English LCCC Newsbulletin For Lebanese, Lebanese Related, Global News & Editorials
For August 15/2020
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
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Bible Quotations For today
Mary’s Song
Luke 1:46-55/ And Mary said: “My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed, for the Mighty One has done great things for me— holy is his name. His mercy extends to those who fear him, from generation to generation. He has performed mighty deeds with his arm; he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts. He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble. He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty. He has helped his servant Israel, remembering to be merciful to Abraham and his descendants forever,just as he promised our ancestors.”

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on August 14-15/2021
At least 20 dead in fuel tanker explosion in Lebanon’s Akkar district
Over 150 patients will die when fuel runs out: Lebanon's AUB Hospital
Lebanese army raids closed gas stations hiding fuel as crisis worsens
Nobody running Lebanon: Central bank chief Riad Salameh
Hariri says Akkar massacre not unlike Beirut port blast, calls for Aoun to resign
Lebanese livid over fuel shortages and power outages as Hezbollah leaders face the heat
Officials Meet as Fuel Shortage, Power Cuts Paralyze Lebanon
'Nothing Left': In Crisis-Hit Lebanon Bread Too is Scarce
Bassil to Salameh and ‘His Supporters’: Stop the Explosion!
Salame vows not to reverse decision as Lebanon faces paralysis
Angry citizens detain Hezbollah MP in Lebanon over deteriorating living conditions
Amnesty International condemns the assault Infliced by the Lebanese Parliament police on the Beirut port explosion victims' families
Lebanon: Parliament police take part in vicious attack on families of Beirut Blast victims and journalists
Hezbollah acts, Israel reacts, Iran pulls the strings/Yossi Mekelberg/Arab News/August 15/2021

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on August 14-15/2021
Taliban Close in on Kabul as U.S. Ramps Up Afghan Evacuations
Another east Afghan province falls to Taliban without battle
Afghan President Says 'Remobilization of Armed Forces Top Priority'
Venezuela Government, Opposition Launch Talks in Mexico
Interests, not ideology drive Sudan’s ties to Turkey
West Baghdad without water after ‘attack’ on power grid
Russia says all 8 die in water-bomber plane crash in Turkey
Canada/Statement by Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister of International Development following earthquake in Haiti

Titles For The Latest The Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on August 14-15/2021
Iranian Mullahs' Deadly War at Sea, Biden Administration Silent/Majid Rafizadeh/Gatestone Institute/August 14/2021
India-Saudi relations are built on the strong edifice of history/Dr. Ausaf Sayeed/Arab News/August 15/2021
Not naivety, but stupidity … Daesh will profit from Taliban triumph/Baria Alamuddin/Arab News/August 15/2021
Variant strains mean this pandemic is far from over/Dr. Theodore Karasik/Arab News/August 15/2021

The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on August 14-15/2021
At least 20 dead in fuel tanker explosion in Lebanon’s Akkar district
Ismaeel Naar, Al Arabiya English/15 August ,2021
At least 20 people have been killed and seven others injured when a gas tanker exploded in the Tleil area of Lebanon’s Akkar region, according to the Lebanese Red Cross. Footage being shared on social media showed several ambulances transporting burn victims of the blast in Tleil to hospitals in the district.At least 22 divisions of the Lebanese Red Cross were deployed in response to the explosion of the fuel tanker in Akkar, according to the Red Cross."Our teams are working on transporting the wounded and the dead bodies to hospitals in the area," the Lebanese Red Cross said on Twitter.Lebanon’s former prime minister Saad Hariri has called for the resignation of President Michel Aoun amid the latest incident involving the deadly fuel tanker explosion in the Akkar district of the country. “Akkar massacre not unlike the [Beirut] Port massacre. May God have mercy on the martyrs and may they rest in peace. May God heal the wounded and injured. What happened in the two crimes, if there was a country that respects people, its officials would resign, starting with the President of the Republic to the last person responsible for this neglect. Fed up. The lives and security of the Lebanese are a priority,” Hariri tweeted.

Over 150 patients will die when fuel runs out: Lebanon's AUB Hospital
Ismaeel Naar, Al Arabiya English/14 August ,2021
At least 40 adults and 15 children on ventilators and other lifesaving medical devices will die on Monday once fuel runs out, the American University of Beirut Medical Center (AUBMC) warned on Saturday amid an ongoing fuel crisis in Lebanon.
“The American University of Beirut Medical Center (AUBMC) is facing imminent disaster due to the threat of a forced shutdown starting the morning of this coming Monday August 16, as a result of fuel shortages. This means that ventilators and other lifesaving medical devices will cease to operate. Forty adult patients and fifteen children living on respirators will die immediately. One hundred and eighty people suffering from renal failure will die poisoned after a few days without dialysis. Hundreds of cancer patients, adults and children, will die in subsequent weeks and very few months without proper treatment,” AUBMC warned in a statement released on Saturday. AUBMC said it is making an urgent appeal to the Lebanese government, the United Nations and many of its agencies operating in Lebanon to help supply the hospital with enough fuel before it is forced to shut down in the next two days.
The American University of Beirut (AUB) has been rationing electricity and fuel across campus for weeks but is running out of both and will not be able to continue to supply its medical center, the hospital added. Both the AUB and AUBMC administration said they blame and hold the Lebanese government and officials fully responsible for the ongoing humanitarian crisis in the country. “When lives are lost because of a fully preventable lack of electricity and fuel, with family members watching and knowing that the fuel is already present in adequate supply within the country, it will be a moment of infamy, a moment unlike any that Lebanon has experienced since World War I and the famine which cost a third of the population of Mount Lebanon their lives. The AUBMC administration insists that all those in positions of responsibility immediately put aside all their disputes and work together to prevent this imminent disaster. A disaster no one deserves. Least of all the Lebanese and other inhabitants of this nation, whose unwarranted suffering does not deserve to be crowned with needless, pointless, irreversible tragedy,” AUBMC said.

Lebanese army raids closed gas stations hiding fuel as crisis worsens
Tamara Abueish, Al Arabiya English/14 August ,2021
The Lebanese army on Saturday began raiding closed gas stations that have been hiding fuel, and confiscated stored canisters to redistribute gas to residents themselves, as Lebanon struggles with a nationwide shortage. The army confiscated dozens of plastic cans filled with fuel from gas station owners who reportedly plan on selling it to desperate citizens at a higher price. As supplies dwindle, a black market has merged where gas and diesel are sold at an increasingly high cost, with some workers accepting bribes from drivers seeking extra fuel. Lebanon’s worsening fuel crisis reached the brink of collapse over the weekend after the central bank announced it would lift subsidies because it could no longer afford to open lines of credit for fuel imports or subsidize its purchase. Hospitals, bakeries, essential shops, and businesses have been forced to scale back operations or shut down completely due to nationwide power cuts. Hundreds of cars are lining up outside gas stations at all hours of the day across Lebanon as dozens of fights erupted over limited oil supplies, videos circulating on social media showed on Saturday. Amid the struggle, the country is also experiencing a heatwave that has been made worse by the lack of electricity. Entire families are reportedly sleeping on their balconies to escape the heat. Lebanon was already reeling from the effects of the coronavirus pandemic, the consequences of the deadly Beirut port blast, and the aftermath of a currency which lost over 90 percent of its value. At least 78 percent of the Lebanese population lives below the poverty line and businesses are barely surviving, according to AFP.

Nobody running Lebanon: Central bank chief Riad Salameh
Reuters/14 August ,2021
Lebanon’s central bank governor said nobody was running the country as he defended his decision to halt fuel subsidies that have drained currency reserves, saying the government could resolve the problem quickly by passing necessary legislation.In an interview broadcast on Saturday, governor Riad Salameh pressed back against government accusations that he had acted alone in declaring an end to the subsidies on Wednesday, saying everyone knew the decision was coming. Part of Lebanon’s wider financial meltdown, the steadily worsening fuel crisis has hit a crunch point, with hospitals, bakeries and many businesses scaling back operations or shutting down completely as fuel runs dry. Deadly violence has flared in fuel lines, protesters have blocked roads, and fuel tankers have been hijacked this week. The central bank’s move to end subsidies, which will mean sharp price increases, is the latest turn in the financial crisis that has sunk the Lebanese pound by 90 percent in less than two years and pushed more than half the population into poverty. Salameh said Lebanon could recover but could not say how long that would take. “So far you have nobody running the country,” he told Radio Free Lebanon.
The row between the government and Salameh has captured the failure of the Lebanese elite to start tackling the meltdown. The central bank has effectively been subsidizing fuel and other vital imports by providing dollars at exchange rates below the real price of the Lebanese pound - most recently at 3,900 pounds to the dollar compared to parallel market rates above 20,000 - eating into a reserve which Salameh said now stood at $14 billion.
In order to continue providing such support, the central bank has said it needs legislation to allow use of the mandatory reserve, a portion of deposits that must be preserved by law. “We are saying to everyone: You want to spend the mandatory reserve, we are ready, give us the law. It will take five minutes,” Salameh said.The government has said fuel prices must not change, leaving fuel importers, who say they cannot import at market rates and sell at subsidized rates, demanding clarity.The central bank and oil authority told importers to sell their stocks at the subsidized rate of 3,900 pounds to the dollar, prioritizing hospitals and other essential functions.
‘Humiliation of the Lebanese’
Critics of the subsidy scheme say it has encouraged smuggling and hoarding by selling commodities at a fraction of their real price. Salameh said the bank had been obliged to finance traders who were not bringing product to market, and that more than $800 million spent on fuel imports in the last month should have lasted three months.Despite an unprecedented wave of imports, Salameh noted there was no diesel, gasoline or electricity. “This is humiliation of the Lebanese,” he said. Lebanese politicians have failed to agree on a new government since Prime Minister Hassan Diab quit last August after the Beirut port blast, since when he has continued as caretaker. President Michel Aoun expressed optimism on the formation of be a new government, saying he hoped there would be “white smoke” soon. Salameh said Lebanon could exit its crisis if a reform-minded government took office. The pound was “hostage to the formation of a new government and reforms,” he added. The government has said ending subsidies must wait until prepaid cash cards for the poor are rolled out. Parliament approved these in June, with financing from the mandatory reserve, Salameh said, but they have yet to materialize.
“When is the card? Let’s assume in the best case after two or three months ... we will spend $3 billion while waiting,” Salameh said.

