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A30 world news
Diahuebs 9 september 2021

Ministers say Egyptian gas to reach crisis-hit Lebanon soon

“It is almost ready. Some
things here and there need The Arab cooperation to de-
fixing,” she said. liver gas to Lebanon through
Syria represents a significant
Egyptian energy minis- thawing of relations between
ter Tarek Mullah said some the war-ravaged country and
clauses in the deal will also its neighbors, most of who
need reviewing. He didn’t had either cut diplomatic ties
elaborate. or limited relations to secu-
rity collaboration during the
“We put a roadmap with 10-year civil war.
the ministers and technical
teams. In the coming weeks The Syrian government of
we will confirm that all that Bashar Assad is under U.S.
is ready to be able to pump and western sanctions for its
the gas at the soonest possible role in the brutal war, which
opportunity,” he said. has left nearly half a million
Ghajar said the World Bank killed and disappeared and
will offer partial risk guaran- nearly half of the population
tees to ensure that the com- displaced.
mercial deal goes through.
He didn’t say how much it Despite the sanctions, the
will cost but said Lebanon U.S. has supported the re-
is working with the World sumption of natural gas from
Bank to secure the deal. Egypt to Lebanon via Syria.
(AP) — Egyptian natural reviving the Arab gas pipe- electricity in the country’s
gas should reach Lebanon line to deliver Egyptian gas to only natural gas plant, in Lebanon is witnessing an Syrian Oil Minister Bassam
through Jordan and Syria Lebanon comes as the small northern Lebanon. economic crisis described Tomeh said the Syrian grid,
soon after maintenance country is reeling from a Speaking at a news confer- as one of the world’s worst which had been damaged and
of pipelines and the re- crippling energy crisis. ence with the three ministers since the 1850s. Shortages of sabotaged in the recent years,
view of a deal interrupted in Amman, Jordanian energy medicine, fuel and basic sup- has been fixed and is part of
10-years ago are finalized Lebanese Energy Minister minister Hala al-Zawati said plies have often brought the the national grid. But tech-
by early October, minis- Raymond Ghajar said the the infrastructure to resume country to standstill, while nical teams are ensuring it is
ters of the four countries World Bank would help his gas flow to Lebanon needed political disagreements have ready for use.
said Wednesday. cash-strapped government checks after a 10-year hiatus. foiled efforts to form a gov-
guarantee payment for the These should be finished in ernment to negotiate a rescue “God willing, we will support
There is no date yet for when gas, which is expected to help three weeks. package with international fi- any joint Arab action that re-
the gas will be pumped. But produce 450 megawatts of nancial institutions. alizes our people’s interests.”

Fire kills 41 inmates, 80 hurt at crowded Indonesian prison

(AP) — A massive fire Most of the 41 killed were control, hundreds of police them as addicts who need no longer imprisonment,” he
raged through an over- drug convicts, including a and soldiers were deployed treatment, rather than crimi- said.
crowded prison near In- man from South Africa and around the prison to prevent nals, in the hope of dramati-
donesia’s capital early a man from Portugal, while prisoners from escaping, Im- cally reducing the number He did not say how long it
Wednesday, killing at least other victims included a ter- ran told reporters near the incarcerated. would take to implement the
41 inmates, two of them rorism convict and a murder- scene. changes.
foreigners serving drug er, Indonesia’s Law and Hu- Reynhard Silitonga, the head
sentences, and injuring 80 man Rights minister Yasona Problems are rampant in In- of corrections at the Ministry In addition to those who
others. Laoly told reporters. donesia’s prisons, largely due of Law and Human Rights, died in the Tangerang fire,
to overcrowding. More than told The Associated Press in eight inmates were hospital-
Firefighters battled through He expressed his deep con- half of the system’s inmates an e-mail that if there isn’t a ized with severe burns and
the early morning hours to dolences for the families of are being held on narcotics change in policy, the number nine with light injuries were
extinguish the flames as black the victims and pledged to offenses; a product of the of inmates could top 400,000 treated at a prison clinic, the
smoke billowed from the provide the best treatment country’s war on drugs. within five years. Ministry of Law and Hu-
compound of the Tangerang for those injured. man Rights said. Another 64,
prison on the outskirts of Ja- As of July, there were a total With the new approach, “the many suffering smoke inha-
karta. “This is a tragedy that con- of 268,610 inmates in Indo- spirit of handling drug of- lation, were evacuated to a
cerns all of us,” Laoly said. nesia’s prisons, which were fenders, especially users, is mosque in the compound for
After the blaze was extin- “We are working closely with built to hold 132,107 people. directed at the health aspect, observation.
guished, ambulance after all relevant parties to investi-
ambulance filled with body gate the causes of the fire.” Tangerang prison, located in
bags containing the victims the heart of Tangerang city in
were driven by Red Cross The fire broke out at 1:45 Jakarta’s neighboring prov-
workers to the morgue of a.m. in Block C2 of the pris- ince of Banten, was designed
a local hospital, where they on, where the 19 cells that to house 900 inmates but has
were stacked wall-to-wall on were built to hold 40 inmates more than 2,000, Laoly said.
the floor of a room awaiting were stuffed full with more Officials had earlier said it
transport to a larger facility than triple that number. The was built to accommodate
for identification. cause of the blaze appears to 1,225 inmates.
have been an electrical short
Relatives of prisoners trick- circuit, according to initial The government has ac-
led in to the prison through- findings, Jakarta Police Chief knowledged the problem,
out the day to check and see Fadil Imran said. and is planning to refocus
whether their loved ones its approach toward drug of-
were among those killed. As the fire was brought under fenders to start looking at