide emissions (mainly from cars) of nearly 50 percent, with comparable drops in carbon dioxide pollution.
Matters could be far worse. History has witnessed deadlier and faster-spreading epidemics. Not only should coronavirus be a wake-up call for greater readiness for the next viral threat, but also for the necessity of working together as a planet to address pending environmental catastrophes — as well as addressing major conflicts and humanitarian disasters plaguing substantial regions of the world.
This virus will impact our species profoundly: Our relationships with each other, the way we are governed, and everyday behaviors. If the world comes together to identify a cure, shield the vulnerable and prepare itself for future existential threats, then coronavirus will truly have shown humanity at its best.
• Baria Alamuddin is an award-winning journalist and broadcaster in the Middle East and the UK. She is editor of the Media Services Syndicate and has interviewed numerous heads of state.

The race to develop a COVID-19 vaccine
Dr. Theodore Karasik/Arab News/March 22, 2020
The race for a coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine is on in the ugliest of ways. Since December, scientists around the world have been racing to create the first vaccine against COVID-19, with vaccine trials either starting or poised to begin in the US, China and Europe. Be patient, because the process may take up to two years. Vaccines in a pandemic are not a 100 percent solution if they are rushed or, worse, politicized.
Genetic sequencing plays a role in finding a vaccine via different approaches and speed. Britain’s Oxford University is beginning to deliver a vaccine, ChAdOx1, in animals in the hope of launching trials in humans next month. At Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute in the US, medical scientists are using SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. Biotech company Moderna developed a sequence, mRNA-1273, of the virus’s genetic code, rather than a piece of the virus, in order to develop a vaccine faster.
Fastest, and out in front for now, the Chinese biopharmaceutical company CanSino Biologics announced its vaccine Ad5-nCoV had been approved to start a phase one clinical trial in humans. CanSino Biologics partnered with the Beijing Institute of Biotechnology to develop this vaccine. The team hopes to spark the creation of antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 by taking a piece of its genetic code and combining it with a harmless virus. CanSino claims that the use of Ad5-nCoV shows that the vaccine candidate can induce a strong immune response in animal models. The pre-clinical animal safety studies demonstrated by the Chinese company illustrate a good safety profile.
Meanwhile, US companies Arcturus Therapeutics, Inovio Pharmaceuticals, and Johnson & Johnson, the UK’s GlaxoSmithKline, and Germany’s BioNTech and CureVac are all pursuing their own variants, which are in the pre-clinical stages of development. Dozens of other companies are racing to see how they can contribute to this emerging medical market and disease response capability. The competition is stiff.
With mortality rates expected to peak in June and July in some parts of the world, there is an urgency to find acceptable half-solutions to ease the burden on overtaxed health care systems. Lockdowns and the physical separation of people are very significant in terms of protecting the community. To be sure, this unprecedented global health situation requires an accelerated pathway to speed up the process of finding a vaccine.
This unprecedented global health situation requires an accelerated pathway to speed up the process of finding a vaccine.
There is also a base of public-private partnerships (PPPs) that are helping with data distribution and sharing awareness, including the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority in the US and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations internationally. The PPP example serves as a model for the development of other contributing partnerships by reaching out to pharmaceutical corporate social responsibility departments to augment funding and speed, and to offer any other assistance. In other words, they are developing a robust supportive network for those entities working on vaccines so transparency and accountability are also maintained during these transformative times.
While vaccines are being developed, antiviral medicines are also being used to help limit the effects of the COVID-19 infection on the human body. Antivirals are needed while a vaccine is developed, hopefully over the coming year.
Antivirals are being explored to provide respite from the pathogen’s attack on the human respiratory system and thus lower the strain on hospitals’ emergency departments. This type of approach targets the virus in people who already have an infection and they work in different ways. Antivirals sometimes prevent the virus from replicating, while others prevent the infection of other cells.
There are several antivirals being considered. Remdesivir’s development a decade ago to fight Ebola failed in clinical trials, but was found to be relatively safe and potentially applicable to other pathogens. Research with MERS showed that the drug blocked the virus from replicating, and it is now being used in five COVID-19 clinical trials. The first results are due next month. Kaletra is a combination of two drugs that work against HIV and clinical trials are planned. A third antiviral, chloroquine, is an antimalarial drug that may block infection. France is working on this antimalarial drug as a treatment, not a cure, for COVID-19. This type of treatment program is supported by World Health Organization Executive Director Dr. Michael Ryan. Finally, Favipiravir is a drug approved outside the US to treat influenza that can be taken to mitigate the effects of the disease.
There is a third approach to fighting the virus via antibodies. Monoclonal antibodies are drugs that trigger the immune system to attack the virus. Stem cell treatments are also seen as beneficial.
