English LCCC Newsbulletin For Lebanese, Lebanese Related, Global News & Editorials
For November 11/2020
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani

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Bible Quotations For today
Jesus is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance
Letter to the Hebrews 09/15-23: “For this reason he is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance, because a death has occurred that redeems them from the transgressions under the first covenant. Where a will is involved, the death of the one who made it must be established. For a will takes effect only at death, since it is not in force as long as the one who made it is alive. Hence not even the first covenant was inaugurated without blood. For when every commandment had been told to all the people by Moses in accordance with the law, he took the blood of calves and goats, with water and scarlet wool and hyssop, and sprinkled both the scroll itself and all the people, saying, ‘This is the blood of the covenant that God has ordained for you.’And in the same way he sprinkled with the blood both the tent and all the vessels used in worship. Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins. Thus it was necessary for the sketches of the heavenly things to be purified with these rites, but the heavenly things themselves need better sacrifices than these.

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on November 10-11/2020

Pompeo Says Sanctions on Bassil 'Proper' and 'Will Deliver Good Outcome'
Lebanon Returns to Full Lockdown amid Opposition by Economic Associations
Aoun Urges Lebanese to Help Curb Virus Spread through Abidance
Israel Says Hizbullah Drone Downed in Israeli Airspace
Lebanon Imposes Another Lockdown over Virus Surge
Hariri Prosecutors Seek Life Term for Hizbullah Member
"Battah" the dog who used to fight the Tiger/Colonel Charbel Barakat/November 10/2020

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on November 10-11/2020

Armenia, Azerbaijan Agree to Nagorno-Karabakh Peace Deal
Vaccine 'Milestone' Hailed as Global Covid Cases Soar
KAUST Experts Reveal the Most Accurate Image of COVID-19
Turkey Pulls Out From Another Base in Northwestern Syria
EU Snubs Russia-Backed Conference on Syria Refugee Returns
Tel Aviv Requests Official Approval from Khartoum to Fly over Sudanese Airspace
Israeli Army Looks Forward to Biden’s Support to Resume Coordination with PA
Shtayyeh Says Israel Must Choose Between Two-State Solution, Demographic Meltdown
PLO's Saeb Erekat Dies after Contracting COVID-19
With Biden, Erdogan’s smooth ride in Washington is likely over
Reputation spurs Riyadh to consider pardoning women activists
Muslim Brotherhood terrorist group, does not reflect Islamic values: Saudi scholars
Popularity of extremist groups, such as Daesh, Muslim Brotherhood to decline: Arab News poll
EU Snubs Russia-Backed Event on Returning Refugees to Syria
Biden Says Trump Refusal to Concede 'an Embarrassment', Tells World 'America is Back'

Titles For The Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on November 10-11/2020

Iran: Mullahs Celebrate What They Hope Will Be the Return To Their Nuclear Bomb/Gatestone Institute/Dr.Majid Rafizadeh/November 10/ 2020
Pfizer Vaccine Data Offers Real Pandemic Optimism/Max Nisen/Bloomberg/November,10/2020
French Billionaire Could Get a Half-Win on Shopping Malls/Lionel Laurent/Bloomberg/November,10/2020
Dr. Lorenzo Vidino: Europe warned of Muslim Brotherhood’s ‘divisive,’ ‘dangerous’ influence/Arab News/Arab News/November 10/2020

The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on November 10-11/2020

Pompeo Says Sanctions on Bassil 'Proper' and 'Will Deliver Good Outcome'
Naharnet/Tuesday, 10 November, 2020
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Tuesday described the latest anti-corruption U.S. sanctions on Free Patriotic Movement chief Jebran Bassil as “right and proper and will deliver a good outcome” for the Lebanese people. Noting that Bassil is “deeply connected to a foreign terrorist organization, Hizbullah,” Pompeo said that the Lebanese people “clearly want their corrupt political class, so much of it beholden to Hizbullah, to stop ruining their country.”“Our action shows that the American people stand with the Lebanese people as they call for their political leaders to turn to a new direction marked by reforms, transparency and honest governance,” the top U.S. diplomat added. And noting that the Lebanese want freedom, prosperity and jobs, Pompeo said sanctions are “appropriate and useful towards getting us closer to that one day.”

Lebanon Returns to Full Lockdown amid Opposition by Economic Associations
Beirut - Asharq Al-Awsat/Tuesday, 10 November, 2020
Lebanon’s caretaker Prime Minister Hassan Diab announced on Tuesday a new total lockdown, as of Saturday, to limit the spread of Covid-19. His announcement followed a meeting of the Higher Defense Council, which was chaired by President Michel Aoun at the Baabda Palace. “The whole country is in a critical situation. We cannot continue implementing the local closure plan. It did not achieve the required goal,” Diab told journalists. “I know very well the extent of the economic damage caused by the closure, and I clearly hear the voices of economists and traders calling against the lockdown decision and its implications for their businesses,” he said, adding: “We no longer have other options to turn to. Therefore, today we have taken a decision to impose a full lockdown, from Saturday Nov. 14 until Sunday, Nov. 29.” Speaking at the beginning of the meeting, Aoun said that new measures were necessary to contain the outbreak and allow health institutions to perform their duties. On Monday, the head of the Doctors’ Syndicate, Sharaf Abu Sharaf, said that there were currently 17 doctors in intensive care, while three others died, and a hundred were isolating at home.
“If the numbers continue to rise, there will be no remaining staff to treat those infected,” he warned. Abu Sharaf stressed that hospitals were saturated, adding that everyone “should cooperate to overcome this stage with the least possible damage.” The lockdown decision was met with wide objections from economic bodies. The Lebanese Industrialists Association stressed its refusal to include factories within the new decision. “Industrialists have tough obligations in terms of goods’ deliveries, especially to closed countries, and any breach of these obligations would entail judicial and penal disputes with foreign markets,” the association said in a statement on Monday. The head of the General Labor Union, Beshara Al-Asmar, noted that the repercussions of a general lockdown would be disastrous for workers and economic bodies in the country. He called for “consultations between the concerned authorities to secure alternatives in light of the collapse of purchasing power.”
 

Aoun Urges Lebanese to Help Curb Virus Spread through Abidance

Asharq Al-Awsat/Tuesday, 10 November, 2020
President Michel Aoun urged the Lebanese on Tuesday to abide by the upcoming lockdown directions to curb the spread of coronavirus cases in Lebanon. “In order to contain the spread of the virus, Lebanese citizens must abide by the measures that will be taken, abide by the prevention methods, and cooperate with the competent authorities because the situation has become very dangerous,” said Aoun during the Higher Defense Council meeting at Baabda Palace. Aoun said a decision to lockdown the country for two weeks starting Saturday “is going to be at the national level, taking into account some sectors, factories and hospitals to be able to carry out the responsibilities entrusted to them.”The Higher Defense Council met under Aoun at Baabda, to tackle the latest developments in Lebanon in light of an uncontrollable spread of coronavirus cases. Amid a sharp increase in coronavirus cases in Lebanon, the country is weighing a total 15-day nationwide lockdown starting Saturday in an effort to stem the surge in coronavirus cases. The country of six million people has recorded 95,355 cases of Covid-19 including 732 deaths since February. Around a third of the population are Syrian or Palestinian refugees, many living in overcrowded camps. A first country-wide lockdown imposed in March was effective in stemming the spread of the virus, and restrictions were gradually lifted as summer beckoned people outdoors.

Israel Says Hizbullah Drone Downed in Israeli Airspace
Associated Press/November 10/ 2020
The Israeli military on Tuesday said it shot down a drone belonging to Hizbullah that entered Israeli airspace from Lebanon. In a brief statement, the military said it had monitored the aircraft throughout the incident and there was no danger to Israeli communities or forces. It said the army remained on "elevated readiness and will not tolerate any violation of Israeli sovereignty," raising the possibility of an Israeli reprisal. Israel and Hizbullah are bitter enemies that fought a monthlong war in 2006. A U.N.-brokered cease-fire has largely kept things quiet since then, but the sides have had several small clashes, most recently last summer. There was no immediate comment from Hizbullah or the Lebanese government.

