‘Stand by our Syrian brothers’, says Jordan FM after meeting al-Sharaa
Jordan’s foreign minister has held talks with Syria’s de facto ruler Ahmed al-Sharaa in Damascus as regional leaders move to engage with the new administration following the overthrow of President Bashar al-Assad two weeks ago. “We stand by our Syrian brothers as they start the rebuilding process,” Ayman Safadi told Al Jazeera on Monday. “We want a stable, secure, safe Syria that guarantees the rights of its people through a transitional process consistent with the aspirations of Syrian people,” Safadi added. Mohammed al-Khulaifi, minister of state at Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, also arrived in the Syrian capital, days after Doha opened its embassy in Damascus after 13 years. Qatar’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Majed al-Ansari said al-Khulaifi will hold a series of meetings with Syrian officials “to embody Qatar’s firm position in providing all the support to the Syrian people”. Monday’s high-profile diplomatic visit came a day after Turkiye’sr foreign minister promised help with the political transition and rebuilding the war-torn country after meeting the new administration. Advertisement Hakan Fidan and al-Sharaa on Sunday stressed the need for unity and stability in Syria, as they called for the lifting of all international sanctions against the war-ravaged country. Turkiye backed the Syrian opposition fighters led by al-Sharaa’s Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which spearheaded the offensive that toppled Bashar al-Assad’s 54-year rule. Safadi also pointed out that the security and stability of Syria are key to Jordan and the region. “We share a 375km [230-mile] border with Syria. We want that border to be stable, free from terrorist organisations, free from drugs and weapon smuggling,” he told Al Jazeera. In recent years, Jordan has tightened border controls in a crackdown on drug and weapon smuggling along its border with Syria. One of the main drugs smuggled is the amphetamine-like stimulant Captagon, for which there is huge demand in the oil-rich Gulf. “We are working out the challenges and discussed the security of our common border with Mr Sharaa today,” Safadi said. The Jordanian foreign minister also condemned Israel’s attacks on Syria in recent days and said, “It’s an encroachment of Syria’s sovereignty.” “Israel should withdraw from Syrian territory respecting the 1974 agreement,” he added. Jordan also hosted a summit earlier this month where top Arab, Turkish, EU and US diplomats and called for an inclusive and peaceful transition after more than a decade of war. Reporting from Damascus, Al Jazeera’s Hashem Ahelbarra said the new authorities in Syria are eager for more recognition from neighbouring countries. Advertisement “As far as [the meeting with] Jordan is concerned, this is going to be a significant boost for al-Sharaa. He wants to build bridges with Jordan. There are many tribal connections along the border between Jordan and Syria,” Ahelbarra said. Jordan also hosted hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees, some of whom have returned home after al-Assad’s fall. Jordan claims it hosts some 1.3 million refugees but the United Nations says 680,000 Syrian refugees were registered with it. Al-Sharaa has hosted Arab, as well as Western diplomats, as he aims for formal diplomatic recognition. Al Jazeera’s Ahebarra noted that al-Sharaa met Turkiye’s foreign minister yesterday and later met with a top adviser of Saudi Arabia’s king, to discuss the future of Syria. Regional powerhouse Saudi Arabia is expected to send a delegation soon, according to Syria’s ambassador in Riyadh. Besides neighbouring Arab countries, al-Sharaa has also received a host of foreign delegations since coming to power. On Friday, the United States’s top diplomat for the Middle East, Barbara Leaf, had a meeting with Syria’s de facto leader. Leaf said she expected Syria would completely end any role for Iran in its affairs. A handful of European delegations have also visited in recent days. Sultan Barakat, from the Hamad bin Khalifa University based in Doha, told Al Jazeera: “I think the Jordanians, as well as the neighbouring countries, have been encouraged by Americans visiting [Syria] first … Practically all the regional forces, aside from Iran are very happy the regime change has taken place.” Advertisement “They understand the Syrian people have been suffering for over 50 years, particularly the last 13 years it has caused a lot of instability in the region. So everyone is welcoming the stability in Syria,” he said. Separately, on Monday, Iran affirmed its support for Syria’s sovereignty and said the country should not become “a haven for terrorism” after the fall of President al-Assad, whom Tehran backed militarily. “Our principled position on Syria is very clear: preserving the sovereignty and integrity of Syria and for the people of Syria to decide on its future without destructive foreign interference,” Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei said in a weekly news briefing. Adblock test (Why?)
