Assad flees as the Syrian regime comes to an end
Last week Syria’s authoritarian regime, under Bashar-Al Assad, fell as the Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS) rebel group took the capital, Damascus. This is a major political and social shift for not only Syria but also the middle East as a whole.
This has been an ongoing issue, as in 2011 Assad used his military force to crush a peaceful, pro-democracy rally, sparking over a decade of civil war.
In the past 4 years the civil war had reached a stalemate, with the rebels limited to the Aleppo region, the government in control of all other major cities. However, 2 weeks ago the HTS launches a surprise attack catching the Syrian government off guard.
Assad, whose regime had been supported by both Russia and Iran, stepped down from his presidency and fled to Moscow, passing control to the rebels.
Under the regime, there were many claims that Assad had tortured and mutilated dissenters, using an iron fist to rule the country through fear. Many Syrians across the world celebrated the end of Assad rule and hoped they might return home.
However, the HST have also been named a ‘Terrorist organisation’ by the US, UN and the EU, so it is unclear how this new state will function post Assad-rule.
The rights and safety of the men and women of Syria are still up in the air and only time will tell if this new state lives up to expectations.
Starmer vs farmers
Labours new budget under Rachel Reeves has caused uproar among farmers over the past two weeks. The proposed budget would see all agricultural assets over the value of £1 million be subject to inheritance tax, starting in 2026.
This is has led to series of protests including tractors blocking main transport routes across the southwest, on the A5 and the A14. The farmers’ main argument is that farming has become unprofitable due to Brexit, where they do not have a huge source of income or cash available, being a primarily assets based industry.
Therefore, they believe farms at the lower end of the scale would have to pay more tax for assets that are essential to their livelihoods.
However, Reeves has assured that the aim of this new budget is to prevent the ultra-rich from hiding behind farming estate laws to avoid tax that otherwise would affect them.
In contrast, the National Farmers Union (NFU) have claimed that up to 75% of farms could be affected, around 70,000 farms, compared to the estimated 2,000 by the government.
The movement has garnered support from high profile celebrities such as Jeremy Clarkson and Nigel Farage, although its important to state that they are the targeted group by this new budget due to their wealth, not the average farmer.
This continues to be a pressing matter for the current Labour government, and with both sides making contradictory claims, it is unclear how this budget allocation will play out over the next couple of years.
British teen arrested in Dubai
On Thursday, 18-year-old, British national Marcus Fakana was sentenced to 1 year in Dubai prison for sexual relations with a 17-year-old, which is considered illegal under UAE law.
Mr Fakana was holidaying in Dubai in September with his parents, at the time of the incident. He allegedly met with a fellow British girl while they were both abroad on holiday, however she was 17 at the time.
The girl’s mother upon finding out, reported the incident to the Dubai police force where Fakana was swiftly detained.
The age of consent in the UAE is 18 years old for both parties, so in this case is considered a sexual offence, to which the charge carries up to 20 years in prison.
Fakana’s representative stated that the teen feels ‘abandoned by the British government’, as he faces a tough stretch in a UAE prison. His parents have had to return home due to financial reasons as they are unable to stay out there with their son, without government aid.
This incident brings to light, not only the extremely harsh laws of the UAE state, but also the impact international law has while we are abroad on holiday.
It’s bought into question the UK governments lack of intervention, allowing a teen to get sent down in order to avoid awkward conversations with the UAE.
Charity groups representing Fakana are sure to appeal the sentence, but it is unlikely that this will be successful and he most likely will have to serve the year in a strict penitentiary.
That is all for this week. Be sure to check in as new stories begin to unfold across the globe.
