fabiochiu/medium-articles huggingface dataset:
Shopsys Framework Reveals Their Plans For The Coming Months
By: Lukáš Heinz
Tags: Framework, Ecommerce Development, Web Development, Symfony

Photo from Shopsys Framework Roadshow in Prague

We have been constantly improving Shopsys Framework for the development of large ecommerce projects. Over the last months we have implemented many changes and received valuable feedback from our early adopters. In this article we cover our plans for the future, including changes to our release patterns and the introduction of the Backward Compatibility Promise (BC promise).

In accordance with our overarching goal of creating the best platform for in-house and dedicated developer teams, we have 3 other main areas we will focus on within the next year.

To ensure that you will never outgrow the platform as a result of increasing product numbers or higher traffic, we will focus on further performance optimization and support for out of the box scalability (also in Cloud). In terms of optimization, we know for now that product filtering and listing will be much faster through Elasticsearch. As Shopsys Framework is only one part of the company’s ecosystem and it needs to communicate with other systems (CRM, ERP, etc.), we will focus on providing smoother integration that makes it easier to create and maintain your online shop. Last but not least we’ve considered changes to the way we handle pricing and taxation; we want Shopsys Framework to be ready to handle all kinds of taxation systems and exceptions, as well as specific pricing models used by ecommerce companies. To streamline this process we will introduce new pricing modules that will be even easier to customize and maintain.

When it comes to release patterns and the BC promise, we decided to release an updated major version of Shopsys Framework regularly every three months, in addition to minor versions every month or so. In practice, this means that minor version upgrades will be easy to implement and won’t require additional dedicated work, and major version upgrades (bringing valuable improvements) will only demand a limited number of work hours from your team. You can read more about it in our BC promise on GitHub.

In addition to the 3 main areas we have mentioned above, we will continue working to foster a community on GitHub, creating a module store, and keeping our platform up-to-date (upgrade of Symfony).

As we continue to enhance Shopsys Framework through performance optimization, integration, and improved pricing and taxation, we will describe each of these elements more broadly on our blog. Stay tuned!
How JavaScript conquered the web? Part-1
Tags: Ecmascript, Web, Framework, Internet, JavaScript

“It is better to be lucky than smart”

— Douglas Crockford about JavaScript

20 years ago, if someone said JavaScript will rule the internet in the future then no one would have believed it. Because no one thought in that way and JavaScript was not meant for that as well. The language was created in just 10 days and criticized a lot for its defectiveness even though there are lots of good parts.

Despite being one of the most hated programming languages, it survived for years and become one of the most popular programming languages, the most used programming language and the de-facto standard programming language for the web.

What is JavaScript?

“JavaScript often abbreviated as JS, is a high-level, just-in-time compiled, object-oriented programming language that conforms to the ECMAScript specification.” — Wikipedia

Browser War

In the early 1990s, the internet was still evolving and not used by many. At that time, the web browser was not distributed along with the Operating system and people had to buy separately. Netscape Communications Corporation, an American computer services company started distributing their browser “Netscape Navigator” for free and demanded money for commercial usage. Soon it became the most used browser and hold nearly 80% of the browser market share.

Microsoft fell behind in the browser race. In late 1994, Microsoft licensed Spyglass Mosaic, which was an early commercial web browser and developed its own browser Internet Explorer. They started distributing Internet explorer for free along with their Windows Operating System soon they dominated the market share.

From an old Indian movie

💡 Eventually, Microsoft lost the browser war to Google when Google introduced its own browser Chrome.

1995 to 1999: Beginning

Netscape wanted to embed the programming language Scheme in their browser because they thought the web needed a small scripting language that could interact with the DOM. So the web could be more dynamic with animations and interactions will be part of the web in future.

Sun Microsystems, the creator of Java wanted Java to work with the browser as well. But Java is not as small as HTML. It’s too big to put it in the browser. Both Netscape and Sun collaborated and decided to develop a scripting language instead of an embedding scheme. The idea was to develop a not so complex language, which should let programmers or even non-programmers directly write code as same as HTML on the web page itself.
What are Product Teardowns❓
By: Rohit Verma
Tags: Product Teardown, Framework, Product Management, Product Framework, Product Manager

A product teardown is an act of disassembling a product. It doesn’t necessarily imply criticizing the product rather it involves investigating & reverse engineering the thought process & experience offered by the product. It serves as a great inspiration to enhance our own product.

It is crucial for a PM to introspect and understand the reasons regarding why the product was designed as it was — what were the objectives & what kind of drawbacks it currently has.

Product Teardowns shouldn’t be limited to your competitive apps but instead, should also include apps from other domains as well.

Top 5 goals of Product Teardowns

Develop an understanding of how the app onboards, activate & engages users. Which customer pain point it is addressing? Any “aha” moment? What is the organization objective it is trying to solve? Key takeaways & learning that can be applied to your product directly. Identifying gaps in their journey.

Top 4 benefits of Product Teardowns

Competitive Landscape Understanding

Product Teardowns are a perfect concept to understand the competitors. It helps to understand their offerings or their approach towards the same problem statement which you are facing. You can also scan their Google Playstore reviews to understand the pain points of their customers & also gain knowledge about their most appreciated feature.

