​​​​​​​Syrians face abject poverty, fears Covid -19; European Union threatened with disintegration

On Saturday morning, the Foreign newspapers focused on Abject poverty in Syria, the internal conflict in the European Union.

The Guardian: Syrians grapple with poverty and coronavirus

The British Guardian newspaper referred to the Syrian situation and said: "Karim Zakari has endured a lot during the nine years of the Syria war, where rockets and bullets, loved ones who were killed, and fear of being recruited into the army or tortured in Bashar al-Assad prisons, but regardless of how bad things are, there was always food.

The 25-year-old from the Barzeh neighborhood in Damascus said: "Here is very poverty now, there are families who live on $ 200 a month, but I do not call it a living, I barely managed to eat. Now with the coronavirus, some businessmen benefit from a condition Panic and they raise prices. " He demanded not to mention his real name for fear of persecution.

As Assad returns to control most of Syria, the government must focus on the challenge of rebuilding a country that has fallen victim to the conflict between it and rebel forces and extremist groups.

Also, since January, the value of the Syrian pound has declined, reaching a record low of 1,360 per dollar on the black market in late March. As a result, inflation and the cost of basic commodities are rising, even subsidized bread is sometimes unavailable as stocks begin Damascus is out of flour and wheat running out, and it relies on its Russian allies for emergency shipments.

According to a 2019 UN report, 83% of people in both government and rebel areas in the country are already living in poverty.

While the regime imposed curfew and announcement lockdown to slow the spread of the virus, hundreds of people gather every day for hours to wait for bread at distribution points, and cases of theft have increased in many areas of the system to feed their hungry families.

The Wall Street Journal: The Coronavirus threatens to split the already torn European Union

For its part, the Wall Street Journal touched on the conditions of the European Union and said: "The European Union faces the worst crisis since its foundation, as the coronavirus deepens the long-standing tensions between the south of the bloc, which are hardest hit by the pandemic and its economic repercussions, and the financially stronger north."

Whether or not this conflict, crystallized in the dispute between Germany and Italy, is resolved in the coming weeks, it is likely to determine the viability of the entire European project for the long-term - including the future of the common currency, and if it is not resolved, that battle will continue to poison Relations between the countries of the bloc.

The Times: The removal of Jesus from Israeli mines

The Times newspaper touched on the Palestinian and Israeli affairs and said: "The site of Jesus' baptism has been secured for pilgrims after an international effort to remove the thousands of landmines planted by the Israeli army.

Land of the monasteries along the Jordan River was planted with mines in the 1970s as the Israeli army fought Palestinian armed organizations infiltrating from Jordan, and seven monasteries were closed, including one dedicated to John the Baptist.

Now, thanks to a two-year effort of £ 5 million by the Israeli government and the British charity to support life in the dangerous area, known as the Hello Trust, the area was cleared, adding security to the 900,000 pilgrims visiting each year, this was a complicated diplomatic mission because the land It is officially part of the Palestinian Authority.

T/S

ANHA