Hariri says Akkar massacre not unlike Beirut port blast, calls for Aoun to resign
Ismaeel Naar, Al Arabiya English/15 August ,2021
Lebanon’s former prime minister Saad Hariri has called for the resignation of President Michel Aoun amid the latest incident involving the deadly fuel tanker explosion in the Akkar district of the country. At least 20 people have been killed and seven others injured when a gas tanker exploded in the Tleil area of Lebanon’s Akkar district, according to the Lebanese Red Cross. Akkar massacre not unlike the [Beirut] Port massacre. May God have mercy on the martyrs and may they rest in peace. May God heal the wounded and injured. What happened in the two crimes, if there was a country that respects people, its officials would resign, starting with the President of the Republic to the last person responsible for this neglect. Fed up. The lives and security of the Lebanese are a priority,” Hariri tweeted. Footage being shared on social media showed several ambulances transporting burn victims of the blast in Tleil to hospitals in the district. At least 22 divisions of the Lebanese Red Cross were deployed in response to the explosion of the fuel tanker in Akkar, according to the Red Cross. "Our teams are working on transporting the wounded and the dead bodies to hospitals in the area," the Lebanese Red Cross said on Twitter.

Lebanese livid over fuel shortages and power outages as Hezbollah leaders face the heat
Najia Houssari/Arab News/August 15/2021
BEIRUT: Lebanon’s army on Saturday seized fuel from petrol pumps to curb hoarding amid crippling shortages. The country is grappling with a financial crisis and foreign currency reserves are fast depleting, while its national currency has lost more than 90 percent of its value on the black market. Traffic in Beirut and other places was low on Saturday, and security forces temporarily closed the northern Aboudiyeh Border Crossing with Syria because of a power generator malfunction. Dozens of institutions surprised their employees with a day of unplanned leave next Monday, while shops and institutions in Beirut’s center were informed they would not be supplied with electricity because of the lack of diesel. Activists shared a video on social media showing a crowd in the town of Ali Al-Nahri, in the Bekaa Valley, protesting around Hussainia Mosque, where Hezbollah member and former minister Hussein Hajj Hassan was giving a speech. Eyewitnesses told Arab News that around 50 people objected to Hassan going up to the pulpit and speaking. “They called on him to get back, throwing insults at him and saying, ‘We are hungry.’”
The MP had to leave the town, shortening his mosque speech, amid a heavy army deployment. Army intelligence on Saturday arrested four of the people who had objected to Hassan’s presence. But they were released due to popular pressure.
People objecting to the arrests blocked the road between Ali Al-Nahri and the eastern village of Massa, which is a vital road for Hezbollah. This road helps the party access Syria’s Al-Shaara region, where its military posts are located. Protesters accused Hezbollah of using the town as “a road to smuggle diesel to Syria.”Another video showed young men surrounding the house of MP Anwar Jomaa, who is a member of Hezbollah’s political wing, in protest against the country’s dire situation. One of the protesters said: “We came to ask him what he is doing for us in light of this crisis. We are not sheep or dogs. He is considered one of us and is not doing anything for us.”Ibrahim Sareini, head of the Syndicate of Tanker Owners, said: “The attacks targeting tankers transporting fuel to bakeries, mills, hospitals and generators in all regions could force the owners of these tankers to stop transporting fuel.”President Michel Aoun called on parliament to meet and take appropriate action following the Central Bank's decision to end fuel subsidies, his office said. But the Future Movement criticized Aoun, saying he was implementing the policy put in place by his son-in-law Gebran Bassil. It also warned the president against “continuing to violate the constitution.”Bassil, who heads the Free Patriotic Movement, is an ally of Hezbollah. Former MP Nadim Gemayel criticized Aoun on Twitter: “No electricity, no diesel, no gasoline, no water, no security and no stability… Michel Aoun, Leave.”
The Progressive Socialist Party supported the idea of putting an end to the “charade of senseless subsidies that actually benefit monopolies, monopolists, smuggling and smugglers. It also constitutes a lifeline for the Syrian regime at the expense of the Lebanese people, their money and livelihood.”The fuel crisis has led a top private hospital to say it may have to close due to power shortages, warning this could cause hundreds of deaths. In Lebanon, 78 percent of the population lives below the poverty line.

Officials Meet as Fuel Shortage, Power Cuts Paralyze Lebanon
Associated Press/August 14/2021
Severe fuel shortages and wide power cuts have paralyzed Lebanon, with some businesses temporarily closing down as top security officials met to discuss the situation.Lebanon has for decades suffered electricity cuts, partly because of widespread corruption and mismanagement. The Mediterranean nation of 6 million, including 1 million Syrian refugees is near bankruptcy. The situation deteriorated dramatically this week after the central bank decided to end subsidies for fuel products. The decision will likely lead to a hike in prices of almost all commodities in Lebanon.
The move by the central bank was rejected by both Lebanon's president and outgoing prime minister who claimed they were not notified in advance, something Central Bank Governor Riad Salameh has denied. Major roads were jammed as thousands of cars waited in long lines at petrol stations. People rushed to bakeries to by bread amid fears some might close down. "Many bakeries that are running out (of diesel) will close tomorrow," Ali Ibrahim, head of the bakers' union, told state-run National News Agency. Fuel shortages have been blamed on smuggling, hoarding and the cash-strapped government's inability to secure deliveries of imported fuel.
President Michel Aoun called an "extraordinary" Cabinet meeting to discuss the nationwide crisis but outgoing Prime Minister Hassan Diab, whose government resigned a year ago, declined to attend, saying the constitution restricts duties of his caretaker Cabinet. The situation has been made worse by the failure of political leaders to agree on a new government to chart a path out of the crisis and negotiate a recovery package with the International Monetary Fund. Protesters in Beirut and elsewhere in Lebanon have closed roads to protest power cuts and fuel shortages.
Earlier this week, caretaker Energy Minister Raymond Ghajar said Lebanon needs about 3,000 megawatts of electricity but produces about 750 megawatts. The gap has been filled for decades by thousands of private generator owners who also had to cut supplies amid severe diesel shortages. People currently get an average of two hours of electricity a day from the notoriously corrupt state company that has cost state coffers more than $40 billion over the past three decades. Among those to announce a temporarily closure was City Mall, one of the largest in Lebanon. Some hospitals have warned they will be forced to close if they are not supplied with diesel.

'Nothing Left': In Crisis-Hit Lebanon Bread Too is Scarce
Agence France Presse/August 14/2021
Michael Hamati emerged from a long queue at a Beirut bakery sweat dripping from his forehead, as Lebanon's economic collapse sparks increasing shortages including over bread. "There's nothing left in this country," said the 72-year-old, as dozens of people clamoured behind him in the simmering heat for their turn. Lebanese flocked to bakeries before dawn Friday, desperate to find affordable bread in a country where fuel and medicine are already in critically short supply. The rush came after the central bank on Wednesday said it could no longer afford to subsidise fuel in Lebanon.
The country, struggling with political turmoil since 2019, has also been hit by the worst global economic crisis in 150 years, according to the World Bank. At least 78 percent of the more than six-million-strong population lives below the poverty line and businesses can barely stay afloat. The Lebanese pound has lost more than 90 percent of its value against the dollar on the black market in less than two years. Many bakeries have already closed down because they cannot afford the rising cost of fuel needed to power private generators as electricity cuts last for around 20 hours a day. Those that remain open have rationed production to make the subsidised flour they receive from the state last longer, leading to shortages in stores and supermarkets. Hamati arrived at a Beirut bakery early in the morning, bracing for a long wait. "This is the first time I come to this bakery. There isn't any bread left in stores," he told AFP."Is there anything left at all" in Lebanon? he asked.
Queues from 3 am
Lebanon has been gripped by a fuel crisis since the start of summer, with importers blaming shortages on a delay by the government in opening credit lines to fund imports. The authorities have accused distributors of hoarding stock to sell it at higher rates on the black market or across the border in Syria.
"Bakeries don't have the means to secure fuel oil... and we don't know if we will receive any" from the state, said Ali Ibrahim, who heads the syndicate of bakery owners. "They just give us enough for two days... though bakeries and mills should be receiving enough for a month." In Beirut's Nabaa district, Jacques al-Khoury looked flustered as he tried to organize a queue of dozens of people waiting outside his bakery for bread. The line started as early as 3:00 a.m. -- just as he started baking for the day. "All the bakeries in this area have closed and the pressure is all on me," he said. Khoury, 60, said he receives 36 tons of state subsidised flour per month -- but with demand for bread increasing it only lasts a week. In the northern city of Tripoli, Lebanon's poorest, many bakeries have been forced to close while supermarkets have stopped selling bread.
'Stale bread'
The few Tripoli bakeries that have remained open are also struggling to keep up with demand. "We are rationing the amount of bread we distribute to stores," an employee at one of the city's largest bakeries said. "We are providing them with half the usual amount." In one bakery in the southern city of Sidon, residents were only allowed to buy one bag of flat white bread each. According to the United Nations, food prices have increased by up to 400 percent. The cost of a basic food basket for a single family is now five times the national minimum wage, the Crisis Observatory at the American University of Beirut says. "Once we've paid rent, we have no money left," said Mohammad Abdul Qader, a pastry shop employee who needs to provide for five children. He said food has become so expensive, he can no longer afford meat. "I gaze at the butcher's from a distance, and then go on my way," he said. "Yesterday, I ate stale bread" with onion and tomato.