UX knowledge

Understanding the different interactions, flow, notification, communication & exception handling of the product gives deep insights into the product. Also, learning about the new and trending designs followed by the most popular apps helps to draw parallels for your product as well & makes it easy for the customer to recognize & identify quickly.

Innovation

While performing Product Teardowns you can come across solutions or architecture which are pathbreaking & makes the onboarding or engagement smooth for the new or repeat users. Try to learn and deploy such innovative ideas to your own product which can help you design out of the box solution for the customers.

Thought leadership

Once you go deep & ask why this particular feature is present in the product & what problem it is addressing, you are creating your own repository of solutions & reasoning for the same. This expands your knowledge base drastically & helps you to hone your Product Management skills.

Thanks for reading! If you’ve got ideas to contribute to this conversation please comment. If you like what you read and want to see more, clap me some love! Follow here, or connect with me on LinkedIn
How to deal with database master-slave replication delay in Laravel
By: Juampi Barreto
Tags: Laravel, Framework, Database

Introduction

If you have a similar setup to us, you might have two databases in different regions to avoid read latency in each region.

Having that master-slave relation works perfectly, and will make your write operations fast in both regions, but writing in the slave from its own region is slow, giving it is actually writing in master (cross-region).

Reading in the slave region right after a write to the master region might return a miss, since there is a replication lag that you also have to be aware.

Setup

Let’s assume we have two Regions: A and B.

To have a bit of context, this setup is made by using Laravel’s database configuration.

Our default database connection has different read / write hosts. The magic occurs on the .env file for Region A, or for Region B.

'default' => [

'read' => ['host' => env('DB_HOST_READ')],

'write' => ['host' => env('DB_HOST_WRITE')],

'database' => env('DB_MASTER'),

...

So for Region A .env we have:

# We read and write from the same database

DB_HOST_READ=db.region-A

DB_HOST_WRITE=db.region-A

And for Region B .env we have:

DB_HOST_READ=db.region-B # We read in B

DB_HOST_WRITE=db.region-A # We write in A

Problem

We are now going to focus on Region B requests.
Iran, Syria Discuss Cooperation on Roads Construction
By: Maryam Khy
Tags: Diplomacy, Syria, Middle East, Iran, Construction

Ministers from Iran and Syria have discussed the ways to promote cooperation between the two countries in the housing and road construction sectors.

Iranian Minister of Roads and Urban Development Mohammad Eslami and Syria’s Minister of Public Works and Housing Suhail Mohammad Abdul Latif held a meeting in Tehran on Monday.

In the gathering, held at Iran’s Roads and Urban Development Ministry, the two officials weighed plans for mutual cooperation between Tehran and Damascus in housing development and construction of roads and bridges.

They also agreed on plans to resolve the problems in the transportation sector, customs affairs and banking interaction between the two countries.

It was also decided that the Iranian and Syrian state-run and private companies would establish a joint company after a series of negotiations, and that the future cooperation and reconstruction programs would be carried out within the framework of the joint company dealing with the housing and construction affairs.

The meeting was attended by deputies of the Iranian and Syrian ministers, as well as directors of a number of leading state-owned enterprises from the two nations.

https://ifpnews.com/iran-syria-discuss-cooperation-on-roads-construction
Syria accused Israel of carrying out an airstrike in a central province the second time
By: Zachary Weaver
Tags: Syria, Airstrikes, Bomb Attack, Lebanon, Israel

Syria accused Israel of carrying out an airstrike in a central province the second time

I want to share this intriguing news I have read today. It’s all about how an unidentified Syrian military official quoted by the state news agency said air defenses shot down most of the missiles in the attack that occurred early Thursday on targets it did not name in the Quseir region of the Homs countryside. There was no immediate comment from Israel on the Syrian reports. Israel has launched hundreds of strikes against Iran-linked military targets in war-ravaged Syria over the years but rarely acknowledges or discusses such operations. Late Monday, Syria reported an Israeli airstrike southeast of the northern Aleppo province, but did not mention details of the target or damage. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a war monitor that has activists on the ground in Syria, said Monday’s strikes targeted weapons depots that belong to Iranian-backed militiamen operating in Aleppo’s Safira region. It also confirmed Thursday’s strikes, saying they destroyed ammunitions and weapons depots belonging to the Lebanese militant Hezbollah group in the western Homs countryside. The Iran-backed group has been operating in Syria for years, helping President Bashar Assad’s government reclaim control over most of the country after a devastating civil war. Separately, the Israeli military said it apprehended two people seen crossing from south Lebanon into Israeli territory. In a statement, it said the suspects were apprehended after an extensive search of the border area. Following initial questioning at the scene, the two appear to be job seekers, it added.
Israeli bombing perpetrated in Syria caused material losses
By: Chloe Ann Rayner
Tags: Syria, Bomb Attack, Lebanon, Israel, United States

