GENEVA: The UN special envoy for Syria on Thursday voiced his growing concern at increased hostilities in the south of the country and warned of the alarming shortages faced by civilians.
Norwegian diplomat Geir Pedersen reiterated his call for an immediate end to the violence and urged all parties to uphold the principle of protecting civilians.
“Increased hostilities, which have included heavy shelling and intensified ground clashes, have resulted in civilian casualties, as well as damage to civilian infrastructures,” his office said in a statement.
“Thousands of civilians have been forced to flee Daraa Al-Balad. Civilians are suffering with acute shortages of fuel, cooking gas, water, and bread. Medical assistance is in short supply to treat the injured.
“The situation is alarming.”
At Thursday’s virtual meeting of the International Syria Support Group’s Humanitarian Task Force, Pedersen stressed that immediate, safe and unimpeded humanitarian access must be granted to all affected areas and communities, and that the near siege-like situation must end.
“There is the potential for increased confrontations and further deterioration unless there is an immediate calm and a political way forward,” Pedersen’s office said.
“The special envoy also continues to hear from people in Daraa, including civil society representatives on the ground, who have expressed grave fears for their safety.”
He also noted an escalation of violence in northwest Syria, and multiple water security challenges in the northeast.
Syria’s war has killed around half a million people since 2011 with a brutal crackdown on anti-government protests.
UN Syria envoy alarmed by hostilities, civilian shortages
https://arab.news/9r9we
UN Syria envoy alarmed by hostilities, civilian shortages
- Pedersen reiterated his call for an immediate end to the violence and urged all parties to protect civilians
- He stressed that immediate and unimpeded humanitarian access must be granted to all affected areas
Fragility, strength and uncertainty at cricket’s margins
- From IPL ‘mega-auction’ to the more humble sixes events, the sport continues to exist at opposite extremes
Last week’s column considered two of cricket’s extremes. At one end were teams dreaming of qualifying for upcoming World Cups. At the other end were ongoing geopolitics between India and Pakistan. Their latest standoff carries the threat that the 2025 Champions Trophy, scheduled to be hosted by Pakistan next February, will be postponed or changed in shape. Despite more saber-rattling in the last week, a resolution has not been found. A much-needed schedule of play is required by teams, broadcasters and the Pakistan Cricket Board, among others.
It is not surprising that the Board of Control for Cricket in India might have diverted its eyes from the need to find a resolution for a few days. On Nov. 24 and 25, it held its player auction for the 2025 edition of the Indian Premier League. Jeddah was selected as the venue for this glitzy affair. Much has been read into this choice of location. Some have interpreted it as evidence of an imminent surge of Saudi investment in cricket. Irrespective of location, the event is another example of cricket’s ability to generate extremes.
This year’s auction is a “mega-auction,” which occurs every three years. It allows for a reset, in that each of the 10 franchises is allowed to retain only six players, thereby giving them an opportunity to rebuild their squads. In the intervening years, teams can retain as many players as they like, before a “mini-auction.” In this year’s mega-auction, a final number of 577 registered players were put forward for auction, 367 Indians and 210 overseas.
As reported elsewhere in Arab News, the auction opened with two sets of six marquee players. They receive special focus based on their abilities, past performances and stature. It was not long before records were broken. Each year seems to produce a new most expensive player. Last year it was Mitchell Starc, who was sold for $2.9 million. This year it is India’s wicketkeeper-batter, Rishabh Pant, who was bought by Lucknow Super Giants for $3.19 million. An aggregate $757 million was spent.
It is not just a matter of buying top players. Purchases are designed to optimize the dynamics of team strategy, leadership potential, skills balance and the development of young, mainly Indian, talent. This year’s extreme example was the purchase of 13-year-old Vaibhav Suryavanshi for $0.1 million.
Far away from this extravaganza lies another world of cricket, existing at the very margins. Regular readers will recall my annual trip in April to the Chiang Mai International Sixes. Those who organize this tournament also hold another one in November, called the Gymkhana Sixes, which is based largely on local Thais and expatriates. Previously, between 2008 and 2016, a tournament had been held in Bangkok, Then, it was titled the Thailand International Sixes and played at Harrow International School.
One of its leading lights was Mike Maher, an inveterate cricket sixes organizer via his Asian Cricket Sixes Tour. After 2016, the Harrow facility was no longer available and an alternative venue proved to be unsuitable. A move to Chiang Mai was agreed and The Siam International Sevens was created in 2018, held at the Gymkhana Club. This was facilitated by conducive linkages between Maher and the organizers of the Chiang Mai Sixes.
In 2019 the tournament became the Gymkhana Sixes, organized locally, as a one-off. During the COVID-19 restrictions on international travel between 2020 and 2022, the Gymkhana Sixes proved to be a popular opportunity for domestic tournament cricket. It continued in 2023 and was set up for 2024.
However, a few weeks before the Gymkhana Sixes was due to open, the adjacent River Ping burst its banks and flooded the golf course in which the cricket ground sits. The deposited mud was cleared away by a combination of golf caddies and local volunteers. Shortly after this restorative work, the Ping flooded again, to far more devastating effect. Flood waters over a meter deep covered the area, depositing 20 cm of mud and silt.