Lebanon Imposes Another Lockdown over Virus Surge
Agence France Presse/November 10/ 2020
Caretaker Prime Minister Hassan Diab Tuesday announced a fresh two-week lockdown to stem the spread of coronavirus despite a grinding economic crisis that has already battered businesses. "We've reached a stage of critical danger as private and public hospitals don't have the capacity to receive severe cases," Diab said in a televised address. He said the lockdown, with limited exemptions, would go into force from Saturday until November 30. The outgoing premier, who stepped down in the wake of a devastating August 4 explosion at Beirut's port, said some industries will be excluded from restrictions. The health sector and other vital industries would also be allowed to operate, he said, without providing details. The airport too will remain open, Lebanese media cited the Higher Defence Council as saying. Lebanon, a country of six million people has recorded more than 95,000 Covid-19 cases, including 732 deaths since February. The number of new cases soared last week with the daily virus tally hitting unprecedented highs several days in a row. A first country-wide lockdown imposed in March was effective in stemming the spread of the virus, and restrictions were gradually lifted as summer beckoned people outdoors. But Diab on Tuesday said the blast at Beirut's port had led Lebanon to "lose control" over its Covid-19 outbreak. The explosion killed more than 200 people, wounded at least 6,500 others and overwhelmed hospitals in Beirut. The World Health Organization said at the end of October that 88 percent of Lebanon's 306 intensive care beds were occupied. But with poverty having risen to more than half the population amid Lebanon's worst economic downturn since the 1975-1990 civil war, many are fearful of the country grinding to a halt for a second time this year. Human Rights Watch has warned that any stay-at-home order should be accompanied by food and cash aid. "If Lebanon wants to avert a humanitarian disaster, it should ensure people can comply with public health measures without worrying about their next meal," the New York-based rights group said.

Hariri Prosecutors Seek Life Term for Hizbullah Member
Agence France Presse/November 10/ 2020
The Hizbullah member convicted of the 2005 assassination of former Lebanese premier Rafik Hariri should receive a life sentence, even though he remains at large, prosecutors said Tuesday. Salim Ayyash was found guilty in absentia of murder by a UN-backed Special Tribunal for Lebanon in the Netherlands on August 18, but three other alleged members of the Shiite movement were acquitted. Hizbullah chief Hassan Nasrallah has refused to hand over the defendants in the trial over the suicide bombing that killed the Sunni billionaire politician and 21 other people.  Judges were on Tuesday hearing evidence from the prosecution, victims and the defence about what sentence 56-year-old Ayyash should receive. The sentencing itself will happen at a later date. "The severest penalty available to the tribunal for the offences is life imprisonment, and in the submission of the prosecution that is the only just and proportionate sentence," prosecutor Nigel Provoas told the court. "Why life imprisonment? These were offences of extreme gravity, it's hard to imagine offences of this type more serious than this. This is considered to be the most serious terrorist attack that has occurred on Lebanese soil."Prosecutors are also arguing for a seizure of Ayyash's assets. In their long-awaited ruling in August, judges said there was sufficient evidence to show that Ayyash was at the centre of a network of mobile phone users who scoped out Hariri's movements for months before his assassination. But there was not enough evidence to convict Ayyash's co-defendants Assad Sabra, Hussein Oneissi and Hassan Habib Merhi, they said. The judges added that there was no proof to tie Hizbullah's leadership or its allies in Damascus to the attack.

"Battah" the dog who used to fight the Tiger
Colonel Charbel Barakat/November 10/2020
Boutros al-Bahri was the father of Abu Nasri Jerius al-Bahri, one of the owners of large herds of goats in Ain Ebel. He may have inherited this profession from his father, Yusef al-Bahri. Yusef was the son of Boutros son of Nassif son of Makhoul son of Khalil son of Jerius Diab, the original Diab’s grandfather who settled in Ain Ebel. Like his father, Boutros, tended his flocks in Ain Ebel during summer and in the winter in Al-Salhani, sometimes they descended closer to the sea towards Umm Afay or Umm Al-Omod and even Naqoura. But these areas were not always easy because of the competition by the herdsmen of the region for the easy, warm, but sometimes dangerous pastures. In those valleys there were still predators of the feline species, which is to some extent similar to the tiger. One of the shepherds told me in the seventies of the last century, during the war, that he encountered one of them in that area between Umm Afay, down towards Umm al-Omod. Umm Afay is located north of Labouneh south of Teir Harfa and east of Alma.
Grandfather Yusef was called al-Bahri (the sea man) because he used as a mashta (winter pasture) of his flocks the Naqoura region near the sea. He even explained to the villagers that the big bang noises heard as far as Ain Ebel during the harsh stormy winter days were the sounds of the big waves hitting the caves of Naqoura. The shepherds called him al-Bahri because he kept moving his flocks in the winter to those areas closer to the sea, which were warm but dangerous, and far from the town.
Abu Nasri was one of those who liked to smoothly tell stories and tales, a feature sometimes possessed by those who accompany nature, ponder its details, and seek to tell the tales with all the accuracy that attracts the listener. Among the stories of Abu Nasri is that his father owned a strong dog that was raised among the herd and was not afraid of any animal trying to approach his owner's herd. This was what gave Boutros to distinguish from other shepherds by approaching his flocks to dangerous places that constitute important pastures not touched by other shepherds. Boutros made a gasket of iron for his dog with hard metal thorns around his neck, especially at night, in order to protect him from the vicious beasts that were roaming those uninhabited areas and sometimes stealing a goat’s kid to eat. Shepherds feared these monsters, and of course, they were afraid to approach the areas in which they lived. Boutros had always taken care that his dog named "Battah" put on that collar before entering the cave in which he stayed at night and believed that "Battah" was able to protect the herd. Of course, all the animals that were trying to attack his herd were running away after meeting "Battah", who was not afraid of confrontation. The weak point of these animals in their fight is the neck, because when they fight, they bite with their teeth the neck of their opponent and kill him. That’s why “Battah”, with the collar protecting his neck, none of these animals feared him even the “tiger”, as they used to call this animal that lives among the oak trees in those areas between Al-Salhani and other densely wooded areas to the west.
One day, Boutros had entered the cave to sleep, believing that one of his children had taken care of “Battah” and put his collar. That day they were camping in the caves of al-Salhani under the great rocky wall between the Tannour and Ain al-Tineh, and in the middle of the night, Boutros thought that the "tiger" had roamed the area a few days ago. “Battah” did not calm down during those nights. He was running sometimes and barked whenever anything approached the herd. Boutros heard “Battah” attacking as usual and the voice of fighting taking place outside. He came out of the cave to rescue his dog, thinking that monsters would not be able to reach him. But as soon as he got out of the cave with his stick shouting loudly to scare the attacking animal, the sounds of battle stopped and the sound of that monster was heard running away. He did not hear the barking of "Battah". He approached the scene of the battle to hear his dog's groaning as he breathed his last. "Battah" did not wear the collar, and the "Tiger" managed to kill him.
N.B: The name Battah means in a way the fighter