Bassil to Salameh and ‘His Supporters’: Stop the Explosion!
Naharnet/August 14/2021
Head of the Free Patriotic Movement Jebran Bassil asked the central bank governor Riad Salameh and all those who are backing up his decision to end fuel subsidies to “stop the (social) explosion!”He called for a gradual lifting of the subsidies “until the ration card is distributed.”Bassil blamed Salameh and his political supporters for the “hijacked fuel tankers, inoperational oxygen machines and water stations, and for medicine shortages.”He added that President Michel Aoun and caretaker Prime Minister Hassan Diab have rejected the decision to lift subsidies and that the caretaker government “must prove to be the executive authority.”The new government must be formed quickly, and the coup against it and against the president “must fail,” Bassil went on saying. “You are assassinating an entire people, but our people shall not die,” Bassil decried.

Salame vows not to reverse decision as Lebanon faces paralysis
The Arab Weekly/August 14/2021
BEIRUT--Lebanon’s central bank governor vowed Saturday not to reverse his decision to stop subsidising fuel imports, hours after top security officials met to discuss the situation. “I will not review the removal of subsidies on fuel unless the use of compulsory reserves is legalised” by a parliamentary vote, governor Riad Salame told local radio on Saturday. The country is gripped by one of the world’s worst economic crises since the 1850’s, according to the World Bank, and is struggling with shortages of fuel and other necessities, amid a black market plunge in the local currency of more than 90 percent. Foreign exchange reserves have dwindled in recent months to now stand at $14 billion — approaching the minimum the bank is required to hold — according to Salame. Crippling shortages of fuel, existing alongside power cuts lasting more than 22 hours per day, have left many businesses without the diesel needed to power generators, and forced some premises to close. Lebanon has for decades suffered electricity cuts, partly because of widespread corruption and mismanagement. The Mediterranean nation of 6 million, including 1 million Syrian refugees is near bankruptcy. The situation deteriorated dramatically this week after the central bank’s decision to end subsidies for fuel products. The decision will likely lead to a hike in prices of almost all commodities in Lebanon. The move by the central bank was rejected by both Lebanon’s president and outgoing prime minister who claimed they were not notified in advance. Major roads were jammed Friday as thousands of cars waited in long lines at petrol stations. People rushed to bakeries to buy bread amid fears some might close down. “Many bakeries that are running out (of diesel) will close tomorrow,” Ali Ibrahim, head of the bakers’ union, told state-run National News Agency.
Fuel shortages have been blamed on smuggling, hoarding and the cash-strapped government’s inability to secure deliveries of imported fuel.
Running out of options
President Michel Aoun called an “extraordinary” Cabinet meeting to discuss the nationwide crisis but outgoing Prime Minister Hassan Diab, whose government resigned a year ago, declined to attend, saying the constitution restricts duties of his caretaker Cabinet. The situation has been made worse by the failure of political leaders to agree on a new government to chart a path out of the crisis and negotiate a recovery package with the International Monetary Fund. Protesters in Beirut and elsewhere in Lebanon closed roads Friday to protest power cuts and fuel shortages.
Earlier this week, Energy Minister Raymond Ghajar said Lebanon needs about 3,000 megawatts of electricity but produces about 750 megawatts. The gap has been filled for decades by thousands of private generator owners who also had to cut supplies amid severe diesel shortages. People currently get an average of two hours of electricity a day from the notoriously corrupt state company that has cost state coffers more than $40 billion over the past three decades. Among those to announce a temporary closure was City Mall, one of the largest in Lebanon. Some hospitals have warned they will be forced to close if they are not supplied with diesel.
Salame hits back
The central bank’s funding of fuel and other basic commodity imports has contributed to foreign reserves falling by more than 50 percent from their pre-crisis level of more than $30 billion. Politicians have hit out at Salame’s move, which means fuel has to be bought at the black market exchange rate — making it unaffordable to many. But Salame hit back on Saturday. “Everybody was aware…they were aware in government, parliament and the president’s office” that reserves were critically low, Salame said, accusing the ruling class of inaction. “There is a simple solution… a session in parliament to approve the use of mandatory reserves” to fund fuel imports, he added. The central bank chief also took aim at local traders, accusing them of holding back fuel from the local market so as to force prices higher, and also selling onto neighbouring Syria’s black market. “The central bank seeks to finance Lebanon, not another country,” Salame said. Salame has headed the central bank since 1993 and is suspected by many Lebanese of helping facilitate large transfers of money abroad by the political elite during mass protests that began in October 2019.
He is under judicial investigation in Lebanon, Switzerland and France over several cases, including the diversion of public funds and illicit enrichment. At home, many blame him for capital controls in place since 2019 that have trapped dollar savings and denied even the poorest segment of the population free access to their deposits.

Angry citizens detain Hezbollah MP in Lebanon over deteriorating living conditions
ARAB NEWS/August 14, 2021
Video footage appears to show the time of his detention
CAIRO: A group of angry Lebanese citizens have reportedly detained Hezbollah member and Parliamentarian Hussein Hajj Hassan while attending a Shiite event in the Bekaa Valley, eastern Lebanon Friday evening. Local media reported news of his detention by citizens angered by the deteriorating situation in Lebanon, adding that he departed the site amid heavy army deployment. Video footage of what happened in the village of Ali El-Nahri, which lies 66 kilometers away east of Beirut, purportedly shows the time of his detention. Eyewitnesses quoted by local media said that some crowds hurled accusations at the MP related to power outages and the deterioration of living conditions. Hassan later stated that he was marking the Shiite occasion of Ashura, and that he gave a speech in commemoration of the event, denying he faced any form of detention. “Lies, slander and untrue; nothing happened,” he told news website Lebanon 24. Moreover, a village resident who was present during Friday’s incident faced arrest today by an unknown party. Hassan Makkhal shared his arrest from his home on Facebook. Makkhal is said to be a critic of the Hezbollah figure.

