MWL Secretary General: No Religion Is Free from Extremist Elements

The Pontifical Council in the Vatican meets with MWL Secretary-General Dr. Mohammed Al Issa on many issues and lauds the historical meeting with Pope Francis (PHOTO: MWL official website)
The Pontifical Council in the Vatican meets with MWL Secretary-General Dr. Mohammed Al Issa on many issues and lauds the historical meeting with Pope Francis (PHOTO: MWL official website)
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MWL Secretary General: No Religion Is Free from Extremist Elements

The Pontifical Council in the Vatican meets with MWL Secretary-General Dr. Mohammed Al Issa on many issues and lauds the historical meeting with Pope Francis (PHOTO: MWL official website)
The Pontifical Council in the Vatican meets with MWL Secretary-General Dr. Mohammed Al Issa on many issues and lauds the historical meeting with Pope Francis (PHOTO: MWL official website)

Muslim World League (MWL) Secretary-General Mohammed Al-Issa said that while no religion promoted extremism, none was free from extremist elements.

Issa met on Monday with the head of the Pontifical Council of the Vatican, Cardinal Jean-Laurent Tauran, following a meeting earlier this month with Pope Francis.

He noted that the League “welcomes communication and cooperation with the Vatican through the Pontifical Council in all that achieves common goals, in particular, the deployment of peace and harmony.”

Cardinal Tauran, for his part, praised the meeting between Issa and Pope Francis, underlining its importance in opening a new page of friendship and cooperation between the Vatican and the Islamic world, in order to meet the challenges and dangers facing the world.

The MWL secretary general visited the headquarters of the Community of Sant’Egidio, the international Catholic organization based in Rome.

He noted that the MWL was fully ready to cooperate with the organization in all areas that serve cultural communication.

The Saudi Arabian government-supported NGO, MWL, was founded in 1962 to propagate Islam and to improve worldwide understanding of the religion.

Based in the Saudi city of Mecca, the MWL in its mission statement says it rejects violence and fosters “dialogue with people of other cultures.”



Back to Life: Model Kloss Bringing Back Beloved US Magazine

A woman looks at LIFE magazine copies as part of the show "Sorprendeme!", a retrospective of Philippe Halsman at CaixaForumin Madrid, November 30, 2016. GERARD JULIEN / AFP/File
A woman looks at LIFE magazine copies as part of the show "Sorprendeme!", a retrospective of Philippe Halsman at CaixaForumin Madrid, November 30, 2016. GERARD JULIEN / AFP/File
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Back to Life: Model Kloss Bringing Back Beloved US Magazine

A woman looks at LIFE magazine copies as part of the show "Sorprendeme!", a retrospective of Philippe Halsman at CaixaForumin Madrid, November 30, 2016. GERARD JULIEN / AFP/File
A woman looks at LIFE magazine copies as part of the show "Sorprendeme!", a retrospective of Philippe Halsman at CaixaForumin Madrid, November 30, 2016. GERARD JULIEN / AFP/File

The legendary American magazine Life, a 20th-century mainstay famous for its photography, will be revived by fashion model and entrepreneur Karlie Kloss, the company of which she is CEO announced on Thursday.
Bedford Media announced in a statement that the return of Life Magazine in print and digital distribution, as part of an agreement with (publisher) Dotdash Meredith, will lead to the relaunch of Life as a regular publication, AFP reported.
The financial details of the deal were not immediately disclosed, nor was a date for the relaunch.
In a world of dizzying social and legacy media possibilities, Kloss, one of the top models in the early 2000s, said Life could help bring people together, according to the statement.
"Josh and I are honored to continue @LIFE’s legacy ❤," she said on Instagram.
She was referring to her husband, investor Joshua Kushner, the new owner of the magazine. Kushner is brother of former president Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner.
Created in 1883, and then bought and overhauled in 1936, Life has long been a flagship of photojournalism, publishing images captured by huge talents like Robert Capa, Alfred Eisenstaedt and Margaret Bourke-White. From movie stars to wars, Life chronicled the times for decades.
But after years of decline, it became a monthly, before dying out then reborn and finally surviving online with its archives in the 2000s.
Kloss recently went shopping for i-D magazine, a British fashion bimonthly.
For an old-school feel, the publisher will also continue to publish special editions stamped with the red and white Life logo.