The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on November 10-11/2020

Armenia, Azerbaijan Agree to Nagorno-Karabakh Peace Deal
Agence France Presse/November 10/ 2020
Armenia and Azerbaijan agreed on a deal with Russia to end weeks of fierce clashes over Nagorno-Karabakh on Tuesday, after a string of Azerbaijani victories in its fight to retake the disputed region. Hundreds of Russian peacekeepers were en route to the ethnic Armenian territory, which broke from Azerbaijan's control during a war in the 1990s, just hours after an early morning ceasefire took effect. But the agreement sparked outrage in Armenia, with angry protesters storming the government headquarters in the capital Yerevan where they ransacked offices and broke windows. Crowds also entered parliament and demanded the resignation of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, who earlier described his participation in the accord as "unspeakably painful for me personally and for our people". "I have taken this decision as a result of an in-depth analysis of the military situation," he added. Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev said Pashinyan had been left with no choice but to agree.
'A capitulation'
"An iron hand forced him to sign this document," Aliyev said in televised remarks. "This is essentially a capitulation." Russian President Vladimir Putin confirmed that both Armenia and Azerbaijan had agreed to "a total ceasefire" that would create the conditions for a long-term settlement of the conflict. He said the two sides would hold on to areas under their control and that Russian peacekeepers would deploy along frontlines and to secure a corridor connecting Nagorno-Karabakh with Armenian territory. Putin said displaced people would be allowed to return to the region and there would be exchanges of prisoners and bodies from the fighting.  Russian news agencies quoted the defence ministry as saying 1,960 peacekeepers would be deployed with 90 armoured vehicles. The ministry said several Il-76 aircraft carrying the first peacekeepers and their equipment had taken off from an airfield in Russia. Aliyev said Armenia had agreed to a timetable to withdraw its forces from large parts of Nagorno-Karabakh and that Azerbaijan's ally Turkey would be involved in implementing the ceasefire. The conflict over the territory -- which has simmered for decades despite international efforts to reach a peace deal -- erupted into fresh fighting in late September. More than 1,300 people have been confirmed killed, including dozens of civilians, but the actual death toll is believed to be significantly higher.
Strategic town seized
Azerbaijani forces made steady gains over the weeks of fighting, sweeping across the southern flank of the region and eventually into its heartland. A turning point came on Sunday when Aliyev announced that his forces had captured Shusha, the region's strategically vital second-largest town.
Shusha sits on cliffs overlooking Nagorno-Karabakh's main city Stepanakert and on the main road to Armenia, which backs the separatists. The ceasefire deal came just hours after Azerbaijan admitted to accidentally shooting down a Russian military helicopter flying in Armenia.
Moscow's defence ministry said two crew members were killed when the Mi-24 helicopter was hit close to the border with Azerbaijan.  Azerbaijan quickly apologised and blamed the incident on the "tense situation in the region and increased combat readiness" of its forces.
Mounting anger in Armenia
Russia has a military pact with Armenia and a base in the country, but had insisted it would not get involved in the conflict with Azerbaijan unless Armenian territory itself came under threat. Karabakh declared independence nearly 30 years ago but the declaration has not been recognised internationally, even by Armenia, and it remains a part of Azerbaijan under international law. Repeated attempts at ceasefires brokered by France, Russia and the United States -- who together lead the "Minsk Group" that sought for years to end the conflict -- repeatedly failed over recent weeks. Azerbaijan has been pushing for Turkey's involvement in a settlement and the new deal came after Putin spoke with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday. Anger had already been mounting in Armenia ahead of the agreement, with 17 opposition parties on Monday calling on Pashinyan and his government to immediately step down. That call echoed through the streets of Yerevan after the deal was announced in the early hours of Tuesday, as protesters shouted "Resign!" and "Traitor!" Chaotic scenes erupted inside parliament after protesters entered its inner chamber, where arguments and scuffles broke out as people tried to take to the podium and were shouted down, with some throwing bottles. Pashinyan denied rumours he had fled the country in a Facebook post on Tuesday morning. "Of course I am in Armenia and fully continue my work as prime minister," he said.

Vaccine 'Milestone' Hailed as Global Covid Cases Soar
Agence France Presse/Tuesday, 10 November, 2020
One of the teams racing to develop a coronavirus vaccine announced Monday its drug had shown 90 percent effectiveness, sending markets soaring and raising hopes of an end to the worst pandemic in a century. US pharmaceutical giant Pfizer said tests involving more than 40,000 people had provided results that were a "critical milestone" in the search for a vaccine, as global infections soared past 50 million -- including an alarming 10 million now in the United States alone. Stock markets had already jumped after Democrat Joe Biden was called as the winner of the US presidential election on the weekend. They accelerated rapidly on the vaccine news, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average up three percent at Monday's close of trade. An effective vaccine is seen as the best hope to break the cycle of deadly virus surges followed by severe restrictions across much of the world since Covid-19 first emerged in China late last year. Tens of millions of people in Europe are living under lockdowns preventing them from leaving their homes, and millions of business owners are enduring forced closures.
'Much-needed breakthrough'
Curbs on daily life have shredded the global economy but politicians have had few other tools to protect vulnerable populations. "We are a significant step closer to providing people around the world with a much-needed breakthrough to help bring an end to this global health crisis," Pfizer chairman Albert Bourla said in a statement. The drug, being developed jointly with German firm BioNTech, is one of more than 40 candidate vaccines, but no other has yet made similar claims about its effectiveness. The companies said they could pass the final hurdles for a US rollout later this month, and could supply up to 50 million doses globally this year and up to 1.3 billion next year. The scientific community reacted positively, with top US expert Anthony Fauci describing the results as "extraordinary." World Health Organization director Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus hailed the news as "encouraging" shortly after warning that the world "might be tired of Covid-19. But it is not tired of us." But others pointed out that no information had yet been disclosed about the ages of the participants in the trial. "If a vaccine is to reduce severe disease and death, and thus enable the population at large to return to their normal day-to-day lives, it will need to be effective in older and elderly members of our society," said Eleanor Riley, professor of immunology and infectious diseases at the University of Edinburgh.
- Biden task force -
Outgoing US President Donald Trump was among the first to react, writing on Twitter: "STOCK MARKET UP BIG, VACCINE COMING SOON. REPORT 90% EFFECTIVE. SUCH GREAT NEWS!" He later claimed on Twitter that news of progress on a vaccine had been delayed until after the election to damage him. The US Food and Drug Administration also reached a breakthrough Monday, granting emergency approval to a synthetic antibody treatment against Covid-19 developed by Eli Lilly. Bamlanivimab, which was shown to reduce the risk of hospitalization and emergency room visits, is the first major drug to be approved that was designed specifically against the new coronavirus. American voters handed victory to Biden in part because Trump failed to rein in the epidemic -- often refusing to back restrictive measures or even wear a mask in public and repeatedly undermining his own experts. Biden, who will not take office until January, has already announced a taskforce to tackle Covid-19, as confirmed infections soared past 10 million and American deaths neared 238,000. "We're still facing a very dark winter," he said. "The bottom line: I will spare no effort to turn this pandemic around once we're sworn in."
'Out of control'
The vaccine news will be of particular relief to people in Europe -- the current focal point of the pandemic and the region subject to the most widespread restrictions. The European Union said Monday it could soon sign a contract with Pfizer and BioNTech for 300 million doses of the new coronavirus vaccine. "European science works!" declared Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, congratulating the companies after they claimed a breakthrough. On Monday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky became the latest leader to test positive for the virus, with his office saying he felt well and would self-isolate and continue to work. Italy was edging closer to a full lockdown, with experts warning of pressure on hospitals. "There is no doubt that the situation is largely out of control," said Massimo Galli, head of the infectious diseases department at Milan's Sacco hospital. Grim news kept coming elsewhere, with Russia surpassing its record for daily infections again Monday. Hungary is now one of the hardest-hit countries in terms of deaths proportionate to its population, and the government announced new national restrictions to come into force Wednesday. Portugal meanwhile entered a state of emergency that will see curfews imposed on most of the population. In France, which has imposed nationwide stay-at-home orders and is clocking more than 40,000 cases a day, the central bank revised its expectations of the damage wrought by the curbs. "Before the second wave, we thought the recession would be a little less than nine percent, we think today that for 2020 as a whole it will be between nine and 10 percent," Banque de France chief Francois Villeroy de Galhau said.  Meanwhile, vaccine development took a hit Monday when Brazil's health regulator announced it had suspended clinical trials of a Chinese-developed Covid-19 vaccine -- one of the most advanced vaccine candidates -- after an "adverse incident" involving a volunteer recipient.

KAUST Experts Reveal the Most Accurate Image of COVID-19
Asharq Al-Awsat/Tuesday, 10 November, 2020
Scientists have released the most up-to-date illustration of the coronavirus ever made, mapping both its external appearance and internal structure. The visualization was created via a 3D model and combines the latest data on the structure of the SARS-CoV-2 virus which is causing the Covid-19 pandemic. Experts at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) in Saudi Arabia created the model and hope it can help create treatments for Covid-19. In a video the academics showcase their model which includes the protein spikes on its surface as well as the genetic material wound up inside the viral membrane. "Our 3D model demonstrates the current state-of-the-art structure of SARS-CoV-2 at the atomistic level and reveals details of the virus that were previously impossible to see, like how we think nucleocapsid proteins form a rope-like structure inside it," said KAUST research scientist Ondřej Strnad. "The approach we used to develop the model could steer biological research into new, promising directions for fighting the spread of COVID-19."To create the model the researchers took high-resolution images of the viral surface from scanning electron microscopes. These reveal the specific appearance of the viral surface, showing the proteins and receptors protruding from its surface. Included in these is the viral spike protein which binds to the ACE2 receptor of some human cells. This spike tricks the receptor into opening up a pathway into the cell, allowing the coronavirus to bypass defenses and infect a person.

