ALEPPO: On the terrace of the Baron Hotel in Aleppo, the owner’s widow, Roubina Tashjian, sorted through old photographs of its happier past in a more peaceful Syria.
Founded by an Armenian family in 1911, the Baron played host to adventurers, writers, kings, aviators, Bedouin chiefs and presidents until war forced it to close five years ago.
Tashjian sees the Baron as part of a Syria that values religious and ethnic diversity, openness to the outside world, culture and respect for the country’s great antiquities. “A Syrian is a mixture of all these ethnic groups and cultures ... this is a big pot and it’s all mixed up. But we cook the same kibbeh,” she said, referring to a Levantine dish.
Trying to revive that vision of Syria amid a war that has aggravated social fractures would involve reconciliation between political opponents, religious sects and economic classes.
But with hundreds of thousands dead, more than half the country’s pre-war population displaced and fighting ongoing, there seems little hope of that for now.
For the Baron, whose business depended on stability, safety and the draw of Syria’s cultural treasures, the 2011 uprising was a catastrophic assault on everything that allowed it to thrive.
During most of the fighting, Aleppo’s government-held western districts were subjected to shellfire, an influx of refugees and shortages of water, electricity and food.
East Aleppo, held by rebels until December when the army swept through it after months of siege and air raids, was left all but a wasteland.
The Baron, in west Aleppo near the front line, was hit by mortar bombs, including one that sprayed shrapnel across an upper floor and another that crashed through the window of its “Oriental Room” onto delicate floor tiles but failed to explode.
The tail fin from that round now sits in the Baron’s cabinet of curiosities alongside such relics as pottery given by visiting archaeologists and T.E. Lawrence’s hotel bill.
In the upstairs room she always took during her frequent stays in Aleppo stands the glass-topped wooden desk where Agatha Christie wrote part of Murder on the Orient Express.
For supporters of President Bashar Assad it is the fault of rebels they describe as terrorists, viewing them as Islamist militants who despise diversity and criminal gangs who loot cultural treasures.
Assad has cast his state as a secular protector of Syria’s minorities and cultural heritage against Sunni rebels backed by hostile foreign states whose ranks include many hard-liners.
It was a view shared by some of the audience at a concert in an Old City church, fluttering fans in the summer heat of the open basilica, its roof ruined by shelling, as they listened to Mozart’s Mass in C Minor.
But any characterization of Assad’s Syria as diverse, secular, open and tolerant is rejected by the opposition, as well as some Western countries and rights groups. Critics say Syria’s government has long been one of the most oppressive in the Middle East and this was a root cause of the war.
The privileged position of Assad’s Alawite sect under him and his father, the late President Hafez Assad, fed grievances among many in the Sunni Muslim majority even as other Sunnis including urban elites backed the government.
While the government has promoted the idea of a secular Syria throughout the war, the conflict’s sectarian edge has been hard to miss.
As rebels rallied around Sunni Islamist slogans, Assad drew on allies including Shiite Islamist militias backed by Iran. They played a big part in the campaign to retake eastern Aleppo.
In the city, the conflict’s socio-economic dimensions are readily apparent. Areas where the rebellion was strongest included places bypassed by economic growth and poor quarters to which rural people flocked.
One west Aleppo resident, who had driven through devastated eastern districts after the fighting ended, said the inhabitants had brought ruin upon themselves by consorting with rebels.
“Those people were the cause. Yes, it’s sad, but...” the person said.
REFUGEE FAMILIES
In the Baron, the wood-panelled dining room, the bar stocked with antique bottles, the pink furniture of the high-ceilinged smoking room and the bedrooms all seem worn and tired.
It stopped taking paying guests in 2012 — bar a few old friends — when Syria’s civil war came to Aleppo and mortars and sniper fire began to plague the streets around.
Tashjian, a 66-year-old former teacher, chases away street kittens that creep through broken french windows into the dining room and tries to keep the mostly deserted hotel from falling further into disrepair in a city with little electricity or water.
