Latest news with #Islamist-led
Straits Times
2 hours ago
- Politics
- Straits Times
Syrian security forces detain cousin of toppled leader Assad
FILE PHOTO: A wall painted with a damaged drawing of ousted Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is pictured in the al-Qadam neighbourhood in Damascus, Syria, March 26, 2025. REUTERS/Firas Makdesi/File Photo Syria's security forces have detained Wassim al-Assad, a cousin of toppled leader Bashar al-Assad, state news agency SANA said on Saturday. Wassim al-Assad was sanctioned by the United States in 2023 for leading a paramilitary force backing Assad's army and for trafficking drugs including the amphetamine-like drug captagon. Bashar al-Assad was toppled by an Islamist-led rebel insurgency in December and fled to Moscow. Most of his family members and inner circle either fled Syria or went underground. Syria's new security forces have been pursuing members of the former administration - mainly those involved in the feared security branches accused of rights abuses. Rights groups have called for a fully-fledged transitional justice process to hold them to account. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
2 days ago
- Business
- Straits Times
Syria completes first global SWIFT transfer since war, governor says
FILE PHOTO: Bundles of Syrian currency notes are stacked up as an employee counts money at Syrian central bank in Damascus, Syria, January 12, 2025. REUTERS/Firas Makdesi/File Photo DAMASCUS - Syria has carried out its first international bank transaction via the SWIFT system since the outbreak of its 14-year civil war, its central bank governor said on Thursday, a milestone in Syria's push to reintegrate into the global financial system. Central bank governor Abdelkader Husriyeh told Reuters in Damascus that a direct commercial transaction had been carried out from a Syrian to an Italian bank on Sunday, and that transactions with U.S. banks could begin within weeks. "The door is now open to more such transactions," he said. Syrian banks were largely cut off from the world during the civil war after a crackdown by Bashar al-Assad on anti-government protests in 2011 led Western states to impose sanctions, including on Syria's central bank. Assad was ousted as president in a lightning offensive by Islamist-led rebels last year and Syria has since taken steps to re-establish international ties, culminating in a May meeting between interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa and U.S. President Donald Trump in Riyadh. The U.S. then significantly eased its sanctions and some in Congress are pushing for them to be totally repealed. Europe has announced the end of its economic sanctions regime. Syria needs to make transfers with Western financial institutions in order to bring in huge sums for reconstruction and to kickstart a war-ravaged economy that has left nine out of 10 people poor, according to the United Nations. Husriyeh chaired a high-level virtual meeting on Wednesday bringing together Syrian banks, several U.S. banks and U.S. officials, including Washington's Syria envoy Thomas Barrack. The aim of the meeting was to accelerate the reconnection of Syria's banking system to the global financial system and Husriyeh extended a formal invitation to U.S. banks to re-establish correspondent banking ties. "We have two clear targets: have U.S. banks set up representative offices in Syria and have transactions resume between Syrian and American banks. I think the latter can happen in a matter of weeks," Husriyeh told Reuters. Among the banks invited to Wednesday's conference were JP Morgan, Morgan Stanley and Citibank, though it was not immediately clear who attended. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
The Guardian
12-06-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Syria asks women to dress modestly on beaches but says bikinis still allowed
Syria's government has asked women to wear 'burkinis' or more modest swimwear while visiting public beaches this summer, although they later clarified there will be no legal consequences for those who wear bikinis. A government directive on Tuesday asked women to wear a 'burkini or swimwear that covers more of the body', and loose-fitting clothing when out of the water. The decree also asked men not to be shirtless when not swimming. 'Visitors to public beaches and pools, whether tourists or locals, are required to wear appropriate swimwear that takes into account public taste and the sensibilities of various segments of society,' the tourism minister, Mazen al-Salhani, said in a statement. The guidelines would not apply for luxury resorts, where the decree said 'normal western swimwear' was permitted. The order provoked outrage and accusations that the Islamist-led government was trying to impose its version of morality on Syrians, many of whom, but not all, prefer conservative clothing. The government was quick to clarify that the directive was merely advice and there would be no legal penalties for those who did not follow them. Instead, the government quickly published a list of beaches where western-style swimwear, such as bikinis, can be worn and other beaches where burkinis are preferred. 'This does not mean that beaches where modest clothing is preferred that western clothing is prohibited, but that we respect public preferences and cultural, religious and social diversity in Syria,' Ghaith al-Farah, the deputy tourism minister, said in an interview with the Syrian channel Al-Ikhbariyah on Wednesday. He further said the directives had been published as part of general guidelines for public conduct and safety during the summer, which included advice on not getting sunburnt and avoiding certain fish. The tourism ministry said authorities would only patrol the perimeter of beaches, and it published pictures of beaches with people in bikinis on X on Thursday. Despite the seeming walking back of the decision, some Syrians worried this indicated a desire from the Syrian government to impose its own standards for women's dress. It was the first time the new government had made any decrees on women's dress since the toppling of the former president Bashar al-Assad in December, and fanned fears among Syria's religious minorities. Though the Assad regime curtailed most freedoms in Syria, it was fiercely secular and did not control women's dress. Maya Saloum, a 24-year-old English teacher from Jaramana, a suburb of Damascus, said: 'It's not their call to make decisions for others and decide what to wear and where to wear it.' Sara, a 20-year-old student in Damascus using a pseudonym, said: 'Neither the government nor anyone else should interfere in such matters. In my view there are far more important issues the country needs to address than interfering with and limiting people's freedoms.' She complained that since December she had received verbal harassment for wearing shorts or sleeveless tops in the streets from individuals and some security forces. Syria's president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, has previously promised to protect freedoms and religious diversity in Syria and to guarantee women's rights under his rule.
