English LCCC Newsbulletin For Lebanese, Lebanese Related, Global News & Editorials
For November 28/2020
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
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Bible Quotations For today
Mary Visits Elizabeth
Luke 01/39-45: In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a town in Judah, and she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, and she exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! And why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.”

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on November 27-28/2021
Health Ministry: 1515 new Corona cases, 8 deaths
Foreign Ministry announces appointment of two Lebanese in prominent positions
MP Jumblatt calls for exceptional measures to halt crises, curb national currency collapse
Hezbollah brags about money spent on Iran fuel for Lebanon
No Signs of Any Breakthrough in Governmental Crisis
Lebanon judiciary stands firm despite Hezbollah allegations
Lebanon risks becoming a republic of NGOs: UN Special Rapporteur on Poverty
Question: "What does it mean to be wise as serpents and harmless as doves (Matthew 10:16)?"
The Beirut Bar elections breakdown/Dana Hourany/Now Lebanon/November 27/2021

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on November 27-28/2021
Britain Outlaws Hamas, Designates it ‘Terrorist’
Iranian police clash with demonstrators in water shortage protests
Iran chief negotiator visits Kuwait, UAE ahead of nuclear talks
Lira crash causes shortage of essential medications in Turkey
Losers in Iraq Elections Insist on Annulment of Vote
Arab Coalition Detects Hostile Houthi Activity at Sanaa Airport
Sudan PM Sacks Police Chiefs after Post-coup Violence
Algerians Hold Local Elections amid Anger over Rising Prices
US President Biden Calls for Intellectual Property Protection Waivers after Omicron Discovery
Blinken Calls for Speedy Negotiations over Ethiopia Military Escalation
Report: Kurdish Woman is First Channel Victim to be Named
New COVID Variant Threat Causes Worldwide Scramble
Canada/Minister Joly to attend NATO and OSCE meetings
What is This New COVID Variant in South Africa?

Titles For The Latest The Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on November 27-28/2021
To Biden Admin: Do Not Give Away US Leverage Against Iran/Majid Rafizadeh/Gatestone Institute/November 27/2021
The 2008 terror attacks in Mumbai helped shape Israel-India relations/Joanthan Spyer/Jerusalem Post/November 27/2021
US military presence in the Gulf is a strategic priority/Luke Coffey/Arab News/November, 27/2021

The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on November 27-28/2021
Health Ministry: 1515 new Corona cases, 8 deaths
NNA/November 27/2021
In its daily report on the COVID-19 developments, the Ministry of Public Health announced on Saturday the registration of 1515 new infections with the Coronavirus, thus raising the cumulative number of confirmed cases to-date to 666,768. It added that 8 deaths were also recorded during the past 24 hours.

Foreign Ministry announces appointment of two Lebanese in prominent positions
NNA/November 27/2021
The Lebanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants announced, in an issued statement on Saturday, that the Supreme Council of the Arab Women Organization renewed Dr. Fadia Kiwan’s term as director general of the organization following her election during the first term in 2018. The Ministry considered that the decision of the Supreme Council to renew Kiwan’s mandate for a second term comes as “an expression of confidence in the Lebanese candidate and the productive path of her work in an Arab organization specialized in women's issues."On a different note, the Ministry also indicated that the Secretary of the Administrative Court of the International Monetary Fund announced the appointment of Judge Nassib Ziadeh as President of the Court, as of the beginning of 2022, as Judge Ziadeh worked in this Court for more than two years, and contributed to strengthening the rule of law.FPM says 'BDL Governor cannot give confidence in national currency when there is no trust in him as a person'

MP Jumblatt calls for exceptional measures to halt crises, curb national currency collapse
NNA/November 27/2021
Head of the Democratic Gathering, MP Taymour Jumblatt, called for “exceptional measures for social protection, including the financing card, since lifting subsidies without any corresponding steps to mitigate the impact of crises, and failing to secure the required services and curbing the collapse of the national currency, will all result in devastating repercussions on the livelihood of citizens and stand as a crime against the homeland, the people and the state."He added that "the absence of a real political will for a solution, and the government's failure to convene to activate its decisions and provide an integrated policy to confront the painful reality, in light of the blocked political horizon and the deterioration that multiplies the economic, social, health and daily living pressures, plunges the country into further crises." Jumblatt's words came during his meeting with popular delegations who visited him at Al-Mokhtara Palace today, raising their concerns and daily living demands.

Hezbollah brags about money spent on Iran fuel for Lebanon
The Arab Weekly/November 27/2021
Lebanon’s Hezbollah leader, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, said on Friday the group had spent more than $10 million on free and subsidised fuel sourced from Iran for the Lebanese people since September. In a televised address, Nasrallah said $2.6 million worth of fuel had been provided for free to Lebanese NGOs, municipalities, government hospitals and other organisations, while more than $7.5 million had been sold at subsidised rates. He said the programme would go on for one more month and then end, and that those living above 500 meters altitude would be prioritised as the cold winter months approach. Hezbollah began importing Iranian fuel via Syria in September in a move the party said was aimed at addressing shortages in the country driven by its crushing economic crisis. The fuel has been transported by convoys of trucks from Syria’s Banyas port to Lebanon in an effort to avoid potential US sanctions on Lebanon for dealing with Iran. Fuel shortages in Lebanon peaked over the summer but have eased after the government ended almost all subsidies, leading prices to skyrocket and consumption to drop. Earlier in November, a UN expert said Lebanon is a failing state that has also failed its people, leaving them struggling with converging crises that have impoverished the population and eroded trust in authorities. Olivier De Schutter, the UN special rapporteur on poverty, sounded the alarm at the end of a 12-day visit to Lebanon. In an interview, he said it is critical that Lebanese politicians realise they cannot rely indefinitely on foreign aid and humanitarian assistance. Still, De Schutter said it was not too late for the government to take measures to help protect the impoverished in this nation of 6 million, including 1 million Syrian refugees. The economic crisis in Lebanon has been described as one of the worst in the world in 150 years. It has plunged more than half the population into poverty in just months, left the national currency in freefall and sent inflation and unemployment soaring. Doctors, nurses and teachers have left the country in droves; schools have struggled to reopen amid a crippling fuel crisis and the poorest families are forced to marry off their daughters early or send their children to work to cope with the meltdown. De Schutter warned of a “wasted generation.”

No Signs of Any Breakthrough in Governmental Crisis
Naharnet/November 27/2021
There are “no positive indications” regarding any breakthrough in the governmental crisis, and “everything that has been said in this regard is nothing more than hypotheses that are not based on serious foundations,” political officials said. “The governmental situation is still besieged by the same obstacles that have prevented Cabinet from convening, whether as to the judicial investigation into into the Beirut port file and the fate of investigative judge Tarek Bitar, or as to the major obstacle that emerged with the Saudi-Gulf boycott of Lebanon over Minister George Kordahi’s statements,” the officials told al-Joumhouria newspaper in remarks published Saturday. The officials also noted that “the latest judicial stance, reflected in the Court of Cassation’s dismissal of the lawsuits against the state, might further complicate things,” calling for “awaiting the developments of the coming days.”The officials also pointed out that there are two possible solutions for the judicial-governmental crisis, with the first calling for the Justice Minister to take a certain measure against the investigative judge, seeing as Bitar was named through a resolution from the Justice Minister.
“Therefore, the official who has the jurisdiction to take the appointment decision also has the jurisdiction to alter this decision if he finds in the appointment decision a deviation or objective reasons for having suspicions over the appointed investigative judge,” the officials added. This proposal, however, is running into “a governmental stance that says that it is unacceptable to interfere in the judicial authority’s affairs,” the officials said, revealing that President Michel Aoun “strongly supports this orientation.” The second solution would see a partitioning of the investigation file, with parliament holding a session to refer the accused ex-PM and former ministers to the Higher Council for Trial of Presidents and Ministers, the officials added.