Importantly, Chinese scientists have shared the genetic sequence of the virus to different companies for research purposes. In Seattle, Moderna has begun testing its messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccine in a phase one clinical trial. The study includes 45 healthy volunteers aged 18 to 55. The company has developed other mRNA vaccines in the past. Those earlier studies showed that their platform is safe, which allowed the company to skip certain animal testing stages for this specific vaccine. Nevertheless, the war of words between Beijing and Washington over the “rights” to the vaccine is part of the larger geopolitical picture. Overall, this process of testing a vaccine is time-consuming and the race is on between pharmaceutical companies and the pathogen. Mutation is possible with the vaccine, so how mutation occurs in terms of the timing of the distribution of any vaccine in key breakout areas is crucial. A vaccine hurried into the population can produce ill-effects as well as positive results, so results matter. One does not want to introduce an untested vaccine that may cause another wave of global infection that transforms the human experience.
*Dr. Theodore Karasik is a senior adviser to Gulf State Analytics in Washington, DC. Twitter: @tkarasik

Virus measures likely to change our way of life

Yasar Yakis/Arab News/March 22, 2020
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan last week announced a package of measures to alleviate the effects of the coronavirus epidemic in Turkey. Its financial scope is 100 billion Turkish liras ($15 billion). This is a relatively small amount but, given Turkey’s serious economic problems, the government could not afford more. The package mainly aims to keep the wheels of the economy turning. There is little in it for members of low-income groups.
Erdogan also said that cases of defaulted companies would be considered as force majeure and that arrangements will be made for part-time workers and remote teaching. Two days after the package was announced, a new measure revealed the release of some prisoners, as jails were overcrowded and the risk of an outbreak was high.
International meetings have been postponed, canceled or replaced with video conferences. We do not know how long these restrictions will last. Some may be maintained for a prolonged period, others indefinitely.
Scattered good news has started to arrive lately, but mostly about the experimental positive results of administering some medicines and about the decline of the speed of expansion of the epidemic, rather than its decline.
Turkey is among the low mortality countries. One reason for this may be that it has not yet introduced mechanisms to carry out tens of thousands of tests per day, so the exact number of people who have the virus is not yet known. This slowness may have a high cost for Turkey.
The health sector is functioning satisfactorily thanks to the devotion of the Ministry of Public Health’s personnel, but we do not know how the epidemic will affect the services sector and whether it will cause an interruption in the country’s economy. A serious stagnation of the world economy is unavoidable. Its size and impact are unfathomable.
Quarantines, cancelations and the forced closure of public places will change many of our habits. Some commentators believe, therefore, that this epidemic may usher in a new era.
Speculation abounds on what lessons we should learn from this experience. We do not know whether we will all return to our old habits of traveling and mixing with many people. Will we reassess whether our old habits were necessary or indispensable? For instance, instead of greeting people by shaking hands, embracing or kissing their cheek, more people may now adopt the Japanese or subcontinental way of greeting, which is to keep some distance and bow without physical contact.
Teleconferences may become more widespread. Getting to a conference venue is a tremendous waste of effort and money. In many cases, the participants of an international conference spend one or two days traveling from various continents to attend a single meeting or make an intervention of just 15 minutes. Of course, such international gatherings are also a good opportunity for meeting, socializing, getting to know each other and making new friendships or partnerships, but some of them may also be dispensable.
Schools have been temporarily closed in many countries, including Turkey. The Turkish Ministry of Education is planning to launch a program for tele-schooling. The minister in charge may now introduce a permanent new era of teaching through the internet. If he achieves this, teachers will have to be retrained. Students will use the time they used to spend on their way to and from school for other purposes. In case they have to talk to their teachers, new methods will be devised to make it possible. Tele-schooling may also eliminate the difference between “good” schools and “less good” schools. Clever children from less-fortunate families will be able to follow the same courses as the children of well-off families.
The president of Turkey’s Religious Affairs Directorate announced that Friday prayers were temporarily suspended and invited believers to instead perform Dhuhr prayers at home.
Money — banknotes and coins — is another common way to spread all sorts of microbes quickly. By instead using credit cards and internet banking, the circulation of banknotes and coins will also diminish as time goes by.
Quarantines, the cancelation of various public gatherings, conferences, sporting events and the forced closure of various public places will change many of our habits. Some commentators believe, therefore, that this epidemic may usher in a new era and a new way of life.
The coronavirus outbreak has brought us much food for thought and caused us to think about whether we should change our way of life. Many people will move in that direction without noticing it.