Straits Times
12-06-2025
- Politics
- Straits Times
Israeli military says it arrested Hamas members in Syria
BEIRUT - Israeli troops entered southwestern Syria in the early hours of Thursday and arrested several people who the Israeli military said were members of Palestinian militant group Hamas but which Syria's interior ministry said were civilians. The arrests in the town of Beit Jinn, about 50 kilometres (31 miles) southwest of the capital Damascus, are part of a resurgence in Israeli military operations in southern Syria after weeks of relative quiet. The Israeli military said its nighttime operation in Beit Jinn was "based on intelligence gathered in recent weeks" and led to the arrest of "several Hamas terrorists" planning "multiple terror plots" against Israeli civilians and Israeli troops in Syria. The military's statement said it had confiscated firearms and ammunition, and transferred the detainees into Israel for further interrogation. There was no immediate comment from Hamas. A spokesperson for Syria's interior ministry told Reuters seven people were arrested in the Beit Jinn raid but denied they were from Hamas, saying they were civilians from the area. The spokesperson said one person was killed by Israeli fire. Asked whether anyone was killed in its raid, the Israeli military told Reuters that when one of the suspected members attempted to flee, shots were fired and "a hit was identified". Israel has been deeply suspicious of the Islamist-led government running Syria since former leader Bashar al-Assad was toppled in December, claiming it could support an attack similar to the Hamas-led October 7 2023 incursion into southern Israel. In the early months of Syria's new administration, Israel sent troops into southern Syria and carried out widespread strikes - but then began direct talks with Syrian officials to prevent conflict in the border region. Tensions ticked up again in early June, however, after projectiles were fired from Syria towards Israel. Israel retaliated with its first strikes in nearly a month. On June 8, Israel carried out a strike on the outskirts of Beit Jinn on what it described as a Hamas member. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Gulf Today
12-06-2025
- Politics
- Gulf Today
Syria orders full body swimwear for women on public beaches
Syria's Islamist-led government has decreed that women should wear burkinis or other swimwear that covers the body at public beaches and swimming pools, while permitting Western-style beachwear at private clubs and luxury hotels. The tourism ministry decision issued this week marks the first time the Damascus authorities have issued guidelines related to what women can wear since Bashar Al Assad was toppled in December. During the Assad family's rule of Syria, which was shaped by a secular Arab nationalist ideology, the state imposed no such restrictions, though people often dressed modestly at public beaches, reflecting conservative norms. The new requirements were set out in a wider decree dated June 9 and which included public safety guidelines for beaches and swimming pools ahead of the summer, such as not spending too long in the sun and avoiding jellyfish. It said that beachgoers and visitors to public pools should wear "appropriate swimwear that respects public decency and the feelings of different segments of society," requiring "more modest swimsuits" and specifying "the burkini or swimming clothes that cover the body more." Women should wear a cover or a loose robe over their swimwear when moving between the beach and other areas, it said. Men should wear a shirt when not swimming, and are not allowed to appear bare-chested "in the public areas outside the swimming areas - hotel lobbies or ... restaurants", it said. The decree added that "in public areas outside the beaches and swimming pools", it was preferable to wear loose clothing that covers the shoulders and knees and to avoid transparent or very tight clothing. It offered an exception for hotels classed as four stars or above, and for private beaches, pools and clubs, saying "normal Western swimwear" was generally permitted, "with adherence to public morals and within the limits of public taste." Since Sunni Islamist-led rebels overthrew Assad, fliers have appeared urging women to cover up, but the government has issued no directives ordering them to observe conservative dress codes. A temporary constitution passed earlier this year strengthened the language on the role of sharia (Islamic law) in Syria. Interim President Ahmed Al Sharaa, who led an al Qaeda group before cutting ties with the jihadist network, has sidestepped interviewers' questions on whether he thought Syria should apply sharia, saying this was for experts to decide. Reuters