Lebanon judiciary stands firm despite Hezbollah allegations
Najia Hossari/Arab News/November, 27/2021
BEIRUT: The Beirut Bar Association has urged all officials to refrain from interfering with the judiciary and respect the law and work of institutions. Nader Kaspar, head of the association, said: “The lawyers stand in solidarity with the judges and the Judicial Council.”
His statement came as the confrontation between Hezbollah and the Lebanese judiciary took a dangerous turn. The party has accused Judge Tarek Bitar, who is leading the probe into the Beirut port explosion, of “politicizing the investigation.”In the past few days, the Justice Palace in Beirut has been abuzz with news about the resignation of several judges in protest at the poor conditions the judiciary is experiencing, due to political interference on the one hand and the economic situation on the other. Former public prosecutor Judge Hatem Madi told Arab News: “What is happening increases the state of disgust within the judicial body. These pressures should not affect the course of the judiciary's work, but how long can the judiciary stand its ground in light of a pressing financial and economic crisis? “Pressure has always been exerted on the judiciary. If the judiciary had surrendered, the judges would have resigned a long time ago. They want to remove Bitar at any cost. They have paralyzed the government and they want to do the same to the judiciary, but the latter has so far been steadfast.” The president of the Fifth Chamber of the Court of Cassation Judge Jeannette Hanna, public defender Judge Carla Kassis, and president of the Court of Appeal Judge Rola Al-Husseini have submitted their resignation. However, the head of the Supreme Judicial Council Judge Suhail Abboud rejected these resignations, asking the judges to “hold back.”
The Coalition for an Independent Lebanese Judiciary warned that the judicial body was facing imminent danger.
It said: “These resignations serve as a warning of what the financial and economic collapse may cause within one of the most important public facilities, and of the ongoing systematic campaigns against every judge who dares to question immunities, which was evident in the Beirut port blast probe.” It added that the resignations “reflect the feelings of helplessness and resentment of many judges regarding the financial and moral factors that prevent them from performing their judicial function properly, and put them in an embarrassing situation before public opinion.” On Friday, in addition to demanding that Bitar be removed, Hezbollah secretary-general Hassan Nasrallah went after the entire judicial body because it had pushed back against attempts by defendants to remove Bitar. “Hezbollah resorted to the judiciary to confront Bitar's discretion, but the rulings show that the entire judiciary is politicized,” Nasrallah said. “This was evident over the past couple of days when the judiciary rejected all requests to dismiss Bitar.”He once again claimed that the US, represented by its embassy in Lebanon, was supporting Bitar. “The investigation is trying to accuse Hezbollah of being involved in the blast. The current judicial process is on a discretionary path that does not lead to any justice or truth.”Speaking about the Tayouneh incident, which occurred when Hezbollah supporters took to the streets and clashed with residents of Ain Al-Rummaneh, Nasrallah said Hezbollah did not want personal revenge, but that many people involved had not been handed over to the judiciary and they were still in Maarab, a reference to Lebanese Forces party leader Samir Geagea. “The extent of recklessness, in this case, is an invitation to the families of the victims to take matters into their own hands,” Nasrallah said. The party has been disrupting Cabinet sessions and preventing the resignation of Information Minister George Kordahi to fix Lebanon's relationship with Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states.

Lebanon risks becoming a republic of NGOs: UN Special Rapporteur on Poverty
Ismaeel Naar and Talal Alhaj, Al Arabiya English/27 November ,2021
There is a crisis of trust in the Lebanese government’s ability to respond to the needs of the population and that the country risks becoming a “republic of NGOs,” the UN Special Rapporteur on Poverty warned.
“There is what I call a crisis of trust in the government’s ability to respond to the needs of the population. Many people I spoke to feel abandoned, they feel disenchanted, they have lost faith in the willingness and ability of the government to provide solutions, and I am concerned that many answers that today are being provided by Lebanon are not structural in nature, they are not long-term answers to the country’s problems, they are short term humanitarian answers and Lebanon unfortunately risks becoming a republic of NGOs (non-governmental organizations) with humanitarian actors,” UN Special Rapporteur on Poverty Olivier De Schutter told Al Arabiya’s Talal Alhaj. The fallout from Lebanon’s financial collapse in 2019 has left swathes of the nation in poverty and foreign donors are demanding an audit of the central bank and financial reforms before they release funds. UN agencies have warned of social catastrophes, with one report saying that more than half of families in Lebanon had at least one child who skipped a meal amid a dramatic deterioration of living conditions. “The situation is worse even for some groups of the population of Lebanon, not least the refugees, but all the population has been affected in Lebanon by the financial and economic crisis. Therefore yes in the short term we need humanitarian support, there is no choice but for the world food program, for UNRWA and UNHCR, for UNICEF and others to intervene in the country to support the population,” De Schutter said. The seemingly never-ending crisis has sunk Lebanon’s currency by more than 90 percent, caused poverty to skyrocket, and led many Lebanese to emigrate. Mikati’s government was finally formed after a year of political conflict over cabinet seats that only worsened the crisis. In August, on the first anniversary of the huge chemical blast at Beirut port that killed 200 people and caused billions of dollars of damage, Francis promised to visit Lebanon as soon as the situation permitted. - With inputs from Reuters.

Question: "What does it mean to be wise as serpents and harmless as doves (Matthew 10:16)?"
GotQuestions.org/November 27/2021
Answer: In sending out the Twelve, Jesus said to them, “Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves” (Matthew 10:16, KJV). The NIV says, “shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves.”
Jesus was using similes (figures of speech that compare two unlike things) to instruct His disciples in how to behave in their ministry. Just before He tells them to be wise as serpents and harmless as doves, He warns them that they were being sent out “like sheep among wolves.”
The world, then as now, was hostile to believers—not incidentally hostile, but purposefully hostile. Wolves are intentional about the harm they inflict upon sheep. In such an environment, the question becomes: “How can we advance the kingdom of God effectively without becoming predatory ourselves?” Jesus taught His followers that, to be Christlike in a godless world, they must combine the wisdom of the serpent with the harmlessness of the dove.
In using these similes, Jesus invokes the common proverbial view of serpents and doves. The serpent was “subtle” or “crafty” or “shrewd” in Genesis 3:1. The dove, on the other hand, was thought of as innocent and harmless—doves were listed among the “clean animals” and were used for sacrifices (Leviticus 14:22). To this very day, doves are used as symbols of peace, and snakes are thought of as “sneaky.”
Most people don’t mind having their character compared to a dove’s purity and innocence. But some people recoil at the image of a serpent, no matter what the context. They can never see a snake in a good light, even when used by Jesus as a teaching tool. But we should not make too much of the simile. We cannot attach the evil actions of Satan (as the serpent) with the serpent itself. Animals are not moral entities. The creature itself cannot perform sin, and shrewdness is an asset, not a defect. This is the quality that Jesus told His disciples to model.
The serpent simile stands in Jesus’ dialogue without bringing forward any of the serpent’s pejoratives. It is a basic understanding in language that, when a speaker creates a simile, he is not necessarily invoking the entire potential of the words he has chosen—nor is he invoking the entire history and tenor of the linguistic vehicle. Rather, the speaker is defining a fresh relationship between the two things. A quick look at Matthew 10:16 shows that Jesus was invoking only the positive aspects of the serpent. There is no hint of His unloading Edenic baggage upon His disciples. He simply tells them to be wise (and innocent) as they represented Him.
When Jesus told the Twelve to be as wise as serpents and harmless as doves, He laid down a general principle about the technique of kingdom work. As we take the gospel to a hostile world, we must be wise (avoiding the snares set for us), and we must be innocent (serving the Lord blamelessly). Jesus was not suggesting that we stoop to deception but that we should model some of the serpent’s famous shrewdness in a positive way. Wisdom does not equal dishonesty, and innocence does not equal gullibility.
Let us consider Jesus as exemplar: the Lord was known as a gentle person. Indeed, Scripture testifies that He would not even quench a smoking flax (Matthew 12:20). But was He always (and only) gentle? No. When the occasion demanded it, He took whip in hand and chased the moneychangers out of the temple (John 2:15). Jesus’ extraordinarily rare action, seen in light of His usual mien, demonstrates the power of using a combination of tools. This “dove-like” Man of Innocence spoke loudly and clearly with His assertiveness in the temple.
In His more typical moments, Jesus showed that He was as wise as a serpent in the way He taught. He knew enough to discern the differences in His audiences (a critical skill), He used the story-telling technique to both feed and weed (Matthew 13:10–13), and He refused to be caught in the many traps that His enemies laid for Him (Mark 8:11; 10:2; 12:13).
Jesus showed that He was as harmless as a dove in every circumstance. He lived a pure and holy life (Hebrews 4:15), He acted in compassion (Matthew 9:36), and He challenged anyone to find fault in Him (John 8:46; 18:23). Three times, Pilate judged Jesus to be an innocent man (John 18:38; 19:4, 6).
The apostle Paul also modeled the “wise as serpents, harmless as doves” technique. Paul lived in dove-like innocence in good conscience before God (Acts 23:1) and learned to deny his carnal desires so as not to jeopardize his ministry (1 Corinthians 9:27). But Paul also displayed serpent-like shrewdness when he needed it. He knew his legal rights and used the legal system to his advantage (Acts 16:37; 22:25; 25:11). He also carefully crafted his speeches to maximize the impact on his audience (Acts 17:22–23; 23:6–8).
In Matthew 10:16, Jesus taught us how to optimize our gospel-spreading opportunities. Successful Christian living requires that we strike the optimal balance between the dove and the serpent. We should strive to be gentle without being pushovers, and we must be sacrificial without being taken advantage of. We are aware of the unscrupulous tactics used by the enemy, but we take the high road. Peter admonishes us, “Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us” (1 Peter 2:12).