Amnesty International condemns the assault Infliced by the Lebanese Parliament police on the Beirut port explosion victims' families
Lebanon: Parliament police take part in vicious attack on families of Beirut Blast victims and journalists
Amnesty International/12 August 2021
Lebanese security forces stood by last night as members of the parliamentary police and unidentified men armed with batons launched a brutal attack against relatives of the Beirut port explosion victims, who were holding an overnight sit-in ahead of a key parliamentary session on the investigation, said Amnesty International.
Witnesses told the organization that members of Lebanon’s Internal Security Forces (ISF) who were present at the site failed to intervene to stop the attack, in which parliamentary police joined men dressed in black who beat and verbally abused the families and journalists. Several people were injured, including two journalists who required hospital treatment.
“The sight of victims’ relatives bloodied and lying on the floor, while journalists were shuttled to hospitals for their injuries after a peaceful sit-in, could not send a clearer message about the extent to which authorities are determined to shamelessly and viciously continue obstructing the course of justice,” said Lynn Maalouf, Deputy Middle East and North Africa Director at Amnesty International.
“This incident speaks volumes about the Lebanese authorities’ disdain for justice. These families lost loved ones as a result of the state’s failure to protect their lives, and it is mind-blowing that they are now facing violent attacks simply for daring to demand accountability as they frontline this historic battle for justice.”
These families lost loved ones as a result of the state’s failure to protect their lives, and it is mind-blowing that they are now facing violent attacks simply for daring to demand accountability as they frontline this historic battle for justice
Lynn Maalouf, Amnesty International
Unprovoked attack
Victims’ families had been peacefully protesting ahead of a parliamentary session due to take place today. The speaker, Nabih Berri, requested the parliament to discuss a petition calling for the investigation into the blast to be transferred to a special council mandated to prosecute high-level officials. The move is widely seen as yet another attempt to obstruct the ongoing investigation particularly as the council, first announced decades ago has never been formed.
The families had stepped up their calls for mobilization in the run up to the session, leading a number of MPs to announce they would boycott today’s session. Only 39 MPs attended, including the parliamentary blocs of political parties Hezbollah, Amal, Marada, and Syrian Social Nationalist Party, three MPs from the Future party and the indicted MP Nouhad Machnouk, which left parliament without the minimum numbers needed to hold the session.
Hussam Chebaro, a photojournalist for Annahar Newspaper, said the gathering of the families started off so calmly that he was considering leaving early. Suddenly, he heard a loud sound and saw around a dozen people in black t-shirts approaching from behind an ISF checkpoint. Hussam said that some of these men were wearing ISF uniforms.
“They were hitting us with sticks brutally, and hitting everyone indiscriminately: journalists, women, older people, children, the scene was horrible, very brutal. I was hit on my back, neck, head, face, shoulders. They took my camera and my motorcycle, and I was transferred to the hospital. Thank God, I don’t have broken bones, but severe bruising,” Hussam said.
The mother of one of the port blast victims described the men who attacked her as “monsters”. She told Amnesty International:
“Without any reason, out of the blue, around five or six men dressed in black civilian clothes holding black [batons] came our way and started attacking us. They were hitting people recklessly.”
She managed to escape and joined her husband in their car. The attackers followed her to the car, banging on the vehicle with batons as they drove away.
Zakariya Jaber, a freelance journalist, was left with a broken finger after he was beaten by supporters of the speaker.
“It’s becoming routine to hit photojournalists in protests… they want to stop us from documenting their brutality,” he said.
Hussein Baydoun, a photojournalist for Al Araby Al Jadeed, said the attackers had shouted: “how dare you insult Nabih Berri?!” Hussein ran away but was chased by two men, who threw sticks at him. He also witnessed relatives of the blast’s victims being severely beaten. He said that around 12 ISF members present stood by and watched. “They did nothing to protect us or the families,” he said.
This is not the first time the families of the victims of the Beirut port explosion have been beaten. On 13 July, security forces used excessive force to disperse dozens of protesters who had gathered outside the home of the Minister of Interior, who had rejected the investigative judge’s request to question one of Lebanon’s most senior generals over the blast.
On 2 July 2021, Judge Tarek Bitar requested permission to question MPs and high-level security officials over the explosion. This included former finance minister Ali Hasan Khalil, former public works Minister Ghazi Zeaiter, and former interior minister Nouhad Machnouk, the head of General Security Directorate Major General Abbas Ibrahim, and the head of State Security Major General Tony Saliba. Following the minister of interior’s earlier rejection of a request to interrogate Major General Abbas Ibrahim, the Higher Defense Council also yesterday rejected the judge’s request to interrogate Major General Tony Saliba.
A group of MPs from the blocs of the speaker of parliament’s Amal movement as well as Hezbollah and Future had signed a petition requesting the launch of parallel proceedings.
“As authorities continue to hinder the investigation domestically, it is more urgent than ever for the members of the UN Human Rights Council in their upcoming September session to set up a fact-finding mechanism into the blast,” said Lynn Maalouf.
Background:
On 4 August 2020, one of the largest non-nuclear explosions in history destroyed Beirut’s port and damaged more than half the city. The explosion killed at least 217 people and wounded 7,000, of whom 150 acquired a physical disability. The blast also damaged 77,000 apartments, forcibly displacing over 300,000 people. At least three children between the ages of two and 15 lost their lives.

Hezbollah acts, Israel reacts, Iran pulls the strings
Yossi Mekelberg/Arab News/August 15/2021
Old habits die hard in the fraught relations between Israel and the Iranian-backed Lebanese movement Hezbollah, and the pattern of their interaction never fails to carry with it the seed of escalation, planned or unintended.
However, a rather aimless three days of firing rockets across the border from Lebanon into Israel this month, initiated by Palestinian factions and provoking a measured Israeli retaliation, represented a worrying change. It was the first time since the 2006 war that Hezbollah had fired rockets into Israel. Both Israel and Hezbollah tried to make a point by this exchange, but if there was one, it was hard to detect, beyond a wish to demonstrate their stable though fragile relationship of mutual deterrence. Damage to either side was negligible, and as usual it was the subsequent vitriolic rhetoric that threatened to escalate the violence.
However, in any such outbreaks of hostility between Israel and Hezbollah there are more than strictly local issues at stake. Regional and international factors weigh heavily, above all Iran’s malign intentions and destabilising operations. New governments in both Israel and Iran are adding to the sense of uncertainty. The accumulated impact of rising tensions between them on several fronts threatens to explode in one place and spread to others, and the Israeli–Lebanese border is one of these theaters of confrontation constantly on the verge of a flareup.
What makes the fundamental antagonism between Israel and Hezbollah more conducive to escalation is both sides’ chronically unstable political systems; Lebanon in particular is in danger of becoming ungovernable, which would create the space for Hezbollah to operate both inside and outside the system and to mainly to serve its own interests regardless of those of the country as a whole. The destructive military capabilities possessed by both sides have long deterred them from embarking on a senseless attempt to defeat each other, but on the other hand have maintained a dangerous level of volatility along a border that is always on a knife edge.
For the Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, who fashions himself as a political hawk, there is a danger of being sucked into a conflict from which Israel could gain little, and which would play into the hands of Hezbollah’s leader Hassan Nasrallah, enhancing his image as the one who stands up to the might of the Jewish state. For Nasrallah, confrontation with Israel is a tool for reviving his and his organization’s dwindling power and influence in Lebanese politics.
Israel needs to keep a close eye on domestic events in Lebanon, but it must avoid giving its arch enemy any excuse to divert attention from those events by overreacting.
Just such a conflict broke out in 2006 when Ehud Olmert, who was taking his first steps as Israel’s prime minister and also had a novice defense minister, responded to a Hezbollah provocation that led to a war. Despite forcing Nasrallah underground ever since and obliging him to move from one hiding place to another, that conflict also exposed Israel’s vulnerabilities. In the years that followed, Hezbollah increased its military capabilities exponentially, allowing it to hit any population center in Israel, but it is also aware that Israel’s retaliation is bound to be disproportionately painful by design.
This has led to an alarming balance of power between Hezbollah and an Israel that can’t afford to appear weak in the face of Tehran’s stooges, who thrive on confrontation with the Jewish state. When a member of Israel’s coalition from the left-leaning Meretz party, Ghaida Rinawie Zoabi, said that if Israel embarked on a military campaign her party and the Palestinian-Israeli party Raam would resign from the coalition and so bring down the government, it actually put pressure on Bennett to retaliate to maintain his credibility among the right in Israel.
Reality is much more complex than either side would like it to be, and deterrence works best when it doesn’t have to be proved on the battlefield. Israel’s experience in Lebanon has been a bitter and expensive one of entanglement without any political achievements. Prolonged incursions across the border are costly, and incapable of achieving any long-term objectives in a totally fragmented country, where Hezbollah has established a state within a state and is Lebanon’s strongest military power by far.
However, Hezbollah is increasingly under political fire at home, and although in its early days it was regarded as radical but at least clean of corruption and representing something genuine and different to the usual convoluted Lebanese political scene, this is no longer the case. It has become one of the sources of the country’s dysfunction, to a large extent epitomising it, and its involvement in the war in Syria does not serve Lebanon’s interests. It is always likely to bring calamity by miscalculating and provoking another large-scale confrontation with Israel.
Lebanon’s top Christian cleric, the Maronite patriarch Bechara Boutros Al-Rai, made a rare intervention this year when he accused the Hezbollah movement of being detrimental to the national interest by dragging it into regional conflicts: “I want to tell them,” he said, “do you want us to stay in a state of war that you decide? Are you asking us before you go to war?” Leading the resistance against Israel is hardly a vote winner in Lebanon, as the country has more urgent and existential issues to deal with. Its economy is in crisis, public services are on the verge of complete collapse, and its politicians are under ever increasing pressure to prevent their country from completely disintegrating.
Interestingly enough, in the aftermath of last week’s incident between Israel and Hezbollah, video footage emerged showing Druze villagers assaulting those on board a vehicle from which the rockets were fired. The villagers accused Hezbollah of provoking a war in their locality, one that they will end up paying the price for. The situation for Nasrallah and his organization is changing, and as Lebanon once again slides toward further internal strife, the last thing its people want is another devastating war with Israel, especially one for the benefit of Tehran.
Israel needs to keep a close eye on domestic events in Lebanon, but it must avoid giving its arch enemy any excuse to divert attention from those events by overreacting. Certainly, Nasrallah himself understands the consequences of a military confrontation with Israel, and would rather adhere to his usual demagogy than resort to such a dangerous move.
• Yossi Mekelberg is professor of international relations and an associate fellow of the MENA Program at Chatham House. He is a regular contributor to the international written and electronic media. Twitter: @YMekelberg