Turkey Pulls Out From Another Base in Northwestern Syria
Asharq Al-Awsat/Tuesday, 10 November, 2020
Turkish troops in northwestern Syria have pulled out of a second military base in the area that had been surrounded by Syrian government forces, media activists said Tuesday. The pullout from the observation post in Sher Mogher in northern Hama region comes nearly a month after the evacuation of Turkey's largest military base in the area that was once held by the Syrian opposition. The area was overran by Syrian government troops late last year during a military offensive that also displaced nearly a million people, The Associated Press reported. A Turkish official, speaking on condition of anonymity in line with government regulations, said the evacuation was not a “withdrawal but a redeployment in line with necessities on the ground." Turkish troops also withdrew from a military post near M5, a highway that runs through the northwest. Opposition media platforms, including Step News Agency, reported that Turkish troops also began evacuating a third post in rural Aleppo, which had been breached by advancing Syrian government troops. The Turkish troops were filmed arriving in areas in northern Idlib. A cease-fire deal between Russia and Turkey had established the Turkish observation posts to monitor the truce. Turkey backs the Syrian opposition while Russia is the Syrian government's main military and diplomatic ally. But the truce has been violated by repeated military operations and attacks. According to AP, it was not immediately clear whether the Turkish pullout was part of a deal to reposition Turkish observation posts inside the opposition-held enclave — or was aimed at reducing Turkey’s military presence in the area.

EU Snubs Russia-Backed Conference on Syria Refugee Returns
Asharq Al-Awsat/Tuesday, 10 November, 2020
The European Union on Tuesday announced that it will not take part in an international conference this week on the return of refugees to Syria, insisting that the first priority should be to make it safe for people to go back to the conflict-ravaged country.
The two-day conference, organized by Russia and set to begin on Wednesday, has been criticized by UN and US officials. President Vladimir Putin said Monday that large parts of Syria are relatively peaceful and that it’s time for the millions who fled to go home and help rebuild. But EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said the conference is premature. “The EU and its member states will not attend this conference,” he said in a statement. He said the 27-nation bloc believes “that the priority at present is real action to create conditions for safe, voluntary, dignified and sustainable return of refugees and internally displaced persons to their areas of origin.” Syria’s nine-year conflict has killed about half a million people, wounded more than a million and forced about 5.6 million to flee abroad as refugees, mostly to neighboring countries. Another 6 million of Syria’s pre-war population of 23 million are internally displaced.
A UN-facilitated political process has been stuck for months, and many Western countries blame Damascus for blocking progress. Many Syrians and Western countries see current conditions in Syria as not ripe for the mass return of refugees. Borrell agreed, saying that no one should be forced to go back. “Conditions inside Syria at present do not lend themselves to the promotion of large-scale voluntary return, in conditions of safety and dignity in line with international law.”He said many obstacles still hinder any safe returns, “in particular forced conscription, indiscriminate detention, forced disappearances, torture, physical and sexual violence, discrimination in access to housing, land and property as well as poor or inexistent basic services.”

Tel Aviv Requests Official Approval from Khartoum to Fly over Sudanese Airspace
Khartoum - Mohammed Amin Yassin/Asharq Al-Awsat/Tuesday, 10 November, 2020
Israel has officially requested that the Sudanese government allow its flights to pass through the African country’s airspace after the two parties signed an initial agreement to normalize relations, said a Sudanese senior official. The official said the request is being reviewed and no final approval has been made. Media had recently reported Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as saying that Israeli commercial flights have been flying over Sudanese airspace since November 8. On Friday, Israeli media reported that two Israeli flights will pass for the first time through Sudan’s airspace to Kampala and Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia. Israel’s El Al Airlines operated its first commercial flight through Sudanese airspace on Sunday, reported Yedioth Ahronoth. The flight departed from Israel’s Ben Gurion Airport to Uganda’s Entebbe International Airport. It departed Entebbe back to Israel on the same day with 153 Ugandans who will be trained on modern agricultural methods. Commenting on the El Al flight, a Sudanese official told Asharq Al-Awsat that it may have been an exception before the official approval or rejection of the Israeli request to fly over Sudan. The request asks that Israeli commercial jets be granted permanent approval to fly over Sudan. This includes El Al and all other Israeli airlines. Sudan’s acting Foreign Minister Omar Qamar al-Din has previously stated that there was no reason to prevent Israel from using the Sudanese airspace. He said Khartoum would reap financial benefits from such a move, raising its revenues from international aviation transit fees to nearly one million dollars a day. As it stands, no Israeli plane is allowed to fly through the airspace without approval from the Foreign Ministry.

Israeli Army Looks Forward to Biden’s Support to Resume Coordination with PA
Tel Aviv – Nazir Magallay/Asharq Al-Awsat/Tuesday, 10 November, 2020
Israeli army and intelligence top officials asked the government to seek the support of the US administration of President-elect, Joe Biden, to restore security coordination with the Palestinian Authority (PA), revealed security sources. They said that top Israeli security officials want to resume the coordination with the Palestinians, in light of the damage the suspension caused to both sides. In May, President Mahmoud Abbas ended the coordination with Israel after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced his plans to annex 30 percent of the occupied West Bank.
The sources said the army and intelligence services had doubled their work since then, and that Palestinian officials and the general public were having issues with travel and transportation, which was raising public discontent.
Top Israeli security officials met to assess the situation after Biden’s election as president and its impact on security in the Middle East and Israel. They believe the relations between the PA and the new US administration would resume, which could include the restoration of security coordination between the Preventive Security Service (PPS) and US intelligence - also suspended by Abbas. They predicted that the resumption of relations would lead to restoration of US financial support to Palestine, stressing that they do not expect dramatic developments in political negotiations. However, they do expect important developments, such as Abbas allowing the collection of Palestinian tax and customs, which Israel collects and the Authority refuses to receive according to Israeli conditions. The officials believe that this will gradually contribute to stabilizing the economic and security situations.
Israel Hayom quoted a security source as saying that Israel is concerned about possible international pressure to make concessions to the Palestinians, which, if not made, could have a negative impact on its relations with Arab countries. The report addressed the Iran, noting that officials are concerned that the Biden administration might bring back the nuclear deal. However, they said that if Trump had won a second term, he would have also moved towards a deal with Tehran. Tel Aviv fears that the new administration might accept conditions similar to those included in the original agreement reached under former President Barack Obama. They stated that an agreement with Iran on its nuclear program is not necessarily a negative approach, as long as it leads to a better deal curbing its missile program and role in the region. They suggested that the government should take a positive approach towards the Biden administration in order to adopt the Israeli demands for these negotiations. In its second half, the report focused on bilateral political, military and strategic relations with Washington. It expressed Israeli confidence that the cooperation between US and Israeli security ministries, armies and intelligence services will not be affected by the change of administration in Washington. The Biden administration will continue to maintain Israel's military superiority in the Middle East, and the annual US military aid, which was approved during Obama’s term at $3.8 billion per year.

Shtayyeh Says Israel Must Choose Between Two-State Solution, Demographic Meltdown
Ramallah- Kifah Zboun/Asharq Al-Awsat/Tuesday, 10 November, 2020
Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh has said Israel shall now choose between a “two-state solution” and “demographic meltdown.” In his opening speech on Monday’s cabinet session, the Premier stressed that since 1948 the Palestinian population has exceeded Israel’s by more than 250,000 people. According to a Palestinian census only six months ago, the numbers were close but in favor of the Jews, with 49.7 percent of the Palestinian population residing in historic Palestine, while the Jews constitute 50.3 percent of the total population.
The research studies on which Shtayyeh is believed to have based his remarks on affirmed that the situation will change by late 2020 in favor of the Palestinians, who will amount to about seven million compared to 6.8 million Jews, or a little more, for both sides.
“Settlement is the enemy of peace, and the Israeli occupation government shall halt its colonial schemes and the confiscation of our lands in which it is building thousands of settlement units,” Shtayyeh stressed.
There are more than 750,000 settlers on Palestinian territory, including Jerusalem, constituting 25 percent of the West Bank population, the PM noted. On the occasion of the 32nd anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, Shtayyeh urged Europe and the rest of the world to take a step towards breaking the fait accompli, recognizing the state of Palestine, curbing settlement plans, annexation, demolishing homes, Judaizing Jerusalem, and isolating Gaza. “The world is requested to stand with the freedom of our people, end the occupation, and let Israel pay the price for its continuous aggression against Palestinians.”The PM hinted in his speech that if Israel doesn’t agree on the “two-state solution,” it shall then give in to the “one-state solution.”The solution has been earlier proposed by US and Palestinian officials and even by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, who threatened that it would be a possible option if the “two-state solution” fails. According to Palestinians, the acceptable one state is that which grants its residents complete and equal rights, which means Palestinians take control over the West Bank, Gaza Strip, and Jerusalem and be granted all the rights enjoyed by Israelis, including running for elections and voting.
 