The Beirut Bar elections breakdown
Dana Hourany/Now Lebanon/November 27/2021
The independents’ loss in the Beirut Bar Association elections last Sunday exposes disorganization and division among opposition groups, allowing the traditional parties to reclaim leadership.
Disorganization and delays as well as divisions among opposition candidates and groups have led to establishment parties regaining control over the Beirut Bar Association, lawyers say. Photo: NOW.
Lina, a 45-year-old lawyer, says she was taken aback when she arrived at Beirut’s Palace of Justice to vote at 10 am on Sunday, November 21.
She says there were obvious delays and a lack of organization in this year’s elections for the leadership of the Beirut Bar Association.
“Unlike the previous years, ballot boxes opened around 11:30 am and I had to wait for an hour in line. Usually, the final results would be out by 4 pm, this year the results of the first round came out at 3 pm,” the lawyer told NOW.
After two consecutive years of the domination of elections in professional organizations by candidates from October 17 opposition groups or independent candidates, including the Bar Association and the Order of Engineers and Architects, the results of last Sunday’s vote came as a surprise.
Nader Gaspard, who ran as an independent but was supported by Future Movement, Amal Movement, and the Free Patriotic Movement as well as other establishment parties, won the leadership of the Bar Association, with 1,888 votes in the first round and 1,530 votes in the second.
The opposition groups were divided into two lists: Nakabetna (Our Order of Lawyers) – backed by opposition groups such as Beirut Madinati and October 17 factions such as Mada, Li Haqqi, Citizens in State – and the Opposition Front – backed by a coalition that unites the Kataeb party with October 17 groups such as, Taqqadom, Khat Ahmar, Rebels.
Diane Assaf, the Beirut-based lawyer behind the Instagram page “lawwithdiane” where she breaks down legal topics, stated that the divisions within the October 17 groups were detrimental to their success and raised concerns over the political traction that they may be losing months before the parliamentary elections. “Nakabetna couldn’t agree on one candidate for the position of the head of the association and they were late to start their campaign,” the lawyer told NOW.
Lawyers say that given the increasing activism trend among their colleagues in the past few years has turned the Beirut Bar Association into one of the most important organizations that foster a reform drive. Photo: NOW.
Still searching for the right path
Jad Tohme, a lawyer for over 20 years and an active participant in the Bar’s internal affairs, said that one of the causes of the opposition’s loss was that candidates started campaigning too late and did not have time to raise enough support. “By law, you can become a candidate by applying for the position yourself or if a group of lawyers applies on your behalf. I had 93 lawyers who supported my application so I ran for the position. I started my campaign in August, that’s very late,” Tohme told NOW.
According to some sources interviewed by NOW, electoral campaigns in the Bar Association start at the beginning of the year with lunch and dinner invitations, as well as formal discussions and conferences.
Nakabetna came to be after sixteen October 17 groups gathered candidates that were already running for elections as independents.
“They brought in the list of the candidates and chose whoever fit their criteria and values, anti-establishment, anti-corruption, independent etc. But these were not people that necessarily knew each other beforehand or planned on working together,” Tohme explained.
Then the disagreements began.
Assaf explained that Karim Daher, a popular lawyer amongst his peers, was a potential candidate for the position of president, with a strong chance of winning. But, no agreement could be reached around his candidacy.
“Daher was an independent candidate that represented the revolution’s values and principles but he had to withdraw because some groups opposed his candidacy. The reason was that Fadi Al Masri, a lawyer running with him for membership, was a Kataeb member,” Assaf stated.
Some opposition groups have accepted Kataeb’s positioning as opposition, after they withdrew from the government in 2016 and left the Parliament in 2020 after the Beirut blast, but many groups still associate the party with the establishment. Daher eventually withdrew from the fight and the October 17 groups chose two new candidates for potential presidents, Ramzi Haikal and Moussa Khoury. Further divisions amongst the Nakabetna candidates led to divided votes, with some accusing Haikal on social media of “working for the banking sector”, as he served as a lawyer for Bank of Beirut and the Arab Countries (BBAC). “Not only were the votes divided, but the candidates also started to shoot at one another,” Assaf commented.
Citizens in State (MMFD) endorsed their preferred candidate, Moussa Khoury, who prioritized helping the lawyers and the Bar Association retrieve their savings funds from banks.
They used their social media platforms extensively to promote him.
Alexis Al Haddad, Commissioner for Internal Political Relations at MMFD, told NOW that their campaign supporting Khoury wasn’t an attempt at bashing Ramzi Haikal in any way.
“We made clear from the beginning that our group rooted for Khoury but the October 17 groups agreed to go for two candidates, whoever would get the most votes in the first round, would move on to the second one and the other would withdraw,” Al Haddad said. “Not all of us wanted two but we settled for two,” he added. The lack of internal agreements was also evident when the Opposition Front endorsed three candidates from Nakabetna – Mayssam Younes, Hussein Saleh and George Yazbek. Nakabetna list was put together by choosing candidates who were already running for elections, while in other professional organizations, the opposition came up with internal candidates. Photo: NOW.
Lessons to learn
Both Assaf and Tohme said that ego, selfishness, and lack of unity all had to be put aside if things were to change for the opposition in the parliamentary elections next year. “This is a warning signal for us; the traditional parties are not smarter than us but we need to put in more effort on how we present ourselves to the public. We can’t keep promoting the revolution’s slogans if we don’t represent them,” Tohme explained.
A lawyer who preferred to remain anonymous also explained that there were conspiracy theories circulating among lawyers, especially after the Tayyouneh clashes on October 14, which lead to some sectarian divisions.
“When gunmen from Ein El Remmaneh [members of the Lebanese Forces] were called for investigation, there wasn’t immediate action taken by lawyers from the Bar Association. Which some compared to the prompt response some lawyers would take when protestors would get arrested,” the source said. It is still unclear what policy direction the Bar Association will follow in the near future. In his interviews with local media, Gaspard announced that politics should be kept away from legal affairs and that the savings funds and the lawyers’ health insurance were a priority of his.
“I’ve gathered all the files and I know where all the problems reside, whether it’s with the magistrates or amongst the lawyers themselves,” Gaspard said to Assaf in an interview on her page.
The new head of the Bar Association said he planned on helping the Lebanese people and the lawyers recover the money lost in Lebanese banks, and to continue putting pressure on the Beirut blast file.
The importance of this institution, Assaf explained, is through its practice of democracy. Lawyers are the members of society that are most well-versed with law, and trusted to uphold justice, and many end up in politics, serving as ministers and MPs. “Back when the parliament was practicing its legislative role, it was important for politicians to be well aware of the law but after the assassination of the former prime minister Rafik Al Hariri, it became the parliament of businessmen,” Tohme explained.
Following the 2015 protests, the country witnessed a rise in activism among lawyers, many of who became involved in secular opposition groups and also defended protestors during their arrests pro bono, through the Committee to Defend Protesters. The Bar Association played an important role in easing political pressure and backing lawyers facing flawed procedures, as political interests preserved a stronghold over the judiciary.
“The BBA is capable of completely shaking the whole country, only if it willingly decides to do so,” Tohme stated.
Between lack of unity, smear campaigns and disorganization, Lina worried what this could mean for the future.
“This time the traditional parties were very smart and I think they knew their opponents were weaker this time. I hope the opposition learns from this and remembers why they’re doing this in the first place,” the lawyer said.
*Dana Hourany is a multimedia journalist with @NOW_leb. She is on Instagram @danahourany.

The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on November 27-28/2021
Britain Outlaws Hamas, Designates it ‘Terrorist’
London - Asharq Al-Awsat/Saturday, 27 November, 2021
Britain on Friday designated all of Hamas a “terrorist group", warning that its members and those who support the group could face stiff jail terms. The al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of the group that rules the Gaza Strip, has been banned in Britain since 2001 but the interior ministry extended the ban to its political entities. London said last week it was no longer possible to make a distinction, assessing that Hamas "commits, participates in, prepares for and promotes and encourages terrorism". "Hamas has today become a proscribed terrorist organization in the UK in its entirety following parliament's approval," the Home Office said. "This means that members of Hamas or those who invite support for the group could be jailed for up to 14 years." Israel has welcomed the move, which follows similar action by the United States and the European Union.But Hamas itself has called the UK move "a crime against our Palestinian people and all their history of struggle". It expressed “shock and dismay” at the British government’s decision and accused the UK of continuing "with its aggression against the Palestinian people.”