Iraq: Al-Hashimi’s Killer Is Released Due to ‘Lack of Evidence’

Prominent researcher and security expert Hisham al-Hashimi. (X platform)
Prominent researcher and security expert Hisham al-Hashimi. (X platform)
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Iraq: Al-Hashimi’s Killer Is Released Due to ‘Lack of Evidence’

Prominent researcher and security expert Hisham al-Hashimi. (X platform)
Prominent researcher and security expert Hisham al-Hashimi. (X platform)

The Iraqi judiciary acquitted and released the murderer of prominent researcher and security expert Hisham al-Hashimi last week.

Spokeswoman for the judiciary Sinan Ghanem told Asharq Al-Awsat that a court had acquitted Ahmed Hamdawi al-Kinani due to a “lack of evidence.”

The court’s decision came after the case was reopened last Wednesday, and al-Kinani was released Sunday, said an official with one of the country's Iran-backed militias.

Al-Kinani, accused of murdering al-Hashimi, was convicted on terrorism charges and sentenced to death by a criminal court last May, Iraq’s Supreme Judicial Council reported. The case later moved to an appeals court for further review.

Al-Hashimi, 47, was fatally shot outside his Baghdad home by motorcycle-riding assailants in July 2020, following threats from Iran-backed militias. He was on his way home after conducting a TV interview in which he criticized the armed groups’ attacks on diplomatic missions.

Renowned for his expertise on the ISIS group, al-Hashimi had advised the US-led coalition and became a vocal critic of Iran-backed militias after the defeat of the ISIS group in December 2017. He had reported multiple threats from these groups before his death.

A judicial source told Asharq Al-Awsat that al-Kinani denied before the appeals judge ever committing the crime.

Iraqi security authorities had released al-Kinani's confessions on July 16, 2020, ten days after the crime took place.

He confessed to having plotted and carried out the crime along with several other people who had monitored al-Hashimi's movements.

Al-Hashimi was parking his car after returning from a television interview when a motorist got off his motorcycle, walked towards him and shot him dead.

In a video confession, al-Kinani said he drew his police-issued gun and killed al-Hashimi in front of his house.

The security authorities released photos of the weapon and its registration number, as well as the bullet that killed al-Hashimi.

Activists questioned how the authorities could have released al-Kinani while they have the murder weapon and his verified confessions.

An Iraqi lawyer told Asharq Al-Awsat that appeals courts do not consider videos as enough evidence for conviction. They need something tangible like a confession and witnesses to confirm a ruling.

Judicial authorities usually release statements to the media about their ruling a week after they are made, but they did not in the case of al-Kinani's acquittal.

Conviction to acquittal

How did we get here? Al-Hashimi was known for his expertise in extremist groups and has helped government authorities dismantle ISIS’ structure during the liberation battles.

Many of his friends believe that his criticism of pro-Iran armed factions in the months ahead of his killing sealed his fate.

Extremist supporters of ISIS and backers of the Shiite factions celebrated his murder.

Al-Kinani's case started with arrest, his death sentence in absentia, an appeal against the ruling, followed by a retrial and culminating in his acquittal.

Legal experts believe that a court decision in summer 2023 to annul a committee formed by former Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi that was dedicated to pursuing “extraordinary crimes” was a turning point in al-Kinani's case.

The committee was headed by Ahmed Abou Ragheef and was tasked with carrying out arrests against suspects involved in corruption and “major” cases, including al-Hashimi's.

The committee carried out a wave of arrests against officials accused of corruption, drawing a wave of criticism among political circles.

The committee had referred al-Kinani's case to the central court in al-Rasafa, which then sentenced him to death in absentia in May 2023.

On July 31, the Federal Court of Cassation, headed by Faiq Zeidan, overruled the death sentence and returned the case to the Rasafa court so that it could go ahead with the investigation procedures “according to laws and regulations.”

Following that, al-Kinani did not appear at any of the ensuing trials, revealed trusted sources. Whether he was even held in prison or not was a mystery. Several rumors circulated that he had escaped or was smuggled out. None of the claims could be verified.