The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on August 14-15/2021
Taliban Close in on Kabul as U.S. Ramps Up Afghan Evacuations
Agence France Presse/August 14/2021
The Afghan Taliban tightened their territorial stranglehold around Kabul on Saturday, as refugees from the insurgents' relentless offensive flooded the capital and U.S. Marines returned to oversee emergency evacuations from Afghanistan. With the country's second- and third-largest cities having fallen into Taliban hands, Kabul has effectively become the besieged, last stand for government forces who have offered little or no resistance elsewhere. Insurgent fighters are now camped just 50 kilometres (30 miles) away, leaving the United States and other countries scrambling to airlift their nationals out of Kabul ahead of a feared all-out assault. Heaving fighting was also reported around Mazar-i-Sharif, an isolated holdout in the north where warlord and former vice president Abdul Rashid Dostum had gathered his virulently anti-Taliban militia.
The only other cities of any significance not to be taken yet were Jalalabad, Gardez and Khost -- Pashtun-dominated and unlikely to offer much resistance now. In Kabul, U.S. embassy staff were ordered to begin shredding and burning sensitive material, as the first American troops from a planned 3,000-strong re-deployment started arriving to secure the airport and oversee evacuations. A host of European countries -- including Britain, Germany, Denmark and Spain -- all announced the withdrawal of personnel from their respective embassies on Friday.
For Kabul residents and the tens of thousands who have sought refuge there in recent weeks, the overwhelming mood was one of confusion and fear. Muzhda, 35, a single woman who arrived in the capital with her two sisters after fleeing nearby Parwan, said she was terrified for the future. "I am crying day and night," she told AFP
"I have turned down marriage proposals in the past... If the Taliban come and force me to marry, I will commit suicide."UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he was "deeply disturbed" by accounts of poor treatment of women in areas seized by the Taliban, who imposed an ultra-austere brand of Islam on Afghanistan during their 1996-2001 rule. "It is particularly horrifying and heartbreaking to see reports of the hard-won rights of Afghan girls and women being ripped away," Guterres said. The scale and speed of the Taliban advance have shocked Afghans and the US-led alliance that poured billions into the country after toppling the Taliban in the wake of the September 11 attacks nearly 20 years ago. Days before a final U.S. withdrawal ordered by President Joe Biden, individual Afghan soldiers, units and even whole divisions have surrendered -- handing the insurgents even more vehicles and military hardware to fuel their lightning advance.
'No imminent threat'
Despite the frantic evacuation efforts, the Biden administration continues to insist that a complete Taliban takeover is not inevitable. "Kabul is not right now in an imminent threat environment," Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said Friday, while acknowledging that Taliban fighters were "trying to isolate" the city. The Taliban offensive has accelerated in recent days, with the capture of Herat in the north and, just hours later, the seizure of Kandahar -- the group's spiritual heartland in the south. Kandahar resident Abdul Nafi told AFP the city was calm after government forces abandoned it for the sanctuary of military facilities outside, where they were negotiating terms of surrender. "I came out this morning, I saw Taliban white flags in most squares of the city," he said. Pro-Taliban social media accounts have boasted of the vast spoils of war captured by the insurgents -- posting photos of armored vehicles, heavy weapons, and even a drone seized from abandoned military bases. In Herat, the Taliban captured long-time strongman Ismail Khan, who helped lead the defense of the provincial capital along with his militia fighters.
'Thousands per day' -
Pul-e-Alam, capital of Logar province, was the latest city to fall on Friday, putting the Taliban within striking distance of Kabul. Helicopters flitted back and forth between Kabul's airport and the sprawling U.S. diplomatic compound in the heavily fortified Green Zone -- 46 years after choppers evacuated Americans from Saigon, signalling the end of the Vietnam War. The US-led evacuation is focused on thousands of people, including embassy employees, and Afghans and their families who fear retribution for working as interpreters or in other support roles for the United States.
Pentagon spokesman Kirby said that most of the troops shepherding the evacuation would be in place by Sunday and "will be able to move thousands per day" out of Afghanistan. "Capacity is not going to be a problem," he said.

Another east Afghan province falls to Taliban without battle
AP/August 14, 2021
KABUL: An Afghan lawmaker says the Taliban have also taken over the eastern province of Kunar, bordering Pakistan, without a fight. Neamatullah Karyab, a lawmaker from the area, says the insurgents took over the province on Saturday evening. The Taliban now control around 23 of Afghanistan’s 34 provinces and are encircling the capital, Kabul. The lightning advance comes less than three weeks before the US plans to withdraw it’s last forces, ending America’s longest war. Hours earlier, the Taliban captured Mazar-i-Sharif, a large, heavily defended city in northern Afghanistan in a major setback for the government. The fall of Mazar-i-Sharif, the country’s fourth largest city, which Afghan forces and two powerful former warlords had pledged to defend, hands the insurgents control over all of northern Afghanistan, confining the Western-backed government to the center and east. Abas Ebrahimzada, a lawmaker from the Balkh province where the city is located, said the national army surrendered first, which prompted pro-government militias and other forces to lose morale and give up in the face of a Taliban onslaught launched earlier Saturday. Ebrahimzada said Abdul Rashid Dostum and Ata Mohammad Noor, former warlords who command thousands of fighters, had fled the province and their whereabouts were unknown. The Taliban have made major advances in recent days, including capturing Herat and Kandahar, the country’s second- and third-largest cities. They now control about 20 of Afghanistan’s 34 provinces, leaving the Western-backed government with a smattering of provinces in the center and east, as well as the capital, Kabul. On Saturday, the Taliban captured all of Logar province, just south of Kabul, and detained local officials, said Hoda Ahmadi, a lawmaker from the province. She said the Taliban have reached the Char Asyab district, just 11 kilometers (7 miles) south of the capital. Afghan President Ashraf Ghani had flown to Mazar-i-Sharif on Wednesday to rally the city’s defenses, meeting with several militia commanders, including Dostum and Noor. On Saturday, Ghani delivered a televised speech, his first public appearance since the recent Taliban gains. He vowed not to give up the “achievements” of the 20 years since the US toppled the Taliban after the 9/11 attacks. The US has continued holding peace talks between the government and the Taliban in Qatar this week, and the international community has warned that a Taliban government brought about by force would be shunned. But the insurgents appear to have little interest in making concessions as they rack up victories on the battlefield. “We have started consultations, inside the government with elders and political leaders, representatives of different levels of the community as well as our international allies,” Ghani said. “Soon the results will be shared with you,” he added, without elaborating further. Insurgents also captured the capital of Paktika, bordering Pakistan, according to Khalid Asad, a lawmaker from the province. He said fighting broke out in Sharana early Saturday but ended after local elders intervened to negotiate a pullout. He said the governor and other officials surrendered and were on their way to Kabul. Sayed Hussan Gerdezi, a lawmaker from the neighboring Paktia province, said the Taliban seized most of its local capital, Gardez, but that battles with government forces were still underway. The Taliban said they controlled the city. The Taliban also took control of Maimana, the capital of northern Faryab province, said Fawzia Raoufi, a lawmaker from the province. Maimana had been under siege for a month, and Taliban fighters entered the city days ago. Security forces finally surrendered Saturday, she said. Tens of thousands of Afghans have fled their homes, with many fearing a return to the Taliban’s oppressive rule. The group had previously governed Afghanistan under a harsh version of Islamic law in which women were forbidden to work or attend school, and could not leave their homes without a male relative accompanying them.
Salima Mazari, one of the few female district governors in the country, expressed fears about a Taliban takeover earlier Saturday in an interview from Mazar-i-Sharif, before it fell to the insurgents. “There will be no place for women,” said Mazari, who governs a district of 36,000 people near the northern city. “In the provinces controlled by the Taliban, no women exist there anymore, not even in the cities. They are all imprisoned in their homes.”The withdrawal of foreign troops and the swift collapse of Afghanistan’s own forces — despite hundreds of billions of dollars in US aid over the years — has raised fears the Taliban could return to power or that the country could be shattered by factional fighting, as it was after the Soviet withdrawal in 1989. It’s also prompted many American and Afghan veterans of the conflict to question whether two decades of blood and treasure was worth it.
Afghans have been streaming into Kabul’s international airport in recent days, desperate to fly out, even as more American troops have arrived to help partially evacuate the US Embassy. The first Marines from a contingent of 3,000 arrived Friday. The rest are expected by Sunday, and their deployment has raised questions about whether the administration will meet its Aug. 31 withdrawal deadline. The US Air Force has carried out several airstrikes to aid its Afghan allies on the ground but they appear to have done little to stem the Taliban’s advance. A B-52 bomber and other warplanes traversed the country’s airspace Saturday, flight-tracking data showed. The Taliban meanwhile released a video announcing the takeover of the main radio station in the southern city of Kandahar, which fell to the insurgents earlier this week, renaming it the Voice of Sharia, or Islamic law.
In the video, an unnamed insurgent said all employees were present and would broadcast news, political analysis and recitations of the Qur’an, the Islamic holy book. It appears the station will no longer play music. It was not clear if the Taliban had purged the previous employees or allowed them to return to work. The US invaded shortly after the Sept. 11 attacks, which Al-Qaeda planned and carried out while being sheltered by Taliban. After rapidly ousting the Taliban, the US shifted toward nation-building, hoping to create a modern Afghan state after decades of war and unrest. Earlier this year, President Joe Biden announced a timeline for the withdrawal of all US troops by the end of August, pledging to end America’s longest war. His predecessor, President Donald Trump, had reached an agreement with the Taliban to pave the way for a US pullout. Biden’s announcement set the latest offensive in motion. The Taliban, who have long controlled large parts of the Afghan countryside, moved quickly to seize provincial capitals, border crossings and other key infrastructure. “The security situation in the city is getting worse,” said Kawa Basharat, a resident in Mazar-i-Sharif. “I want peace and stability; the fighting should be stopped.”

Afghan President Says 'Remobilization of Armed Forces Top Priority'
Agence France Presse/August 14/2021
Afghan President Ahsraf Ghani said Saturday the remobilization of the country's armed forces was a "top priority", as Taliban fighters inched closer to the capital after routing the country's defenses over the past week."In the current situation, the remobilization of our security and defense forces is our top priority, and serious steps are being taken in this regard," he said in a televised speech.