Iranian police clash with demonstrators in water shortage protests
The Arab Weekly/November 27/2021
Iranian security forces used tear gas, batons and birdshot on Friday during clashes with protesters demonstrating in the city of Isfahan in support of farmers angry over water shortages. Videos posted on social media showed officers in the central Iranian city opening fire with birdshot in the dried up riverbed of the Zayandeh Rud, the largest river in the drought-stricken region, and nearby streets. The semi-official news agency Fars said demonstrators threw rocks and set fire to a police motorcycle and an ambulance. “They are in groups of 40-50 on streets around Khaju Bridge and are estimated at around 300,” Fars said. State TV showed police firing teargas at demonstrators gathered in the dried riverbed. A video posted on social media showed protesters chanting back: “Shame on you!”Social media videos showed several injured protesters, at least one with apparent birdshot pellet wounds. There were no confirmed reports on the number of injured. Isfahan province police chief Mohammad Reza Mirheidari told state TV that an unspecified number of protesters and police were hurt in the clashes and that a “limited” number of demonstrators were detained by police, Revolutionary Guards and Intelligence Ministry agents. Overnight, farmers holding a two-week-long peaceful sit-in against water shortages were dispersed by unidentified men who set fire to their tents. Social media posts said they were security forces while state media said they were “thugs”. The farmers in Isfahan province have for years protested against the diversion of water from the Zayandeh Rud to supply other areas, leaving their farms dry and threatening their livelihoods. A pipeline carrying water to Yazd province has been repeatedly damaged. In July, protests broke out over water shortages in the oil-producing southwest, with the UN human rights chief criticising the fatal shooting of protesters. Tehran rejected the criticism. Mobile internet appeared to have been blocked in protest-affected neighbourhoods of Isfahan in an apparent effort to stop the spread of videos of the clashes. Internet blockage observatory NetBlocks said on Twitter that internet connectivity had fallen in parts of Iran since early on Thursday, adding that it “may be connected to protests against the government’s water management policies”. Iran has blamed its worst drought in 50 years for the water shortages, while critics also point to mismanagement. With an economy crippled by US sanctions and overspending on military and nuclear programmes, Iran has been the Middle East’s worst-hit country in the COVID-19 pandemic.

Iran chief negotiator visits Kuwait, UAE ahead of nuclear talks
The Arab Weekly/November 27/2021
A senior Iranian official visited Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates this week, state media said, days before he heads for talks with world powers on his country’s nuclear programme. The visit by Ali Bagheri, Tehran’s chief nuclear negotiator, is the first to Gulf Arab states by an official of the new government of Iran’s ultraconservative President Ebrahim Raisi. Shiite Iran is the regional rival of Sunni Saudi Arabia, the powerbroker in the Gulf Cooperation Council that also includes Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and the UAE. On Wednesday Bagheri, who is also Iran’s deputy foreign minister, travelled to Abu Dhabi where he met Anwar Gargash, adviser to the UAE president. The discussions focused on strengthening “ties on the basis of good neighbourliness and mutual respect” and developing economic and trade links, the official Emirati news agency WAM said. On Thursday, Bagheri visited Kuwait where he spoke of “deep ties” between the two countries, according to the official KUNA agency. Commenting on his tour, Bagheri said there was agreement to “open a new chapter” with the UAE and to “open new horizons” with Kuwait. The United Arab Emirates downgraded ties with Iran in 2016 amid rivalry between its ally Saudi Arabia and the Islamic republic. Talks to restore the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and world powers are due to resume in Vienna on Monday, after a suspension since June. The deal has been gradually disintegrating since former US president Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew from it in 2018. President Joe Biden’s administration says it is working to return the United States to the accord. The Gulf Arab monarchies are said to be concerned that concessions could be made to Iran in the talks.

Lira crash causes shortage of essential medications in Turkey
The Arab Weekly/November 27/2021
Some Turks are struggling to buy medicines as the industry warns that stocks are shrinking after an “unsustainable” crash in the lira has pushed up import prices and disrupted supplies. Industry leaders and pharmacies said the 48 billion lira ($4 billion) sector was facing steep losses on some products, and warned of disruptions in coming months for drugs including those for children, common colds, diabetes and high blood pressure. Already weak, the Turkish currency has shed as much as 25% since the beginning of last week due to what analysts call reckless interest rate cuts that have caused shortages of some imported products. Nezih Barut, chairman of the Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association of Turkey, said stocks of some drugs were down to a week, compared to a month usually. Pharmaceutical companies are being forced to curb some suddenly expensive imports due to the currency drop, he added. “Some pharmaceuticals are not on the market. This is caused by forex rates and also the difficulties we face in accessing raw materials at a global level,” Barut said. For one mother, the concerns were acute. “I looked everywhere and could not find more, and pharmacies can’t tell me when they will have it next,” said the nurse in Istanbul seeking medicine for her 16-year-old son with cerebral palsy and epilepsy. “I have to speak with our doctor and change the drug if I cannot find it, but I hope we don’t have to do that,” she said, requesting anonymity. “We were told that it was because of the exchange rate adjustment.” The latest lira slide exacerbated an existing problem for an industry that imported 24 billion lira ($2 billion) worth of medications last year. The Turkish Pharmacists Association said earlier this month there was already trouble accessing 645 medicines. The lira has tumbled by 38% against the dollar and 32% against the euro so far this year. Selling accelerated this month when the central bank, under pressure from President Tayyip Erdogan, slashed rates by another 100 basis points to 15%, well below inflation at 20%. The currency was firmer on Thursday after hitting a record low of 13.45 to the dollar on Tuesday. But the heavy depreciation only stokes Turkey’s inflation via imports, including drugs. “Manufacturing or importing pharmaceuticals is unsustainable at current forex rates,” Barut said, adding that his association would ask the government for a minimum 35% price increase for next year because of the exchange rate.
Essential drugs
Pharmacists predicted supply problems until February, when the next annual reference price for drugs is set. “There will be shortages of many drugs, especially children’s drugs, hormone drugs, blood pressure medications, some diabetes drugs, insulin,” said Ayse Sibel Birinci, a pharmacist in Ankara.
Ahmet Metin Kablama, another pharmacist, said children’s painkillers, fever suppressants, nasal sprays and cough syrups were particularly scarce due to the lira’s fall. “Since there is a flu epidemic as well as COVID at the moment, patients have difficulties in accessing this type of medicine,” he said.
Officials say the sector’s difficulties are also driven by a reference pricing system in place since 2004. Under the system, 5 EU countries are taken as references and the lowest price among them is the “reference price” for the medicines in Turkey. For drugs with generic competition, 60% of the reference price is applied, based on a euro exchange rate which is fixed for one year. Companies say the rate is too low. It was set at about 4.6 to the euro for this year, while a euro was worth 13.4 lira on Thursday. That means delays for some people. “I needed to buy a vitamin but I could only get it after waiting a couple of days,” said Elif Kucuk, 43, in the city of Erzurum. “The pharmacist said there wasn’t any in stock.”

Losers in Iraq Elections Insist on Annulment of Vote
Baghdad - Asharq Al-Awsat/Saturday, 27 November, 2021
Iraq continues to grapple with the fallout from the October parliamentary elections, with the losing Shiite parties insisting on the annulment of their results after it became apparent that the appeals they have submitted will not lead to radical change in their outcome. Hundreds of supporters of the losing parties - mainly those loyal to Iran - headed to the gates of Baghdad's heavily fortified Green Zone to press their demands. Head of the Sadrist movement, Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, has so far emerged as the victor in the polls. The German news agency said supporters of the Shiite Fateh, Badr, Asa'ib Ahl al-Haq, Hezbollah Brigades in Iraq, Hikma, Nasr and State of Law Coalition staged Friday's protests. Organizers of the rallies accused in a statement the Independent High Electoral Commission of "corruption" and of "stalling" in addressing the vote appeals. Moreover, they demanded the expulsion of United Nations envoy to Iraq Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert. This a "popular" demand that not only reflects the stance of the opponents of the "fraudulent" elections results, but all Iraqis, stressed the statement. The electoral commission had completed on Thursday the manual recount of all ballots in certain voting stations that was demanded by the relevant judicial authority. Meanwhile, Sadr on Friday called for holding to account the parties that had carried out the drone attack against Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi's residence earlier this month. "Revealing the investigations has become necessary," he said in a tweet, demanding the arrest of the "terrorists who had carried out this terrorist act." "If their identities are not revealed, then we may be forced to do so in the future," he added. The pro-Iran factions that lost in the elections are widely believed to be behind the attempt on the PM's life.

Arab Coalition Detects Hostile Houthi Activity at Sanaa Airport
Asharq Al-Awsat/Saturday, 27 November, 2021
The Saudi-led Arab coalition said on Saturday it had detected new hostile activities by the Iran-backed Houthi militias at Sanaa International Airport. The coalition revealed that a surveillance drone was launched from the facility towards other Yemeni regions. Last week, coalition spokesman Turki al-Malki had stated that the Houthis had transformed Sanaa airport into a military testing base and a platform to launch cross border attacks. The Houthis are a danger to United Nations planes, agencies and relief staff, he warned. Iran has turned the airport into a main base for the launch of hostile attacks, he added. Moreover, Iran has used the facility to deliver various weapons to the terrorist militias, he continued. The coalition also released footage that prove the Houthis' use of a UN plane as a mock target in a military test of an air defense system. Other footage confirmed previous coalition statements that the Houthis had transformed the airport into a military camp and factory for the manufacture and storage of armed drones and ballistic missiles that are used in attacks in Yemen and beyond.

