Lebanese Students in Italy: Hunger, Penury and Isolation

Rome shopping street. AP
Rome shopping street. AP
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Lebanese Students in Italy: Hunger, Penury and Isolation

Rome shopping street. AP
Rome shopping street. AP

The cries of at least 80 Lebanese students suffering from the spread of the coronavirus in Italy have been circulating widely on social media. Their distress under the weight of hunger, penury, isolation and the threat of being infected by the virus has pushed the government to address their plight in Tuesday's statement.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Nassif Hitti, discussed the issues facing students abroad, presenting ways to provide them with in-kind and material assistance and said that he would submit a social assistance plan at the request of Prime Minister Hassan Diab.

Jad Reda, a Lebanese student who lives in Ferrara in the province of Emilia Romagna, northern Italy, studying mechanical engineering, tells Asharq Al-Awsat about the situation.

"Things are difficult in general, and the Lebanese students in Italy are struggling financially. Those who work as they complete their studies to meet their needs and the costs of their education lost their jobs for now because of the quarantine. Others have been cut off from the money that they used to receive from parents in Lebanon because of the banking crisis and, after that, the spread of the virus e and the lockdown that accompanied it. They are facing an uncertain future and are unable to pay their rent," he said.

"A large number of them have not found a way to borrow money until things change. The lucky ones whose parents work outside Lebanon are receiving the money they need from them," he added"

Reda stressed that "the Lebanese embassy should intervene and facilitate the arrival of transfers to the students; instead it only checks upon the students’ health and whether or not they were infected and advises them to stay at."

Some of the students are trying to form a committee that will provide those in need with money through donations, said Reda who hopes that the crisis will be over once the quarantine period ends.

"Students are worried about the crisis persisting till after the end of next month," he noted.

This would put them in a truly difficult situation, especially since the attempts of some to return to Lebanon failed amid the Italian government’s inability to test them to ensure that they are healthy and the Lebanese government's refusal to allow them back in without having done the tests.

The number of Lebanese studying abroad has increased over the last few years. Among the main reasons for this is that the costs of studying abroad were cheaper than the “prestigious” universities in Lebanon when the exchange rate of the dollar did not surpass 1,500 Lebanese Lira.

Rami Adwan, the Lebanese ambassador in France, the country that hosts the largest number of Lebanese students, said to Asharq Al-Awsat: “The embassy has set up a department to deal with the affairs of the 5,300 Lebanese Students studying in universities across France to communicate with them."

"Before the coronavirus pandemic and the economic crisis in Lebanon, we looked after them and worked on solving their problems. We were able to help students in facing all sorts of challenges", he said, adding: “During the virus crisis, we have been working primarily on checking on their health and financial situation."

"While a large number of them have been able to receive transfers, there are some whose parents lost their jobs, making it difficult for them to pay for the costs of their education. So, we contacted the universities that they attended and managed to grant them exemptions that extend until their parents’ situation improves.”

Adwan said the embassy has dedicated two hotlines (0643753072 and 0643753328) that have been operational since the 15th of this month to provide moral support to students who suffer from depression due to mandatory confinement, particularly those who reside alone.

“We are working with the French authorities and Middle East Airlines to provide means for those who wish to return to do so when conditions allow for it,” he concluded.



COP29 - How Does $300 Billion Stack up?

A demonstrator sitting on the ground holds a poster during a climate protest in Lisbon, to coincide with the closing of the COP29 Climate Summit Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024. (AP)
A demonstrator sitting on the ground holds a poster during a climate protest in Lisbon, to coincide with the closing of the COP29 Climate Summit Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024. (AP)
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COP29 - How Does $300 Billion Stack up?

A demonstrator sitting on the ground holds a poster during a climate protest in Lisbon, to coincide with the closing of the COP29 Climate Summit Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024. (AP)
A demonstrator sitting on the ground holds a poster during a climate protest in Lisbon, to coincide with the closing of the COP29 Climate Summit Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024. (AP)

Countries agreed at the UN's COP29 climate conference to spend $300 billion on annual climate finance. Here are some ways of understanding what that sum is worth:

MILITARY MIGHT

In 2023, governments around the globe spent $6.7 billion a day on military expenditure, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.

That means the $300 billion annual climate finance target equates to 45 days of global military spending.

BURNING OIL

$300 billion is currently the price tag for all the crude oil used by the world in a little over 40 days, according to Reuters calculations based on global crude oil demand of approximately 100 million barrels/day and end-November Brent crude oil prices.

ELON MUSK

According to Forbes, Elon Musk's net worth stood at $321.7 billion in late November. The world's richest man and owner of social media platform X has co-founded more than half a dozen companies, including electric car maker Tesla and rocket producer SpaceX.

STORM DAMAGE

Hurricane Katrina, one of the most devastating and deadliest cyclones in US history, caused $200 billion in damage alone in 2005.

This year's climate-fueled Hurricane Helene could end up costing up to $250 billion in economic losses and damages in the US, according to estimates by AccuWeather. While preliminary estimates by Morningstar DBRS suggest Hurricane Milton, also supercharged by ocean heat, could cost both the insured and uninsured nearly $100 billion.

BEAUTY BUYS

The global luxury goods market is valued at 363 billion euros ($378 billion) in 2024, according to Bain & Company.

COPPER PLATED

The GDP of Chile - the world's largest copper producing country - stood at $335.5 billion in 2023, according to World Bank data.

GREECE'S BAIL OUT

Euro zone countries and the International Monetary Fund spent some 260 billion euros ($271 billion) between 2010 and 2018 on bailing out Greece - the biggest sovereign bailout in economic history.

BRITISH BONDS

Britain's new government needs to borrow more to fund budget plans. Gilt issuance is expected to rise to 296.9 billion pounds ($372.05 billion) for the current financial year.

TECH TALLY

A 10% share of tech giant Microsoft is worth just over $300 billion, according to LSEG data. Meanwhile the market cap for US oil major Chevron stood at $292 billion.

CRYPTO

The annual climate finance target amounts to 75% of the total value of the global market for crypto currency Ether, the world's second-largest cryptocurrency.

Alternatively, 3 million Bitcoin would cover the annual climate finance target as the world's largest cryptocurrency closes in on the $100,000 mark following a rally fueled by Donald Trump winning the Nov. 5 US presidential election.