Venezuela Government, Opposition Launch Talks in Mexico
Agence France Presse/August 14/2021
Venezuela's government and opposition have launched negotiations in Mexico in the latest attempt to end a crippling political and economic crisis. Representatives of the two sides signed an agreement in Mexico City officially inaugurating the start of the dialogue mediated by Norway and hosted by the Mexican government.

Interests, not ideology drive Sudan’s ties to Turkey
The Arab Weekly/August 14/2021
ANKARA--Sudan is trying to correct the course of its relations with Turkey and overcome a period of about two years of political estrangement as Ankara also seeks to improve relations with regional partners, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
The head of the Sudanese Transitional Sovereignty Council, Abdel-Fattah Al-Burhan, visited Turkey, Thursday and Friday, at the invitation of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Burhan held a meeting Friday in Ankara, attended by Turkish Vice President Fuat Oktay, with businessmen and investors. The Sudanese leader expressed his confidence in the possibility of raising the volume of trade with Turkey to two billion dollars. In relations with Turkey, Sudan is following in the footsteps of its improved relations with Qatar. Ties with Doha had witnessed major developments following the Al-Ula summit in Saudi Arabia of last January, which reset the course of relations between Qatar and the Arab quartet. Observers say that Burhan had been concerned about the results of the visit paid by his deputy, Lieutenant General Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, to Turkey before the end of last May, in which he obtained material and moral support and an understanding with Ankara to sign some agreements beyond his official prerogatives. Burhan is said to have feared that his deputy’s approach would spark speculations about the existence of a conflict between the two of them or that Ankara has managed to establish special ties with Daglo.
Observers add that the President of the Sovereignty Council wants to seize control of foreign affairs, especially in dealing with major issues, even if he is willing to leave some of the details to the transitional government. Burhan’s visit coincides with apparent changes in Turkish discourse regarding its ideological positions. Ankara has cut its level of support to the Islamists of Sudan, which makes the Sovereignty Council less reserved about cooperation and more willing to seek Turkish-Sudanese common areas of interest based on strategic interests.
A member of the Council of Transitional Period Partners in Sudan, Youssef Mohamed Zain, stressed that the visit aims to put an end to the issues of concern that have prevented the establishment of normal relations between the two countries. On top of these issues is Ankara’s support for the Islamist movement in Sudan. There is a tendency, he said, in the Sovereignty Council to demand a halt to that kind of support in exchange for facilitating investment opportunities for Turkey in Sudan. Although Burhan’s visit has had an economic focus, security and political issues could not be ignored as Khartoum seeks to strike a balance between Ankara’s desire to pursue investments in Sudan and Khartoum’s desire to make sure there are no security threats originating from Turkey. The spokesman for the Arab Coalition for Sudan, Suleiman Sari, said that talk about establishing normal diplomatic relations with Turkey needs to wait a little because Ankara harbours a number of “enemies of the Sudanese revolution” who belong to the Muslim Brotherhood. There are also Turkish investors in Sudan who are wanted at home but have not been extradited, he pointed out. He explained to The Arab Weekly that Sudanese official silence on Turkish interference raises several questions and indicates that there are parties within the Sudanese interim authority who are keen on protecting Turkish interests. Among its many other considerations, Khartoum wants to avoid a confrontation with Ankara and convince it to reduce its support for Ethiopia, regional rival of Sudan. Analysts believe the president of the Sovereignty Council is also trying to take advantage of regional and international overtures to achieve political and economic gains that could strengthen his hold on power at home and smooth relations of his country abroad.

West Baghdad without water after ‘attack’ on power grid
AFP/August 14, 2021
BAGHDAD: Baghdad’s west has been cut off from the city’s water network after the Daesh attacked an electricity pylon powering a pumping station, authorities and residents said on Saturday. Unclaimed attacks on Iraq’s electricity network have been increasing since the start of summer, at a time when the country is facing severe power shortages. Authorities normally accuse “terrorists” of being behind the attacks, without identifying a particular group. But the Iraqi army said in a statement Saturday that Daesh were behind an “attack” Friday on a pylon in Tarmiya, north of the capital.
The pylon supplies the Tarmiya pumping station which serves Karkh, the city’s west and home to several million people. Baghdad announced victory over Daesh group in 2017, though troops continue to fight sleeper cells. Residents of Karkh told AFP on Saturday that water had been cut off since the day before. “We don’t have much water in our tank and we’re afraid this cut will be prolonged,” a Karkh resident told AFP, declining to be identified. Many Baghdad residents have installed their own water tanks, as persistent power cuts make Iraq’s daily water distribution erratic.
Municipal authorities urged residents to ration tank water usage until the pylon has been repaired and the situation “returns to normal.” Since the start of the summer, authorities have reported the damage or destruction of some 60 electricity pylons across the country, mostly in desert regions.
Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhemi met security and intelligence officials on Friday and ordered the establishment of a crisis unit to protect the electricity network. Oil-rich Iraq produces just 16,000 megawatts of power — far below the 24,000 megawatts needed, and even further from the expected future needs of a country whose population is set to double by 2050, according to the UN. The country buys gas and electricity from neighboring Iran to supply about a third of its power sector, which has been worn down by years of conflict and poor maintenance, and is unable to meet the needs of the country’s 40 million population. Last month, areas in the country’s south were plunged into darkness for several days after a series of similar attacks. Around the same time, Iran briefly suspended its gas and electricity exports because of Iraq’s failure to pay a $6 billion energy debt.The failure of Iraq’s power system is particularly acute in the baking hot summer months, when temperatures shoot past 45 degrees Celsius (113 Fahrenheit).

Russia says all 8 die in water-bomber plane crash in Turkey
AFP/August 14, 2021
Moscow: Russia on Saturday said all eight people onboard a Russian water-dropping plane died when it crashed in Turkey during a firefighting mission. Moscow’s defense ministry said five Russian servicemen and three Turkish nationals were killed in the crash, news agencies reported. The Russian defense ministry earlier said the Be-200 plane went down around 1330 GMT with eight crew onboard. The plane crashed near the southern Turkish city of Adana, it said. Russian consular representatives and a defense ministry commission were on their way to the crash site. In July, Russia said it would send Be-200 planes to Turkey to help it fight spreading wildfires. Turkish state news agency Anadolu reported that rescuers had rushed to the scene with television footage showing a column of smoke rising from a mountainous zone.

Canada/Statement by Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister of International Development following earthquake in Haiti
August 14, 2021 - Ottawa, Ontario - Global Affairs Canada
The Honourable Marc Garneau, Minister of Foreign Affairs, and the Honourable Karina Gould, Minister of International Development, today issued the following statement:
“It is with great sadness that we learned of the devastating earthquake in Haiti this morning. Canada sends its condolences to families and friends in mourning and hopes for a speedy recovery for the injured. To date, we have no reports of Canadian casualties.
“The Government of Canada expresses its solidarity with the people of Haiti who continue to endure the devastation caused by natural disasters. We stand ready to work with Haitians and our international partners to assess the needs and we will provide assistance to the people of Haiti based on those needs.
“As a long-standing partner in Haiti’s development, we have faith in the strength and resilience of the Haitian people and will continue to work together for a better future.
“Canadians requiring emergency consular assistance should contact Global Affairs Canada’s 24/7 Emergency Watch and Response Centre in Ottawa by collect phone call at 1 613 996 8885 or by email at sos@international.gc.ca.

The Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials published on August 14-15/2021
Iranian Mullahs' Deadly War at Sea, Biden Administration Silent
Majid Rafizadeh/Gatestone Institute/August 14/2021
While the Iranian mullahs have been busy breaching two critical international laws, the international community -- especially the United States, EU and UN Security Council -- have remained silent.
If it were Israel that carried out such a deadly attack, the international community would be up in arms trying to take tough actions against the tiny state.
Worse, the Biden administration and the EU probably still want to revive the catastrophic nuclear deal and lift sanctions against Iran's lawless and predatory regime.
Iran's regime has been attacking commercial oil tankers at sea, killing crew members and blatantly violating international law while the Biden administration, the EU, and the UN Security Council say not a word. On July 30, the oil tanker MV Mercer Street (pictured) was attacked by an armed drone 280km from the port of Al-Daqam in the Sea of Oman. Two crew members, one British and one Romanian, were killed in the attack.
The Iranian regime has ratcheted up its assaults at sea while the Biden administration and the European Union continue pressing to revive the disastrous Obama nuclear deal and lift sanctions against the ruling mullahs.
On July 30, 2021, the oil tanker MV Mercer Street was attacked by an armed drone 280km from the port of Al-Daqam in the Sea of Oman. Two crew members, one British and one Romanian, were killed in the attack. The ship is Japanese-owned and Liberian-flagged, and is managed by Zodiac Maritime, a British company that is one of Israeli billionaire Eyal Ofer's businesses.
Many countries -- including the United States, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and Israel -- concluded that the Iranian regime was behind the deadly attack. Following an investigation by an expert team from the US Defense Department, which inspected the MV Mercer Street following the attack, the US Central Command wrote in a statement:
"The use of Iranian designed and produced one way attack 'kamikaze' UAVs is a growing trend in the region. They are actively used by Iran and their proxies against coalition forces in the region, to include targets in Saudi Arabia and Iraq."
A few days after the attack, instead of taking appropriate action against the Iranian regime, the European Union stated it is optimistic view that it could revive the nuclear deal with Iran. In spite of the deadly attack and in spite of the fact that the Iranian regime made a mass murderer its new president, a senior EU official pointed out that:
"We still think that the most likely scenario is an agreement. What I cannot tell you is when and [under] what conditions. They [the Iranian leaders] will come back the moment they have completed all the different steps in the new administration. So my understanding is [that] we are talking about sometime at the beginning of September".
If it were Israel that carried out such a deadly attack, the international community would be up in arms trying to take tough actions against the tiny state.
This is not the first time that the Iranian regime has been implicated in attacking commercial oil tankers in the recent years. In May of 2019, for example, four tankers were targeted close to the port of Fujairah, off the coast of the United Arab Emirates. A month later, on June 13, 2019, two tankers -- the Japanese Kokuka Courageous and the Norwegian Front Altair ­-- crossing the Gulf of Oman were also sabotaged with explosives. One tanker went up in flames and both were left adrift. A few weeks later, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), emboldened, broadcast a video boasting about how its commandos, wearing black ski masks and military fatigues, descended from a helicopter onto a British oil tanker in the Strait of Hormuz and victoriously seized the ship.
While the Iranian mullahs have been busy breaching two critical international laws, the international community -- especially the United States, EU and UN Security Council -- have remained silent. The Iranian regime is violating the internationally agreed UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). Under part three of UNCLOS, "Straits Used For International Navigation," Article 44, the agreement stipulates that:
"States bordering straits shall not hamper transit passage and shall give appropriate publicity to any danger to navigation or over flight within or over the strait of which they have knowledge. There shall be no suspension of transit passage."
UNCLOS also clarifies:
"Transit passage means the exercise in accordance with this Part of the freedom of navigation and overflight solely for the purpose of continuous and expeditious transit of the strait between one part of the high seas or an exclusive economic zone and another part of the high seas or an exclusive economic zone."
Second, Iran's aggressive behavior and its assaults are a blatant violation of the UN General Assembly's "Definition of Aggression," which "calls upon all states to refrain from all acts of aggression and other uses of force contrary to the Charter of the United Nations and the Declaration on Principles of International Law concerning Friendly Relations and Cooperation among states in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations." This resolution clarifies that the following can be classed as acts of aggression: "The blockade of the ports or coasts of a state by the armed forces of another state," and "an attack by the armed forces of a state on the land, sea or air forces, or marine and air fleets of another state."
In short, Iran's regime has been attacking commercial oil tankers at sea, killing crew members and blatantly violating international law while the Biden administration, the European Union, and the UN Security Council say not a word. Worse, the Biden administration and the EU probably still want to revive the catastrophic nuclear deal and lift sanctions against Iran's lawless and predatory regime.
*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
© 2021 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.

India-Saudi relations are built on the strong edifice of history
Dr. Ausaf Sayeed/Arab News/August 15/2021
On the joyous occasion of India’s 75th Independence Day and the commencement of the “Azadi Ka Amrut Mahotsav” celebrations, I would like to extend my warm greetings and felicitations to all Indian citizens and persons of Indian origin in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. For Indians, this day represents struggle, sacrifice, achievement, and the dawn of a new beginning when India became a free, sovereign, and independent nation that would decide its future course after two centuries of colonial rule. Independent India is a celebration of our indigenous diversity and multiculturalism. Over the years we have nurtured the spirit of freedom and strengthened our democracy as we continue our march toward progress and development with new vigor, aspiration, and with the mantra “Nation first, always first.”
Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore described India as a country “Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high, where knowledge is free.” As millions of Indians across the world are singing the national anthem or “Rashtra Gaan” written by Tagore to commemorate our freedom, the national anthem itself is a genuine recognition of the pluralistic spirit of India. The mention of Punjab, Sindh, Gujarat, Maratha, Dravida, Utkala, and Banga in the national anthem is a recognition of the existence of different geographic regions, ethnicities, and cultures in India that highlight the glory of the country as a complex and composite entity.
This year as we commence celebrating 75 years of our independence, we also commemorate 75 years of the establishment of formal diplomatic relations between India and Saudi Arabia. Our relations are built on the long history of the movement of people between India and the Kingdom for mercantile trade and the Hajj pilgrimage. The people of Saudi Arabia have always been fascinated by India’s spices, pearls, precious stones, silk, sandalwood, oud, and perfumes.
Several Indian rulers and nobles built and endowed over a hundred rest houses in the two holy cities of Makkah and Madinah; these were known as “Rubats.” Even now some of them exist such as the Bohra, Bhopal, Arcot, and Hyderabad Rubats.
Other significant links between India and Makkah can be traced to the construction of madrasas and colleges by Indian rulers in the medieval period from as early as the 15th century AD. Prominent among these were the Bangaliyya Madrasa, Gulbargiyya Madrasa, and the Madrasa of the Sultan of Cambay. These were followed in the early 19th century by the renowned Madrasa Al-Sawlatiyah, which is still operating in Makkah. Indian and Saudi Arabia have robust defense cooperation focussed on maritime security cooperation, military training, and possible collaboration in the area of defense industries
There has always been mutual respect and understanding between the leadership of our two countries. While the 17-day visit of King Saud to India in the winter of 1955 created a favorable impression within the region, the return visit of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru in September 1956 reinforced the resolve of the two countries to work together to promote peace, progress, and freedom around the world while adhering to the principles of the Bandung Conference. The visit of Indira Gandhi in April 1982 after a gap of 26 years generated considerable excitement not only in the Kingdom but also in the region. A major turning point in the bilateral relations was the landmark visit of King Abdullah to India in January 2006; the king was the chief guest for India’s Republic Day celebrations during which the two countries decided to develop a strategic energy partnership. The return visit of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to Riyadh in February 2010 heralded a new era of strategic partnership between the two countries. The Delhi and Riyadh declarations made during these visits continue to remain important and highly relevant bilateral documents.
The foundation of the strong, multi-faceted and strategic partnership between the two countries was, however, laid by four important bilateral visits: The visit of King Salman, then the Saudi crown prince, to Delhi in February 2014, the visit of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in February 2019 and the two visits of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Riyadh in April 2016 and October 2019.
The formation of the Strategic Partnership Council (SPC) between the two countries in October 2019 is the highest bilateral mechanism between the two countries and marks the elevation of the bilateral relationship to new heights. The two ministerial committees under the SPC have begun engaging at the senior officers’ level as well as at the level of joint working groups. They focus on diverse areas such as security and defense cooperation, energy, cultural cooperation, agriculture and food security, industry and infrastructure, technology and IT, along with health and education.
Saudi Arabia is India’s fourth-largest trading partner after China, the US, and the UAE. India regards Saudi Arabia as a reliable and long-term energy partner in guaranteeing its energy security. For the fiscal year 2020-21, the hydrocarbons trade with Saudi Arabia accounted for around 61.1 percent of India’s bilateral trade. The Kingdom is the second-largest crude sourcing destination, next to Iraq, for India. India Imported 34.2 MMT of crude oil in the financial year 2020-21, accounting for 18.20 percent of the total crude imports. Saudi Arabia is also the third-largest liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) sourcing destination for India after Qatar and the UAE and it accounts for 22.3 percent of the total LPG imports for 2020-21.
From a purely buyer-seller relationship, the two countries have moved toward a strategic partnership in the hydrocarbons sector with investments from Saudi Aramco in downstream oil and gas projects as well as Aramco’s interest in India’s Strategic Petroleum Reserves.
Both countries have robust defense cooperation focussed on maritime security cooperation, military training, and possible collaboration in the area of defense industries. The first-ever visit of India’s Chief of Army Staff Gen. M.M. Naravane to the Kingdom in December 2020 was aimed at further strengthening bilateral defense ties in areas such as sharing military intelligence, cybersecurity, and combating terrorism. The successful conduct of the first joint naval exercises, the “Al-Mohed Al-Hindi 2021,” at the Jubail port earlier this month served to enhance interoperability between the two naval forces and help in better understanding procedures for maritime security operations. The next step will be to conduct land forces exercises with the theme of counterterrorism in the months ahead.
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and the Saudi Space Commission have held talks to explore the possibility of signing a country-level memorandum of understanding (MoU) in space cooperation. Likewise, cooperation in the field of civil nuclear energy is also an area of interest for both countries.
Healthcare is another significant area in our bilateral cooperation under the Strategic Partnership Council. India supplied 4.5 million doses of the Covishield (AstraZeneca) vaccine to the Kingdom as part of our “Vaccine Maitri.” India has also offered technical know-how and technology transfer for Covaxin, India’s first indigenous COVID-19 vaccine. Cooperation in the field of vaccine development, the joint manufacture of pharmaceuticals, and cooperation in setting up super-specialty hospitals in the Kingdom also remain areas of interest for the private sectors in both countries.
I would like to take this opportunity to express my gratitude to Saudi Arabia for facilitating the supply of liquid medical oxygen and oxygen cylinders and tanks during the devastating second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in India.
Cooperation in the field of complementary and alternative medicine is another promising area of cooperation between our countries. The signing of an MoU for collaboration in yoga between the two countries on the sidelines of the 7th International Yoga Day is a testimony to the growing popularity of yoga in the Kingdom. The MoU will pave the way for the establishment of formal yoga standards and courses in the Kingdom. We endeavor to further engage the people of the two countries in meaningful collaborations in the fields of sport — particularly cricket and football — in addition to entertainment, cinema, and tourism.
I would like to compliment the Indian community which, through its sincerity, hard work, and commitment, has generated considerable goodwill in our bilateral relationship. The cooperation extended by the community volunteers across Saudi Arabia during the “Vande Bharat Mission” under which nearly 600,000 Indians traveled back to the country was noteworthy.
I would like to conclude by availing myself of this opportunity to express my sincere gratitude to King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for their steadfast support in constantly improving the bilateral relationship and for ensuring the welfare of all residents in the Kingdom, including Indian nationals, during these challenging times in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Dr. Ausaf Sayeed is India’s ambassador to Saudi Arabia.