Sudan PM Sacks Police Chiefs after Post-coup Violence
Asharq Al-Awsat/Saturday, 27 November, 2021
Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok said Saturday he has replaced Sudan's police chiefs after more than 40 people were killed in a crackdown on protests following last month's military coup.Military chief General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan seized power and detained Hamdok on October 25, but after international condemnation and mass protests he reinstated the premier in a November 21 deal. Medics say at least 42 people were killed as security forces sought to crush weeks of anti-coup demonstrations, with protests continuing even after Hamdok's release from house arrest and return to his post last week.
On Saturday, Hamdok said he had sacked the director general of the police, Khaled Mahdi Ibrahim al-Emam, and his deputy, Ali Ibrahim. In their place, he appointed Anan Hamed Mohamed Omar with Abdelrahman Nasreddine Abdallah as his deputy, the premier said in a statement.
Medics have accused security forces of targeting protesters in the "head, neck and torso" with live ammunition, as well as with rubber-coated bullets and tear gas canisters. The police have denied reports they opened fire using live bullets. In addition, hundreds of political activists, journalists, protesters and bystanders watching the rallies have been arrested in recent weeks, and remain in custody. While several civilian leaders have been released since last Sunday's deal, key figures are also still in detention. The deal raised hopes for some that Sudan will be able to return to its tenuous transition process. But critics slammed the agreement as "whitewashing" the coup, with some protesters accusing Hamdok of "treason" by signing it. Hamdok, who has headed a transitional government since the 2019 ouster of long-time ruler Omar al-Bashir, said Wednesday he partnered with the military in order to "stop the bloodshed" and "not squander the gains of the last two years". The deal he signed with Burhan lays down a "clear date" for Sudan's first free elections in three decades slated for July 2023, the premier said.

Algerians Hold Local Elections amid Anger over Rising Prices
Asharq Al-Awsat/Saturday, 27 November, 2021
Algerians are voting Saturday to elect mayors and regional leaders amid widespread worry and frustration over rising prices for basic goods, housing and health care. The government is hoping the election confirms support for President Abdelmadjid Tebboune, who won election after his predecessor was ousted in 2019 by pro-democracy protests backed by the army chief. But many Algerians see Tebboune’s leadership as only a cosmetic change and are deeply disillusioned by politics. Some 23 million registered voters are being asked to choose mayors and representatives in regional assemblies Saturday. More than 134,000 candidates are running for the various seats, The Associated Press said. However, some 300,000 applications were rejected by electoral authorities, accused of being associated with criminal circles or “dirty money.” Opposition parties protested the move as unfair.
Turnout appeared low at voting stations Saturday morning in Algiers. Candidates traveled in caravans to meet voters, but the campaign overall has met widespread indifference. Algerians “do not have the heart to vote when for the majority of them the daily bread and the carton of milk becomes problematic for them, because of the collapse of purchasing power,” said sociologist Nasser Djabbi. The parliament, where Tebboune’s party has the most seats, recently voted for a 2022 budget that cuts subsidies on some basic goods and for housing, health and education. Teachers and unions have staged strikes in protest over rising prices. The leader of the Jil Djadid (New Generation) party, urged voters to turn out, saying, “The higher the participation rate, the stronger and more legitimate will be the future elected officials to put their electoral program into action.”But opposition leader Mohcine Bélabbas, president of the Rally for Culture and Democracy party, called the whole electoral process “illegal.” The election is also taking place as Algeria’s relations with France and Morocco are currently facing unprecedented tension.

US President Biden Calls for Intellectual Property Protection Waivers after Omicron Discovery
Asharq Al-Awsat/Saturday, 27 November, 2021
US President Joe Biden on Friday called on nations expected to meet at the World Trade Organization next week to agree to waive intellectual property protections for COVID-19 vaccines in the wake of the identification of a new coronavirus variant in South Africa. However, the meeting he was referring to was later postponed after the new variant led to travel restrictions that would have prevented many participants from reaching Geneva. "The news about this new variant should make clearer than ever why this pandemic will not end until we have global vaccinations," Biden said in a statement. "This news today reiterates the importance of moving on this (waiving intellectual property protections) quickly." The Biden administration faces fresh criticism over a failure to get vaccines to poorer countries while supplying free booster shots to Americans, after the new variant named Omicron was identified.

Blinken Calls for Speedy Negotiations over Ethiopia Military Escalation
Asharq Al-Awsat/Saturday, 27 November, 2021
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is greatly concerned about Ethiopia's military escalation and called for urgent negotiations over the crisis, a US State Department spokesperson said. The comments came hours after Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed appeared on the frontline with the national army, Reuters reported. "Secretary Blinken expressed grave concern about worrying signs of military escalation in Ethiopia and emphasized the need to urgently move to negotiations," Ned Price said in a statement late on Friday.Price released the statement after a phone call between Kenya's President Uhuru Kenyatta and Blinken. On Friday, Ethiopia's state-affiliated Fana Broadcasting reported that Abiy was on the frontline with the army fighting rebellious Tigrayan forces in the northeastern Afar region. Abiy posted the same video on his Twitter account. Abiy's government has been fighting Tigrayan forces for more than a year, in a conflict that has killed thousands and displaced millions in Africa's second-most populous nation.

Report: Kurdish Woman is First Channel Victim to be Named
Asharq Al-Awsat/Saturday, 27 November, 2021
A Kurdish woman from northern Iraq, who was among 27 migrants who died trying to cross the Channel between France and Britain this week, has become the first victim to be named by British media. The migrants died when their dinghy deflated as they made a perilous crossing of the English Channel on Wednesday, the worst tragedy on record in one of the world's busiest shipping lanes. Maryam Nuri Mohamed Amin, 24, made the journey in order to see her fiance, the BBC reported, citing family members and a close friend. "When she left Kurdistan she was very happy, she couldn't believe that she was going to meet (him)," the woman's friend Imann Hassan was quoted as saying by the British broadcaster, which said her fiance already lived in Britain. "She tried to live a better life, she chose the UK, but she died," Hassan added.Reuters was not immediately able to verify the information. The tragedy has further strained ties between France and Britain, with French President Emmanuel telling Britain on Friday it needed to "get serious" or remain locked out of discussions over how to curb the flow of migrants across the Channel.

New COVID Variant Threat Causes Worldwide Scramble
Asharq Al-Awsat/Saturday, 27 November, 2021
Nearly two years into the COVID-19 pandemic, the world is racing to contain a new coronavirus variant potentially more dangerous than the one that has fueled relentless waves of infection on nearly every continent. A World Health Organization panel named the variant “omicron” and classified it as a highly transmissible virus of concern, the same category that includes the predominant delta variant, which is still a scourge driving higher cases of sickness and death in Europe and parts of the United States, The Associated Press said.
“It seems to spread rapidly,” US President Joe Biden said Friday of the new variant, only a day after celebrating the resumption of Thanksgiving gatherings for millions of American families and the sense that normal life was coming back at least for the vaccinated. In announcing new travel restrictions, he told reporters, “I’ve decided that we’re going to be cautious.”
Omicron's actual risks are not understood. But early evidence suggests it carries an increased risk of reinfection compared with other highly transmissible variants, the WHO said. That means people who contracted COVID-19 and recovered could be subject to catching it again. It could take weeks to know if current vaccines are less effective against it. In response to the variant's discovery in southern Africa, the United States, Canada, Russia and a host of other countries joined the European Union in restricting travel for visitors from that region, where the variant brought on a fresh surge of infections. The White House said the US will restrict travel from South Africa and seven other countries in the region beginning Monday. Biden issued a declaration later Friday making the travel prohibition official, with exceptions for US citizens and permanent residents and for several other categories, including spouses and other close family.
Medical experts, including the WHO, warned against any overreaction before the variant was thoroughly studied. But a jittery world feared the worst after the tenacious virus triggered a pandemic that has killed more than 5 million people around the globe. “We must move quickly and at the earliest possible moment,” British Health Secretary Sajid Javid told lawmakers. Omicron has now been seen in travelers to Belgium, Hong Kong and Israel, as well as in southern Africa. There was no immediate indication whether the variant causes more severe disease. As with other variants, some infected people display no symptoms, South African experts said. The WHO panel drew from the Greek alphabet in naming the variant omicron, as it has done with earlier, major variants of the virus. Even though some of the genetic changes appear worrisome, it was unclear how much of a public health threat it posed. Some previous variants, like the beta variant, initially concerned scientists but did not spread very far. Fears of more pandemic-induced economic turmoil caused stocks to tumble in Asia, Europe and the United States. The Dow Jones Industrial Average briefly dropped more than 1,000 points. The S&P 500 index closed down 2.3%, its worst day since February. The price of oil plunged about 13%. “The last thing we need is to bring in a new variant that will cause even more problems,” German Health Minister Jens Spahn said. Members of the 27-nation EU have experienced a massive spike in cases recently. Britain, EU countries and some others introduced their travel restrictions Friday, some within hours of learning of the variant. Asked why the US was waiting until Monday, Biden said only: "Because that was the recommendation coming from my medical team.’’The White House said government agencies needed the time to work with airlines and put the travel limits into effect. EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said flights will have to “be suspended until we have a clear understanding about the danger posed by this new variant, and travelers returning from this region should respect strict quarantine rules.”She warned that “mutations could lead to the emergence and spread of even more concerning variants of the virus that could spread worldwide within a few months." “It’s a suspicious variant," said Frank Vandenbroucke, health minister in Belgium, which became the first European Union country to announce a case of the variant. “We don’t know if it’s a very dangerous variant.”Omicron has yet to be detected in the United States, said Dr. Anthony Fauci, the US government's top infectious disease expert. Although it may be more transmissible and resistant to vaccines than other variants, "we don’t know that for sure right now,” he told CNN.Speaking to reporters outside a bookstore on Nantucket Island, where he was spending the holiday weekend, Biden said the new variant was "a great concern” that “should make clearer than ever why this pandemic will not end until we have global vaccinations."
He called anew for unvaccinated Americans to get their widely available doses and for governments to waive intellectual property protections for COVID-19 vaccines so they can be more rapidly manufactured around the world.
Israel, one of the world's most vaccinated countries, announced Friday that it also detected its first case of the new variant in a traveler who returned from Malawi. The traveler and two other suspected cases were placed in isolation. Israel said all three were vaccinated, but officials were looking into the travelers' exact vaccination status. After a 10-hour overnight trip, passengers aboard KLM Flight 598 from Capetown, South Africa, to Amsterdam were held on the edge of the runway Friday morning at Schiphol airport for four hours pending special testing. Passengers aboard a flight from Johannesburg were also isolated and tested. “It’s ridiculous. If we didn’t catch the dreaded bug before, we're catching it now,” said passenger Francesca de’ Medici, a Rome-based art consultant who was on the flight. Some experts said the variant's emergence illustrated how rich countries’ hoarding of vaccines threatens to prolong the pandemic.
Fewer than 6% of people in Africa have been fully immunized against COVID-19, and millions of health workers and vulnerable populations have yet to receive a single dose. Those conditions can speed up spread of the virus, offering more opportunities for it to evolve into a dangerous variant.
“This is one of the consequences of the inequity in vaccine rollouts and why the grabbing of surplus vaccines by richer countries will inevitably rebound on us all at some point,” said Michael Head, a senior research fellow in global health at Britain’s University of Southampton. He urged Group of 20 leaders "to go beyond vague promises and actually deliver on their commitments to share doses.” The new variant added to investor anxiety that months of progress containing COVID-19 could be reversed.
“Investors are likely to shoot first and ask questions later until more is known,” said Jeffrey Halley of foreign exchange broker Oanda.
The Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention discouraged any travel bans on countries that reported the new variant. It said past experience shows that such travel bans have “not yielded a meaningful outcome.”
The US restrictions will apply to visitors from South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Lesotho, Eswatini, Mozambique, and Malawi. The White House suggested the restrictions will mirror an earlier pandemic policy that banned entry of any foreigners who had traveled over the previous two weeks in the designated regions. The UK banned flights from South Africa and five other southern African countries and announced that anyone who had recently arrived from those countries would be asked to take a coronavirus test.
Canada banned the entry of all foreigners who have traveled to southern Africa in the last two weeks. The Japanese government announced that Japanese nationals traveling from Eswatini, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Botswana, South Africa and Lesotho will have to quarantine at government-dedicated accommodations for 10 days and take three COVID-19 tests during that time. Japan has not yet opened up to foreign nationals. Russia announced travel restrictions effective Sunday.