Several politicians and journalists have said that al-Kinani had “disappeared completely” since October 2022 which was when the pro-Iran Coordination Framework formed the current government headed by Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani.

The Court of Cassation’s ruling returned al-Kinani's case back to square one, leading to his acquittal due to a lack of evidence.

An Iraqi judicial source said the acquittal does not necessarily mean that the case will be completely shut. The ruling against al-Kinani or others can be appealed within two years if new evidence in the case emerges.

Back to work

Users on Facebook revealed that the al-Kinana tribe celebrated al-Kinani's release. News then emerged that he had returned to his government job “as usual”.

A security source told Asharq Al-Awsat that al-Kinani resumed his work at the Interior Ministry. Another source confirmed that he returned to the engineering directorate there.

Officials at the Ministry did not reply to Asharq Al-Awsat when asked about whether al-Kinani had returned to his post. An Iraqi officer said however, that it was normal for an employee to return after being acquitted.

Born in 1985, al-Kinani joined the police in 2007. He graduated from Amman, Jordan where Iraq was sending its security forces recruits as a safety precaution because the Iraqi training centers were targets of attacks at the time.

Al-Hashimi's family

Asharq Al-Awsat attempted to contact al-Hashimi's family after al-Kinani's release. A close associate of the family told Asharq Al-Awsat that it would rather stay away from the spotlight.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, he said the security and judicial authorities had informed the family of the acquittal and asked them if they would want to take a legal position in the case, but they refused out of fear of reprisals.

He denied that the family had agreed to a financial settlement in the case and said it objected to how the case has been handled.

It would now like to dedicate itself to raising al-Hashimi children and avoid a confrontation with the party that plotted and carried out his murder, continued the source.

A member of the State Administration Coalition told Asharq Al-Awsat that the concerned Shiite political forces do not expect the public to react angrily to al-Kinani's release.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, he explained that the forces in power have succeeded in recent months in “neutralizing all sources of concern in the Iraqi street.”

Independent MP Sajjad Salem told Asharq Al-Awsat that this is the fourth case in which a killer is acquitted of a crime whose victims have been protesters, activists and researchers.

The forces in power have succeeded in completely defusing these cases, he stressed.

He revealed that he has submitted a draft law to try the killers and bring justice to the families of the victims. He had approached the government over the issue, but he ruled out the possibility of a breakthrough.

He said the Coordination Framework has managed to consolidate its power firmly in state institutions, leaving little room for any breakthrough in the future.


Kabashi Warns of Risk of ‘Popular Resistance’ Beyond Sudanese Army Control

Deputy General Commander of the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) Shams-Edin Kabashi made his statement during a military graduation event in Al-Qadarif, eastern Sudan (AFP)
Deputy General Commander of the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) Shams-Edin Kabashi made his statement during a military graduation event in Al-Qadarif, eastern Sudan (AFP)
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Kabashi Warns of Risk of ‘Popular Resistance’ Beyond Sudanese Army Control

Deputy General Commander of the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) Shams-Edin Kabashi made his statement during a military graduation event in Al-Qadarif, eastern Sudan (AFP)
Deputy General Commander of the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) Shams-Edin Kabashi made his statement during a military graduation event in Al-Qadarif, eastern Sudan (AFP)

Member of Sudan’s Transitional Sovereign Council and Deputy General Commander of the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), Shams-Edin Kabashi, has cautioned against the danger of “armed popular resistance” operating outside the command of the armed forces.

He warned against armed groups operating independently and urged against political parties misusing military camps.

It was evident that Kabashi’s remarks were directed towards the “Islamists” within the ranks of the ousted regime, whose factions are engaged in battle against the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

Kabashi issued his strong warning during a military graduation event in Al-Qadarif, eastern Sudan, urging army leaders to prevent armed resistance members from carrying weapons outside military camps.

He stressed the importance of discipline, stating that while the army acknowledges the need for resistance, it must be regulated. Kabashi also urged political groups not to use resistance camps for anything other than supporting the army.

Political and civilian groups have warned about the rise of armed militias fueling conflict with the backing of the Sudanese army. Some factions linked to Sudanese Islamists are fighting alongside the army in the current battles across the country.

“The army is ready for genuine peace talks but won't stop fighting or agree to a ceasefire,” said Kabashi, adding that dialogue is essential.