Her husband, Armen Mazloumian, the grandson of the hotel’s founder, died in 2016, two years after they married following a 30-year friendship. The Baron now belongs to his sisters, who left Syria years earlier, she said.
On the terrace from which Egypt’s nationalist leader Gamal Abdel Nasser once addressed a huge crowd, the boxes of old photographs were surrounded by other detritus recently hauled from a basement after the fighting abated.
Kilims, antique sewing machines, a set of 1950s towels, and moldering linen imported from Europe and embroidered with the hotel’s name, cascaded from large rattan trunks.
During the fighting, the hotel took in refugee families from east Aleppo. While they were there they used so much water cleaning the floors of their rooms each morning that the elegant geometric tiles were damaged, Tashjian said.
In the late afternoon heat, the hotel is cooled by a breeze that drifts in through broken windows on the ground floor and up the grand staircase.
“Syria was the most comfortable, the most secular country in the Arab world,” said Tashjian. “It was embarrassing if people asked if you were a Christian or a Muslim.”
At historic Aleppo hotel, nostalgia for a Syria lost
At historic Aleppo hotel, nostalgia for a Syria lost

Indonesian boy’s ‘aura farming’ dance brings global spotlight to centuries-old tradition

- Pacu jalur is a boat tradition from Indonesia’s Riau province that can be traced back to the 17th century
- Dika was named tourism ambassador of his home province after going viral with his dance moves
JAKARTA: An Indonesian boy dancing on the front of a boat has become an Internet sensation in recent weeks, setting a global trend of “aura farming” that has been recreated by famous athletes and thousands of others worldwide.
“Aura farming” is an Internet expression popularized in 2024, largely in reference to anime characters and celebrities. It refers to the act of consistently looking cool to build one’s “aura.”
Dressed in a black traditional costume and wearing sunglasses, 11-year-old Rayyan Arkhan Dikha from Indonesia’s Riau province has been dubbed “the ultimate aura farmer” on social media for performing a series of repetitive movements calmly on the bow of a thin boat, videos of which have amassed millions of views globally.
The Indonesian boy who goes by the name of Dika was participating in a local event known as “pacu jalur,” which roughly translates to “boat race.” A tradition that dates back to the early 17th century, the event is now held every August to commemorate the Indonesian Independence Day.
“Pacu jalur has been one of Indonesia’s Intangible Cultural Heritage since 2015,” Indonesia’s Culture Minister Fadli Zon said in a statement, after hosting Dika in his office in Jakarta on Wednesday.
The water sport tradition originated in Riau’s Kuantan Singingi regency at a time when boats were the main mode of transportation for the communities living along the local river.
“It has always been a part of life for people in (Kuantan Singingi), including to celebrate the most important Islamic holidays and also our independence day,” Fadli said.
During the race, each of the long, canoe-like boats and its large crew has an “anak coki,” a dancer who moves with rhythmic hand movements and body waves to provide inspiration for the rowers.
While every anak coki brings their own charm to the race, Dika — who has participated in the races since he was 9 — has since become the face of the pacu jalur tradition.
Though the original clip featuring Dika was posted to TikTok in January by a user named Lensa Rams and the event itself was held last August, the boy shot to global popularity over the past few weeks, as various creators on Instagram and TikTok have tried their own hand at Dika’s dance.
The list includes soccer team Paris Saint-Germain and Travis Kelce, American football star and boyfriend of pop singer Taylor Swift. When the US men’s national soccer team won against Guatemala last week, American soccer player Diego Luna copied Dika’s moves to celebrate a goal.
The massive impact of the video garnered him special attention from the government in Riau, where the governor on Tuesday named Dika as a tourism ambassador for the province and awarded him a scholarship for 20 million rupiah (about $1,200) for his education.