Canada/Minister Joly to attend NATO and OSCE meetings
November 27, 2021 - Ottawa, Ontario - Global Affairs Canada
The Honourable Mélanie Joly, Minister of Foreign Affairs, today announced that she will attend the NATO Foreign Ministers’ meeting in Riga, Latvia, and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Ministerial Council meeting in Stockholm, Sweden. This is Minister Joly’s first transatlantic trip as Canada’s Minister of Foreign Affairs.
Minister Joly’s participation at these key meetings will provide an opportunity to forge new connections and build on discussions she has already held with her counterparts since assuming her role, thereby advancing Canada’s cooperation with our Allies.
Minister Joly will promote and defend Canada’s commitment to the rules-based international order and the Women, Peace, and Security agenda, as well as advance our feminist foreign policy and coalition-building in defence of peace, human rights, and democracy.
Minister Joly will tour Camp Ādaži in Latvia on November 29, along with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg. She will take this opportunity to meet with Canadian and allied troops deployed with the NATO enhanced Forward Presence Battle Group, led by Canada. The tour will provide the Minister with a first-hand view of the Canadian Armed Forces’ strong collaboration and interoperability with NATO Allies. The Minister will then attend the NATO Foreign Ministers’ meeting from November 30 to December 1 to discuss pressing defence and security challenges and opportunities facing the Alliance and to reiterate our shared security commitments that keep our citizens safe.
On December 2, Minister Joly will be in Stockholm, Sweden, where she will participate in the 28th Ministerial Council of the OSCE. The ministers will discuss shared security priorities, including arms control, the protection and promotion of democracy, human rights and the rule of law, and economic and environmental cooperation.
Quotes
“In a constantly evolving security environment, Canada must continue to protect its citizens, advance its interests and stand up for its values, both at home and abroad. I am looking forward to engaging my counterparts on key Canadian priorities, including transatlantic security and defence, the Women, Peace and Security agenda, and multilateral cooperation.”
- Mélanie Joly, Minister of Foreign Affairs
Quick facts
Canada is a founding member of NATO since 1949.
NATO includes 30 members united in their commitment to transatlantic security and defence.
Canada is a participating state of the OSCE, the world’s largest regional security organization, and one of the original signatories of the Helsinki Final Act in 1975, which led to the creation of the OSCE.
Canada is the sixth-largest financial contributor to the operations of the OSCE, which comprises 57 participating states and several partner states.
Associated links
Canada and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization
Canada and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe

EXPLAINER: What is This New COVID Variant in South Africa?
Associated Press/November 27/2021
- WHAT IS THIS NEW COVID-19 VARIANT? -
South African scientists identified a new version of the coronavirus this week that they say is behind a recent spike in COVID-19 infections in Gauteng, the country's most populous province. It's unclear where the new variant first emerged, but scientists in South Africa first alerted the World Health Organization and it has now been seen in travelers to Belgium, Botswana, Hong Kong and Israel. Health Minister Joe Phaahla said the variant was linked to an "exponential rise" of cases in the last few days, although experts are still trying to determine if the new variant is actually responsible.
From just over 200 new confirmed cases per day in recent weeks, South Africa saw the number of new daily cases rocket to 2,465 on Thursday. Struggling to explain the sudden rise in cases, scientists studied virus samples from the outbreak and discovered the new variant.
In a statement on Friday, the WHO designated it as a "variant of concern," naming it "omicron" after a letter in the Greek alphabet. After convening a group of experts to assess the data, the U.N. health agency said that "preliminary evidence suggests an increased risk of reinfection with this variant," as compared to other variants. "The number of cases of this variant appears to be increasing in almost all provinces in South Africa," the WHO said.
- WHY ARE SCIENTISTS WORRIED ABOUT THIS NEW VARIANT? -
It appears to have a high number of mutations — about 30 — in the coronavirus' spike protein, which could affect how easily it spreads to people.
Sharon Peacock, who has led genetic sequencing of COVID-19 in Britain at the University of Cambridge, said the data so far suggest the new variant has mutations "consistent with enhanced transmissibility," but said that "the significance of many of the mutations is still not known."
Lawrence Young, a virologist at the University of Warwick, described omicron as "the most heavily mutated version of the virus we have seen," including potentially worrying changes never before seen all in the same virus.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the U.S.' top infectious diseases doctor, said American officials had arranged a call with their South African counterparts later on Friday to find out more details and said there was no indication the variant had yet arrived in the U.S.
- WHAT'S KNOWN AND NOT KNOWN ABOUT THE VARIANT? -
Scientists know that omicron is genetically distinct from previous variants including the beta and delta variants, but do not know if these genetic changes make it any more transmissible or dangerous. So far, there is no indication the variant causes more severe disease.
It will likely take weeks to sort out if omicron is more infectious and if vaccines are still effective against it. Peter Openshaw, a professor of experimental medicine at Imperial College London said it was "extremely unlikely" that current vaccines wouldn't work, noting they are effective against numerous other variants. Even though some of the genetic changes in omicron appear worrying, it's still unclear if they will pose a public health threat. Some previous variants, like the beta variant, initially alarmed scientists but didn't end up spreading very far. "We don't know if this new variant could get a toehold in regions where delta is," said Peacock of the University of Cambridge. "The jury is out on how well this variant will do where there are other variants circulating." To date, delta is by far the most predominant form of COVID-19, accounting for more than 99% of sequences submitted to the world's biggest public database.
- HOW DID THIS NEW VARIANT ARISE? -
The coronavirus mutates as it spreads and many new variants, including those with worrying genetic changes, often just die out. Scientists monitor COVID-19 sequences for mutations that could make the disease more transmissible or deadly, but they cannot determine that simply by looking at the virus.
Peacock said the variant "may have evolved in someone who was infected but could then not clear the virus, giving the virus the chance to genetically evolve," in a scenario similar to how experts think the alpha variant — which was first identified in England — also emerged, by mutating in an immune-compromised person.
- ARE THE TRAVEL RESTRICTIONS BEING IMPOSED BY SOME COUNTRIES JUSTIFIED? -
Maybe. As of noon Friday, travelers arriving in the U.K. from South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Lesotho, Eswatini and Zimbabwe will have to self-isolate for 10 days. European Union nations also moved quickly on Friday to ban air travel from southern Africa, and the U.S. also said it would ban travel from South Africa and seven other African nations by non-US citizens beginning Monday. Given the recent rapid rise in COVID-19 in South Africa, restricting travel from the region is "prudent" and would buy authorities more time, said Neil Ferguson, an infectious diseases expert at Imperial College London.
Jeffrey Barrett, director of COVID-19 Genetics at the Wellcome Sanger Institute, thought that the early detection of the new variant could mean restrictions taken now would have a bigger impact than when the delta variant first emerged. "With delta, it took many, many weeks into India's terrible wave before it became clear what was going on and delta had already seeded itself in many places in the world and it was too late to do anything about it," he said. "We may be at an earlier point with this new variant so there may still be time to do something about it."