Kabashi reiterated SAF’s commitment to the Jeddah peace platform mediated by Saudi Arabia, the United States, and other regional parties.

“We welcome any efforts, both national and international, to solve Sudan's issues,” he said, noting that this is on the condition that the RSF leave civilian homes using agreed-upon methods, including accountability and compensation for those affected.

“We won't engage in politics until military matters are resolved,” emphasized Kabashi, insisting on meeting basic demands outlined in the Jeddah agreement and subsequent developments.

He affirmed SAF’s readiness to end the war soon, describing it as a “proxy war” managed from afar, with RSF acting as mere instruments.

Kabashi also mentioned humanitarian aid, stating that SAF allows it to enter the country through ports and airports without restrictions. He urged all armed groups not to block relief supplies destined for conflict-affected areas.


‘Oppenheimer' Finally Premieres in Japan to Mixed Reactions and High Emotions

“Oppenheimer” has finally opened in the nation where two cities were obliterated by the nuclear weapons invented by the American scientist at the center of the film Japanese filmgoers’ reactions understandably were mixed and highly emotional. (AP)
“Oppenheimer” has finally opened in the nation where two cities were obliterated by the nuclear weapons invented by the American scientist at the center of the film Japanese filmgoers’ reactions understandably were mixed and highly emotional. (AP)
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‘Oppenheimer' Finally Premieres in Japan to Mixed Reactions and High Emotions

“Oppenheimer” has finally opened in the nation where two cities were obliterated by the nuclear weapons invented by the American scientist at the center of the film Japanese filmgoers’ reactions understandably were mixed and highly emotional. (AP)
“Oppenheimer” has finally opened in the nation where two cities were obliterated by the nuclear weapons invented by the American scientist at the center of the film Japanese filmgoers’ reactions understandably were mixed and highly emotional. (AP)

“Oppenheimer” finally premiered Friday in the nation where two cities were obliterated 79 years ago by the nuclear weapons invented by the American scientist who was the subject of the Oscar-winning film. Japanese filmgoers' reactions understandably were mixed and highly emotional.
Toshiyuki Mimaki, who survived the bombing of Hiroshima when he was 3, said he has been fascinated by the story of J. Robert Oppenheimer, often called “the father of the atomic bomb” for leading the Manhattan Project, The Associated Press said.
“What were the Japanese thinking, carrying out the attack on Pearl Harbor, starting a war they could never hope to win,” he said, sadness in his voice, in a telephone interview with The Associated Press.
He is now chairperson of a group of bomb victims called the Japan Confederation of A- and H-Bomb Sufferers Organization and he saw “Oppenheimer” at a preview event. “During the whole movie, I was waiting and waiting for the Hiroshima bombing scene to come on, but it never did,” Mimaki said.
“Oppenheimer” does not directly depict what happened on the ground when the bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, turning some 100,000 people instantly into ashes, and killed thousands more in the days that followed, mostly civilians.
The film instead focuses on Oppenheimer as a person and his internal conflicts.
The film's release in Japan, more than eight months after it opened in the US, had been watched with trepidation because of the sensitivity of the subject matter.
Former Hiroshima Mayor Takashi Hiraoka, who spoke at a preview event for the film in the southwestern city, was more critical of what was omitted.
“From Hiroshima’s standpoint, the horror of nuclear weapons was not sufficiently depicted,” he was quoted as saying by Japanese media. “The film was made in a way to validate the conclusion that the atomic bomb was used to save the lives of Americans.”
Some moviegoers offered praise. One man emerging from a Tokyo theater Friday said the movie was great, stressing that the topic was of great interest to Japanese, although emotionally volatile as well. Another said he got choked up over the film's scenes depicting Oppenheimer’s inner turmoil. Neither man would give his name to an Associated Press journalist.
In a sign of the historical controversy, a backlash flared last year over the “Barbenheimer” marketing phenomenon that merged pink-and-fun “Barbie” with seriously intense “Oppenheimer." Warner Bros. Japan, which distributed “Barbie” in the country, apologized after some memes depicted the Mattel doll with atomic blast imagery.
Kazuhiro Maeshima, professor at Sophia University, who specializes in US politics, called the film an expression of “an American conscience.”
Those who expect an anti-war movie may be disappointed. But the telling of Oppenheimer’s story in a Hollywood blockbuster would have been unthinkable several decades ago, when justification of nuclear weapons dominated American sentiments, Maeshima said.
“The work shows an America that has changed dramatically,” he said in a telephone interview.
Others suggested the world might be ready for a Japanese response to that story.
Takashi Yamazaki, director of “Godzilla Minus One,” which won the Oscar for visual effects and is a powerful statement on nuclear catastrophe in its own way, suggested he might be the man for that job.
“I feel there needs to be an answer from Japan to ‘Oppenheimer.’ Someday, I would like to make that movie,” he said in an online dialogue with “Oppenheimer” director Christopher Nolan.
Nolan heartily agreed.
Hiroyuki Shinju, a lawyer, noted Japan and Germany also carried out wartime atrocities, even as the nuclear threat grows around the world. Historians say Japan was also working on nuclear weapons during World War II and would have almost certainly used them against other nations, Shinju said.
“This movie can serve as the starting point for addressing the legitimacy of the use of nuclear weapons on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, as well as humanity’s, and Japan’s, reflections on nuclear weapons and war,” he wrote in his commentary on “Oppenheimer” published by the Tokyo Bar Association.