PLO's Saeb Erekat Dies after Contracting COVID-19
Asharq Al-Awsat/Tuesday, 10 November, 2020
Saeb Erekat, a prominent Palestinian spokesman for decades, died on Tuesday after contracting COVID-19, a senior member of his Fatah party said. He was 65. Chief negotiator in US-brokered peace talks with Israel that collapsed in 2014, Erekat was also secretary-general of the Palestine Liberation Organization and a member of its most powerful faction, Fatah. He was a strong advocate of a two-state solution of the conflict with Israel and a sharp critic of its settlement policy on occupied land that he said could destroy prospects for a viable Palestine. Erekat confirmed on Oct. 8 that he had been infected with the coronavirus. In 2017 he underwent a lung transplant in the United States, which suppressed his immune system. He was rushed from his home in the West Bank city of Jericho to Hadassah Medical Center in Israel last week. Doctors placed him on a ventilator and in a medically induced coma after his condition deteriorated. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas declared a three-day mourning period for Erekat. “The departure of the brother and the friend, the great fighter Saeb Erekat, represents a big loss for Palestine and for our people,” Abbas’ office in Ramallah in the occupied West Bank said in a statement. “We feel deep sorrow for losing him, especially at such difficult times the Palestinian cause is living through.”Erekat’s family said he “transitioned peacefully” in hospital on Tuesday. “Saeb lived a life full of thought, love, forgiveness and peace and he will be dearly missed,” they said in a statement. “Saeb has shown an extraordinary patience and resilience, with the same determination that has characterized his career to achieve freedom for Palestine and a just and lasting peace in our region.
 

With Biden, Erdogan’s smooth ride in Washington is likely over
The Arab Weekly/November 10/2020
ANKARA--With US President-elect Joe Biden poised to take office in less than three months, Turkey is bracing for a less accommodating US foreign policy that is likely to challenge its expansionist agenda and poor human rights record. The shift in US administration is another blow for Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has continued to pursue an aggressive foreign policy even as his country battles a years-long economic crisis that has seen the value of the local currency plummet. During US President Donald Trump’s tenure, Turkey remained on relatively good terms with the US despite key disagreements over weapons purchases and foreign affairs. The stable ties between the two NATO allies were bolstered by a strong personal bond between Erdogan and Trump, who reportedly spoke often regarding domestic and foreign policy matters. According to a CNN report in June, Erdogan would often personally call Trump — sometimes as frequently as twice a week — in order to discuss policy issues and even lobby for concessions and favours — conversations White House analysts felt Trump was generally unprepared for.
The conversations with “Erdogan were particularly egregious in terms of Trump almost never being prepared substantively and thus leaving him susceptible to being taken advantage of in various ways,” said a CNN report in June, citing White House and intelligence sources familiar with the talks.In Biden, who has criticised Turkey’s leadership over the years on everything from their hostility to the Kurds to their manoeuvres in the Eastern Mediterranean, Erdogan can expect a more steadfast critic. “Erdogan has a reason to be anxious,” Middle East Institute analyst Gonul Tol wrote in a research note. “I don’t think the Biden administration will be as indulgent of Turkey, in Syria and elsewhere,” added Sam Heller, an independent analyst on Syria, to AFP. Turkey’s government expects Biden to bring the same issues to the fore as he did during his time as vice-president, including Ankara’s crackdown on freedom of expression, alleged connections to extremist networks and suppression of Kurdish nationalist movements, likely straining already tenuous relations with Washington. “Under a Biden administration, relations between Washington and Ankara will undoubtedly kick off with tension and apprehension on both sides,” Asli Aydintasbas of the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR) wrote.Before the election, Turkey’s government reacted harshly to an interview Biden gave with the New York Times editorial board in which he took aim at Turkish policy and warned of deteriorating ties if he took office. Turkish presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin wrote on Twitter at the time that Biden’s analysis of Turkey “was based on pure ignorance, arrogance and hypocrisy.”However, as a Biden win grew more likely in the months before the US polls, there were signs Ankara began to change tone and even reach out to the future president’s team.
“We put our relations above party politics,” Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Friday. On Tuesday, Erdogan officially congratulated Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris on their election victory, reiterating his country’s “determination to work closely with the U.S. Administration” in the coming period. “The strong cooperation and alliance” between the two countries would continue to contribute to world peace, Erdogan said. There will surely be a few immediate challenges to Turkey-US relations as soon as Biden takes power. Whether Washington imposes sanctions on Turkey for buying a high-tech Russian air defence system that the Pentagon has condemned and how it weighs in on Turkey’s dispute with Greece and Cyprus in the Eastern Mediterranean over oil-rich maritime territory will be a telling indication of how the relationship will likely play out.
More broadly, Ankara is wary that Biden will “reintroduce a democracy and human rights promotion discourse into the bilateral relationship” largely neglected under Trump, leading it to push back against Ankara’s engagement in global conflicts in places like Libya and Nagorno-Karabakh. Ultimately, “Ankara worries that Biden will try to constrain a resurgent Turkey,” Aydintasbas said, a trend that could have lasting implications on the balance of power in a tumultuous Middle East region.

Reputation spurs Riyadh to consider pardoning women activists
The Arab Weekly/November 10/2020
LONDON – In an interview with The Guardian, Saudi Ambassador to the UK Prince Khalid bin Bandar bin Sultan bin Abdulaziz revealed the kingdom was considering clemency for jailed female activists ahead of its hosting of the G20 summit this month. Saudi Arabia has been under growing pressure over its human rights record ahead of the summit, which is to be held virtually November 21-22 and will discuss themes including women’s empowerment. Riyadh has recently come under pressure to release a group of women activists who campaigned for women’s right to drive. To allay concerns, the Saudi ambassador said internal discussions are taking place about the importance of preserving the country’s reputation and to assess the political damage the female activists’ detention is causing. “The G20, does it offer an opportunity for clemency? Possibly. That is a judgement for someone other than me,” he said.
“People ask: is it worth the damage it is causing you, whatever they did? That is a fair argument to make and it is a discussion we have back at home within our political system and within our ministry,” he added. Prince Khalid said the Saudi courts had found the women guilty of charges that go beyond their advocacy for women’s right to drive. “There is a variety of views. Some people say it doesn’t matter what other people think of us, what is important is to do what is right for our country, and if people knowingly break our laws they should be punished according to those laws,” he said. “Other people say it isn’t worth it, let them out, let them live their lives and ignore them,” the Saudi ambassador added. In addition to the renewed pressure over the kingdom’s human rights record, the results of the US presidential elections and a Qatar-led campaign to discredit Riyadh and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz have reinforced the belief within the kingdom that concrete steps should be taken to resolve the female activists’ file. Long before US President Donald Trump, a close ally and political partner of Saudi Arabia, lost the presidential election to Democratic rival Joe Biden, Western lobbies had launched campaigns targeting the kingdom, saying the Saudi women activists’ detention goes against the spirit of the G20 summit. Prince Khalid indicated that there is ongoing debate within the foreign ministry about whether their continued detention could harm the kingdom’s reputation. The Guardian said that the Saudi ambassador’s statements shed light on the mechanisms of the kingdom’s small decision-making cirle. Prince Khalid was not sure what the outcome of the discussions would be and whether they would lead to the activists’ release, but his statements revealed that there is concern within the kingdom about the political damage the issue is causing, as well as divergent opinions on how to handle it. In recent months, media campaigns focused on activist Loujain al-Hathloul, especially after she announced a hunger strike in late October, as the kingdom prepared for the G20 summit. Hathloul was arrested with other activists in May 2018, months before women were granted the right to drive. Qatar has launched public relations campaigns and mobilised media outlets ahead of the G20 summit, attempting to portray Hathloul as a female icon whose imprisonment makes the kingdom unfit to host the international forum. The momentum has increased in recent days after Saudi Arabia’s ally Trump lost reelection. After US media announced Trump’s election loss, further pressure was exerted on the kingdom, with some calling for revenge against Saudi Arabia and stressing that the next US president will raise the case of the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi at his country’s consulate in Istanbul. Khashoggi’s fiancee, Hatice Cengiz, wrote on her Twitter account, “If you cannot find justice yourself, fate will come with his justice.”Cengiz toured the United States during the US election campaign season and filed a lawsuit against Saudi Arabia and its leaders in American courts.