“Today, almost everyone opened their eyes to the vibrant and thriving culture of Riau, especially pacu jalur. This is why I wanted to show my appreciation to Dika,” Governor Abdul Wahid said.
In a statement, the local government confirmed that Dika will participate in the races next month.
Speaking to reporters in Jakarta following his meeting with the culture minister, Dika said: “I’m happy that I’ve gone viral globally.”
Australia’s Aboriginals ask UNESCO to protect ancient carvings site

- Murujuga, a remote area in the state of Western Australia, houses around one million petroglyphs
- These carvings, located on the Burrup peninsula, that could date back 50,000 years
PARIS: A delegation of Australia’s Aboriginal people has traveled to Paris to win UN backing for the protection of a heritage site back home they say is threatened by harmful mining.
The World Heritage Committee at UNESCO, the United Nations’ cultural organization, has been deliberating since the start of the week on what sites to include in the latest edition of the body’s world heritage list.
Among the dozens of sites under consideration is Murujuga, a remote area in the state of Western Australia that according to estimates houses around one million petroglyphs – carvings that could date back 50,000 years.
“It’s possibly the most important rock art site in the world,” said Benjamin Smith, a rock art specialist at the University of Western Australia.
“We should be looking after it.”
The site is located on the Burrup peninsula, home to the Mardudunera people, and under threat from nearby mining developments.
Making the UNESCO’s heritage list often sparks a lucrative tourism drive, and can unlock funding for the preservation of sites.
It does not in itself trigger protection for a site, but can help pressure national governments into taking action.
“It’s absolutely crucial that the Australian government takes it more seriously and regulates industrial pollution in that area more carefully,” Smith said.
Giant mining corporations have been active in the resource-rich Pilbara region for decades.
Australian company Woodside Energy operates the North West Shelf, an industrial complex that includes offshore platforms, undersea pipelines, and hydrocarbon processing facilities.
The project consistently ranks among Australia’s five largest emitters of greenhouse gas, according to figures from the country’s Clean Energy Regulator.
“These carvings are what our ancestors left here for us to learn and keep their knowledge and keep our culture thriving through these sacred sites,” said Mark Clifton, a member of the three-person delegation meeting with UNESCO representatives.
“This is why I am here.”
Environmental and indigenous organizations argue the presence of mining groups has already caused damage with industrial emissions.
They are “creating hundreds of holes in the surface. And that is causing the surfaces with the rock art to break down,” Smith said.
In an emailed statement to AFP, Woodside Energy said it recognizes Murujuga as “one of Australia’s most culturally significant landscapes.”
It added that, according to independent peer-reviewed studies, “responsible operations” could help protect the heritage.
Woodside had taken “proactive steps,” it said, “to ensure we manage our impacts responsibly.”
In May, the Australian government extended the operating license for the liquefied gas plant by 40 years, with conditions.
Australia insists that extending the plant – which each year emits millions of tons of greenhouse gas – does not tarnish a pledge to reach net zero by 2050.
But activists, saying the government is not taking their concerns seriously enough, demand that UNESCO make any decision to put the site on the world heritage list contingent on the government offering adequate protection.
Delegation leader Raelene Cooper said she wanted guarantees.
“There needs to be, at the highest level, safeguards and measures of protection,” she said.
The Australian government has sent a separate delegation to Paris, also comprising members of the region’s Aboriginal population, to push for the site’s recognition.
Australia’s strong presence at the heritage committee meeting “is a meaningful opportunity to support the protection and conservation of some of the world’s most important cultural and natural sites,” Environment Minister Murray Watt said.
Icomos, a non-governmental organization partnering with UNESCO, said it was urgent for the Australian government to oversee “the complete elimination of harmful acidic emissions that currently affect the petroglyphs.”
UNESCO is expected to announce its update to the list by Sunday.