Moderately Strong Quake Strikes Southern Greece

This photo taken on March 27, 2024 shows the city of Athens shrouded in haze. (Photo by Angelos TZORTZINIS / AFP)
This photo taken on March 27, 2024 shows the city of Athens shrouded in haze. (Photo by Angelos TZORTZINIS / AFP)
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Moderately Strong Quake Strikes Southern Greece

This photo taken on March 27, 2024 shows the city of Athens shrouded in haze. (Photo by Angelos TZORTZINIS / AFP)
This photo taken on March 27, 2024 shows the city of Athens shrouded in haze. (Photo by Angelos TZORTZINIS / AFP)

An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 5.7 has struck southern Greece off the coast of the western Peloponnese. There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries from the quake, which was also felt in the Greek capital and as far away as the southern island of Crete.
The quake struck Friday morning and was centered beneath the seabed near the Strofades islands, about 120 kilometers (75 miles) south-southwest of the western city of Patras, according to the Athens Geodynamic Institute.
Greece lies in a highly seismically active region and earthquakes are common. The vast majority cause no injuries and little to no damage.


Turkish Airlines Resumes Flights to Libya After 10-year Hiatus

A Turkish Airlines plane takes off from the city's new Istanbul Airport in Istanbul, Türkiye, April 6, 2019. (Reuters)
A Turkish Airlines plane takes off from the city's new Istanbul Airport in Istanbul, Türkiye, April 6, 2019. (Reuters)
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Turkish Airlines Resumes Flights to Libya After 10-year Hiatus

A Turkish Airlines plane takes off from the city's new Istanbul Airport in Istanbul, Türkiye, April 6, 2019. (Reuters)
A Turkish Airlines plane takes off from the city's new Istanbul Airport in Istanbul, Türkiye, April 6, 2019. (Reuters)

The Turkish Airlines launched on Thursday its first flight to Mitiga International Airport in the Libyan capital Tripoli, after a 10-year hiatus.
The Arab World Press said the announcement came on “Hakomitna,” the media platform of the interim Libyan Government of National Unity (GNU), led by Abdul Hamid Dbeibah.
Last week, Dbeibah said the Turkish Airlines would resume its flights to Libya after a hiatus of about ten years. He considered the return of Turkish flights as “an additional indicator of strengthening the state of stability in all its forms despite the challenges.”
“Alhamdulillah, Turkish Airlines will resume flights to Libya from next week after an absence of nearly 10 years,” Dbeibah wrote on his social media account last Saturday.
He then praised the efforts of the transportation and civil aviation sector, and everyone who contributed to facilitating air transport movement, as well as achieving the technical requirements for the return of major companies to the country.
Turkish Airlines' General Manager Bilal Ekşi announced in a press conference that the company would fly three flights per week to Mitiga Airport in the Libyan capital.