*Yasar Yakis is a former foreign minister of Turkey and founding member of the ruling AK Party. Twitter: @yakis_yasar

UN’s political process complicit in ongoing Syrian disaster

Dr. Azeem Ibrahim/Arab News/March 22, 2020
The Syrian civil war has just entered its 10th year. In that time, we have seen the major global powers use the land of Syria as a proxy war chess board; the rise and eventual fall of Daesh, the most egregious terrorist group in modern history; a government deploy chemical weapons and starvation sieges against its own civilians; and a member of the UN Security Council, Russia, wage a targeted bombing campaign against hospitals. Syria has been one disaster piled on top of another.
The record of the UN in the Syria war has been equally dismal. Its handling of the conflict must count as the greatest failure in its 70-year existence. Of course, the UN is not a monolithic thing. The humanitarian agencies of the UN have tried their best to cope with the political and social catastrophe, and have been outright heroic in the sacrifices they have made to try and alleviate the lives of the poor civilians caught up in the middle of the fighting, even as they themselves came under targeted fire.
But the efforts of the UN humanitarian agencies and the other nongovernmental organizations of the international community have been futile in the face of the big power politics being played out in the Syrian theater. Despite their best efforts, from a pre-war population of 21 million, some half a million people have been killed, more than 7.5 million have been displaced internally in Syria, and more than 5 million have fled abroad. So a quarter of the population has fled the country, and another third of the original total has been displaced internally. Such displacements are on the level of the world wars.
And the political part of the UN has been fully complicit in the ongoing disaster. Above all, the UN political process has been held hostage by Russia, even as Moscow continues to be an active belligerent and a consistent aggressor against civilian populations, against health care facilities and staff, and against international relief efforts.
But the West also shares some responsibility for allowing Russia to continue these humanitarian outrages in Syria. The turning point in the West’s relationship with the conflict — and the moment when the humanitarian argument was forfeit at the political level of the UN and in the UN Security Council — was when the Obama administration infamously failed to enforce its red lines over the use of chemical weapons in the aftermath of the 2013 Ghouta attack.
The political side of the UN, especially the so-called “Security Council,” is a naked sham. Our Western leaders cannot continue to hide their inaction behind deference to UN processes.
Having laid down the law, and proclaimed that the US would enforce international law unilaterally if necessary, the Obama administration backed down from enforcing its proclamation and yielded to Moscow’s sham “diplomatic plan,” signaling that the US would let Bashar Assad run roughshod over international law and humanitarian norms, while Moscow would provide him cover. Consequently, we saw chemical attacks as late as 2018.
But it gets worse. Moscow continues to sponsor the “UN process,” even as it cripples its ability to achieve anything, specifically to gain cover internationally. Even as Russia and Assad continue to siege and bombard the remaining rebel enclaves in Idlib, they can pre-empt calls for action from Western leaders by pointing to this process.
If ever there was any doubt about UN processes, especially political ones in the Security Council, they should now be entirely dispelled. The UN continues to have value in the form of the international civil society agencies that observe international developments and promote human rights, global health and education, and so on. But the political side of the UN, especially the so-called “Security Council,” is a naked sham. Our Western leaders cannot continue to hide their inaction behind deference to UN processes. We have not intervened to save the people of Syria because we did not care to do so. Consequently, we do not get to complain about the people of Syria coming to the West seeking refuge — even as we are also failing to deliver on this responsibility.
*Dr. Azeem Ibrahim is a Research Professor at the US Army War College’s Strategic Studies Institute and Director at the Center for Global Policy in Washington D.C. Twitter:@AzeemIbrahim

Iran’s ruling authorities divided over coronavirus crisis

Dr. Majid Rafizadeh/Arab News/March 22, 2020
Disagreements and tensions within Iran’s theocratic establishment have reached unprecedented levels. The regime has become significantly divided over the coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis, its severity and scope across the nation, and what concrete steps ought to be taken in order to handle the outbreak.
The number of people in Iran who have been infected with COVID-19 is staggering and continues to rise. This has created a deep gap between the senior officials who make the final decisions (including Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, the senior cadre of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, and the Quds Force) and lower-level politicians and health officials.
One case in point is the battle between officials over the magnitude and scope of the crisis. The top officials continue to downplay the outbreak, which is posing a threat not only to the Iranian people but also the rest of the world. According to the official numbers, more than 20,000 people have been infected in Iran, while more than 1,500 have died. This is a significant spike in fatalities compared to two weeks ago.
But some of Iran’s lawmakers and health officials are, surprisingly, challenging the top officials’ efforts to minimize the scope of the crisis. For example, Massoud Pezeshkian, first deputy speaker of the parliament and a former health minister, recently criticized the government, saying that the official statistics were inaccurate. “The (official) numbers are not real because there are a number of patients who show no symptoms. We locate 95 (infected) people and two die, so we say two have died out of 100, whereas it may be that 2 percent of 10,000 have died.”
