Latest news with #KindaMakieh
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Drought-hit Syrian farmers hope sanctions reprieve will restore agriculture
By Kinda Makieh, Mahmoud Hassano and Firas Makdesi ALEPPO (Reuters) -Severe drought in Syria this year could lead to the failure of an estimated 75% of local wheat crops, according to the United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organisation, threatening the food security of millions of people. Toni Ettel, the FAO's representative in Syria, told Reuters the agency anticipated a "food shortage of 2.7 million tonnes of wheat for this year, which is sufficient to feed 16.3 million people over one year." Under former President Bashar al-Assad, Damascus depended on wheat imports from Russia to support a bread subsidy programme during past droughts. Wheat farmers like Asaad Ezzeldin, 45, have seen their crops fail due to the drought. It has further strained Syria's beleaguered agricultural sector that suffered from fighting and heavy bombardment during 13 years of civil war. "Agriculture in Aleppo's northern countryside has been hit because of the lack of irrigation. There is no rainfall," he said. Moscow, a staunch ally of Assad, suspended wheat supplies to Syria soon after Islamist rebels toppled him, citing uncertainties about the country's new authorities. In a surprise announcement last week, U.S. President Donald Trump said he would order the lifting of all sanctions on Syria. Washington is likely to begin providing some sanctions relief in the coming weeks. The flow of funds could revive the agriculture sector, providing much-needed technologies for irrigation and infrastructure renewal, Ettel said. Unable to buy wheat and fuel, Syria's new government had lobbied for a lifting of the sanctions that for years isolated the Syrian economy and made it dependent on Russia and Iran. Syria's agriculture ministry did not reply to a request for comment. European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said on Tuesday she hoped ministers would reach an agreement on lifting EU economic sanctions on Syria. The EU has already eased sanctions related to energy, transport and reconstruction, and associated financial transactions, but some argued this was not enough to support its political transition and economic recovery.
Yahoo
06-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Damascus nightclub raid fuels fears despite official condemnation
By Kinda Makieh and Firas Makdesi DAMASCUS (Reuters) - A violent armed raid on a Damascus nightclub last week has fuelled fears of a threat to nightlife in the Syrian capital, despite condemnation by the Islamist-led authorities. The new rulers have pledged to rule inclusively for all Syria's diverse religious and ethnic groups, but the challenges are becoming more evident, most especially since the killing in March of hundreds of members of the Alawite Muslim sect. The Interior Ministry said it had arrested "military elements" involved in the assault, partially captured on security camera footage, which shows people being hit with rifle butts outside the club. It was pursuing others. Under Bashar al-Assad's rule, numerous bars operated in Damascus, though few were officially licensed to sell alcohol, their owners paying bribes to do so. Since he was toppled as president last December by Islamist insurgents, many bars have continued operating. But owners have told Reuters they have struggled to secure permission to import alcohol, and some have stopped serving it. The owner of another Damascus venue, who declined to be identified for security reasons, said last week's incident, and an unexplained one in which a woman was killed at another club at the weekend, had led other bars to close. "We are certainly afraid to open," he said. The security camera footage shows around two dozen armed men walking down an alley towards the club, Layali al-Sharq. People are then seen running away as armed men stand in the alley striking them. A woman in a red dress is shoved violently into a parked motorcycle. Reuters was able to confirm the location of the footage from the signage, floor and shops, which matched archive images. Although Islam forbids the consumption of alcohol, as an intoxicant, the new Islamist-led authorities have not issued any laws or orders pertaining to it. Nevertheless, a temporary constitution approved in March upgraded the role of Islamic law in shaping legislation. Asked in a BBC interview in December about his view on alcohol, interim president Ahmed al-Sharaa said there were many issues he did not have the right to talk about because they were of a legal nature. Bashar Mekki, the bar's lawyer, said government officials had urged it to reopen. He said it would do so once damage was repaired, noting that it has an official licence. In written answers to Reuters' questions, he thanked government officials for "sparing no effort" to resolve the incident, which he said occurred on April 29, and to recover stolen property. The Interior Ministry said that "any transgression or assault against citizens or public facilities will be met with strict legal measures". (Additional reporting by Aaron McNicholas in London; Writing by Tom Perry; Editing by Kevin Liffey)
Yahoo
04-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Syrian forces launch sweep as Assad loyalists accused of attacks
By Kinda Makieh and Suleiman Al-Khalidi DAMASCUS/AMMAN (Reuters) - Syrian authorities launched a security sweep in the city of Latakia on Tuesday, residents said, after two members of their forces were killed in an attack blamed by state media on remnants of Bashar al-Assad's ousted government. Bursts of gunfire were heard through the night as government security forces deployed in the Datour district of Latakia, part of the coastal region where Assad had drawn support from the Alawite community to which his family belongs. See for yourself — The Yodel is the go-to source for daily news, entertainment and feel-good stories. By signing up, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy. The coastal region has emerged as one of the main security challenges for interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa's new administration, which has deployed many of its forces into the area since Assad was deposed in December. A senior security official in the area told Reuters there had been an increase in hit-and-run attacks on security patrols and checkpoints in several towns in Latakia province over the last two weeks, blamed on former army personnel in hiding. The Syrian state news agency SANA, citing a security source, reported that the two members of the defence ministry had been killed in al-Datour by "groups of Assad militia remnants", and that security forces had mounted a campaign to arrest them. One Datour resident told Reuters there had been heavy gunfire in the early hours and that security forces in numerous of vehicles had surrounded the neighbourhood, before the situation calmed down in the morning. The senior security source blamed attacks in the Latakia region on a proliferation of arms in the hands of former security and army personnel who had refused to enter into reconciliation agreements with the new authorities. The source said that Alawite elders have in some cases cooperated with security forces to hand over former personnel suspected of committing crimes during the Assad era, keen to stave off crack downs and potential civil unrest. Last week, a police station was attacked during confrontations in Assad's ancestral town of Qardaha, located in the mountains some 25 km (16 miles) to the east of Latakia. Qardaha residents and activists said that the incident began when members of security forces tried to enter a house without permission, sparking opposition from residents. One person was killed by gunfire, with locals accusing the security forces of the shooting, two residents and Alawite activists said. A statement issued at the time by the Latakia security chief made no mention of the shooting. It accused groups whom it said opposed the imposition of security of trying to prevent security forces from setting up a check point and attacking the police station. Community sheikhs and notables from Qardaha issued a videoed statement after the incident accusing "strangers" of trying to "exploit gaps between the people of Qardaha and the authorities with the aim of disrupting" security. They declared support for any step taken by the authorities with their agreement to preserve security and lives. (Additional reporting by Timour Azhari, Khalil Ashawi, Firas Makdesi and Tom Perry; Writing by Tom Perry, Editing by Angus MacSwan)
