A Syrian militia leader who is a distant cousin of Bashar Al Assad has admonished the President’s traditional supporters for their criticism of deteriorating living standards.
The rebuke by Waseem Al Assad came as the Syrian pound sank to new lows against the dollar, with some loyalists blaming the leadership.
“Go work the land, and not do videos and sit-ins and this nonsense,” Waseem Al Assad said in a video statement on his Facebook page on Saturday.
Those unhappy with the malaise must avoid tying it to the ruling Baath Party and the security apparatus, he said.
“They gave their blood on your behalf,” said Waseem Al Assad.
His outburst indicates unease among Syria’s ruling elite about increased frustration among the Alawite sect – to which the President and his family belong.
Economic decline and growing lawlessness have fuelled disquiet.
Writer Lama Abbas last week blamed “the leadership” directly for the economic crisis, and specifically mentioned the Baath Party.
When secret police moved against Ms Abbas, another Alawite figure called intelligence agents “cowards”.
'Regime strongman'
Waseem Al Assad has been seen as a junior member of the Assad clan who amassed a fortune in the war over the past decade, displacing more established family members.
His militia is mostly active in the Latakia coastal mountain region, a stronghold of the President’s minority Alawite sect, and operates in Sunni areas taken over by Shiite Iraqi militias supported by Iran in eastern Syria.
He is subject to US and other western sanctions. The British government describes him as a “strongman for the Syrian regime, who facilitates the manufacturing and smuggling” of the amphetamine Captagon.
Damascus unrest
In the social media post, Waseem Al Assad appeared to threaten those he claims are fomenting unrest.
“Don’t sow sedition. I am one of the people who knows … what the capabilities of the government are,” he said.
This was an apparent reference to recent unrest in the southern Damascus suburb of Jaramana, which has been hard hit by the economic crisis.
Street gunfights erupted and shopfronts were smashed in the violence, which reportedly occurred after a member of the Druze community in the area was wounded by a gunshot and Palestinian refugee residents of Jaramana were blamed.
Refugees have fled to the suburb over the past 13 years from other districts in and around the capital that were overrun by the Syrian military in the civil war.
“You think we can control the dollar exchange rate?” Waseem Al Assad asked.
“Instead of helping the state you pressure it. Shame on you.”
The Syrian pound is trading at about 13,000 to the US dollar, compared with 8,500 in May, when Damascus was readmitted to the Arab League and hopes among Bashar Al Assad’s supporters rose that regional investment would pour in.
On the eve of the Syrian uprising against Assad family rule in 2011, the Syrian pound was trading at about 50 to the dollar.
By the end of that year, Syria was embroiled in civil war after the authorities used violence to put down the protest movement.
In recent days, security agents reportedly entered the home of Ms Abbas on the outskirts of Damascus. She was not arrested after her children confronted the agents.
Last week, Ms Abbas had said in a video post that the system has failed.
“The government, parliament, officials, ministers and the leadership – all have proven their failure, with distinction,” Ms Abbas said.
“The education system has collapsed. It is corrupt. The judiciary is corrupt. Everything else has become corrupt.”
Regime discontent
Among the people who came to her defence was Bashar Barhoum, an Alawite satirist.
Describing security officers who went to her home as “cowards”, he called the Baath Party a traitor group.
Veteran Syrian political analyst Ayman Abdel Nour said the recent social media videos “shows how bad the situation is – even in core regime areas”.
But Mr Abdel Nour said “the loyalists are worn out from [being on] the inside”.
This severely limits their ability to come up with an alternative to Bashar Al Assad, he said.
The Baath Party took power in a 1963 coup, mounted by mainly Alawite officers.
In 1970, Syrian Air Force commander Hafez Al Assad, the father of Bashar Al Assad, led another coup and appointed himself the country's leader.
ENGLAND SQUAD
Goalkeepers: Jack Butland, Jordan Pickford, Nick Pope
Defenders: John Stones, Harry Maguire, Phil Jones, Kyle Walker, Kieran Trippier, Gary Cahill, Ashley Young, Danny Rose, Trent Alexander-Arnold
Midfielders: Eric Dier, Jordan Henderson, Dele Alli, Jesse Lingard, Raheem Sterling, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Fabian Delph
Forwards: Harry Kane, Jamie Vardy, Marcus Rashford, Danny Welbeck
Pharaoh's curse
British aristocrat Lord Carnarvon, who funded the expedition to find the Tutankhamun tomb, died in a Cairo hotel four months after the crypt was opened.
He had been in poor health for many years after a car crash, and a mosquito bite made worse by a shaving cut led to blood poisoning and pneumonia.
Reports at the time said Lord Carnarvon suffered from “pain as the inflammation affected the nasal passages and eyes”.
Decades later, scientists contended he had died of aspergillosis after inhaling spores of the fungus aspergillus in the tomb, which can lie dormant for months. The fact several others who entered were also found dead withiin a short time led to the myth of the curse.
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
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Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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Japan
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Our legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Kathryn Hawkes of House of Hawkes on being a good guest (because we’ve all had bad ones)
- Arrive with a thank you gift, or make sure you have one for your host by the time you leave.