Germany debates migration and motives after deadly Christmas market attack
Magdeburg has been enveloped in grief since an attack that killed a nine-year-old boy and four women at a Christmas market on Friday evening. About 200 people were also injured when a car rammed into the busy market in the eastern German city. Authorities have charged Taleb al-Abdulmohsen, a 50-year old, Saudi-born psychiatrist who has lived in Germany since 2006, with murder and attempted murder. Political parties across the spectrum have expressed sorrow for the victims and promised to step up security. In a statement shared with Al Jazeera, Greens party leader Robert Habeck said he wished the city “comfort, strength and confidence”. Chancellor Olaf Scholz called the incident a “terrible and insane” act. Nicole Anger, a lawmaker and co-chairwoman of Die Linke (The Left) party in Magdeburg, said the city remains quiet and people are still stunned. “There are candlelight vigils, services and just a lot of moments of people standing together in solidarity. The salesmen from the Christmas market, which is closed for the rest of the year, have been giving away fruits and vegetables for free,” she told Al Jazeera. Advertisement But while many are united in grief, tensions are growing. Alongside vigils, more than 2,000 far-right supporters bearing banners and chanting slogans against migration gathered in the city on Saturday. Further rallies are reportedly planned for Monday. Anger, who was born and raised in Magdeburg, said the atmosphere reminded her of the mid-1990s when one man was killed after far-right agitators chased a group of Black men through the city in what has come to be known as Himmelfahrtskrawalle, or the Magdeburg Ascension Day riots. “At the moment, children and people with a migration background are scared to be out on the streets,” she said. The attack took place as Germans prepared to close off a heated political year. After the coalition led by Scholz collapsed in November, the chancellor then lost a confidence vote in mid-December, triggering snap elections. Germans will head to the polls on February 23. Meanwhile, the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party continues to gain political ground after successes in state elections this year. The day before the attack, US billionaire Elon Musk stirred controversy by posting on the X social media platform he owns: “Only the AfD can save Germany.” Observers have described a sense of fear and concern, saying a blame game over the Magdeburg attack could distract from the main issues facing the German electorate. “We still have to be very cautious about what the attacker’s real motives were. But what is obvious is that if there is an extremist force in the political discourse which is actually not only Islamophobic but generally phobic against any foreigners, if this is articulated in this strong way as the AfD is constantly doing, it trickles down,” said Justus von Daniels, editor of the German publication Correctiv, which in January broke the news of a meeting between the AfD and neo-Nazi activists to discuss a migrant deportation “master plan”. Advertisement He said how Germany acts now in terms of increasing security will be telling. In the run-up to the elections, political parties should avoid playing into the hands of the AfD’s antimigration narrative and focus on issues affecting the electorate, von Daniels said. “The economy is a big part of this election, and a case like Magdeburg shifts the public discourse to migration issues. If the AfD will try to push the migration issue further, I worry that the other political parties will respond to that, and this is not healthy to the political debate.” The suspect and his possible motives have puzzled authorities and the public. Al-Abdulmohsen described himself as an ex-Muslim activist on social media. His posts showed disdain for Islam and support for right-wing ideologies. He said he supported women fleeing Saudi Arabia, but a journalist at Correctiv who was in contact with him has challenged that claim, reporting that several women blocked him because he was “behaving problematically”. Some alleged they felt sexually harassed by him. Saudi Arabia said it had warned Germany about the doctor in November 2023. Germany has acknowledged receiving the tip but ultimately decided al-Abdulmohsen did not appear to be a threat at that time. Tahir Abbas, an associate professor in Islamophobia and political violence at Leiden University in the Netherlands, said the suspect seems to have become “a bit of a fanboy of populist ethno-nationalist ideals”. “What I think this does is align this particular perpetrator’s motivations more broadly with far-right practices and ideologies, including in relation to the treatment of women,” he said. Advertisement “The far right is so hypernormalised across Europe and North America at the moment that there are tremendous challenges that have emerged and will continue to emerge, particularly as President Donald Trump takes the helm in the US again.” The suspect made clear on social media his admiration for Europe’s hard-right leaders, such as the Dutch politician Geert Wilders. Since the attack, the far right in Germany and across Europe has been quick to weaponise the attack to promote their antimigrant agenda, observers said. Jorinde Schulz, an activist and member of The Left party, said the “extreme right is allowed to mobilise almost unhindered”. “For them, this attack is a stepping stone to gain more support, which is all the more disturbing since they are the ones who are going to attack people of colour in the street and intimidate political activists.” On Sunday, police in Bremerhaven, a port city in northern Germany, detained a man who took to TikTok to threaten violence. The man is alleged to have warned he would stab any person of Arabic appearance in the city on Christmas Day, the German news agency dpa reported. Adblock test (Why?)