Many Liberians take offense after Trump praises their president’s English

- In a meeting on Wednesday, Trump asked President Boakai where he had learned to speak the language “so beautifully”
- English has been the official language of Liberia since the country’s founding in the 1800s by freed slaves from the US
MONROVIA, Liberia: US President Donald Trump’s praise of the “beautiful” English of Liberia’s President Joseph Boakai drew confusion Thursday in the English-speaking African country and umbrage over what many considered condescending remarks.
“Such good English,” Trump said to Boakai during an event at the White House, with visible surprise. “Such beautiful English.”
Although English has been the official language of Liberia since the country’s founding in the 1800s, Trump asked Boakai where he had learned to speak the language “so beautifully,” and continued as Boakai murmured a response. “Where were you educated? Where? In Liberia?”
The exchange took place Wednesday during a meeting in the White House between Trump and five West African leaders, amid a pivot from aid to trade in US foreign policy.
Boakai’s government said it took no offense at Trump’s remarks, but other groups in Liberia described the remarks as an insult.
The White House declined to comment on whether Trump was aware that English was Liberia’s official language. Massad Boulos, the president’s senior adviser for Africa, stressed that Trump “actually complimented the language skills of the Liberian president,” and that everyone at the meeting was ”deeply appreciative” of the president’s time and effort.
Trump’s comments draw mixed reaction
Liberia has had deep ties with the United States for two centuries, stemming from the drive to relocate freed slaves from the United States. It started in the 1820s when the Congress- and slaveholder-funded American Colonization Society began sending freed slaves to its shores. In 1847, the growing Americo-Liberian settlers declared themselves independent, setting up a government to rule over a native African majority.
Liberian Foreign Minister Sara Beysolow Nyanti said on X that “President Trump’s comment on Boakai’s ‘beautiful English’ simply acknowledged Liberia’s familiar American-rooted accent and no offense was taken.”
“Our linguistic heritage is deeply American‑influenced, & this was simply recognized by @realDonaldTrump. We remain committed to strengthening Liberia‑US ties, built on mutual respect, shared values, and meaningful partnership,” the minister said.
Foday Massaquio, chairman of Liberia’s opposition Congress for Democratic Change-Council of Patriots, said the remarks exemplified Trump’s lack of respect for foreign leaders, particularly African ones.
“President Trump was condescending, he was very disrespectful to the African leader,” Massaquio said, adding that it “proves that the West is not taking us seriously as Africans.”
Comments add to alarm over aid cuts
For many observers, Trump’s comments added to the sense of alarm and even betrayal over cuts in US aid to the African country.
The decision by US authorities earlier this month to dissolve the US Agency for International Development sent shockwaves across Liberia. American support previously had made up almost 2.6 percent of the gross national income, the highest percentage anywhere in the world, according to the Center for Global Development.
Liberians thought they would be spared from Trump’s cuts because of the countries’ close relationship. Their political system is modeled on that of the US, along with its flag. Liberians often refer to the US as their “big brother.”

Liberia was one of the first countries to receive USAID support, starting in 1961. The street signs, taxis and school buses resemble those in New York.
“Liberia is a long standing friend of the USA, therefore Trump should have understood that we speak English as an official language,” said Moses Dennis, 37, a businessman from Monrovia.
Condescension or praise?
Siokin Civicus Barsi-Giah, a close associate of former President George Weah, echoed the notion that Trump should have known that Liberians speak English.
“Liberia is an English speaking country,” he said. “Former slaves and slave owners decided to organize themselves to let go of many people who were in slavery in the United States of America, and they landed on these shores now called the Republic of Liberia.”
For him, the exchange was “condescending and ridiculing,” and he said: “Joseph Boakai was not praised. He was mocked by the greatest president in the world.”
Some observers, however, said that they believed Trump’s remarks genuinely were intended as praise.
“To some, the comment may carry a whiff of condescension, echoing a long-standing Western tendency to express surprise when African leaders display intellectual fluency,” said Abraham Julian Wennah, a researcher at the African Methodist Episcopal University.