The unofficial number of COVID-19 infections and deaths in Iran appears to be much higher than the authorities are acknowledging publicly. The actual death toll across all 31 Iranian provinces has exceeded 8,800, based on a report provided by oppositional group the National Council of Resistance of Iran.
Iran’s regime has become significantly divided over the coronavirus crisis, its severity and scope across the nation, and what concrete steps ought to be taken in order to handle the outbreak.
The political divisions can also be witnessed as Iran’s health authorities have been calling on the regime to lock down cities such as Gilan and Qom. They are warning the top officials that, if they do not take these steps, the number of fatalities will go up exponentially. Dr. Afruz Eslami, who is a medical doctor and a journalist, cited a recent study by Tehran’s Sharif University of Technology, pointing out that if the “medical facilities are not sufficient, there will be 4 million cases, and 3.5 million people will die.”
Nevertheless, Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, which is chaired by the so-called moderate President Hassan Rouhani, continues to reject such calls and persists with downplaying the crisis. Rouhani, who has been appearing in public less frequently, has declined to acknowledge the gravity of the issue, saying at the beginning of the month that “everyone will have to resume work and production as of next week,” because “life will be back to normal.”
Furthermore, there has been a split over whether the government ought to accept foreign medical assistance. While some officials have been urging the government to seek help, it continues to decline to do so. A member of parliament, Bahram Parsai, said: “The reality goes beyond the (official) statistics… and if the world does not rush to the aid of our selfless doctors and medical staff, we will all be lost.” During a joint press conference with Irish Taoiseach Leo Varadkar at the White House on March 12, US President Donald Trump offered to help the Iranian authorities fight the coronavirus, but Tehran rejected the offer as “hypocritical” and “repulsive.” “We do not need American doctors,” Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi said.
Instead of putting differences and disagreements aside in order to save its own citizens, Iran’s leadership is, unfortunately, playing the blame game. Tehran recently pointed a finger at the US, arguing that Washington’s sanctions are the reason behind the spread of coronavirus in Iran. But the reality is that the theocratic regime continues to lie, misreport the number of deaths and casualties, deliberately misinform the public, and handle the crisis with total incompetence.
Iran’s top authorities are also attempting to silence those who oppose them. Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) members have been threatening the families of those who died from the coronavirus, warning them not to report any details to the media. Even though many deaths in hospitals are linked to COVID-19, the IRGC has reportedly been encouraging medical staff to register the cause of death as anything but the coronavirus. The regime has also been secretly creating mass graves near the city of Qom to bury coronavirus victims.
As the COVID-19 virus continues to spread rapidly across Iran thanks to the regime’s incompetence, the divisions within the theocratic establishment are also deepening.
*Dr. Majid Rafizadeh is an Iranian-American political scientist. He is a leading expert on Iran and US foreign policy, a businessman and president of the International American Council. Twitter: @Dr_Rafizadeh

Pandemic an opportunity for humanity to show its best side
Baria Alamuddin/Arab News/March 22, 2020
There is a famous quote that says, “Optimism is a moral duty.” I have pondered this quote in recent days when speaking to friends navigating various self-isolation regimes: From one distressed lady who, after 48 hours confined to her home, told me she was ready to murder her nagging husband to others who have embraced this as a refreshing opportunity to detox from the pressures of their professional lives. With experts warning that the pandemic may last for 18 months or more, for the sake of our sanity — and the sanity of those around us — we must approach these challenges with positivity and optimism.
Fifty years ago, quarantine meant absolute isolation from the world. Nowadays, we are spoilt for choice for virtual methods of communication. I have spent so much time in touch with loved ones, enjoying the pleasure of leisurely daily chats with my grandchildren. Young neighbors have knocked on my door to check whether I need assistance. We have rediscovered the wartime mentality of “we’re all in this together,” with everybody looking out for one another.
As previously unthinkable measures are enforced around the world, it is just beginning to sink in how profoundly this crisis will impact our societies. Those who are self-employed, or who have ad hoc sources of work, are suddenly staring into the financial abyss. A US survey found that half of small businesses could be wiped out within three months without urgent assistance. Nations are faced with an impossible choice of either letting the virus run its course or indefinitely stifling the economy through draconian measures to slow the contagion.
Soon there will be a huge proportion of families who, through no fault of their own, can’t afford to feed themselves or are left drowning in unaffordable debt. The crisis is already proving disastrous for cultural organizations and charities, whose activities and funding sources have been radically curtailed. This is where we discover what sort of society we really live in. Do we hoard supplies and prioritize selfish interests or come together to ensure everyone is looked after?