Millions in bonds for Israel put US states at odds with investment policies
The United States has long been Israel’s primary international backer, lending it vast political, diplomatic and financial support. This has only increased since Israel began its assault on Gaza last October, even as it gradually expanded the parameters of its war, in which it is widely accused by human rights groups of committing genocide. According to Brown University’s Watson Institute, the US government provided Israel with almost $18bn in weapons and military aid in the first year of Israel’s war. But Israel is also increasingly dependent on another source of funds: bonds, bought by states and municipalities across the US. Between October 7, 2023 – when the Palestinian group Hamas attacked Israel and the latter subsequently began its war on Gaza – and April 18 this year, nearly three dozen states and counties have bought $1.7bn worth of bonds, according to Israel Bonds, a US-based company that raises foreign funds for Israel. This money has gone straight into Israel’s general fund, where it can then be funnelled into Israel’s ballooning military budget. An email from Israel Bonds to an Ohio county treasurer noted the bonds were used in part to “refund the United States Government for security equipment”. Advertisement The world’s single largest purchaser of Israel’s war bonds is Palm Beach County – the wealthy Florida county home to President-elect Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence. Palm Beach holds a startling $700m worth of Israel bonds – a loan large enough to cover the purchase of multiple F-15 fighter jets. But now, after more than a year of an escalating and internationally condemned conflict, Israel’s economy is stumbling. Tens of thousands of Israeli firms are predicted to shut this year, the budget deficit has ballooned from 4 percent to 8 percent of gross domestic product (GDP), direct investment has fallen about 30 percent and US rating agencies have downgraded Israel’s credit. All this means that when local treasurers buy Israeli bonds, they increasingly risk violating their own policies, which require them to invest taxpayer money in a responsible way. In fact, a review by Al Jazeera found that at least two states appear to face violating their state treasury investment policies if they buy more Israeli bonds. At least four other states that have bought Israeli bonds since October 2023 could also face non-compliance if Israel’s credit is lowered further. A risky investment When a state or county buys Israeli bonds, they essentially loan the Israeli government money with an agreement that they will get those funds back in an agreed-upon number of years, plus interest. After October 7, the staff of the underwriter for Israel Bonds directly contacted treasurers in Florida, Louisiana, Ohio, and other states. Those treasurers quickly bought tens of millions of dollars worth of Israeli bonds. Advertisement But as Israel’s economy weakens, it appears increasingly difficult to justify these investments. In April, Fitch, one of the three leading US credit rating agencies, warned that the conflict could “lead to a large deterioration of Israel’s credit metrics”. By August, Fitch had downgraded Israel’s credit. The next month, another agency, Moody’s, also downgraded Israel’s credit rating to Baa1 for the first time in its history, and in October, the third agency, S&P, downgraded Israel as well. Moody’s even warned of further downgrades in light of Israel’s conflict with the Lebanese group Hezbollah. A ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah was agreed to in late November, but Fitch warned “the ceasefire is likely to be fragile”, and predicted a rise in Israel’s 