Muslim Brotherhood terrorist group, does not reflect Islamic values: Saudi scholars
Arab News/November 10/2020
RIYADH:The Saudi Council of Senior Scholars said on Tuesday that the Muslim Brotherhood is a terrorist group and does not represent the true values of Islam, the Saudi Press Agency reported. The council described the Brotherhood as a deviant group that undermines coexistence within nations and stirs up sedition, violence and terrorism. The group pursues its partisan goals in an attempt to seize more power for itself, and does so under the cover of religion, it added. It said that the history of the organization is one of evil, strife, extremism and terrorism. As a result, the council said any form of support, including funding, for the Brotherhood is forbidden, in accordance with the teachings of the Qur’an and the Sunnah (the guidance of the Prophet). It added that the Brotherhood is an aberrant and deviant group that encourages rebellion against rulers, wreaks havoc in states and destabilizes peaceful co-existence. From its formation, the group has never shown any respect for the Islamic creed or the knowledge contained within the Qur’an or the Sunnah — its only goal has been to grab the reins of power, the scholars said. They concluded by pointing out that the history of the Muslim Brotherhood reveals the full scale of the evil and mischief it is responsible for, and that it has inspired the formation of many extremist and terrorist groups that are responsible for atrocities all around the world. The council called on the public to be wary of the Brotherhood and its activities, and warned them not to join it, support it or become involved with its activities. Saudi Arabia blacklisted the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist organization in May 2014, in a royal decree, along with three other Middle East-based Islamist groups. The decree outlawed membership of the groups, along with any form of support or sympathy for them expressed “through speech or writing.”

Popularity of extremist groups, such as Daesh, Muslim Brotherhood to decline: Arab News poll
Arab News/November 10/2020
News Now Chicago reports that an Arab News poll shows that the popularity of extremist groups such as Daesh, and religious political parties, like the Muslim Brotherhood, will decline over the next 10 years. Of the poll’s 3,079 respondents, surveyed in partnership with YouGov, 59 percent of people believed their home countries would see less of the Muslim Brotherhood in the next 10 years. With regards to Hezbollah 63 percent shared this belief, while 75 percent expected less Al Qaeda, and 57 percent expected to see less of Hamas. The poll also found that the deaths of extremist leaders such as Osama bin Laden and Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi did nothing to foment sympathy for their respective groups. The article’s key message is that Arabs have had enough of extremism and political-Islamic groups

EU Snubs Russia-Backed Event on Returning Refugees to Syria
Associated Press/November 10/ 2020
The European Union said Tuesday that it will not take part in an international conference this week on the return of refugees to Syria, insisting that the first priority should be to make it safe for people to go back to the conflict-ravaged country. The two-day conference, organized by Russia and set to begin on Wednesday, has been criticized by United Nations and U.S. officials. Russian President Vladimir Putin said Monday that large parts of Syria are relatively peaceful and it's time for the millions of Syrians who fled to go home and help rebuild. But EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said the conference is premature."The EU and its member states will not attend this conference," Borrell said in a statement. He said the 27-nation bloc believes "that the priority at present is real action to create conditions for safe, voluntary, dignified and sustainable return of refugees and internally displaced persons to their areas of origin."Well over 1 million refugees, most of them Syrians fleeing the conflict there, entered the EU in 2015, and thousands continued to enter in following years. However, the number arriving into the Greek islands from Turkey dropped to a relative trickle over the last year. Syria's nine-year war has killed about a half-million people, wounded more than a million and forced about 5.6 million to flee abroad as refugees, mostly to neighboring countries. Another 6 million of Syria's prewar population of 23 million are internally displaced.
A U.N-facilitated political process has been stuck for months, and many Western countries blame Damascus for blocking progress. Many Syrians and Western countries see current conditions in Syria as not ripe for the mass return of refugees. Borrell agreed, saying that no one should be forced to go back. "Conditions inside Syria at present do not lend themselves to the promotion of large-scale voluntary return, in conditions of safety and dignity in line with international law."He said many obstacles still hinder any safe returns, "in particular forced conscription, indiscriminate detention, forced disappearances, torture, physical and sexual violence, discrimination in access to housing, land and property as well as poor or inexistent basic services."On Tuesday, Syrian President Bashar Assad said the refugee issue is a Syrian one but that the solution depends "on how much integrity some countries that claim to defend human rights have, while at the same time they do not care about the difficult conditions that the refugees have lived through all these years." Assad asserted that many countries were trying to politicize the issue and to keep the refugees out of Syria for the longest period possible to pressure his government. His comments were carried by the Syrian state news agency SANA and came after he received a senior Iranian foreign ministry official in Damascus. Meanwhile, Syrian Assistant Foreign and Expatriates Minister Ayman Sousan said an invitation to the conference was sent to all the countries except Turkey. "It is not possible to hope for anything positive from (Turkish President Recep Tayyip) Erdogan's regime, the first supporter of terrorist organizations in Syria.," he said Monday, according to Syrian State news agency SANA. Sousan said some countries have been under pressure to discourage them from participating in the conference. He didn't elaborate. More than 3.5 million Syrian refugees have fled to Turkey since the start of the conflict. Sousan said China, Russia, Iran, Lebanon, UAE, Pakistan and the Sultanate of Oman were among the states that agreed to take part in the conference, while the U.N. will participate as an observer.

Biden Says Trump Refusal to Concede 'an Embarrassment', Tells World 'America is Back'
Agence France Presse/November 10/ 2020
President-elect Joe Biden said Tuesday that Donald Trump's refusal to concede the U.S. election was an "embarrassment" that will reflect poorly on his legacy. "I just think it's an embarrassment, quite frankly," Biden said when asked what he thinks about Trump's refusal to acknowledge defeat in the November 3 election. "How can I say this tactfully," Biden told reporters. "I think it will not help the president's legacy."Biden, however, downplayed Trump's refusal to assist with the transition toward a new U.S. administration. "The fact that they're not willing to acknowledge we won at this point is not of much consequence in our planning," Biden said. Separately, he said he had told several world leaders that "America is back." So far, Biden has spoken with a handful of leaders including Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson. "I'm letting them know that America is back. We're going to be back in the game. It's not America alone," Biden said, underlining a likely new approach to foreign policy under the incoming Democratic administration.

The Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on November 10-11/2020

Iran: Mullahs Celebrate What They Hope Will Be the Return To Their Nuclear Bomb/Gatestone Institute