- Offer to buy groceries, cook them a meal or take your hosts out for dinner.
- Help out around the house.
- Entertain yourself so that your hosts don’t feel that they constantly need to.
- Leave no trace of your stay – if you’ve borrowed a book, return it to where you found it.
- Offer to strip the bed before you go.
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
Why it pays to compare
A comparison of sending Dh20,000 from the UAE using two different routes at the same time - the first direct from a UAE bank to a bank in Germany, and the second from the same UAE bank via an online platform to Germany - found key differences in cost and speed. The transfers were both initiated on January 30.
Route 1: bank transfer
The UAE bank charged Dh152.25 for the Dh20,000 transfer. On top of that, their exchange rate margin added a difference of around Dh415, compared with the mid-market rate.
Total cost: Dh567.25 - around 2.9 per cent of the total amount
Total received: €4,670.30
Route 2: online platform
The UAE bank’s charge for sending Dh20,000 to a UK dirham-denominated account was Dh2.10. The exchange rate margin cost was Dh60, plus a Dh12 fee.
Total cost: Dh74.10, around 0.4 per cent of the transaction
Total received: €4,756
The UAE bank transfer was far quicker – around two to three working days, while the online platform took around four to five days, but was considerably cheaper. In the online platform transfer, the funds were also exposed to currency risk during the period it took for them to arrive.
Monster Hunter: World
Capcom
PlayStation 4, Xbox One
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Match info:
Portugal 1
Ronaldo (4')
Morocco 0
more from Janine di Giovanni
Results
Stage 7:
1. Caleb Ewan (AUS) Lotto Soudal - 3:18:29
2. Sam Bennett (IRL) Deceuninck-QuickStep - same time
3. Phil Bauhaus (GER) Bahrain Victorious
4. Michael Morkov (DEN) Deceuninck-QuickStep
5. Cees Bol (NED) Team DSM
General Classification:
1. Tadej Pogacar (SLO) UAE Team Emirates - 24:00:28
2. Adam Yates (GBR) Ineos Grenadiers - 0:00:35
3. Joao Almeida (POR) Deceuninck-QuickStep - 0:01:02
4. Chris Harper (AUS) Jumbo-Visma - 0:01:42
5. Neilson Powless (USA) EF Education-Nippo - 0:01:45
MATCH INFO
Final: England v South Africa, Saturday, 1pm
Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi
Director: Kangana Ranaut, Krish Jagarlamudi
Producer: Zee Studios, Kamal Jain
Cast: Kangana Ranaut, Ankita Lokhande, Danny Denzongpa, Atul Kulkarni
Rating: 2.5/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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Winners
Best Men's Player of the Year: Kylian Mbappe (PSG)
Maradona Award for Best Goal Scorer of the Year: Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich)
TikTok Fans’ Player of the Year: Robert Lewandowski
Top Goal Scorer of All Time: Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United)
Best Women's Player of the Year: Alexia Putellas (Barcelona)
Best Men's Club of the Year: Chelsea
Best Women's Club of the Year: Barcelona
Best Defender of the Year: Leonardo Bonucci (Juventus/Italy)
Best Goalkeeper of the Year: Gianluigi Donnarumma (PSG/Italy)
Best Coach of the Year: Roberto Mancini (Italy)
Best National Team of the Year: Italy
Best Agent of the Year: Federico Pastorello
Best Sporting Director of the Year: Txiki Begiristain (Manchester City)
Player Career Award: Ronaldinho
Getting there
The flights
Emirates and Etihad fly to Johannesburg or Cape Town daily. Flights cost from about Dh3,325, with a flying time of 8hours and 15 minutes. From there, fly South African Airlines or Air Namibia to Namibia’s Windhoek Hosea Kutako International Airport, for about Dh850. Flying time is 2 hours.
The stay
Wilderness Little Kulala offers stays from £460 (Dh2,135) per person, per night. It is one of seven Wilderness Safari lodges in Namibia; www.wilderness-safaris.com.
Skeleton Coast Safaris’ four-day adventure involves joining a very small group in a private plane, flying to some of the remotest areas in the world, with each night spent at a different camp. It costs from US$8,335.30 (Dh30,611); www.skeletoncoastsafaris.com
How to increase your savings
- Have a plan for your savings.
- Decide on your emergency fund target and once that's achieved, assign your savings to another financial goal such as saving for a house or investing for retirement.
- Decide on a financial goal that is important to you and put your savings to work for you.
- It's important to have a purpose for your savings as it helps to keep you motivated to continue while also reducing the temptation to spend your savings.
- Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
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The specs: 2019 Aston Martin DBS Superleggera
Price, base: Dh1.2 million
Engine: 5.2-litre twin-turbo V12
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 725hp @ 6,500pm
Torque: 900Nm @ 1,800rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 12.3L / 100km (estimate)
Bharatanatyam
A ancient classical dance from the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Intricate footwork and expressions are used to denote spiritual stories and ideas.
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In the Restaurant: Society in Four Courses
Christoph Ribbat
Translated by Jamie Searle Romanelli
Pushkin Press
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