2025 budget deficit. All three major credit rating agencies project a negative outlook for Israel’s credit. All together, it indicates Israel is less able to pay back its loans. This places some US states in a precarious position, as some state investment policies specify that treasurers can only invest in foreign entities if they are above specific credit ratings. Al Jazeera has found that two states – Florida and Nevada – may face violating their investment policies if they buy more Israel bonds. The Treasury policies of both states require foreign obligations to have ratings of AA- or higher from at least one credit rating agency. Israel Bonds stopped meeting that standard in April. Florida’s Chief Financial Officer last announced purchases of Israeli bonds in March, bringing the state’s holdings to $250m. Nevada bought Israeli bonds last October, according to the CEO of Israel Bonds. Advertisement Neither the Florida nor Nevada Treasury office responded to requests for comment. If Israel’s credit is further downgraded, at least four other US states may also have to halt purchases of Israeli bonds: Ohio, Georgia, Louisiana, and Oklahoma. Rachel Ziemba, a geo-economic and country risk expert and adjunct senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security, said that further purchases of Israeli bonds would appear to violate these states’ policies after she reviewed the policy documents. “Reading their guidelines suggests that it’s in violation… they would have to sell their Israeli bonds especially if there are further downgrades,” Ziemba said, though she added that state investment committees could also decide to make exceptions. “Ultimately I think they’re doing it [buying Israeli bonds] for political and what they believe are moral reasons [but] given the credit rating outlook, it’s probably something that will come up more and more, and probably there will be more legal cases around this issue.” Daniel Garrett, an assistant professor of finance at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, was more cautious. He noted that Florida had multiple portfolios, some of which have higher rating requirements, and that it was unclear which portfolio the Israeli bonds sit in. Garrett added that all state policies tend to give investment managers flexibility when a security falls out of compliance, and “getting your credit downgraded doesn’t lead to immediate divestment, even if it doesn’t meet these portfolio standards any more”. Advertisement Still, he added, “If I saw increasing investments in a security that has a declining and no longer complying credit rating, that would be out of line with
Will the Christmas market attack divide Germans further over immigration?
German authorities say the suspect supports a right-wing party. German authorities say the psychiatrist accused of a ramming attack in Magdeburg is Islamophobic. They have charged the Saudi psychiatrist – who has lived in Germany for 18 years – with several counts of murder and attempted murder. But the anti-immigrant, far-right Alternative for Germany party has made gains in opinion polls before February’s snap election. And just days after the fall of the al-Assad regime, the government in Berlin froze asylum applications from Syrians. Will Friday’s carnage, coupled with the dispute about migrants in Europe, divide Germany even further? Could police have done more to prevent the attack? Presenter: Neave Barker Guests: Ulrich Brueckner – Professor of political science at Stanford University in Berlin Rachel Rizzo – Non-resident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council’s Europe Center Muhammad al Kashef – Political adviser and consultant at Migrant Solidarity Network Adblock test (Why?)