Dr.Majid Rafizadeh/November 10/ 2020
At the beginning, U.S. President Donald J. Trump pulled the US out of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), commonly known as the Iran nuclear deal, which Iran never signed and which paves the way for Iran to have nuclear weapons.
Tehran's diminishing resources have also caused Iranian leaders to cut funds to the Palestinian terror group Hamas and the Lebanese militant group, Hezbollah. Hamas was forced to introduce "austerity plans" while Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Iran's proxy, Hezbollah, has also called on his group's fundraising arm "to provide the opportunity for jihad with money and also to help with this ongoing battle."
Iran's President Hassan Rouhani has already called for restoring the nuclear deal. It could well be a loss for continuing peace in the region and for finally restoring the violated Iranian people's hoped-for human rights.
Iranian authorities view the chance that Joe Biden might take over the White House as a definite win for Tehran. Headlines in state-controlled newspapers celebrated the reported US election results. Pictured: Front pages of Iranian newspapers from November 8, 2020.
The Iranian regime has excitingly announced former U.S. Vice-President Joe Biden's possible victory in the US presidential elections and is celebrating that the next US administration will, they hope, be from the Democrat Party.
Iranian authorities view the chance that Biden might take over the White House as a definite win for Tehran. Hesameddin Ashena, an advisor to Iran's President Hassan Rouhani, tweeted that Iranians "stood their ground bravely until that coward's time [Donald Trump] came to leave". Headlines in the state-controlled newspapers, which celebrated the news, included, "World without Trump!" (Aftabe Yazd newspaper), "Mr Withdrawal is Close to Being Kicked Out of White House", "Go to Hell You Gambler!" (Sobhe Now newspaper) "Trump's Card No Longer Valid for Media!" (Aftabe Yazd newspaper), "The Bankrupt US President Got Humiliated" (Mardom Salari newspaper), and "Trump Must Leave" (Donyaye Eghtesad newspaper).
The last three years has indeed been a nightmare for the Iranian regime and its proxies. No US administration before the current one has imposed such a draconian pressure on the mullahs, their rogue state and their allies.
At the beginning, President Donald J. Trump pulled the US out of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), commonly known as the Iran nuclear deal, which Iran never signed and which paves the way for Iran to have nuclear weapons. Then, the Trump administration re-imposed primary and secondary sanctions on Iran's energy, banking and shipping sectors. During the last two years, several other Iranian entities were added to the sanction list. The killing of General Qassem Soleimani was also a huge blow to Iran's regime, particularly the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and its proxies across the Middle East.
The sanctions, in fact, have imposed significant pressure on the Iranian government -- to such an extent that the Iranian leaders have had to cut their funding to their allies, militia and terror groups.
A year into the pressure, the state-controlled Syrian newspaper Al-Watan reported that Iran halted its credit line to the Syrian government. Some of Iran's authorities publicly announced that they also do not have money to pay their mercenaries abroad. In an interview with the state-run Ofogh Television Network, for instance, Parviz Fattah, the current head of the Foundation for the Underprivileged (Mostazafan Foundation) stated:
"I was at the IRGC Cooperative Foundation. Haj Qassem [Soleimani, commander of the IRGC Quds Force who was killed by a US drone strike] came and told me he did not have money to pay the salaries of the Fatemiyoun [Afghan mercenaries]. He said that these are our Afghan brothers, and he asked for help from people like us."
Tehran's diminishing resources have also caused Iranian leaders to cut funds to the Palestinian terror group Hamas and the Lebanese militant group, Hezbollah. Hamas was forced to introduce "austerity plans" while Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Iran's proxy, Hezbollah, has also called on his group's fundraising arm "to provide the opportunity for jihad with money and also to help with this ongoing battle."
The country's economic situation became so dire that the Iranian President Hassan Rouhani admitted that the Islamic Republic is encountering the worst economic crisis since its establishment in 1979. The political deputy of the province of Bushehr, Governor Majid Khorshidi, told a gathering on July 14 that they should not ignore US sanctions: "We used to see this approach [of ignoring US sanctions] from the previous [Ahmadinejad] administration and unfortunately it still continues," he added. "But I have to say that sanctions have broken the economy's back".
Thanks to the current administration's pressure, Iran's currency, the rial, has been in free fall in the last three years. As of November 7, 2020, a US dollar is worth approximately 250,000 rials. Before the current US administration imposed a "maximum pressure" policy against Tehran, a US dollar had equaled nearly 30,000 rials. During the last year, Iran's oil exports also sank to a record low. The country's budget heavily relies on selling oil.
As pressure kept mounting against the regime, Tehran also faced several widespread protests in the country, which endangered the hold on power of the ruling clerics. Now, the regime feels that all of the current administration's pressures will be lifted soon and the golden days will be back again.
It is unfortunate that Iran's ruling mullahs view a possible victory of the Democrat Party in US elections as a win for the Tehran regime, its proxies and militia groups. President Rouhani has already called for restoring the nuclear deal. It could well be a loss for continuing peace in the region and for finally restoring the violated Iranian people's hoped-for human rights.
*Dr. Majid Rafizadeh is a business strategist and advisor, Harvard-educated scholar, political scientist, board member of Harvard International Review, and president of the International American Council on the Middle East. He has authored several books on Islam and US foreign policy. He can be reached at Dr.Rafizadeh@Post.Harvard.Edu
*© 2020 Gatestone Institute. All rights reserved. The articles printed here do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editors or of Gatestone Institute. No part of the Gatestone website or any of its contents may be reproduced, copied or modified, without the prior written consent of Gatestone Institute.
 

Pfizer Vaccine Data Offers Real Pandemic Optimism
Max Nisen/Bloomberg/November,10/2020
Last week I wrote that based on clinical trial math, the earliest looks at coronavirus vaccine data were less likely to succeed. I've never been happier to be wrong. Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech SE announced Monday that their vaccine candidate prevented over 90% of Covid-19 cases in an early look at results from their 44,000-person clinical trial. It's fantastic news and a historic scientific accomplishment. Not only do we have the first effective vaccine, but the data also looks robust. Instead of evaluating the shot at the first possible moment, Pfizer waited for more data, which gives weight to the impressive results.
There are still unknowns about the vaccine, and with limited supplies available until next year and two shots needed to complete treatment, it won't end a rampant pandemic overnight. The news does, however, substantially boost the chances of a quicker and easier resolution. Investors are justified in taking Pfizer shares and the broader market higher. Trials like Pfizer's compare the number of confirmed Covid cases among those who get the vaccine to those that take a placebo. The initial plan was to analyze the data after just 32 cases. But after discussions with the Food and Drug Administration, the companies decided to wait until there were 94. Their patience only modestly delayed results and makes it far easier to trust in the vaccine’s considerable promise.
Data collection will continue; the FDA requires at least two months of safety follow-up from most participants before considering an emergency use authorization. That data should be available later this month. Absent surprising side effects, quick authorization is more than likely. After all, the agency's bar for efficacy is just 50%. Some questions remain. We still don't know how well the vaccine works in subgroups such as the elderly. Nor does the initial press release discuss the extent to which the vaccine prevents severe disease, the ability to transmit the virus, or how long its protection lasts. It’s also unclear what the result may mean for other vaccine candidates.
Thankfully, there's reason for optimism on both fronts. An immune response strong enough to derail disease in so many patients may well be highly effective in other ways. As for other vaccines, Monday’s news bodes well for Moderna Therapeutics Inc.'s candidate, which uses the same cutting-edge mRNA technology as Pfizer's. (Moderna is due to reveal data relatively soon as well.) Many others in development aim at the same target — the coronavirus's signature “spike protein.”
With efficacy established, the big problem is availability. Pfizer and BioNTech expect to produce 50 million doses worldwide by the end of the year, enough for 25 million to get the required two shots. Manufacturing will ramp up, but it will take multiple vaccine candidates to get enough of the global population vaccinated to end the threat of Covid-19. It remains crucial that other vaccine efforts succeed. It's not time for anyone to let up their guard. Covid-19 cases continue to surge and hospitalizations are also rising, threatening to strain health systems. Once a vaccine is ready, distributing it will take another historic effort. But make no mistake: Pfizer’s vaccine news marks a major step forward in the Covid-19 fight.

French Billionaire Could Get a Half-Win on Shopping Malls
Lionel Laurent/Bloomberg/November,10/2020
A new round of lockdowns in Europe is bad news for Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield’s mall business, but it could help boss Christophe Cuvillier drum up support for a 3.5 billion-euro ($4.1 billion) rights offer to ride out the pandemic.
Cuvillier is trying to convince holdouts that an immediately stronger balance sheet is the best protection after a 30% drop in adjusted earnings per share in the nine months through Sept. 30. It’s a view shared by a rising number of sell-side analysts worried about Unibail’s 24 billion-euro net debt pile.
Still, even if pressure is increasing for investors to approve the capital increase when they gather virtually next week, Cuvillier’s activist opponents — telecoms billionaire Xavier Niel and former Unibail CEO Leon Bressler — have reason to hope they can wield influence over the strategic direction of the company, whose fall from grace isn’t all down to Covid-19.
Niel and Bressler, who are campaigning for three seats on Unibail’s board, have built a credible case arguing that Cuvillier’s management team and debt-laden expansion in the US and UK — chiefly due to the 2018 deal to acquire Westfield — are to a large extent responsible for the company’s vulnerability to the pain of a global pandemic. Covid-19 may be a once-in-a-generation crisis, and Unibail isn’t the only property developer to be raising capital in this bleak environment, but its epic tumble stands out.
Unibail’s market capitalization has shrunk about 80% since the end of 2017 to 4.8 billion euros and its debt metrics are worse than those of peers. Hedge funds have raced to bet against the stock, adding to pressure from lenders and ratings agencies. The company overpaid for Westfield, and is suffering for it.
Even more awkward, Guillaume Poitrinal, Cuvillier’s predecessor, has publicly thrown his lot in with Niel and Bressler. While investors may yet approve a capital increase, they won't do so gladly. Unibail stock trades at an egregiously steep discount of 80% to book value, so a share issue threatens heavy dilution. Usually, shareholders would expect to see some governance reform in return for giving their support. That could pave the way for a half-victory of sorts for Niel and Bressler. Proxy adviser Institutional Shareholder Services Inc. has recommended shareholders approve a potential capital increase, but with a delay to allow a rethink with activist input in the boardroom. That might open the door to some key changes in the plan proposed by Unibail’s management. For starters, the size and timing of a cash call.
Unibail says it has access to credit lines and cash worth 12.5 billion euros, which would cover about two years’ worth of refinancing needs. That suggests some freedom to wait a little longer, or sell more assets, before soaking investors. Cuvillier has hit back at the notion he’s going too fast — “We’re not fools,” he told analysts — but bond markets ultimately look awash with money. While Unibail has said all options are open regarding its Westfield assets in the US, more voices at board level might accelerate such decisions. And in a post-pandemic world, having a tech-savvy billionaire like Niel on hand to help reshape the mall experience would surely be useful. A lot can happen in a week, and there’s a reasonable chance that the coronavirus outbreak will require not one but several debt-cutting plans. Even if they don’t halt a capital increase, Niel and Bressler may still have their voices heard.