The waters swept all before them in a diagonal path from one end of the course to the other. One victim of the waters was an electronic scoreboard which, somewhat fortuitously, was discovered by a local resident in her garden some 3 km away. Overall, the ground was rendered unusable. Once it had dried, clearing by hand began, but realization of a mammoth task led to the deployment of machinery.
An immediate impact of the floods was on the 2024 Gymkhana Sixes. They were moved to Royal Chiang Mai Golf club some 30 km north of the city and held on Nov. 23, involving six teams. Although the setting is beautiful, the site is too far out of town to host the International Sixes event in April. The cost of restoring cricket to the Gymkhana Club is estimated to be about $32,000. A crowd funding and general appeal has been initiated. One rich irony is that turf-laying requires water. This will be in short supply in coming months up to the Sixes in April. Restoration of an area devastated by unexpected flood water now requires water as a salving balm.
All of this is in stark contrast to the event in Jeddah. Yet, there are linkages. Cricket’s ecosystem is fragile. Its playing surfaces are nurtured by climate. Grounds of a sufficient quality are required to sustain cricket from amateur to international levels. Sometimes the grounds curated by amateur teams are required for international tournaments. This has been the case with the Gymkhana ground in Chiang Mai. It may be a surprise to learn that junior and senior Saudi Arabian men’s teams played there in International and Asia Cricket Council World Cup qualifying tournaments in 2017 and 2019.
Although there may have been an interdependency in recent times, this is unlikely to be replicated in future. Instead, a gap is emerging. The Gymkhana Club will go to its loyal base to support its restoration work. Saudi cricket is aspirational, which will have been boosted by its association with the IPL auction and BCCI leaders. It remains to be seen how these will unfold in cricket’s global landscape. At an opposite extreme, the plight of the Gymkhana Club will go largely unnoticed. It will be a shame if grassroots cricket of this sort is subsumed by mightier concerns.
Pakistan welcomes ceasefire announcement between Israel and Lebanon’s Hezbollah
- Israel approved ceasefire agreement with Hezbollah on Tuesday after nearly 14 months of fighting
- Pakistan’s premier hopes ceasefire leads to permanent cessation of hostilities between two sides
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday welcomed the ceasefire announcement between Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah group, hoping it would culminate in a permanent cessation of hostilities between the two sides.
Israel approved a ceasefire agreement with Lebanon’s Hezbollah group on Tuesday that halts nearly 14 months of fighting linked to the war in Gaza.
The ceasefire, which came into effect on Wednesday, marked the first major step toward ending the regionwide unrest triggered after Hamas’ attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. However, it does not address the devastating war in Gaza, where Hamas is still holding dozens of Israeli hostages and the conflict is more intractable.
“We welcome the announcement of ceasefire between Israel and Lebanese group Hezbollah,” Sharif wrote on social media platform X.
“And hope that the announcement leads to a permanent cessation of hostilities in Lebanon.”
Sharif wished peace and security for the people of Lebanon.
Since the beginning of Israel’s war on Gaza, Pakistan has repeatedly raised the issue at the United Nations, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and other multilateral platforms and demanded international powers and bodies stop Israeli military actions in Gaza.
Since October last year, Pakistan has dispatched 21 consignments of relief items such as food and blankets for the war-affected people of Gaza, Lebanon and Syria.
Islamabad does not have diplomatic relations with Israel and has consistently accused it of committing genocide in Gaza. Pakistan calls for an independent Palestinian state with Al-Quds Al Sharif as its capital.
UK signs deals with Iraq aimed at curbing irregular immigration
- “Organized criminals operate across borders, so law enforcement needs to operate across borders too,” Cooper said
- Pacts include a joint UK-Iraq “statement on border security” committing both countries to work more closely in tackling people smuggling and border security
LONDON: The UK government said Thursday it had struck a “world-first security agreement” and other cooperation deals with Iraq to target people-smuggling gangs and strengthen its border security.
Interior minister Yvette Cooper said the pacts sent “a clear signal to the criminal smuggling gangs that we are determined to work across the globe to go after them.”
They follow a visit this week by Cooper to Iraq and its autonomous Kurdistan region, when she met federal and regional government officials.
“Organized criminals operate across borders, so law enforcement needs to operate across borders too,” she said in a statement.
Cooper noted people-smuggling gangs’ operations “stretch back through Northern France, Germany, across Europe, to the Kurdistan Region of Iraq and beyond.”
“The increasingly global nature of organized immigration crime means that even countries that are thousands of miles apart must work more closely together,” she added.
The pacts include a joint UK-Iraq “statement on border security” committing both countries to work more closely in tackling people smuggling and border security.
The two countries signed another statement on migration to speed up the returns of people who have no right to be in the UK and help reintegration programs to support returnees.
As part of the agreements, London will also provide up to £300,000 ($380,000) for Iraqi law enforcement training in border security.