My native Lebanon was already on the cusp of financial meltdown. With it expected to default on a succession of loan payments and an International Monetary Fund bailout looking increasingly unlikely, coronavirus is a further body blow. The number of Lebanese living in poverty now exceeds 50 percent, with the unemployment rate for under-25s soaring above 37 percent. Since September, 800 Lebanese food and beverage businesses have closed, ensuring thousands of further job losses. With the virus’s inevitable economic carnage still to be fully felt, this is just the tip of the iceberg. Meanwhile, Iraq’s hospitals are so dilapidated that those with coronavirus have avoided seeking care until it is too late. Thus, there are many recent cases of people dying immediately after being admitted to hospital, complicating efforts to prevent the further spread of the virus.
In neighboring Iran, where most Middle Eastern coronavirus cases have originated, official statistics report that one citizen is dying from the virus every 10 minutes, with research warning that up to 3.5 million Iranians could die. Yet the authorities seem more interested in covering up the outbreak, while continuing their regional warmongering and meddling. Similarly, Syrian hospital staff members were reportedly detained by the regime for leaking information about official attempts to hide the virus’s proliferation.
The experience of many Gulf states has been radically different. Bahrain has been the worst hit relatively, with a rash of cases from citizens returning from pilgrimage to Qom. However, the authorities’ rapid response — chasing down possible cases and thoroughly testing all those potentially exposed — has, for now, stopped the spread of the virus in its tracks. In one video I have seen, Lebanese citizens living in Bahrain praised the stringent measures, noting how safe they feel compared with other locations, where the absence of rigorous testing or official transparency makes it impossible to comprehend the real threat level.
While most of us welcome drastic measures to keep us safe, authoritarian regimes in states like Russia and China are arbitrarily expanding their restrictive powers. In Israel, despite losing the election, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is exploiting the crisis to keep himself in office and indefinitely shelve the corruption charges that could kill his political career and put him behind bars. Do we hoard supplies and prioritize selfish interests or come together to ensure everyone is looked after?
Aid agencies, meanwhile, warn that coronavirus threatens to inflict “carnage” upon densely crowded refugee camps, whether they are hosting Syrians, Palestinians or Afghans. Many refugees don’t have access to clean water, already suffer from poor health, and have minimal access to medical assistance. But let’s keep matters in proportion: An estimated 25,000 people die of hunger every day — that’s more than 9 million every year. Scandalously high sub-Saharan African infant mortality rates result in one in nine children dying before the age of five. Malaria kills about 3,000 Africans every day. Why are these crises of extreme poverty not also afforded top priority?
Enforced quarantine is, furthermore, a reminder of the environmental impact of our everyday lives. Industrial pollution in Chinese cities and elsewhere has fallen dramatically. Far fewer people are taking flights. A New York study into the impact of coronavirus found reductions in carbon monoxide emissions (mainly from cars) of nearly 50 percent, with comparable drops in carbon dioxide pollution.
Matters could be far worse. History has witnessed deadlier and faster-spreading epidemics. Not only should coronavirus be a wake-up call for greater readiness for the next viral threat, but also for the necessity of working together as a planet to address pending environmental catastrophes — as well as addressing major conflicts and humanitarian disasters plaguing substantial regions of the world.
This virus will impact our species profoundly: Our relationships with each other, the way we are governed, and everyday behaviors. If the world comes together to identify a cure, shield the vulnerable and prepare itself for future existential threats, then coronavirus will truly have shown humanity at its best.
• Baria Alamuddin is an award-winning journalist and broadcaster in the Middle East and the UK. She is editor of the Media Services Syndicate and has interviewed numerous heads of state.

The race to develop a COVID-19 vaccine
Dr. Theodore Karasik/Arab News/March 22, 2020
The race for a coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine is on in the ugliest of ways. Since December, scientists around the world have been racing to create the first vaccine against COVID-19, with vaccine trials either starting or poised to begin in the US, China and Europe. Be patient, because the process may take up to two years. Vaccines in a pandemic are not a 100 percent solution if they are rushed or, worse, politicized.
Genetic sequencing plays a role in finding a vaccine via different approaches and speed. Britain’s Oxford University is beginning to deliver a vaccine, ChAdOx1, in animals in the hope of launching trials in humans next month. At Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute in the US, medical scientists are using SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. Biotech company Moderna developed a sequence, mRNA-1273, of the virus’s genetic code, rather than a piece of the virus, in order to develop a vaccine faster.
Fastest, and out in front for now, the Chinese biopharmaceutical company CanSino Biologics announced its vaccine Ad5-nCoV had been approved to start a phase one clinical trial in humans. CanSino Biologics partnered with the Beijing Institute of Biotechnology to develop this vaccine. The team hopes to spark the creation of antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 by taking a piece of its genetic code and combining it with a harmless virus. CanSino claims that the use of Ad5-nCoV shows that the vaccine candidate can induce a strong immune response in animal models. The pre-clinical animal safety studies demonstrated by the Chinese company illustrate a good safety profile.