Dr. Lorenzo Vidino: Europe warned of Muslim Brotherhood’s ‘divisive,’ ‘dangerous’ influence
Arab News/Arab News/November 10/2020
Dr. Lorenzo Vidino’s new book ‘The Closed Circle” sheds light on a secretive organization that ‘even denies it exists’
In exclusive interview, he says European governments should not regard the group as representative of Muslims
ROME: European governments should not fall for the Muslim Brotherhood’s attempts to be seen as the representative of Muslims, says Dr. Lorenzo Vidino, an expert on Islamism in the West.
The Brotherhood is “a problematic entity within the Muslim community” whose influence as “dangerous,” he told Arab News in an exclusive interview.
Defining the Brotherhood’s role in Europe is “very difficult” because “unlike in the Middle East … there are no groups or individuals that openly identify themselves as (linked to the) Brotherhood in any European countries,” said Vidino, who is director of the Program on Extremism at George Washington University and author of the recently published book “The Closed Circle: Joining and Leaving the Muslim Brotherhood in the West.”
The Muslim Brotherhood was founded in Egypt in 1928 by Hassan al-Banna and has sought to establish a worldwide Islamic caliphate. It has influenced Islamist movements around the world with its model of political activism combined with charity work. By the late 1940s, the group is estimated to have had 500,000 members in Egypt, and its ideas had spread across the Arab world.
According to Vidino, from the 1960s, individuals and organizations with links to the Brotherhood in the Arab world moved to the West and “created networks throughout Europe that are now fairly independent from the Middle East.
They “adopt the ideology of the Brotherhood” but are “for the most part free to choose their tactics and strategies,” said Vidino, whose research has focused on the mobilization dynamics of jihadist networks in the West, and the activities of Brotherhood-inspired organizations.
“These networks have been able to exert an influence that’s much greater than their small numbers.”
They are “highly problematic” because of the impact they have on social cohesion and integration in Europe, said Vidino, who has held positions at Harvard University’s Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at the Kennedy School of Government, the US Institute of Peace, RAND Corp. and the Center for Security Studies in Zurich.
“The message they send out, at least internally within the Muslim community, is a very polarizing one. It creates a mindset of ‘us’ and ‘them,’ of constant victimhood, which pushes the idea that the West is out to get Muslims and is against Islam,” he told Arab News.
“This obviously creates a very divisive society. It prevents the integration process. It poisons relationships between communities.”
Opponents of the Muslim Brotherhood argue that it has become a breeding ground for terrorists. For instance, Ayman Al-Zawahiri, the leader of Al-Qaeda, joined the Brotherhood in the 1960s, when he was 14. In comments to Arab News last year, Dr. Hamdan Al-Shehri, a Saudi political analyst, said: “One must remember that terror organizations like Al-Qaeda and Daesh drew inspiration from Muslim Brotherhood ideologues.”
In a 2015 paper entitled “The Muslim Brotherhood in the UK,” Dr. Vidino identified three categories of individuals and organizations operating inside the UK who could be regarded as Muslim Brotherhood: “In decreasing degrees of intensity, these are the pure Brothers, Brotherhood affiliates and organisations influenced by the Brotherhood.”
Dr. Vidino added: “Significant attention has been devoted to the activities of members of the Egyptian branch of the Brotherhood living in London. This small cluster of a handful of senior leaders and young activists is engaged in media, legal and lobbying efforts aimed at challenging the current Egyptian regime.”
The Egyptian government declared the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist group in December 2013, after accusing it of carrying out a series of bomb attacks in Cairo.
With the group pushed underground in Egypt and a number of other Arab countries, many of its members and top supporters found refuge in Turkey and Qatar.
A book published last year by two French investigative reporters, Georges Malbrunot and Christian Chesnot, claimed to reveal the details of lavish payments made by Qatar to Muslim Brotherhood organizations across Europe. Titled “Qatar Papers - How the State Finances Islam in France and Europe,” the book is reportedly based on official documents and testimonies that shed light on Doha’s extensive funding to promote the Brotherhood’s ideology on the continent.
The book published evidence of cheque and money transfers from Qatar that had been used to underwrite Brotherhood-linked projects around Europe.
Vidino, who has testified before the US Congress and other parliaments and has advised law-enforcement officials worldwide, says the Muslim Brotherhood in the West is “such a secretive organization. It even denies it actually exists.”
“This is why I thought that one of the best ways to get information about it and its structure, on what it thinks and wants, was to interview people who are part of that organization in the West,” he told Arab News.
INNUMBERS
1928 - Muslim Brotherhood founded by Hassan al-Banna in Egypt.
14 - Age at which Al-Qaeda chief Ayman Al-Zawahiri joined the Brotherhood.
140 - Islamic centers in Germany reportedly funded by Qatar Charity.
While there are “different experiences” among those he interviewed for his book, “all of them were recruited after a very long process. They became part of what they described as a very sophisticated machinery in each country.”
Vidino added: “All of them eventually left for different reasons that had something in common: They all saw internal corruption within the organization and a lack of internal democracy. They all came to see the Brotherhood as deceitful. They saw a lot of hypocrisy, a lot of using religion to pursue purely political goals.”People who leave the group are “ostracized,” he said. “They lose a lot of their social circles because being a member of the Brotherhood is a fully absorbing experience.”
He added: “It’s obviously difficult for anybody who has devoted 10, 20 years of their life to say that they were wrong, and that the organization and the ideology they devoted their lives to was incorrect. It takes a lot of intellectual courage to do so.”
Some apparently do summon up the requisite intellectual courage. For instance, a recent report in the German news media was part of a cache of leaked confidential documents that shed light on Qatar’s use of its wealth and charities to fund and infiltrate mosques, activate Muslim Brotherhood networks and buy influence across Germany.
The documents reveal that Qatar Charity has used its deep pockets to fund at least 140 mosques and Islamic centers across Germany since it began its campaign — costing an estimated €72 million ($84.69 million). In 2016 alone, the charity spent roughly €5 million on various construction projects in major German cities, including Berlin and Munich.
Not far behind Qatar is Turkey, which has provided various forms of support to the Muslim Brotherhood, including granting asylum to wanted Brotherhood members and equipping them with satellite TV and radio stations. In a recent paper titled “Erdogan’s influence in Europe: A Swedish case study” in The Washington Institute’s Fikra Forum, Magnus Norell, adjunct scholar, wrote: “Turkey’s political leadership appear deeply invested in a number of small European parties that align with Erdogan’s own political vision he is enacting in Turkey.”
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s government has provided lots of support to the Muslim Brotherhood. (AFP)
Norell said Erdogan explicitly outlined his policy on Albania TV in June 2017, when he said that there was nothing wrong with supporting political parties in the Balkans and other European countries that shared an ideology similar to that of his Islamist AKP, and that “nobody should be bothered by this effort.”
Referring to its presence in Europe, Vidino describes the Muslim Brotherhood as “a very elite group.” “To them it’s not about big numbers. You don’t simply join. They’re very selective in who they take,” he told Arab News.
“We’re not talking about very big numbers. We’re talking about maybe a few hundred people in a country like Italy, maybe 1,000 in countries like France or Germany. Their power lies in their ability to mobilize other people, to influence a Muslim community, to influence policymaking in the West … They have a keen ability to adapt to the environment.”
Muslim Brotherhood members, he said, want to be viewed by “Western establishments, governments, media and so on as the representatives of Muslim communities and basically to become those who shaped Islam in Italy, in Germany and Sweden, in Belgium and so on.”
In conclusion, Vidino said: “It’s up to the ability of European governments to understand that that they’re not the representatives of the Muslim community, and that they are, if anything, a problematic entity within the Muslim community that influences how important and dangerous they’re going to be.”