It will be focused on countering organized immigration crime and narcotics, and increasing the capacity and capability of Iraq’s border enforcement.
The UK has pledged another £200,000 to support projects in the Kurdistan region, “which will enhance capabilities concerning irregular migration and border security, including a new taskforce.”
Other measures within the agreements include a communications campaign “to counter the misinformation and myths that people-smugglers post online.”
Cooper’s interior ministry said collectively they were “the biggest operational package to tackle serious organized crime and people smuggling between the two countries ever.”
Lulu opens hypermarket in Al-Fakhriyah, Dammam; new stores coming up in Makkah, Madinah
As part of its continuous expansion strategy in Saudi Arabia, Lulu Retail has opened its 57th store at Al Fakhriyah, Qutb Al-Din Al-Shafie Street, Dammam.
The hypermarket offers a modern and convenient shopping experience, featuring a curated selection of high-quality products, while staying true to the brand’s signature commitment to affordability and excellence.
The new Store was inaugurated by the chief guest, Eng. Fayez Bin Ali Al-Asmari, head of West Dammam Municipality, in the presence of dignitaries, including Shehim Muhammed, director of Lulu Saudi Hypermarkets; Moiz Nuruddin, regional director for Eastern Province; Eng. Mohammed Bu Bshait, executive manager of the Eastern Province; Zaid Alsubaie, administration manager of Eastern Province; along with other senior officials from the company and the local community.
The new store, spread over 20000 square feet, features all the favorite shopping amenities that have made Lulu the fastest-growing retail chain across the Kingdom.
It provides ample parking space with a capacity for 181 vehicles. This ensures convenience for both local customers and travelers visiting the store.
The hypermarket is designed to efficiently meet the diverse needs of the community, offering everything from fresh groceries to household products.
Strategically located to serve both the local community and travelers passing through the bustling Bu-Hadriyah Road, Al-Fakhriyah store provides an ideal destination for those on the go.
Whether residents are seeking their everyday grocery needs or travelers are in search of a quick, reliable shopping experience, the new hypermarket is designed to meet diverse customer demands efficiently.
Designed with the local community in mind, Al-Fakhriyah store is compact yet fully equipped, offering a wide range of products across multiple categories.
Shoppers can find everything from groceries, fresh produce, and bakery items to meat, seafood, health and beauty products, small appliances, mobile phones and accessories, and home furnishings.
At the inauguration, Shehim Muhammed highlighted the importance of the new store in fulfilling the company’s vision of providing exceptional quality and value to customers across the Kingdom.
The director said: "The opening of Lulu Store in Al-Fakhriyah marks another significant milestone in our ongoing commitment to offering the best quality products at competitive prices. This store reaffirms our dedication to addressing the diverse needs of the local community and ensuring an enhanced shopping experience for our valued customers."
Al-Fakhriyah store also features convenient accessibility, making it the perfect stop for travelers on the busy Bu-Hadriyah Road, ensuring that customers, whether residents or passersby, are well-served.
Lulu continues to focus on expanding its presence in key locations across the Kingdom, further solidifying its position as a leader in the retail industry while meeting the growing demands of Saudi Arabia’s retail market.
The company is on track to open 100 stores in the Kingdom within the next three years.
Additionally, four new Lulu stores are set to open in the holy cities of Makkah and Madinah within the next two months.
Recently, Lulu began trading on ADX on November 14, following its record-breaking IPO.
The most significant aspect was the heavy pull-in of first-time investors, all of whom made up more than 82,000 retail investors, one of the highest recorded for a UAE IPO.
The stock offering raised $1.72 billion, with aggregate demand reaching $37 billion, resulting in an oversubscription of 25 times.
Cornerstone investors included leading sovereign and institutional investors from across the GCC.
Founded in 1974, Lulu Retail is the largest pan-GCC full-line retailer by selling space, sales, and number of stores, with a 50-year legacy as a homegrown brand.
Lulu operates more than 240 hypermarket, express, and mini-market stores across the six GCC countries, spanning over 1.3 million sq. m of total retail space.
It also maintains a growing e-commerce presence through its app, webstore, and partner channels.
To serve more than 600,000 shoppers from 130 nationalities every day, it sources products from 85 countries, supported by an on-the-ground sourcing presence in 19 countries.
The organization's strong brand recognition and trust among consumers in the GCC continue to drive the growth of its existing stores, expand its store network, and elevate loyalty across its customer base.
Some Lebanon hospitals look set to restart quickly after ceasefire, WHO says
- “Probably some of our hospitals will take some time,” Abdinasir Abubakar, WHO representative in Lebanon said
GENEVA: A World Health Organization official voiced optimism on Thursday that some of the health facilities in Lebanon shuttered during more than a year of conflict would soon be operational again, if the ceasefire holds.
“Probably some of our hospitals will take some time, but some hospitals probably will be able to restart very quickly,” Abdinasir Abubakar, WHO representative in Lebanon, told an online press conference after a damage assessment this week.
“So we are very hopeful,” he added, saying four hospitals in and around Beirut were among those that could restart quickly.