Meanwhile, US companies Arcturus Therapeutics, Inovio Pharmaceuticals, and Johnson & Johnson, the UK’s GlaxoSmithKline, and Germany’s BioNTech and CureVac are all pursuing their own variants, which are in the pre-clinical stages of development. Dozens of other companies are racing to see how they can contribute to this emerging medical market and disease response capability. The competition is stiff.
With mortality rates expected to peak in June and July in some parts of the world, there is an urgency to find acceptable half-solutions to ease the burden on overtaxed health care systems. Lockdowns and the physical separation of people are very significant in terms of protecting the community. To be sure, this unprecedented global health situation requires an accelerated pathway to speed up the process of finding a vaccine.
This unprecedented global health situation requires an accelerated pathway to speed up the process of finding a vaccine.
There is also a base of public-private partnerships (PPPs) that are helping with data distribution and sharing awareness, including the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority in the US and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations internationally. The PPP example serves as a model for the development of other contributing partnerships by reaching out to pharmaceutical corporate social responsibility departments to augment funding and speed, and to offer any other assistance. In other words, they are developing a robust supportive network for those entities working on vaccines so transparency and accountability are also maintained during these transformative times.
While vaccines are being developed, antiviral medicines are also being used to help limit the effects of the COVID-19 infection on the human body. Antivirals are needed while a vaccine is developed, hopefully over the coming year.
Antivirals are being explored to provide respite from the pathogen’s attack on the human respiratory system and thus lower the strain on hospitals’ emergency departments. This type of approach targets the virus in people who already have an infection and they work in different ways. Antivirals sometimes prevent the virus from replicating, while others prevent the infection of other cells.
There are several antivirals being considered. Remdesivir’s development a decade ago to fight Ebola failed in clinical trials, but was found to be relatively safe and potentially applicable to other pathogens. Research with MERS showed that the drug blocked the virus from replicating, and it is now being used in five COVID-19 clinical trials. The first results are due next month. Kaletra is a combination of two drugs that work against HIV and clinical trials are planned. A third antiviral, chloroquine, is an antimalarial drug that may block infection. France is working on this antimalarial drug as a treatment, not a cure, for COVID-19. This type of treatment program is supported by World Health Organization Executive Director Dr. Michael Ryan. Finally, Favipiravir is a drug approved outside the US to treat influenza that can be taken to mitigate the effects of the disease.
There is a third approach to fighting the virus via antibodies. Monoclonal antibodies are drugs that trigger the immune system to attack the virus. Stem cell treatments are also seen as beneficial.
Importantly, Chinese scientists have shared the genetic sequence of the virus to different companies for research purposes. In Seattle, Moderna has begun testing its messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccine in a phase one clinical trial. The study includes 45 healthy volunteers aged 18 to 55. The company has developed other mRNA vaccines in the past. Those earlier studies showed that their platform is safe, which allowed the company to skip certain animal testing stages for this specific vaccine. Nevertheless, the war of words between Beijing and Washington over the “rights” to the vaccine is part of the larger geopolitical picture.
Overall, this process of testing a vaccine is time-consuming and the race is on between pharmaceutical companies and the pathogen. Mutation is possible with the vaccine, so how mutation occurs in terms of the timing of the distribution of any vaccine in key breakout areas is crucial. A vaccine hurried into the population can produce ill-effects as well as positive results, so results matter. One does not want to introduce an untested vaccine that may cause another wave of global infection that transforms the human experience.
*Dr. Theodore Karasik is a senior adviser to Gulf State Analytics in Washington, DC. Twitter: @tkarasik

Virus measures likely to change our way of life

Yasar Yakis/Arab News/March 22, 2020
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan last week announced a package of measures to alleviate the effects of the coronavirus epidemic in Turkey. Its financial scope is 100 billion Turkish liras ($15 billion). This is a relatively small amount but, given Turkey’s serious economic problems, the government could not afford more. The package mainly aims to keep the wheels of the economy turning. There is little in it for members of low-income groups.
Erdogan also said that cases of defaulted companies would be considered as force majeure and that arrangements will be made for part-time workers and remote teaching. Two days after the package was announced, a new measure revealed the release of some prisoners, as jails were overcrowded and the risk of an outbreak was high.
International meetings have been postponed, canceled or replaced with video conferences. We do not know how long these restrictions will last. Some may be maintained for a prolonged period, others indefinitely.
Scattered good news has started to arrive lately, but mostly about the experimental positive results of administering some medicines and about the decline of the speed of expansion of the epidemic, rather than its decline.