 

 


Fitch Ratings: GCC Bank US Dollar Debt Issuance to Increase Strongly

Year-to-date issuance is USD20.1 billion, already surpassing the 2023 total of USD15.2 billion. Reuters
Year-to-date issuance is USD20.1 billion, already surpassing the 2023 total of USD15.2 billion. Reuters
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Fitch Ratings: GCC Bank US Dollar Debt Issuance to Increase Strongly

Year-to-date issuance is USD20.1 billion, already surpassing the 2023 total of USD15.2 billion. Reuters
Year-to-date issuance is USD20.1 billion, already surpassing the 2023 total of USD15.2 billion. Reuters

Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) banks’ US dollar debt issuance is on track for its strongest quarter ever in 1Q24, with issuance already exceeding the full-year 2023 total, Fitch Ratings has said.

Year-to-date issuance is USD20.1 billion, already surpassing the 2023 total of USD15.2 billion.

Annual issuance in 2024 and 2025 could exceed the 2020 record of USD25.2 billion, boosting liquidity to meet strong credit demand, Fitch Ratings said on Thursday.

Banks in Saudi Arabia and the UAE account for 33% and 26% of the YTD figure, respectively.

This is the first time that Saudi Arabian banks have issued more US dollar debt than UAE banks. “They have been increasingly active in international debt capital markets since 2020 to support their strong financing growth plans, diversify their funding bases, and more recently, to offset the high cost of liquidity domestically,” said Fitch Ratings.

It expected Saudi banks’ US dollar issuance to continue gathering pace due to the strong credit growth outlook, especially in the corporate segment, and tight liquidity in the banking sector.

“Coupon rates on Saudi banks’ five-year senior unsecured issuance in 1Q24 averaged 5.1%. This is well below the three-month Saudi Interbank Offered Rate of 6.2% ... as the cost of liquidity in the Saudi banking sector is likely to remain high,” it said.

GCC banks have about USD16.9 billion of US dollar debt maturing in 2024, split fairly even between the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Kuwait.

GCC banks account for about 10% of the medium-term US dollar debt issued by investment-grade banks in 1Q24.

They are also expanding their investor base through increasing issuance of sukuk. Sukuk accounts for 51% of YTD issuance excluding CDs, reflecting strong investor demand and pricing dynamics.


Calls for 'Smartphone Free' Childhood Grow in UK

Children are pressuring their parents to get smartphones at a young age. JUNG YEON-JE / AFP
Children are pressuring their parents to get smartphones at a young age. JUNG YEON-JE / AFP
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Calls for 'Smartphone Free' Childhood Grow in UK

Children are pressuring their parents to get smartphones at a young age. JUNG YEON-JE / AFP
Children are pressuring their parents to get smartphones at a young age. JUNG YEON-JE / AFP