As South Korea draws visitors chasing beauty, dodgy practices pose risks
Seoul, South Korea – When Alex looked into the price difference between rhinoplasty, commonly known as a “nose job”, in the United States and South Korea, she thought that flying to the Asian country for the surgery was a no-brainer. “$30,000 or $6,000, the choice was clear,” Alex, who asked not to be referred to by her real name, told Al Jazeera, describing her decision to undergo the procedure in the country “known to be number one in plastic surgery”. But less than a year later, the entertainer found herself grappling with severe complications. The implant from her surgery had begun protruding through her skin, necessitating emergency removal back in the US. “Had I known what I know now, I would have never done it,” she said, visibly distressed as she described her ongoing struggle with complications, including a crooked nose and visible hole that required corrective surgery. “I don’t think I’ll ever go back to Korea to do surgery because of this.” South Korea has the highest rate of plastic surgery procedures per capita in the world, according to Expert Market Research, with a market worth $1.7bn in 2023. Advertisement The sector is expected to grow to be worth $5.19bn by 2032, driven by the global popularity of Korean pop culture, or “hallyu”, which has popularised Korean beauty standards and fuelled interest in Korean cosmetic procedures worldwide. In the capital Seoul, the affluent district of Gangnam is awash with clinics and hospitals specialising in cosmetic procedures and surgery, offering everything from double eyelid surgery to facial contouring, liposuction and breast augmentation. A pedestrian walks past an advertisement for a plastic surgery clinic at a subway station in Seoul on March 26, 2014 [Jung Yeon-Je/AFP] While they also cater to local customers, international patients are a highly lucrative part of their business. Last year, South Korea attracted 605,768 non-resident foreign patients for medical services, according to the Ministry of Health and Welfare, with the highest numbers coming from Japan, China, the United States and Thailand. Plastic surgery accounted for 16.8 percent of procedures – more than 114,000 surgeries – making it the second most sought-after medical speciality after dermatology. But beneath the glossy marketing and viral social media videos luring medical tourists from around the world, foreign patients face a multitude of barriers to access, misinformation and deceptive practices, putting their health at risk, an investigation by Al Jazeera has found. One of the biggest challenges for medical tourists is the language barrier. In key markets like China and the US, prospective patients often turn to a variety of online platforms for advice, including open chat groups, Reddit pages, and even niche forums ostensibly dedicated to topics like designer handbags. Advertisement These murky digital spaces are filled with anonymous users discussing procedures while exchanging clinic and doctor recommendations, procedure tips, so-called blacklists and translator contacts. The abundance of unverified information and lack of accountability make it challenging for users to discern genuine experiences from potentially biased accounts or covert advertisements. They are also a hunting ground for illegal brokers who can make substantial commissions for simply referring clients. While soliciting to foreign patients is legal, it requires a government licence. Eligible companies must have a registered Korean office address, maintain specified capital and carry insurance. Hospitals face more stringent requirements to be able to legally receive foreign patients, including having at least one specialist per medical department and higher levels of medical malpractice insurance. When posing as a potential patient on a number of platforms, Al Jazeera was approached within minutes by anonymous facilitators who admitted they did not have the required certification. In 2020, the dangers of the industry were thrust into the spotlight when Bonnie Evita Law, a heiress to a Hong Kong fashion empire, died during a liposuction procedure at a Seoul clinic. Law was reportedly introduced to the hospital through an illegal broker. The operating surgeon, later revealed to be an orthopaedic specialist rather than a plastic surgeon, was charged with professional negligence resulting in death. The outcome of the case was not publicly revealed. Advertisement While only certified specialists can officially call their practices “plastic surgery clinics”, any licensed medical doctor in South Korea can legally perform cosmetic surgeries as Korean medical law does not restrict doctors to only working in their specialised field. In a more recent case, a Chinese woman died in January shortly after receiving liposuction surgery at a clinic in Gangnam. The problem of Chinese cosmetic surgery patients falling victim to unscrupulous and unsafe practices has become so prevalent that the Chinese embassy in Seoul in January issued a notice warning its citizens to “be wary of advertising and risks” and “carefully choose intermediary agencies”. Pedestrians walk outside the Chinese embassy in Seoul on January 10, 2023 [Anthony Wallace/AFP] The Ministry of Health and Welfare, through the Korea Health Industry Development Institute (KHIDI), operates a centre for reporting illegal soliciting of foreign patients. The number of reports has risen significantly – from 11 cases in 2021 to 16 in 2022, to 59 last year. An official at KHIDI, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that “cases handled as suspected violations are subject to follow-up measures such as fines and