Turkey is among the low mortality countries. One reason for this may be that it has not yet introduced mechanisms to carry out tens of thousands of tests per day, so the exact number of people who have the virus is not yet known. This slowness may have a high cost for Turkey.
The health sector is functioning satisfactorily thanks to the devotion of the Ministry of Public Health’s personnel, but we do not know how the epidemic will affect the services sector and whether it will cause an interruption in the country’s economy. A serious stagnation of the world economy is unavoidable. Its size and impact are unfathomable.
Quarantines, cancelations and the forced closure of public places will change many of our habits. Some commentators believe, therefore, that this epidemic may usher in a new era.
Speculation abounds on what lessons we should learn from this experience. We do not know whether we will all return to our old habits of traveling and mixing with many people. Will we reassess whether our old habits were necessary or indispensable? For instance, instead of greeting people by shaking hands, embracing or kissing their cheek, more people may now adopt the Japanese or subcontinental way of greeting, which is to keep some distance and bow without physical contact.
Teleconferences may become more widespread. Getting to a conference venue is a tremendous waste of effort and money. In many cases, the participants of an international conference spend one or two days traveling from various continents to attend a single meeting or make an intervention of just 15 minutes. Of course, such international gatherings are also a good opportunity for meeting, socializing, getting to know each other and making new friendships or partnerships, but some of them may also be dispensable.
Schools have been temporarily closed in many countries, including Turkey. The Turkish Ministry of Education is planning to launch a program for tele-schooling. The minister in charge may now introduce a permanent new era of teaching through the internet. If he achieves this, teachers will have to be retrained. Students will use the time they used to spend on their way to and from school for other purposes. In case they have to talk to their teachers, new methods will be devised to make it possible. Tele-schooling may also eliminate the difference between “good” schools and “less good” schools. Clever children from less-fortunate families will be able to follow the same courses as the children of well-off families.
The president of Turkey’s Religious Affairs Directorate announced that Friday prayers were temporarily suspended and invited believers to instead perform Dhuhr prayers at home.
Money — banknotes and coins — is another common way to spread all sorts of microbes quickly. By instead using credit cards and internet banking, the circulation of banknotes and coins will also diminish as time goes by.
Quarantines, the cancelation of various public gatherings, conferences, sporting events and the forced closure of various public places will change many of our habits. Some commentators believe, therefore, that this epidemic may usher in a new era and a new way of life.
The coronavirus outbreak has brought us much food for thought and caused us to think about whether we should change our way of life. Many people will move in that direction without noticing it.
*Yasar Yakis is a former foreign minister of Turkey and founding member of the ruling AK Party. Twitter: @yakis_yasar

UN’s political process complicit in ongoing Syrian disaster
Dr. Azeem Ibrahim/Arab News/March 22, 2020
The Syrian civil war has just entered its 10th year. In that time, we have seen the major global powers use the land of Syria as a proxy war chess board; the rise and eventual fall of Daesh, the most egregious terrorist group in modern history; a government deploy chemical weapons and starvation sieges against its own civilians; and a member of the UN Security Council, Russia, wage a targeted bombing campaign against hospitals. Syria has been one disaster piled on top of another.
The record of the UN in the Syria war has been equally dismal. Its handling of the conflict must count as the greatest failure in its 70-year existence. Of course, the UN is not a monolithic thing. The humanitarian agencies of the UN have tried their best to cope with the political and social catastrophe, and have been outright heroic in the sacrifices they have made to try and alleviate the lives of the poor civilians caught up in the middle of the fighting, even as they themselves came under targeted fire.
But the efforts of the UN humanitarian agencies and the other nongovernmental organizations of the international community have been futile in the face of the big power politics being played out in the Syrian theater. Despite their best efforts, from a pre-war population of 21 million, some half a million people have been killed, more than 7.5 million have been displaced internally in Syria, and more than 5 million have fled abroad. So a quarter of the population has fled the country, and another third of the original total has been displaced internally. Such displacements are on the level of the world wars.
And the political part of the UN has been fully complicit in the ongoing disaster. Above all, the UN political process has been held hostage by Russia, even as Moscow continues to be an active belligerent and a consistent aggressor against civilian populations, against health care facilities and staff, and against international relief efforts.
But the West also shares some responsibility for allowing Russia to continue these humanitarian outrages in Syria. The turning point in the West’s relationship with the conflict — and the moment when the humanitarian argument was forfeit at the political level of the UN and in the UN Security Council — was when the Obama administration infamously failed to enforce its red lines over the use of chemical weapons in the aftermath of the 2013 Ghouta attack.
The political side of the UN, especially the so-called “Security Council,” is a naked sham. Our Western leaders cannot continue to hide their inaction behind deference to UN processes.