It is the question many adults dread being asked by their children: when can I have a smartphone? But as fears grow about the impact of the gadgets on young minds, some UK parents are fighting back.
The challenge is being led by mother-of-three Daisy Greenwell after a casual school gate conversation spurred her into action, AFP said.
Greenwell, who had been privately mulling the issue with a close friend for some time, was told by another mother that her own 11-year-old son already had a smartphone, as did a third of the boy's class.
"This conversation has filled me with terror. I don't want to give my child something that I know will damage her mental health and make her addicted," she wrote on Instagram.
"But I also know that the pressure to do so, if the rest of her class have one, will be massive," added the journalist from Woodbridge, eastern England.
The post in February triggered a tidal wave of reaction from parents similarly gripped by anxiety about providing their children with a device they fear will open them up to predators, online bullying, social pressure and harmful content.
Greenwell and her friend Clare Reynolds have now launched the Parents United for a Smartphone Free Childhood campaign.
Academic research combined with parents' own experiences have created a sense of dread about a child's request for a phone.
At the same time parents say they feel powerless to refuse, with phones for school-age children "normalized", supposedly on safety grounds.
'Snowballed'
UK schools minister Damian Hinds told a parliamentary committee recently that almost all pupils now got a mobile phone around the age of 11 or 12.
"There seems to be something of a rite of passage about that," he told MPs, adding that some children got one "quite a lot earlier".
After Greenwell finally broached the subject on Instagram, a WhatsApp group she set up to discuss the issue with Reynolds quickly filled with like-minded parents relieved that others felt the same way.
Then the reaction just "snowballed", she added.
Greenwell said there is now a group in every area of the country as well as a few working groups for people with professional expertise on the issue.
"We've got an education one which has got lots of headteachers from across the country," she added.
"They are talking about how we can roll this out, how we can help parents and schools to collaborate and stop people from getting a smartphone at such a young age."
Other working groups are full of people who "are really knowledgeable and experienced in their fields", including an advocacy group to talk about policy change.
Those signed up include a tech company policy director and a staffer at Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's 10 Downing Street office.
"They're people who really, really know the lie of the land," she said.
Childhood rewired
Many of the parents' concerns are echoed in US social psychologist Jonathan Haidt's just-published book "The Anxious Generation".
In it, Haidt argues that the "complete transformation of childhood that took place between 2010 and 2015" as smartphones really took off has led to a "great rewiring of childhood".
He links the rise of the "phone-based childhood", continual supervision by adults and the loss of "free play" to spikes in mental illness in young people.
"Things were getting better and better in mental health and then everything goes haywire in 2013.... we have to basically rip the smartphone out of the lives of kids," he said.
According to American College Health Association figures highlighted by Haidt, since 2010 the percentage of US undergraduates diagnosed with anxiety has soared by 134 percent while the number being diagnosed with depression has also spiked, by 104 percent.
A similar picture has also emerged, Haidt says, in all major English-speaking countries and many other European countries as well.
He advocates no smartphones before the age of 14 or social media before 16.
Crucially, he says, parents must act together to prevent them caving in when a child "breaks our heart" by telling us they are excluded from their peer group by being the only one without a phone.
"These things are hard to do as one parent. But if we all do it together -- if even half of us do it together -- then it becomes much easier for our kids," he said.


Asharq Al-Awsat Monitors Turkish Cross-Border Violations in Syria

Despite ongoing assaults by Turkish border guards, children still climb to the top of the border wall for recreation (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Despite ongoing assaults by Turkish border guards, children still climb to the top of the border wall for recreation (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Asharq Al-Awsat Monitors Turkish Cross-Border Violations in Syria

Despite ongoing assaults by Turkish border guards, children still climb to the top of the border wall for recreation (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Despite ongoing assaults by Turkish border guards, children still climb to the top of the border wall for recreation (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Near the Syrian-Turkish border in northwest Syria, a soldier approached a child playing by a wall topped with razor wire.

Without reason, he forcefully pulled the child, struck him, then dragged him to the Turkish side where the abuse continued, leaving bruises and lasting psychological trauma.

Asharq Al-Awsat was able to document the recurring assaults on children and farmers, who did not pose any threat deserving the violence of border guards.

Recent video footage shared on social media in February highlighted the ongoing assaults on children and farmers along the border between the “Tal Al-Karama” camps in Syria’s northern Idlib countryside and Türkiye’s Hatay province.

Since Türkiye shut its southern borders to war refugees in 2016, under a deal with the EU, reports have emerged of Syrians facing gunfire and torture while trying to cross the border through smuggling routes.

Now, even those living in northwest Syria face attacks.

Displaced people living near the border wall, built by Türkiye in 2019, are sometimes targeted by Turkish border guards for no clear reason, except perhaps to intimidate, show racism, or even for amusement.

Attacks on Children and the Elderly

“I was asked for a lighter by the soldier,” recalled Abdulrahman, the boy seen in the widely-shared video.

“Then he grabbed me and started hitting. Another soldier joined in. They kept hitting me as they took me to the Turkish military post. I was held overnight,” he added.

The violence ended when a Turkish officer intervened and arranged for Abdulrahman’s return to northwest Syria the next morning.

Weeks later, Abdulrahman still bears visible bruises. He hasn’t received an apology or compensation, but he’s grateful that not all the Turkish people he interacted with mistreated him.

Abdulrahman said he won’t go near the border wall with his friends anymore.

“I'm too scared,” he said, adding that he hopes those Turkish officials who beat him get punished.

International Documentation

In April 2023, Human Rights Watch released a report documenting violations by Turkish border guards against Syrians. It noted that these violations occurred without serious legal consequences from the Turkish side.