I want to share this intriguing news I’ve read today. It’s all about an Israeli bombing perpetrated on Thursday on al-Qusayr city, in Homs province, caused material losses, Syria’s Ministry of Defense informed. At 01:13 local time this Thursday, Israeli warplanes fired several missiles against al-Qusair from Lebanese airspace and the anti-aircraft defenses managed to shoot down most of the rockets and the damages were limited to material losses without regretting civilian deaths, detailed a press release issued by the Ministry. Military sources consulted by Prensa Latina informed that the Israeli missiles targeted anti-aircraft defense batteries of the Syrian army and positions of fighters from the Lebanese resistance movement (Hezbollah) at El Daba airfield, located near the border with Lebanon. This is the second Israeli attack in less than 48 hours, the latest of them was carried out by F-16 fighters from the US-controlled Al Tanf region, in eastern Syria. The Government condemned those attacks and deplored the silence by the United Nations before those actions, as well as ratified the legitimate right to defend the integrity and sovereignty of the Syrian territory by all legitimate means.
Young Innovators give Syria’s fight against COVID-19 a much-needed jump start
By: البرنامج الإنمائي
Tags: Covid 19, Syria, Coronavirus

More than nine years of conflict in Syria has had a disastrous effect on the country’s economy and devastated its healthcare system. A pandemic of the scale of COVID-19 threatens to intensify pre-existing fragilities in an already-vulnerable economy that has experienced market collapse, rampant inflation and currency depreciation, in addition to the impact of sanctions imposed on the country.

Young Syrians were fast to join the fight in support of the county’s response to the pandemic. A few of them are putting to work their entrepreneurial skills newly acquired through a UNDP initiative called JumpStart that supports the development of innovative graduation projects in applied engineering and helps transform them into start-up businesses.

In Aleppo, three fresh mechanical engineering graduates Ahmad (26), Mohamed (24), and Ali (26) saw an opportunity in the rapidly emerging need for products that can support the country’s response to the COVID-19 crisis. They teamed up to design and produce disinfection and protective solutions.
Beyond the connection: Connected future
By: Undp Syria
Tags: Syria, Pwds, Covid 19, Resilience, Undp

Like many people with disabilities in Syria, Ghali has been grappling with many barriers that hinder his full and meaningful participation. Nine years of the current violent crisis in addition to the COVID-19 pandemic, have only exacerbated his experience of exclusion.

Ghali, meaning “precious” in Arabic, has just graduated from high school and is looking forward to college. Since a very young age, he had a passion for computers. With what available resources he could find online, and sheer determination, he taught himself several programming languages such as Java, Python and many more. He even developed a mobile application that provides text to voice translation to help him communicate and overcome his speech impediment.

“I’ve always dreamed about studying computer science and specializing in programming so I can develop digital solutions to help myself, and others like me overcome some of our daily challenges” says Ghali.

Thanks to the generous donations from people around the world and matched funds from the Government of Finland, through the “Un-silence my world” crowdfunding campaign in Syria, Ghali received a free internet bundle of 50 Gigabytes per month for one-year.

Like many vulnerable people in Syria, Ghali suffered from several difficulties that prevented him from having a stable connection such as slow internet connection, frequent electricity cuts in addition to the high cost.

“Having a 4G data connection allows me to have better and smoother access to information on time. It is very fast compared to the frustratingly slow connection at my house that I had to share with my parents, brother and sister” added Ghali.

Explaining the rationale for the initiative, UNDP Project Manager, Louay Fallouh says, “It was alarming to see the low number of students with disabilities applying for the high school exams. We saw a huge need for connectivity, especially during lockdown where internet is more of a lifeline to PWDs”.

An estimated 27% of the total population in Syria suffer from some form of disability, and Ghali is one of the 13% of people with disabilities that represent high school students in Syria.

The “Un-silence my world” crowdfunding campaign in Syria was a part of a pilot regional individual giving initiative of the Regional Bureau for Arab States in UNDP entitled “Solidarity against COVID-19: Together we are one!” in seven Arab countries.

Ghali is applying to the Syrian Virtual University and he hopes that the internet package provided by UNDP will help him achieve his goal and realize his dream.

_______________________________

Written by Asma’ Nashawati, Communications Associate, UNDP Syria
My role in the fight against Daesh
By: Ministry Of Defence
Tags: Syria, Terrorism, UK, Iraq, Case Study

My role in the fight against Daesh

As the Operations Officer in the British Headquarters for Operation SHADER, it is clear that my role, whether directly or by enabling others, has contributed to the enduring defeat of Daesh.

Operation SHADER is the operational code name given to British military operations undertaken as part of the US-led global coalition in Iraq and Syria.

The experience of deploying on an operation is quite disorientating, taking a while for your body to catch up with a different time zone and environment.

My deployment started with an early morning drive to Brize Norton before flying to Cyprus for an afternoon arrival. After changing planes I arrived in Baghdad later that same night.

Early the following morning, I took a helicopter to my final destination and went straight into my handover.

Ensuring that Daesh is unable to re-establish itself across Iraq and Syria, ultimately restricts its ability to spread extremism and related terrorist activity across the world.