Having laid down the law, and proclaimed that the US would enforce international law unilaterally if necessary, the Obama administration backed down from enforcing its proclamation and yielded to Moscow’s sham “diplomatic plan,” signaling that the US would let Bashar Assad run roughshod over international law and humanitarian norms, while Moscow would provide him cover. Consequently, we saw chemical attacks as late as 2018.
But it gets worse. Moscow continues to sponsor the “UN process,” even as it cripples its ability to achieve anything, specifically to gain cover internationally. Even as Russia and Assad continue to siege and bombard the remaining rebel enclaves in Idlib, they can pre-empt calls for action from Western leaders by pointing to this process.
If ever there was any doubt about UN processes, especially political ones in the Security Council, they should now be entirely dispelled. The UN continues to have value in the form of the international civil society agencies that observe international developments and promote human rights, global health and education, and so on. But the political side of the UN, especially the so-called “Security Council,” is a naked sham. Our Western leaders cannot continue to hide their inaction behind deference to UN processes. We have not intervened to save the people of Syria because we did not care to do so. Consequently, we do not get to complain about the people of Syria coming to the West seeking refuge — even as we are also failing to deliver on this responsibility.
*Dr. Azeem Ibrahim is a Research Professor at the US Army War College’s Strategic Studies Institute and Director at the Center for Global Policy in Washington D.C. Twitter:@AzeemIbrahim

Iran sends message of belligerence vowing new retaliation against US even as coronavirus crisis deepens
Thomas Seibert/The Arab Weekly/March 22/2020
ISTANBUL - Iran is hardening its stance in its confrontation with the United States, seeking further revenge for the killing of one of its top commanders even as the coronavirus threat in the sanctions-hit country developed into a crisis that kills about 150 people every day and infects 50 each hour. Iranian President Hassan Rohani said Iran would continue to respond to the United States’ assassination of Major-General Qassem Soleimani, an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) commander killed in a US drone strike in Iraq in January.
“The Americans assassinated our great commander. We have responded to that terrorist act and will respond to it,” Rohani said in a televised speech.
Soleimani, leader of the IRGC’s al-Quds Force, was instrumental in implementing Iran’s aggressive strategy in the Middle East through proxies in countries of the region such as Iraq, Lebanon and Yemen. The 62-year-old general was regarded as the second-most powerful figure in Iran after Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
The United States launched air strikes in Iraq targeting Iran-backed Shia militia members believed responsible for the rocket attack that killed and wounded US and British troops at a base north of Baghdad.
One US official said strikes targeted Kata’ib Hezbollah weapons facilities in Iraq. The strikes marked a rapid escalation in tensions with Tehran and its proxy groups in Iraq, just two months after Iran carried out a massive ballistic missile attack against US troops at a base in Iraq to revenge the killing of Soleimani.
In a speech marking Nowruz, the Persian New Year, Rohani highlighted what he viewed as the achievements of the past year, including the missile strikes on US troops in Iraq and the downing of a sophisticated US drone.
The exchanges are signs of a war by proxy between Iran and the United States in the Middle East. Tehran’s efforts to expand its regional influence alarm the United States and its Gulf allies.
Rohani’s belligerent statement indicated that Iran is determined to keep pouring resources into foreign policy adventures at a time its health system is under severe strain because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Iran’s economy has been severely hit by sanctions introduced by US President Donald Trump under a “maximum pressure” campaign after he took the United States out of the nuclear agreement with Tehran two years ago. The United States imposed new sanctions in mid-March, blacklisting five companies in the United Arab Emirates, three in mainland China, three in Hong Kong and one in South Africa for trade in Iran’s petrochemicals.
Washington argues that its campaign to curb Iran’s nuclear, missile and regional activities does not stop the flow of humanitarian goods but Iran says the sanctions must be lifted to allow the import of medical goods needed to fight coronavirus. Brian Hook, the US special representative for Iranian affairs, said Washington sent a diplomatic note to Tehran offering help with coronavirus but was “quickly rejected.”
Iran is battling the worst outbreak in the Middle East, with more than 1,400 people dead and nearly 20,000 confirmed cases since the virus was first registered in the country on February 19. Almost 150 people died from the coronavirus-induced lung disease on March 19.
Iran’s neighbours are concerned that the Islamic Republic could worsen the coronavirus situation for the region. Approximately 90% of all cases in the Middle East can be traced to Iran, news reports said.
The United Arab Emirates, one of Iran’s foes in the Gulf region, announced it sent medical supplies to the neighbouring country. Two aircraft, which left Abu Dhabi on March 16, contained more than 32 tonnes of supplies, including boxes filled with thousands of pairs of gloves, surgical masks and protective equipment, the UAE Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
*Thomas Seibert is an Ara