According to the report, between May 2016 and early 2023, monitors recorded 11 incidents of Turkish border guards firing on civilians on the Syrian side, resulting in the death of at least six people and injuring six others.

Human Rights Watch urged Türkiye to put an end to impunity and stop routine violations along the Syrian border.

Last year, on March 13, a Turkish soldier shot and killed a 59-year-old Syrian farmer while he was working on his land in the village of Khirbet al-Joz in southern Idlib countryside.

Witnesses stated that the soldier fired at him and then left the scene without offering any help.

In another incident, seven-year-old Jasmine was playing near the border on Jan. 7 with her cousin when a Turkish soldier shot her twice in the leg and left foot.

“She can't play anymore,” said Khalil, Jasmine’s uncle, explaining that her left foot was affected, making it hard for her to walk properly.

Now, Jasmine avoids leaving home after being teased by other kids for her injury.

Khalil, living with his sister’s family in Atmeh town, northern Idlib, says the crowded refugee camps near the safe border area force children to play in open spaces near the border wall.

“Every year, similar incidents happen,” Khalil notes, referring to Turkish border attacks ranging from stone-throwing to gunfire or outright neglect.

“Last year, there was an incident in southern rural areas (Idlib province), and on the same day Jasmine was shot, there was another incident in the Al-Karama camp,” reminded Khalil.

Atmeh Overview

Out of 5.1 million people in northwest Syria, 3.4 million are displaced from areas controlled by Syrian government forces. Two million of them live in camps, as per UN data.

Atmeh, located in northern Idlib countryside, is home to many crowded camps formed since 2012 due to ongoing security tensions. Residents seek refuge near the Turkish border for safety, as Türkiye has intervened politically and militarily in Syria’s conflict.

Türkiye has also taken in around 3.5 million Syrian refugees, who have faced incitement and political exploitation in recent years, leading to rising tensions and racism toward Syrians among Turkish people.

Although Idlib isn’t directly administered by Türkiye like northern Aleppo countryside, Türkiye controls economic access and humanitarian aid, crucial for the 4.2 million people in need, making it a major influencer in the region’s fate.


Egypt Reveals Start Date for Trial Operation at Dabaa Nuclear Plant

Egypt is preparing to receive Russian President Vladimir Putin to participate in the inauguration of the station's fourth reactor. (Egypt's Nuclear Power Plants Authority)
Egypt is preparing to receive Russian President Vladimir Putin to participate in the inauguration of the station's fourth reactor. (Egypt's Nuclear Power Plants Authority)
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Egypt Reveals Start Date for Trial Operation at Dabaa Nuclear Plant

Egypt is preparing to receive Russian President Vladimir Putin to participate in the inauguration of the station's fourth reactor. (Egypt's Nuclear Power Plants Authority)
Egypt is preparing to receive Russian President Vladimir Putin to participate in the inauguration of the station's fourth reactor. (Egypt's Nuclear Power Plants Authority)

Egypt on Thursday has unveiled the start date for trial operation at its first nuclear power plant in the city of Dabaa on the Mediterranean coast, in cooperation with Russia.
Amjad Al-Wakeel Chairman of Egypt's Nuclear Power Plants Authority, said on Thursday that the trial operation of the first reactor at the Dabaa plant will commence by the second half of 2027.
The commercial operation of the first reactor is set to start in September 2028, to be followed by the operation of the remaining units, El-Wakeel noted.
The Dabaa plant consists of four nuclear reactors with a total power-generation capacity of 4,800 megawatts (MW), 1,200 MW per reactor.
Speaking on the sidelines of the two-day Atom Expo 2024 forum in Russia’s Sochi, Al-Wakeel affirmed that the project will provide 7.2 to 7.7 billion cubic meters of natural gas annually after its full operation.
The Egyptian official said one of the agreements concluded with the Russian side stipulates the construction of a special storage facility for storing used nuclear fuel for up to 60 years.
In 2015, Cairo signed a contract with the Russian state nuclear corporation, Rosatom, to build Egypt’s first nuclear power plant at a cost of $25 billion.
In December 2017, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al Sisi and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin witnessed in Cairo the signing of a document to kickstart the Dabaa nuclear power plant.
Last January, the two presidents inaugurated the construction of a new unit at Egypt's Dabaa nuclear power plant via video link.