Capt Clark in Iraq

The process of preparing for a deployment like this sees you go through a transition in mindset that prepares you for the months to come.

It does take some getting used to, but you quickly get to know the other regular and reserve personnel going through the same process and build new relationships with them, as well as an understanding of the different opportunities for deployment around the world.
Netanyahu threatens more air strikes in Syria
By: Lucas Bakker
Tags: Netanyahu, Syria, Israel

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has threatened to perform greater airstrikes in Syria if Iran keeps to keep a navy presence withinside the war-torn country.

“We will now no longer permit Iranian navy entrenchment in opposition to us in Syria and we can now no longer tolerate any try to assault us from Syrian territory,” Xinhua information company quoted Netanyahu as announcing in a assertion issued with the aid of using his workplace on Wednesday hours after a lethal Israeli airstrike in Syria.

“This morning, the air pressure attacked widespread Iranian Quds Force objectives and Syrian navy objectives in Syria,” the Prime Minister said, in an extraordinary acknowledgment of Israeli airstrikes in Syria.

The airstrike become done as component of “a clean coverage that I had been main for years”, he noted.

“Whoever attempts to assault us or assaults us will endure the consequences,” Netanyahu warned.

At least 10 Syrian squaddies and pro-authorities combatants had been killed in airstrikes on Syrian navy webweb sites withinside the capital Damascus on Wednesday, the UK-primarily based totally watchdog Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported.

In latest years, Israel has performed masses of airstrikes in opposition to Iranian-connected objectives in Syria.
Incendiary Weapons Used in Civilian-Dense Hama Region of Syria
Tags: Syria, Russia, Military, Breaking Syria, Security

The Hama Campaign

The ongoing offensive, started in late April, is considered to be the most intense military clash between SAA and rebels since the summer of 2018; as of now, however, the SAA has achieved only modest gains. The town of Kafr Nabudah has become a symbol of this struggle: having changed hands three times throughout the offensive, it is currently controlled by the SAA. According to the SANA news agency, the fighters holding the front on behalf of the SAA are led by the Hay’et Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the former al-Qaeda affiliate previously known as the Nusra Front.

The two-month-long offensive has already killed 544 civilians and wounded 2,117, according to the Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR). Despite the high civilian toll, relentless attacks by the regime continue. Sources have reported that in addition to bombs and artillery shells, Assad regime forces have also dropped thermobaric, cluster, and napalm bombs. The international community has denounced the use of incendiary munitions, yet Assad’s regime has continued to deploy them throughout the conflict. These munitions are especially deadly in civilian-populated areas, as upon contact they cause fires that are difficult to extinguish.

On May 26, 2019, reports of munitions’ use in the rebel-held town of Khan Sheikhoun surfaced. During the attack, one civilian was reported killed and two children injured. Media reports, nongovernmental organizations, and social media users posted videos allegedly showing proof of the attack on the night of May 25.

A video allegedly showing the incendiary attack on Khan Sheikhoun on May 25. (Source: @QalaatAlMudiq/archive)

Most of the videos were taken at night, making geolocation difficult, so the DFRLab opted to use satellite imagery to verify if the strikes actually happened. Satellite imagery showed burn marks in the surrounding area appeared in the same period of time as the alleged attack on the town. Furthermore, burn marks were also found near the towns of Kafr Zita and Kafr Nabudah, both of which were close to the front line.

Traces of Incendiary Munitions

The satellite imagery comparison of the areas near Khan Sheikhoun revealed burn marks in the nearby fields. Furthermore, a streak of potential burn marks appeared in the northern part of the city itself. These findings suggested that the alleged incendiary weapon videos from May 26 were authentic.
Why Syria Still Matters After a Decade of War
By: Usaid Saves Lives
Tags: Syria, World, Middle East, Conflict, Humanitarian

USAID Humanitarian Assistance

Over the past decade, this dedicated team has worked together to deliver lifesaving aid to communities affected by Syria’s conflict. USAID humanitarian assistance reaches nearly 5 million people each month across all of Syria’s 14 governorates. In addition, USAID is providing emergency food assistance to more than a million refugees in neighboring countries each month. Here are just a few of the ways we work to save lives and ease suffering.

1. Food and Nutrition

After 10 years of conflict, more than half of Syria’s population does not have enough to eat. USAID supports the World Food Program and 15 non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to provide emergency food and nutrition assistance to vulnerable people within Syria and to refugees across Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, and Turkey.

Inside Syria, our partners provide families with monthly rations of food such as beans, bread, and oil, emergency nutritional products, and vouchers and cash transfers to redeem for food. We supply flour and yeast to bakeries, and provide ready-to-eat food to people who are newly displaced. We also help families earn an income to put food on the table. In neighboring countries, we provide food vouchers and cash transfers that Syrian refugees can redeem for food in local markets, as well as emergency nutrition assistance.