The Latest The Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on November 27-28/2021
To Biden Admin: Do Not Give Away US Leverage Against Iran
Majid Rafizadeh/Gatestone Institute/November 27/2021
Since the Biden administration evidently is insisting on negotiating with a predatory regime such as Iran, at least it should not enter the negotiations from a position of weakness.
The Biden administration needs to understand that the Iranian regime is desperate for the revival of the nuclear deal due to the significant financial and sanctions relief that the JCPOA offers the ruling clerics.
Iran's state-controlled Arman-e-Meli newspaper surprisingly acknowledged on November 20, 2021: "No country, neither China nor Russia, will be able to save our economy. We must try to lift the sanctions. The way out of the internal pressures and the heavy (bad) economic situation is to get rid of the issue of sanctions and it will be solved with the JCPOA."
Iran's mullahs particularly love the nuclear deal because of its fundamental flaws, especially the sunset clauses that remove restrictions on Iran's nuclear program after the deal soon expires. The nuclear deal, rather than preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons, as it was falsely touted to do, in fact paves the way for Tehran to become a legitimized nuclear state.
Since the Biden administration evidently is insisting on negotiating with a predatory regime such as Iran, at least it should not enter the negotiations from a position of weakness. Pictured: Mohammad Eslami (right), head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, and Kazem Gharib Abadi, Iran's representative to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), attend the IAEA General Conference in Vienna, Austria on September 20, 2021.
The Iranian regime will be resuming "nuclear talks" with the P5+1 (the United States, Britain, France, Russia, China plus Germany) next week. It is crucial that the Biden administration not give away the leverage that the former administration built against the Islamic Republic through sanctions. The deal is not yet dead: the Biden administration and the EU are still trying to resurrect it.
China and Russia, because of their shared geopolitical, strategic and economic interests, are likely to align themselves with Iran's leaders and their demands. Iran's new president, Ebrahim Raisi, recently spoke with his Russian counterpart, President Vladimir Putin, regarding the upcoming nuclear talks and the revival of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). China, Russia, and the Islamic Republic, according to a statement released by the Chinese government, have apparently already reached "a broad consensus" on the deal
Since the Biden administration evidently is insisting on negotiating with a predatory regime such as Iran, at least it should not enter the negotiations from a position of weakness.
The Biden administration needs to understand that the Iranian regime is desperate for the revival of the nuclear deal due to the significant financial and sanctions relief that the JCPOA offers the ruling clerics. The deal that Iran and China recently signed has not yet substantially benefited Tehran financially; it is spread out over 25 years of Chinese investments in Iran's gas and oil industries. Iran may not see any profits from the deal for a long time.
It has become evident in the last three years, since the Trump administration pulled the US out of the nuclear agreement, that China, Russia, or even the European Union cannot completely shield Tehran from US sanctions. In fact, Iran's state-controlled Arman-e-Meli newspaper surprisingly acknowledged on November 20, 2021:
"No country, neither China nor Russia, will be able to save our economy. We must try to lift the sanctions. The way out of the internal pressures and the heavy (bad) economic situation is to get rid of the issue of sanctions and it will be solved with the JCPOA."
Since the Raisi government entered office, it has been attempting to increase Iran's leverage in the negotiations by escalating uranium enrichment to come close to weapons-grade levels and by rapidly advancing the country's nuclear program. The reality on the ground is that the regime needs to revive the nuclear deal in order to lift sanctions imposed by the Trump administration after it pulled out the US of the flimsy nuclear deal, which by the way, Iran never signed.
Iran's militia groups are receiving less funding to pursue their terror activities because of the Trump administration's sanctions, which are still in place but will be lifted if the nuclear deal is revived. This shortfall may be why, for the first time in more than three decades, Hezbollah's leader, Hassan Nasrallah, made a public statement asking people to donate money to his group, saying: "I announce today that we are in need of the support of our popular base. It is the responsibility of the Lebanese resistance, its popular base, its milieu," to battle these measures. The Yemeni militia group, the Houthis, has also been sending people SMS text messages asking for donations.
Iran's ruling mullahs also need to revive the nuclear deal because it will enable Iran to rejoin the global financial system with full legitimacy -- allowing billions of dollars to flowing into the coffers of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and its expanding militias across the Middle East.
The regime also needs the nuclear deal and sanctions relief because it is running a major budget deficit of $200 million per week.
Based on a report released by the Financial Tribune, the Iranian regime's budget deficit is "on course to reach 4,640 trillion rials ($16.79 billion) in the fiscal 2021-22 while the government is also facing an unfunded deficit of roughly 30%, or 3,830 trillion rials ($13.86 billion)." The regime also recently asked the US to unlock $10 billion.
Iran's mullahs particularly love the nuclear deal because of its fundamental flaws, especially the sunset clauses that remove restrictions on Iran's nuclear program after the deal soon expires. The nuclear deal, rather than preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons, as it was falsely touted to do, in fact paves the way for Tehran to become a legitimized nuclear state.
If the Islamic Republic's huge deficit continues, it will cause increasing inflation and contribute to further devaluation of the currency. This will, in return, add to the frustration of the people against the ruling clerics, which could trigger another nationwide uprising and endanger the theocratic establishment's hold on power.
Raisi has formed a Cabinet full of members of the security services -- the Quds Force and the IRGC -- offering yet another indication that the regime is afraid of further uprisings.
In addition, the regime seems extremely concerned about its regional isolation and how the geopolitical chessboard of the Middle East is tipping the balance of power against Tehran -- particularly by the recent development of better relations between Israel and some of the Arab Gulf states. From the perspective of the Iranian leaders, the nuclear deal will address such concerns, because it will give Tehran global legitimacy, acceptance in the international community, and reintegrate Iran in the global financial system. As Iran's state-controlled Arman-e-Meli newspaper recently warned:
"We must take care of the security circles around the country. Recently, the Zionist regime has been trying to form a regional and international coalition against our country (regime). These threats should not be ignored. It should not be taken lightly, but it can be very serious. A front is forming in the region with four main members: Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Israel, and Egypt. The Prime Minister of the Zionist regime has announced that the anti-Iranian alliance in the region will take a stronger shape. This front can be dangerous and a threat to us. Negotiations must begin peacefully."
*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
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The 2008 terror attacks in Mumbai helped shape Israel-India relations
Joanthan Spyer/Jerusalem Post/November 27/2021
BEHIND THE LINES: The growing cooperation and solidarity between New Delhi and Jerusalem is not only a function of shared tragedy.
November 26 marks 13 years since the terror attacks in Mumbai, India. On that night, in 2008, 10 gunmen associated with the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT – “Army of the Righteous”) organization attacked five locations in the city, firing at random, with the simple intention of killing the maximum number of people. The attackers deliberately targeted areas of the city frequented by foreigners, evidently with the intention that this would maximize the global impact of their actions.
Among the sites targeted was Nariman House, known also as “Chabad House.” Six Israeli citizens were tortured and murdered at this site, which had been deliberately selected by the organizers. Among the dead Israelis were Rabbi Gavriel Holtzberg and his wife Rivka, who managed the Chabad House. Sandra Samuel, an Indian citizen who worked as a nanny for the Holtzbergs, famously risked her own life to save their then two-year-old son, Moshe.
The Mumbai attacks did not conclude on the evening of November 26, 2008. Rather, the gunmen took hostages and held off the Indian security forces for three days. The final death toll was 165 killed, consisting of 140 Indian citizens and 25 foreign visitors. Nine of the 10 gunmen were also killed. The 10th was apprehended by the authorities, convicted of murder, and executed four years later.
The Mumbai attacks were a profoundly traumatic event seared in the memory of the people of that city, and of India as a whole. Meanwhile, 13 years on, many unanswered questions remain regarding the perpetrators of the attacks, and who stood behind them.
The direct responsibility of the Sunni Islamist LeT group for the Mumbai killings is not in doubt. The captured gunman, Ajmal Kasab, admitted his membership of this organization, and described in detail the process in which he and his colleagues had trained in Pakistan, and set out for the attacks from Karachi, the capital of Pakistan’s Sindh province.
An Indian investigation confirmed LeT’s responsibility for the attacks. Subsequent pressure from the United States and United Nations on Pakistan led to the arrest of a number of LeT members on Pakistani soil. In 2009, Pakistan released the results of its own investigation, also confirming the organization’s responsibility for the attacks.
But while the direct responsibility of LeT terrorists is not in doubt, solid evidence has emerged that this organization did not act alone. Rather, a close relationship between the group and the Pakistani Inter-Services Intelligence organization, or elements within that organization was maintained before, during and subsequent to the attacks. The ISI is Pakistan’s premier intelligence agency.
Kasab, in his interrogation by the Indian authorities and to FBI officials, confirmed that the Mumbai operation was directed from Karachi, using telephone and internet communication. According to Steve Coll, a US journalist specializing in Pakistan’s links with terror groups, the digital trail suggested that the individuals directing the attacks from Mumbai were serving operatives of the ISI. Coll notes in his book Directorate S that western officials confronted Pakistan with the relevant intercepts. No systematic investigation followed.
David Coleman Headley (born Daood Gilani), a Pakistani and US citizen charged and convicted in 2009 in a US court of carrying out surveillance for LeT prior to the attacks, offered additional extensive details of the group’s links with the ISI.
According to Headley’s testimony, serving ISI officers assisted in the funding and planning for the attacks. One of the officers named by Headley, referred to by him as “Major Iqbal,” directed and funded the attacks, and personally selected the targets. Headley was according to his own testimony dispatched on five reconnaissance missions into Mumbai by Iqbal, in order to select the targets subsequently attacked by LeT in November, 2008.
According to Headley, incidentally, Iqbal specifically chose the Nariman Chabad House as a target because he claimed that it was a front for the Mossad. Headley further revealed that subsequent to the attacks, Iqbal tried to set in motion an LeT attack on the offices of the Jyllands-Posten newspaper, which had published pictures of Mohammed, the prophet of Islam.
In addition to the details regarding Major Iqbal, David Headley gave a number of names of serving ISI officers engaged in offering assistance to LeT. These names included Major Sameer Ali, who Headley said recruited him, and Sajid Mir.
Headley’s claims regarding the ISI role in the attacks were later independently confirmed by an additional LeT operative, Zabiuddin Ansari. This individual was an Indian citizen. He fled to Pakistan in 2006, and was extradited from Saudi Arabia to India in 2012.
Ansari testified that the weapons and ammunition used in the attack had been provided by ISI. Ansari further confirmed that ISI officials were present in the LeT’s Karachi control room during the three days of the attack. Ansari, in India and independently of David Headley’s account, named Major Sameer Ali as one of the officers present. Ansari claimed that he had himself been tasked by Ali with teaching a number of simple Hindi phrases to the Pakistani participants in the attacks, to enable them to make statements to Indian media during the course of the attacks and subsequent siege.
While the support and direction offered LeT by serving officers of ISI appears confirmed, debate remains as to the extent to which ISI as a whole, and therefore the Pakistani state itself, should be seen as backing the group, or whether the situation depicted by Headley and Ansari shows the existence of an element within ISI supportive of the terror group. There is not necessarily a simple dividing line in this regard. Some analysts have pointed to the existence of a specific, formally organized wing of ISI, namely the “S” or security wing, which is directly responsible for the relationship with LeT. The line taken by the Pakistani authorities, when pressured by the US to investigate the issue and presented with clear evidence of ISI operatives’ involvement, has been that “rogue operatives” within ISI were responsible.
Ultimately, the issue of whether elements within the ISI, or the ISI itself planned, assisted and directed the Mumbai attacks remains an unresolved one, with coherent points made on both sides of the debate. But either way, the picture is grave. If the latter is the case, then Pakistan is a state sponsor of terror. If the former, then the Pakistani state is unable to account for terror supporting activities which led to the deaths of hundreds of people, undertaken by serving officers in a premier state institution.
The strategic relationship and partnership between Israel and India has grown exponentially since 2008. The Mumbai attacks nevertheless continue to symbolize a certain commonality which remains at the core of relations. Both India and Israel are non-Muslim countries, located respectively on the eastern and the western boundaries of the Islamic world’s heartland. Both are therefore required to grapple with the fallout from the ongoing, often catastrophic encounter of much of that world with modernity, and its resultant challenges.
Partly or fully collapsed states, whose territory and institutions come to form incubators for violent paramilitary groups are one symptom of this larger malaise. The results of this reality were made starkly manifest in Mumbai on November 26, 2008. There have been ample subsequent examples, up to and including the very recent past. The growing cooperation and solidarity between New Delhi and Jerusalem is not only a function of shared tragedy. The memory of the Mumbai attacks, nevertheless, and the circumstances which spawned them are likely to remain a significant pillar in the broader structure of the relationship between Israel and India.