Not naivety, but stupidity … Daesh will profit from Taliban triumph
Baria Alamuddin/Arab News/August 15/2021
Generals and diplomats told their leaders exactly what would happen after Western forces abandoned their posts in Afghanistan — and here we are, watching cities topple one by one and jihadists from around the world rushing to embrace their new caliphate, joining thousands of foreign fighters already there.
In one of the most jarringly ill-judged statements in history, US President Joe Biden (who dogmatically insists he doesn’t regret his decision) condescendingly urged Afghans to come out and “fight for their nation,” while America flees for the exits. Biden’s administration mobilized a ludicrous last-minute diplomatic scramble via Qatar to beg a victorious Taliban to agree to a power-sharing compromise. If the Taliban had a sense of humor they would be laughing all the way to Kabul.
The Taliban promised American negotiators they wouldn’t attack cities and — surprise! — these cut-throat extremists are failing to keep their promises, just as they are failing to keep promises not to slaughter soldiers and civil servants, or promises not to allow terrorists to operate on Afghan soil. The mendacious Taliban are past masters at telling audiences what they want to hear, while adding their own silent caveats: “We will let women pursue their education” (until they are 10 years old); “We will defend women’s rights” (according to our own interpretation of Shariah).
And as the Taliban limbers up to slaughter Kabul citizens, what is the priority for US negotiators? “Please don’t attack our beautiful embassy.” If embassy staff want to avoid a humiliation comparable to those of Tehran 1979, Saigon 1975 and Mogadishu 1992, they should start scrambling into helicopters right now, leaving Afghans to their fate. The Taliban owes nothing, expects nothing, wants nothing from the international community. Its leaders will now be even more predisposed to host terrorists — despite bafflingly stupid (let’s not say naive) predictions from Western officials that 20 years of brutal insurgency had mellowed the Taliban’s worst instincts.
As we witnessed after 9/11 and after Daesh’s emergence in 2014, spectacular successes in one location have a massive impact in inspiring jihadists elsewhere, encouraging tens of thousands of sick souls to enrol in these perverse death cults. And global terrorism was already on an upward curve. The US Defense Department concludes that Daesh is “well-entrenched” in Iraq and can “operate indefinitely” in the Syrian desert. Has America already quit these states? Perhaps not, but in trying to render itself invisible, it has hamstrung its forces to the point where they can’t do much more than protect themselves from missile strikes by Iran-backed militants who are arguably far more pernicious than Daesh, and who are again fueling the toxic sectarian climate that gave birth to Daesh in the first place.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warns of an “alarming” expansion of Daesh’s affiliates throughout Africa: An Islamist insurgency seized much of far-north Mozambique. Extremists in the Congo are gleefully murdering soldiers and civilians. Daesh’s Nigerian franchise, ISWAP, has embarked on a spree of attacks against military outposts across northern Cameroon. A rival group last week massacred 26 soldiers in Chad.
By reneging on commitments to Afghanistan, the Middle East and Africa, Western leaders are repeating this mistake. Daesh, Hezbollah, Al-Qaeda and the Houthis will maliciously reap the benefits.
France’s pledge to draw down its troops in the Sahel will give terrorism an immense shot in the arm in weak states such as Niger, Burkina Faso and Mali, where jihadists have been indiscriminately massacring citizens. A plethora of related groups remain active in Libya, Algeria, Somalia, the Sinai peninsula and beyond.
President Bush’s “war on terror” was pure stupidity from the outset, with tragic consequences for war-ravaged Iraq and Afghanistan. But having invaded these nations and imposed their own governing systems, America was morally obliged to finish what it started.
When Bush declared “mission accomplished” and Trump announced “100 percent caliphate victory,” they were lying to themselves and the world. Terrorism is not defeated in a single set-piece battle, but rather through decades of patient efforts in support of stable and well-governed states throughout the developing world. Although Trump had already done a deal with the Taliban, why did Biden feel compelled to adhere to something that was so obviously catastrophic? Why would potential allies ever trust Western nations again?
The mess that America has left behind isn’t an argument against the West’s involvement in the world: 9/11 and all that followed were the consequence of chronic neglect of world affairs throughout the 1990s, creating the optimum environment for extremism and instability to flourish. By reneging on commitments to Afghanistan, the Middle East and Africa, Western leaders are repeating this mistake. Daesh, Hezbollah, Al-Qaeda and the Houthis will maliciously reap the benefits.
Unlike Trump, Obama and Biden are conscientious human beings who desired the best for their country, but the foreign policies of all three have been equally catastrophic in creating a shattered international environment ripe for conquest by terrorists and pariah states. America and Europe, meanwhile, are menaced by far-right extremism, infesting the planet with anti-democratic, racist lies and conspiracy theories.
The Taliban’s blitzkrieg against Afghan provincial capitals is shocking in its intensity and rapidity, but these predictable events blind us to the fact that throughout Africa and the Middle East, thousands of towns and cities are there for the taking if terrorists are allowed to go back on the offensive — particularly after the ravages of COVID, environmental degradation, aid cuts and economic collapse.
The flood of Afghan refugees is just beginning, and as with Syria, Daesh and Al-Qaeda will be spoilt for choice in potential recruits among angry and disenfranchised young men whose only life experience is that of conflict and extreme brutality. In order to save the costs of a couple of thousand troops posted overseas, Biden and Trump have sown the seeds of a fusillade of conflicts yet to emerge.
“The lamps are going out all over Europe,” British Foreign Secretary Sir Edward Grey remarked as the First World War began. The lamps today are going out all over Afghanistan, and maybe we shall not see them lit again in our lifetimes. Yet international decision-makers must ask themselves how much farther the contagion will spread in consequence of their collective failure to act in defence of global stability and peace. Naivety or stupidity? Stupidity – every time!
• Baria Alamuddin is an award-winning journalist and broadcaster in the Middle East and the UK. She is editor of the Media Services Syndicate and has interviewed numerous heads of state.

Variant strains mean this pandemic is far from over
Dr. Theodore Karasik/Arab News/August 15/2021
As with any pathogen like the coronavirus, variants are an expected development. With the coronavirus, the delta variant broke off into a few subtypes, which are being classified as delta+. It arrived in May, and has become the most common variant.
There’s no evidence to suggest that delta+ is any more of a problem than the original delta variant, but more information is required to determine if and how the subtypes may behave differently.
Delta+ is present in 33 countries and spreading rapidly among the unvaccinated. It was one of 18 delta variant mutations, and one of seven mutations that has a change in its spike protein making it behave differently through infection. The delta variant is robust enough to push out other variants.
To be sure, delta+ arose from delta, from individuals who contracted an infection from the delta variant. It shares almost all the same genetic code as the delta variant, but there are some differences. With vaccination, the human immune system produces T-cells across 85 segments of the spike protein, creating strong T-cell immunity. That is good news.
So far, delta+ does not appear to behave differently from the original delta but it will keep sprouting subtypes as it infects more people, especially the unvaccinated. The global rush for vaccination is meeting rejection, protests and occasional violence by the antivax movement. Meanwhile delta+ has had a dramatic social impact. How Darwinian.
If another variant appears with equally high capability of transmission, but which is also much more severe in terms of the spike protein, then there could be additional requirements for booster shots and other measures, including lockdowns.
Whenever a new variant appears, the big question is whether the sequences can bypass the many vaccines available. The application of one brand of vaccine in one continent and a different one in another may have dramatically different results over time. Importantly, with delta+, the vaccines perform as they were designed to, reducing serious illness, hospital admissions, and death.
Thus, the real concern is whether the variant can evade the immunity conferred by vaccination. The vaccines do a lot more than just trigger the production of neutralizing antibodies. They also deliver immunity through T cells and memory B cells, which are known to be long lasting and effective at preventing severe illness, even within the delta variant family.
There are more variants requiring additional focus, and there are two categories of classification —variants of concern, and variants of interest. The alpha variant, originally identified in the UK, was a variant of concern. The lambda variant, originating from South America and now in the northern hemisphere, is a variant of interest, meaning its genetic changes could affect transmissibility and disease severity.
Lambda is a variant based on the initial global disease spread last year. It was first detected in Peru in December 2020 and consisted of up to 81 percent of pathogen sequence cases in the country. The lambda variant shares mutations in common with the alpha, beta, and gamma aspects of the original coronavirus. Lambda is in 36 countries and counting.
Overall, with delta+ and lambda, which behave differently, we’re heading down a slippery slope. More transmission could lead to more mutations and, unfortunately, new variants. If another variant appears with equally high capability of transmission, but which is also much more severe in terms of the spike protein, then there could be additional requirements for booster shots and other measures, including lockdowns. Lockdowns are increasingly becoming politicized, and with the variants running around as they are now, there is every reason in the world to see that this pandemic will not be over for quite a while.
*Dr. Theodore Karasik is a senior adviser to Gulf State Analytics in Washington, D.C. Twitter: @tkarasik