2. Health

Syria’s health system has been decimated by a decade of conflict. Despite the challenging security conditions on the ground, USAID reached five million people with emergency health programs last year, working with 10 UN and NGO partners to help keep people healthy, stave off disease, and build the capacity of Syria’s health workers.
A Home in Ruin: The Work of Mohamad Hafez at the Lanoue Gallery
By: Cat Dossett
Tags: Syria, Mohamad Hafez, Contemporary Art, Middle East, Boston

Originally published to the Core Blog on April 6, 2017 at 1:19 pm.

“We Have Won!” by Mohamad Hafez. (Maher Mahmoud via The New Yorker)

Last Sunday, April 2nd, a solo show opened at the Lanoue Gallery, located not far from us [at Boston University] on Harrison Ave. Featuring artwork by Syrian artist Mohamad Hafez, currently an architect in New Haven, Connecticut, the gallery is a window into a miniature world in ruin that reflects the modern-day destruction in Syria.

“He wanted to make full, three-dimensional cities, and he wanted them to look real–gritty, rusted, lived-in, and partially destroyed,” describes writer Jake Halpern for The New Yorker. “Junk became his medium.”

The concept took shape thirteen years ago in his college days at Iowa State University. Prevented by his visa from returning home, he took to rebuilding his city of Damascus in miniature. His first work was a recreation of a facade of an ancient wall that was pictured on a Syrian candy bar wrapper. Today, his constructions are far less idyllic than his early models.

Hafez tried to explain the turn his art had taken. How do you watch whats happening in Aleppo and not go nuts? he asked. How do you watch thousands of years bombed out of existence? How do you go on with your life, having your morning coffee, when a bunch of your relatives and friends are under constant bombing? How do you not snap and yell out? You have to remain composed and carry on with your day job, don’t you? He paused for a moment, as if lost in thought. Well, he said, finally, the way that I stayed composed is that I come here and I let the models do the yelling for me. In that sense, it relieves me. It is grim. And I take no pride in this work. I feel no ownership in it. Its as though I am 3-D printing whats inside of me.

These unpeopled cities, flickering with the lights of tiny lamps, chattering with sound recordings from happier times that emanate from hidden speakers, are just familiar enough to be recognizable as home. Hafez draws out in the viewer the same pangs of homesickness and of loss that he channels into his work. And in [the CAS Core Curriculum], we are no strangers to homesickness and loss; the enslavement of the Israelites in Egypt and Odysseus’s twenty-year journey back to Ithaca come to mind, not to mention our own personal experiences here at BU.

Witness Mohamad Hafez’s take on displacement, home, and ruin in his solo gallery show HOMELAND inSECURITY at the Lanoue Gallery on 450 Harrison Ave #31, from April 2 until the end of the month [April 2017]. Read the rest of The New Yorker article here.

About the Author: Cat Dossett is a Boston-based illustrator and writer. She is the author of two comics: Laika, on the first dog in space, and Vessel, on watching Adam Driver movies in the bathtub. Her poetry has been published in a chapbook entitled Odysseus & Eden (Pen & Anvil 2019). Selections of her illustrations and writing appear in NERObooks, BURN, Hawk & Whippoorwill, and Sobotka Literary Magazine.
Turkey builds a wall on its Iranian border in an effort to prevent illegal crossings
By: Zachary Weaver
Tags: Refugees, Syria, Iran, Turkey, Migrants

Turkey builds a wall on its Iranian border in an effort to prevent illegal crossings Zachary Weaver Jul 23·2 min read

The installation of a three-kilometer section of the modular wall has been completed, and a 110-kilometer-long ditch has been dug. Seventy-six mono-blocs have also been built. The modular wall, interspersed with smart towers, will extend from the Çaldıran district of Van province to the Doğubayazıt district of Ağrı and the Yüksekova district of Hakkari along the common border between Turkey and Iran. Concrete blocks, three meters in height, 2.80 meters in width and weighing seven tons each, are produced by batch plants before they are laid along the border by heavy equipment. Security forces are also conducting de-mining activities along the border before any construction activity. The project aims to ensure uninterrupted and effective control and monitoring of the border thanks to the smart towers. The construction of the wall along the border with Iran comes at a time when there are reports of an increased influx of Afghan refugees. Last week, videos showing Afghans easily crossing the Turkish border were posted on social media, noting that Afghans were fleeing potential retribution by the Taliban, which is increasing the territory it controls in Afghanistan amid a US troop withdrawal. The news of undocumented Afghan arrivals sparked public outrage as hate speech against refugees on Turkish social media increased. Journalist İsmail Saymaz said in a column in the Cumhuriyet daily that Lake Van in eastern Turkey had become a “sea of refugees.” Claiming that the number of refugees in Turkey is too high, Saymaz said the Turkish people were right to be angry and anxious. Turkish authorities have been detaining migrants at the eastern border in an attempt to stop undocumented entries to the country. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) estimates 270,000 Afghans have been displaced inside the country since January, bringing the number of people forced from their homes to more than 3.5 million. According to UNHCR Turkey hosts the largest number of refugees worldwide. The country is currently home to some 3.6 million registered Syrian refugees along with close to 320,000 persons of concern from other nationalities.
Abu Salman Al-Faransi, from a small French town to the most dangerous terrorists in France
By: Majd Helobi
Tags: Syria, ISIS, Iraq, France, Turkey

Abu Salman Al-Faransi, from a small French town to the most dangerous terrorists in France Majd helobi Oct 7, 2020·2 min read

A young man with blue eyes appeared in a video clip broadcast by the “Islamic State” organization after the Paris attacks, and he was speaking from an unknown location to say that his family belonged to a small city in France.