penalties”. “Those confirmed as illegal solicitation are administratively disposed of by local governments in accordance with the law,” the official said. However, when pressed for specifics on how many cases were actually investigated or processed, the official did not provide figures, only stating that the number would “inevitably be lower” than the number of cases reported. Advertisement Kang Ki-yoon, a lawmaker with South Korea’s ruling People Power Party, last year raised concern about the lack of clarity around the handling of cases, suggesting that despite the increase in reports, there appeared to be little follow-up action. “It’s a national disgrace for foreigners seeking our country’s world-class medical technology to fall victim to unethical practices by some medical institutions,” Kang said, calling for more rigorous management of such cases. Speaking on condition of anonymity, a friend
Trump rejects taunts that Elon Musk is real power behind US president-elect
United States President Donald Trump has pushed back on the notion that he has “ceded the presidency” to billionaire Elon Musk, who has taken an outsized role in the president-elect’s transition into the White House. Trump made the comments during a speech in Arizona on Sunday, days after the Tesla and SpaceX owner intervened alongside the president-elect to scuttle a budget bill negotiated in Congress. The incident was the latest in which Musk has taken an atypically large role in the incoming Trump administration, prompting criticism from Democrats and from within Trump’s own Republican party. Directly addressing those criticisms for the first time, Trump praised Musk, before adding: “And no, he’s not taking the presidency.” Trump further called the suggestion that he has “ceded the presidency to Elon Musk” another “hoax” pushed by his political opponents. In a later quip, Trump noted that there is no risk of Musk officially taking over as president because he would be constitutionally barred from doing so. Advertisement “You know why he can’t be [president]?” Trump asked the crowd in Arizona. “He wasn’t born in this country.” The South African-born Musk – the world’s richest person according to Forbes Magazine – became one of Trump’s biggest supporters in the run-up to the election, endorsing the president-elect in July following an assassination attempt and pumping an estimated $200m into a Political Action Committee (PAC) supporting Trump. He has since been tapped by Trump to lead a proposed Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), tasked with taking a slash-and-burn approach to federal government spending. The so-called “department” has been billed as an independent advisory panel, not an official government agency, and its purview remains undefined. Budget deal intervention Trump’s comments come a day after outgoing US President Joe Biden signed into law a funding bill that averts a government shutdown. The previous bill negotiated by members of both parties in Congress was torpedoed days earlier when Trump came out in opposition. The president-elect’s main contention was that the bill did not raise the debt ceiling – a political fight Trump hoped to avoid before taking office in January. The debt ceiling is the US’s borrowing limit, a cap imposed by Congress on how much money the government can borrow to cover the gap between its revenue and spending. Musk had also come out in opposition to the deal, which he criticised in a flood of tweets on the X social media platform that he also owns. He pledged to financially support primary challenges to lawmakers who supported the original legislation. Advertisement Speaker of the House Mike Johnson later told US media that he spoke by phone to both Trump and Musk as a new bill was renegotiated. The final bill – which funds the US government at the current rate through March 14 – gutted several provisions opposed by Trump and Musk. However, the final version did not raise the debt ceiling amid opposition from a cadre of Republican lawmakers. Speaking to CNN, Republican lawmaker Rich McCormick said Musk’s intervention showed “he has influence and he’ll put pressure on us to do whatever he thinks the right thing is for him.” Other Republicans have been more accepting, with Representative Tony Gonzales saying in an interview on CBS that it “feels like Elon Musk is our prime minister”. Speaking on CNN, Senator Bill Hagerty praised Musk’s role in negotiating the bill, while pushing back on the notion that the billionaire was driving Trump’s decisions. ‘Extremely alarming’ Beyond the budget deal, Musk’s regular presence alongside Trump before he takes office on January 20 has for weeks caused disquiet among Democrats. The billionaire was on the call when Trump spoke to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy following his election victory. He has also been present for recent meetings with French President Emmanuel Macron and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni in New York. The criticism has been prompted by social media memes showing Trump kowtowing to Musk in various settings. Following last week’s budget negotiations, several Democrats accused Musk of intervening to serve his own interests. Advertisement They pointed to his support for removing a provision in the original bill that could have limited the operations of his businesses in China. “It is extremely alarming that House Republican leadership, at the urging of an unelected billionaire, scrapped a bipartisan, bicameral negotiated funding deal that included this critical provision to protect American jobs and critical capabilities,” Representative Rosa DeLauro wrote in a letter to congressional leaders on Friday. Adblock test (Why?)