US military presence in the Gulf is a strategic priority
Luke Coffey/Arab News/November, 27/2021
Soon after entering office, US President Joe Biden instructed his Defense Department to carry out a detailed and comprehensive assessment of America’s military presence around the world.
In the words of Pentagon spokesman John Kirby, this appraisal, known as the Global Posture Review, will “help inform the secretary’s advice to the commander-in-chief about how we best allocate military forces in pursuit of our national interests.”
A review of the US military presence around the world is needed. After all, threats change over time. The need for certain capabilities and military forces in one part of the world may no longer be the case today as it was several decades ago. Without doubt, the findings of the review will have an impact on the Middle East — for better or worse.
Considering the frequency of leaks to the media, a surprisingly little amount of information is known about what the outcome might be. While no formal date has been given on the publication of the review, it is expected to be concluded in the coming weeks.
However, even with limited information about the details of the assessment, it is easy to infer some of the assumptions the administration is using.
The main focus of the review will be the Indo-Pacific region. In the past, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has described China as the “pacing” threat for his department. This means that the training, funding and allocation of resources inside the Pentagon must be done, first and foremost, with China in mind.
It is also known that the Biden administration is willing to cut defense spending to reprioritize resources for domestic needs. Therefore, it is reasonable to assume that some regions around the world will see a reduction in US forces as a result of the Global Posture Review. It would be a strategic error for the US to reduce its military presence in the Middle East, but it would be prudent for regional policymakers to plan for this possibility.
There is no shortage of challenges and threats facing the US and its allies and partners in the Middle East. Obviously, the biggest threat comes from Iran. Since 1979, Tehran has pursued a policy of destabilization that has had a ripple effect across much of the region. The support and funding of proxy groups in Lebanon, Iraq, Syria and Yemen has made Iran one of the world’s largest state sponsors of terrorism.
Iran’s cavalier behavior in the Gulf is reminiscent of 19th-century piracy. Tehran’s pursuit of nuclear weapons is not only a threat to the region, but also to world peace.
As US policymakers in the Pentagon put the final touches to the Global Posture Review, there are three important points they should not forget.
First, Iran remains a serious threat. While China might be the “pacing” threat for the US, for many of Washington’s allies and partners, it is Iran that deserves such a title. In recent years, there has been no greater threat to US military personnel in the region than from Iran. The Global Posture Review needs to acknowledge that, as long as Iran pursues an aggressive foreign policy, the US military presence in the Middle East must remain robust.
Second, US policymakers need to understand how the Indo-Pacific region is connected, and in some cases integrated, into the broader Middle East region. It is not possible to have a serious China strategy without stability and security in the Middle East.
For example, the transit zones found in the Middle East region, such as the Suez Canal, Strait of Hormuz and Bab Al-Mandab Strait, are important to Washington’s security interests because they provide access to the Indo-Pacific. The security and stability of these maritime transit routes for the US Navy are also critical in terms of America’s ability to respond to a crisis in the Indo-Pacific in a timely manner.
Finally, the US needs to be more engaged in the region. Even if the Global Posture Review ends up increasing the number of US troops in the Middle East, additional forces must be accompanied by a stronger diplomatic presence. Biden needs to restore US trust in the region and could start to do so by visiting the Middle East himself. At a minimum, he should be routinely speaking to his counterparts in the Gulf — but there is no substitute for face-to-face contact.
Considering the high stakes, his absence from the region amounts to geopolitical negligence. It is hard to believe that, 10 months into his presidency, he has not set foot in the Middle East.
With the Biden administration hoping that nuclear talks with Iran will resume in the coming weeks, the White House could be tempted to reduce the US military footprint in the Gulf as a gesture of goodwill to Tehran. However, this would send a dangerous signal to Iran at a time when US prestige and commitment are already questioned in light of the withdrawal from Afghanistan.
As long as US national security interests demand a military presence in the Middle East, and as long as the countries in the region are happy to welcome and host Americans, Washington should maintain, if not increase, troop levels in the region.
*Luke Coffey is Director of the Douglas and Sarah Allison Center for Foreign Policy at the Heritage Foundation. Twitter: @LukeDCoffey