And Abu Salman, which is the nom de guerre of this French, threatens in that clip he and other men, who presented themselves as French in a camp in an unknown forest area.

The video then shows Abu Salman conversing with the locals and buying dates from a store on an old street in Syria. Pictures are in stark contrast to the execution clips and eyewitness reports about the brutal treatment of the population under the rule of “ISIS,” Abu Salman said, “Know that the lions of the caliphate are in your cities. They are in Paris, France, and all European capitals. They wait for one thing to do what they have to do

The Turkish authorities deported the 26-year-old Frenchman Osman Garrido, who went to fight in Syria in 2012 and was sentenced in France to 15 years in prison in absentia in 2017, and he was arrested upon his arrival in Paris.

According to sources, the Turkish security forces arrested the French Abu Salman, as he called himself, last July in the Kilis region near the Syrian border.

Under the Cazenov Protocol, which was concluded between Ankara and Paris in 2014, Garrido was deported, as the protocol allows for the arrest of jihadists returning from Syria via Turkey. Where he was arrested upon arrival

A new investigation was opened recently against this man from Montpellier, and an arrest warrant has also been issued against him since 2016, according to the judicial source, for joining the ranks of ISIS in Syria and participating in training and fighting there and inciting Muslims in France to commit acts of violence.
Iran and Russia instigate Violence in Southern Syria
Tags: Syria, Iran, Russia, Ndf

On September 29, battling continued after individuals from the National Defense Forces (NDF) volunteer army, aligned with the Syrian system, assaulted the eighth Battalion of the Fifth Division. “These fights transformed into conflicts between the” eighth Brigade, “whose individuals were generally from the Daraa locale, and the persuasive development of the” Honorable Men “of As-Suwayda.

Then in June, SOHR activists state two individuals from the fifth gathering were executed in conflicts with Mahajeh organization powers in the Daraa open country after a military knowledge checkpoint was assaulted by a regular citizen from the town. Then, contenders from Daraa of the Russian-supported fifth Army assumed responsibility for a street close to Damascus-Daraa claimed by the military insight branch in the towns of Sayda and Kahil, east of Daraa.

Conflicts in the town of al-Qarya, south of the As-Suwayda region, on its managerial fringe with the Daraa region, are ascribed to Russia’s help for the “eighth Brigade” to control Iran’s impact in the locale. Be that as it may, there are shrouded explanations for the emergency regarding the land control detachment with an authentic image for the occupants of As-Suwayda.

The conflicts started on September 29th, when safety officers for the Fifth Corps were gone up against by what al-Awda portrayed as “an assault of any sort of weapon.

Al-Awda denied a video broadcast by nearby media sources on October second that Fifth Corps powers had assumed responsibility for each zone in al-Qarya, saying their powers had led “in any event” tasks against the aggressors.

There is no regulatory outskirt between Hauran (Daraa) and its mountain (As-Suwayda), however, land in the city of al-Qarya, where the “eighth Brigade,” drove by Commander Ahmed al-Awda, has a set of experiences and hugeness, explicitly for As-Suwayda occupants.

Then, contenders from Daraa, supported by the fifth Russian Army, assumed responsibility for a street close to Damascus-Daraa possessed by the military knowledge branch in the urban areas of Sayda and Kahil, east of Daraa.

Iran and Russia are attempting to keep Syrian despot Bashar al-Assad in power. The two nations offer military help to Bashar al-Assad’s legislature. In the course of recent years, quite a bit of Syria’s area has been crushed. All the urban areas were destructed by system associated powers. The nation’s economy has crumbled. The two nations’ thought processes in supporting Assad are said to incorporate financial and military interests. They need to merge their military gains and receive the rewards of contentions in Syria.
18 killed in a truck bomb explosion in Syria
By: Krish Mathew
Tags: Civilians, Syria, Turkish, Bomb Explosion

A truck bomb exploded in the region controlled by Turkish powers — Al Bab. The explosion has reportedly killed at least 18 civilians.

The explosion that occurred on Tuesday in the Northwest region of Syria near a bus station injured over 75 people. The United Kingdom-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said that some of these people are seriously injured.

Another organisation which operates from rebel occupied parts in Syria, Syrian Civil Defence, said that not less than 82 people were harmed in the explosion. The incident was captured by a few people and was posted on several social media sites and it could be seen that the blast had a severe impact in the region as it was found in the videos that several buildings were also damaged in the incident.

Though nobody has claimed any responsibility nor has anyone from the position declared someone responsible for the attack but reports have suggested that since Turkish troops have taken the control over the region from 2017, these blasts have become a common affair.