Celebrating with Christian friends in Syrian church, Sarah in Syria
NewsFeed For Sarah Kassim and many other Syrians, al-Assad’s regime marked a period of sectarianism. Now Sarah is free to visit the church with her Christian friends as they prepare for Christmas Eve and the new year. Published On 22 Dec 202422 Dec 2024 Adblock test (Why?)
‘Historic achievement’: Vietnam’s Ho Chi Minh City’s first metro line opens
Thousands of selfie-taking Ho Chi Minh City residents crammed into train carriages on Sunday as the traffic-clogged business hub celebrated the opening of its first-ever metro line after years of delays. Huge queues spilled out of every station along the $1.7bn line that runs almost 20km (12 miles) from the city centre – with women in traditional “ao dai” dress, soldiers in uniform and couples clutching young children waiting excitedly to board. “I know it (the project) is late, but I still feel so very honoured and proud to be among the first on this metro,” said office worker Nguyen Nhu Huyen after snatching a selfie in her jam-packed train car. “Our city is now on par with the other big cities of the world,” she added. It took 17 years for Vietnam’s commercial capital to reach this point. The project, funded largely by Japanese government loans, was first approved in 2007 and slated to cost just $668m. When construction began in 2012, authorities promised the line would be up and running in five years. Advertisement But as delays mounted, cars and motorbikes multiplied in the city of nine million people, making the metropolis hugely congested, increasingly polluted and time-consuming to navigate. The metro “meets the growing travel needs of residents and contributes to reducing traffic congestion and environmental pollution”, the city’s deputy mayor Bui Xuan Cuong said. Cuong admitted authorities had to overcome “countless hurdles” to get the project over the line. Back on the train, 84-year-old war veteran Vu Thanh told the AFP news agency he was happy to experience below-ground in a more positive way after spending three years fighting American troops in the city’s famous Cu Chi tunnels, an enormous underground network. “It feels so different from the underground experience I had years ago during the war. It’s so bright and nice here,” he said. Professor Vu Minh Hoang at Fulbright University Vietnam warned that with just 14 station stops, the line’s “impact in alleviating traffic will be limited in the short run”. However, it is still a “historic achievement for the city’s urban development”, he told AFP. Adblock test (Why?)
German Christmas market attack suspect to face murder charges
A man accused of driving a car into crowds at a German Christmas market, killing five people and injuring more than 200, has been detained on multiple charges of murder and attempted murder. The Magdeburg police department said in a statement on Sunday the man had been issued a warrant for pre-trial detention on charges of murder on five counts as well as multiple counts of attempted murder and grievous bodily harm. Those killed were a nine-year-old boy and four women aged 52, 45, 75 and 67, the police statement said. Among the wounded, about 40 had serious or critical injuries. Authorities reported that the suspected attacker used emergency exit routes to access the Christmas market grounds, where he accelerated and drove into the crowds, striking more than 200 people in a three-minute rampage. He was arrested at the scene. Simmering tensions The attack on Friday evening in the central city of Magdeburg shocked Germany and reignited simmering tensions around the issue of migration. The suspect, who was named as Taleb A, is a 50-year-old psychiatrist from Saudi Arabia with a history of anti-Islam rhetoric, who has resided in Germany for nearly two decades. Advertisement The motive for the attack remains unclear, but the Magdeburg prosecutor, Horst Nopens, said on Saturday that one possible factor could be what he called the suspect’s frustration with Germany’s handling of Saudi refugees. The suspected attacker had made online death threats against German citizens and had a history of quarrelling with state authorities, leading German media to question whether the government could have done more to prevent the attack. News magazine Der Spiegel, quoting security sources, said the Saudi secret service had warned Germany’s spy agency BND a year ago about a tweet in which Taleb threatened Germany would pay a “price” for its treatment of Saudi refugees. And in August he wrote on social media: “Is there a path to justice in Germany without blowing up a German embassy or randomly slaughtering German citizens?