But if one looks at “Trump’s rhetorical style,” the remarks were “an acknowledgment of Boakai’s polish, intellect, and readiness for global engagement,” he said.
Larry David teams with the Obamas for HBO US history sketch show for the nation’s 250th

LOS ANGELES: Larry David will bring his grumbly sensibility to US history in a team-up with Barack and Michelle Obama for an HBO sketch show, the network announced Thursday.
The “Curb Your Enthusiasm” creator and “Seinfeld” co-creator will act as executive producer, writer and star of the limited series consisting of six half-hour episodes, produced by the Obamas’ company, Higher Ground.
The show marks the 78-year-old David’s return to HBO just over a year after the end of the 12th and final season of “Curb Your Enthusiasm.”
His “Curb” showrunner Jeff Schaffer will co-write and direct episodes.
HBO did not give a premiere date, but the show is meant to mark the nation’s 250th anniversary next year.
The series doesn’t have a title yet but it has a promotional logline: “President and Mrs. Obama wanted to honor America’s 250th anniversary and celebrate the unique history of our nation on this special occasion. ...But then Larry David called.”
And statements from some of the principals suggest the tone it will take.
“Once ‘Curb’ ended, I celebrated with a three-day foam party. After a violent allergic reaction to the suds, I yearned to return to my simple life as a beekeeper, harvesting organic honey from the wildflowers in my meadow,” David said. “Alas, one day my bees mysteriously vanished. And so, it is with a heavy heart that I return to television, hoping to ease the loss of my beloved hive.”
In his statement, Barack Obama said, “I’ve sat across the table from some of the world’s most difficult leaders and wrestled with some of our most intractable problems. Nothing has prepared me for working with Larry David.”
The Obamas got into the entertainment business by launching “Higher Ground” in 2018, saying they wanted to raise the prominence of new, diverse voices and expand the range of conversation in the industry. They signed production agreements with Netflix and Spotify soon after. Their involvement has had a high profile in some productions, but they’ve kept more of a background role in others.
Their shows and films have included the Oscar-winning documentary “American Factory,” the kids series “Waffles + Mochi,” and the movies “Rustin” and “Leave the World Behind.”
David, known for his sitcoms and stand-up, has some experience in sketch work. He was a writer and star on ABC’s “Saturday Night Live” knockoff “Fridays” in the early 1980s, and later wrote briefly for “SNL” itself.
Trump praises Liberian leader on English — his native tongue

- “It’s beautiful English. I have people at this table can’t speak nearly as well,” Trump said after hearing Liberia's President Joseph Boakai speak
- Boakai, like most Liberians, speaks English — the country’s official tongue and lingua franca
WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump complimented the president of Liberia Wednesday on his English-speaking skills — despite English being the official language of the West African nation.
Trump was hosting a White House lunch with African leaders Wednesday, and — after brief remarks from President Joseph Boakai — asked the business graduate where he had picked up his linguistic know-how.
“Thank you, and such good English... Where did you learn to speak so beautifully? Where were you educated?” Trump said.
Boakai — who, like most Liberians, speaks English as a first language — indicated he had been educated in his native country.

He was facing away from the media, making his countenance hard to gauge — but his laconic, mumbled response hinted at awkwardness.
Trump, who was surrounded by French-speaking presidents from other West African nations, kept digging.
“It’s beautiful English. I have people at this table can’t speak nearly as well,” he said.
US engagement in Liberia began in the 1820s when the Congress- and slaveholder-funded American Colonization Society began sending freed slaves to its shores.
Thousands of “Americo-Liberian” settlers followed, declaring themselves independent in 1847 and setting up a government to rule over a native African majority.
The country has a diverse array of indigenous languages and a number of creolized dialects, while Kpelle-speakers are the largest single linguistic group.
Boakai himself can read and write in Mendi and Kissi but converses in Liberia’s official tongue and lingua franca — English.