“The blast was in the middle between the [station], residential homes and a small market,” said an activist based in northern Syria who goes by the name of Abu al-Haitham.

Earliers, Turkey had blamed the Kurdish militia group for the attacks killing and wounding many. The group is also known as the People’s Protection Units, for the attacks. Last month also a similar attack took place killing a member of the aid agency and wounded another.

Turkey took control over the area after Islamic radical group loosened its control. It is not one or such incidents but a lot of such attacks have happened in the last few months. Even in November last year which killed 18 people.

Turkey has been accused of supporting terrorist organisations and creating a rift between two fractions of the country. There were reports earlier that said that Ankara has been supporting cross parties in countries like Somalia and Libya and also training the recruits from these war torn countries.
Zarif Objects to Turkish Military Action in Syria
By: Maryam Khy
Tags: Turkey, Syria, Politics, Middle East

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has expressed opposition to Turkey’s plan for a military operation in northern Syria, stressing that the Arab country’s territorial integrity and national sovereignty must be respected.

In a telephone conversation on Monday night, Zarif and his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu discussed the latest developments in northeastern Syria.

In the phone call, Cavusoglu emphasized the need to respect Syria’s territorial integrity, saying Turkey’s operation in northern parts of Syria would be temporary.

In turn, Foreign Minister Zarif voiced opposition to military action and urged respect for Syria’s territorial integrity and national sovereignty.

The top Iranian diplomat also stressed the need for the fight against terrorism and for the establishment of stability and security in Syria, describing the Adana agreement as the best approach for Syria and Turkey and for addressing their concerns.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Monday that Turkey’s Army was ready to launch operations against Kurdish fighters in Syria at any moment following the US announcement.

https://ifpnews.com/zarif-objects-to-turkish-military-action-in-syria
Day 991: Trump stabs longtime Kurdish allies in the back while inviting ISIS to return
Tags: Syria, ISIS, Politics, Donald Trump, News

Day 991: Trump stabs longtime Kurdish allies in the back while inviting ISIS to return TrumpTimer Oct 8, 2019·4 min read

During the decades-long war in the Middle East, the Kurds have been as reliable as any other ally to the U.S. They have routinely proven to be both capable and brave fighters. Perhaps most importantly, they’re loyal.

Thanks to Donald Trump, the U.S. can no longer say that last part about themselves.

In a policy that drew deep condemnation from both sides of the aisle, Trump announced that he is pulling troops back from the Syrian border, leaving the Kurds totally exposed to an expected Turkish invasion.

Turkey is set to invade Syria and the U.S. said it would remove all of its forces from the “immediate area,” according to the White House. A U.S. official confirmed Monday that American troops in northeast Syria were pulling back. The Turkish move is likely to put the Kurdish forces that helped the U.S. defeat ISIS in peril. Turkey considers the Kurdish forces — the PKK and YPG — terrorist organizations.

On top of that, the U.S. is trusting Turkey to deal with ISIS fighters.

The White House also confirmed that Turkey will take possession of all captured ISIS fighters from the past two years. “The United States Government has pressed France, Germany, and other European nations, from which many captured ISIS fighters came, to take them back, but they did not want them and refused,” the U.S. said in it statement. “The United States will not hold them for what could be many years and great cost to the United States taxpayer.”

Despite the White House’s statement, the U.S. isn’t holding ISIS fighters, the Kurds are, according to the Department of Defense.

The conservative Wall Street Journal editorial board noted both the potential for disaster and how strong of allies the Kurds have been.
Connect With People At Damascus 2020
By: Hasan Belal
Tags: Syria, Coronavirus, Street Photography, Photography, Storytelling

Since the beginning of curfew in Syria throughout the Covid-19 Pandemic, my daily activities became house limited and only in the range of 2 km, going downtown itself has become a big deal for me.

My routine exceeded the limits of normality and became obsessive, and that is due to all the overthinking

Recently, a lot of questions came up to me about how the post-pandemic life would be particularly after two months of social distancing, which kept me apart from any sort of normal social communication

Accompanied with the fear of unknown future and not only in Syria rather in the whole world.

As a Syrian storyteller, most of my photos were taken stealthily because it is not easy to pick up your camera on streets especially after governmental release of the last act prohibiting street photography without licenses.

All these factors lead me to photograph the people at streets but this time in another perspective and closer than before and I meant



As a result, to all these factors, my intention to photograph people got stronger, and now I focused on taking those pictures from different and closer perspectives, illustrating the people’s emotional reactions.
AYS Daily Digest 01/06/20: 11,000 people in Greece at risk to lose their shelter
By: Are You Syrious
Tags: Syria, Digest, Refugee, Greece, France

AYS Daily Digest 01/06/20: 11,000 people in Greece at risk to lose their shelter

Greece start largest equipment purchase for riot police since 2004 // Solidarity from Syria // Cyprus launches SMS campaign // French Activist Cedric Herrou faces another court case and more… Are You Syrious? Follow Jun 2, 2020 · 4 min read

Protests against the eviction. Photo: Twitter/@Refugees_Gr

Greece

As more than 11,000 people are at risk of losing their shelter in Greece, protests are organized from Tuesday on as the process of moving them out of state facilities began. According to Efsyn, even pro-government press started to criticize a lack of planning and financial mismanagement. Ekathimerini adds that it was unclear how long this will take and how many of these people received asylum or have been rejected and therefore may face deportation. “Those who have been granted asylum will be able to join job training programs and claim social benefits”, the Migration Ministry said. However it is not clear whether the people will receive cash assistance.