… If anyone knows it, please let me know.” The Die Welt daily reported, also quoting security sources, that German state and federal police had carried out a “risk assessment” on Taleb last year but concluded that he posed “no specific danger”. Emboldening the far right Police reported scuffles and “minor disturbances” during a far-right demonstration in Magdeburg on Saturday night, attended by approximately 2,100 people. Protesters, some wearing black balaclavas, held a large banner reading “remigration”, a term used by far-right supporters advocating for the mass deportation of immigrants and individuals considered not ethnically German. The incident comes before a pivotal election in Germany on February 23, prompting sharp criticism from far-right and far-left parties opposed to the government of Chancellor Olaf Scholz. Advertisement The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD)’s parliamentary head Bernd Baumann demanded Scholz call a special session of the Bundestag on the “desolate” security situation, arguing that “this is the least that we owe the victims.” Meanwhile, the head of the far-left Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW) party, Sahra Wagenknecht, demanded that Interior Minister Nancy Faeser explain “why so many tips and warnings were ignored beforehand”. Scholz has condemned the “terrible, insane” attack, calling for national unity. In the past, the suspect had voiced support on social media platform X for the AfD as well as for United States billionaire Elon Musk, who has backed the AfD. The party has a strong support base in former East Germany, where Magdeburg is located. Its members, including the candidate for chancellor Alice Weidel, planned a rally in Magdeburg on Monday evening. Adblock test (Why?)
Germans mourn five people killed, 200 injured in Christmas market attack
A memorial service takes place in the cathedral of Magdeburg, a city shaken by the deadly incident. Germans have gathered in Magdeburg to mourn the victims of a car-ramming attack in the eastern city that killed at least five people and injured 200. Authorities said a doctor drove into the busy outdoor Christmas market on Friday evening, killing four adults and a nine-year-old child, and wounding 41 people badly enough that the death toll could rise. Church bells rang out in the city at 7:04pm (18:04 GMT) on Saturday, the exact time of the attack the evening prior. A memorial service took place in the city’s cathedral, intended mainly for relatives of the victims, as well as emergency responders and invited guests, including German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier. Those who were not allowed to attend the service gathered outside the church to watch it on a large screen. Several hundred people also gathered on the city’s central square, some laying flowers and lighting candles. The crowds also included those carrying banners with far-right slogans. Far-right demonstrators take part in a protest after a car drove into a crowd at a Christmas market in Magdeburg, Germany, on December 20, 2024 [Christian Mang/Reuters] The violence has shocked the German city of about 240,000 people 130km (80 miles) west of Berlin. Advertisement It led several other places in Germany to cancel their weekend Christmas markets as a precaution and out of solidarity with Magdeburg’s loss. Berlin kept its many markets open but increased its police presence at them. Probe into motive continues The suspect is a 50-year-old immigrant from Saudi Arabia who described himself as an Islam-critical activist and who surrendered to police at the scene. The suspect is being investigated for five counts of suspected murder and 205 counts of suspected attempted murder, prosecutor Horst Walter Nopens said at a news conference. Investigators are looking into whether the attack could have been motivated by the doctor’s dissatisfaction with the way Germany treats Saudi refugees, Nopens said. Police haven’t publicly named the suspect, but several German news outlets identified him as Taleb A and reported that he was a specialist in psychiatry and psychotherapy. Posts on the suspect’s X account, verified by the Reuters news agency, suggested he supported anti-Islam and far-right parties, including Alternative for Germany. A Saudi source told the agency that Saudi Arabia had warned German authorities about the suspect after he posted “extremist” views on his X account that threatened peace and security. A risk assessment conducted last year by German state and federal criminal investigators came to the conclusion that the man posed “no specific danger”, the Welt newspaper reported, quoting security sources. Closed stalls stand at the site where a car drove into a crowd at a Magdeburg Christmas market in Magdeburg, Germany [Christian Mang/Reuters] Germany has suffered a number of attacks in recent years, including a knife attack that killed three people and wounded eight at a festival in the western city of Solingen in August. Advertisement Friday’s attack also came eight years after a man drove a truck into a crowded Christmas market in Berlin, killing 13 people and injuring many others. The attacker was killed days later in a shootout in Italy. Adblock test (Why?)