The Khora Asylum Support Team reminds us that all white cards which have expired between 13 March and 31 May are automatically extended for six months. Hence, it is not necessary for now to renew this document until the new deadline. It may be helpful to take a copy of this decision to show to police in case of a control.

After more than one week of quarantine in a bus, 16 people on Lesvos were transferred to the camp of Kara Tepe. A new site for quarantine was opened there , writes Ekathimerini. Additionally, 213 new arrivals from May on the island were quarantined in Megala Therma in the north of Lesvos.

On 29 and 30 May, 99 people were prevented from crossing the Mediterranean and pushed back to the mainland by the Turkish Coast Guard.

Meanwhile, Greece introduced the highest equipment purchase for its riot police since the Olympic Games in 2004. As the country intends to prepare for another attempt by Turkey to open its border towards the EU, “shields, helmets, uniforms, bullet-proof vests and other supplies, including large quantities of tear gas” worth 20–34 million euros were bought, Ekathimerini reports. The EU Commission promised 700 million euros to the country to secure its border.
A Syrian Soldier’s Life and Death on Instagram
Tags: Syria, Instagram, Middle East, Military, Social Media

While public debate around social media has become dominated by issues regarding free expression, user privacy, the power of tech companies and the like, it’s easy to forget that for most people, it’s just how they go about keeping in touch with the world. On Instagram, for example, millions of people use it as a living scrapbook — a place to document mundane moments and important milestones alike, whether it’s a night out of with friends or a graduation ceremony. For most of those users, it does so indefinitely, an ongoing capturing of all things present, with little sense of what might be worth featuring in the future. Such was the case for one Syrian soldier, documenting the mundane and the milestones on his Instagram feed — until the day the militants who captured him and his phone uploaded a photo of his decapitated head to his account.

This isn’t the story of the good guys versus the bad guys in Syria. History will judge the Assad regime harshly for its innumerable war crimes and strategic cruelty toward its own populace, as will it judge the barbarity of militants who mock the rules of war through executions of captives.

Instead, this is the story of an Instagram account, and the life it documented over a series of 45 photos.
Aleppo’s War-Ravaged Karm Al-Qaterji Returns to Life
By: Undp Syria
Tags: Syria, Aleppo, UN, Resilience, Undp

Karm Al-Qaterji neighbourhood in east Aleppo city used to be an important commercial hub, hosting many industries including metal, textile, and food.

However, a decade of conflict has taken a heavy toll on the neighbourhood, just like the rest of the city, damaging homes, businesses, and infrastructure, and forcing people to flee.

Over the past four years, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has been supporting a series of integrated projects in Karm Al-Qaterji. With generous support from the Russian Federation and the Government of Japan UNDP has helped families to return home and rebuild their lives through improving their access to basic services, enhancing their resilience and supporting their livelihoods.

UNDP started with the removal of over 50,000 cubic metres of debris, to allow residents safe access to the heavily damaged area. UNDP also supported the rehabilitation of electricity, water and sewage networks, as well as the neigbourhood’s only health centre, ensuring the population’s sustainable access to essential services.

To help returning families cope with the impact of years of conflict, displacement and loss of livelihoods, UNDP also supported over 200 small businesses through grants and diverse trainings.

As a result of these integrated interventions, more than 25,000 people have now returned to the neighbourhood.

Ahmad working in his newly rehabilitated blacksmithing workshop in Karm Al-Qaterji

Ahmad Karboujeh exemplifies the resilience of the residents of Karm Al-Qaterji. Born with congenital hand anomalies, Ahmad worked hard to master blacksmithing, a craft that has been in his family for generations.

After his workshop in Karm Al-Qaterji was destroyed during the violence that scarred the area, Ahmad, along with his wife and three children, relocated to a safer neighbourhood within Aleppo city and invested his lifesavings in a new workshop. Little did he know that escalating fighting would follow the family, causing him to lose everything once again.

After years on the move, and with the restoration of essential services to Karm Al-Qaterji, Ahmad and his family returned to the neighbourhood where he received a UNDP-supported grant to rehabilitate his old workshop, buy new equipment and start making a living again to support his family.

“Life must go on” says Ahmad who continues to receive his customers with a smile despite everything he has been through. “We will never accomplish anything if we stay still and complain” he adds.

To further enhance access to public services and improve living conditions, UNDP is now working on the rehabilitation of two civil services centres and a public paediatric hospital. Serving both Aleppo and Raqqa governorates, it is the only paediatric hospital in northern Syria.

Watch the above video to find out more about how UNDP supports the resilience of the Syrian people and enables those whose livelihoods were severely disrupted to recover and rebuild their lives.