Wednesday, January 12, 2022

European archaeologists back in Iraq after years of war

European archaeologists back in Iraq after years of warMartin Sebastian Gussone from the German Archaeological Institute reviews his notes at Iraq's ancient site of Al-Hirah (AFP/Qassem al-KAABI)

Guillaume Decamme
Tue, January 11, 2022,

After war and insurgency kept them away from Iraq for decades, European archaeologists are making an enthusiastic return in search of millennia-old cultural treasures.

"Come and see!" shouted an overjoyed French researcher recently at a desert dig in Larsa, southern Iraq, where the team had unearthed a 4,000-year-old cuneiform inscription.

"When you find inscriptions like that, in situ, it's moving," said Dominique Charpin, professor of Mesopotamian civilisation at the College de France in Paris.

The inscription in Sumerian was engraved on a brick fired in the 19th century BC.

"To the god Shamash, his king Sin-iddinam, king of Larsa, king of Sumer and Akkad," Charpin translated with ease.

Behind him, a dozen other European and Iraqi archaeologists kept at work in a cordoned-off area where they were digging.

They brushed off bricks and removed earth to clear what appeared to be the pier of a bridge spanning an urban canal of Larsa, which was the capital of Mesopotamia just before Babylon, at the start of the second millennium BC.

"Larsa is one of the largest sites in Iraq, it covers more than 200 hectares (500 acres)," said Regis Vallet, researcher at France's National Centre for Scientific Research, heading the Franco-Iraqi mission.

The team of 20 people have made "major discoveries", he said, including the residence of a ruler identified by about 60 cuneiform tablets that have been transferred to the national museum in Baghdad.

- Archaeological 'paradise' -

Vallet said Larsa is like an archaeological playground and a "paradise" for exploring ancient Mesopotamia, which hosted through the ages the empire of Akkad, the Babylonians, Alexander the Great, the Christians, the Persians and Islamic rulers.

However, the modern history of Iraq -- with its succession of conflicts, especially since the 2003 US-led invasion and its bloody aftermath -- has kept foreign researchers at bay.

Only since Baghdad declared victory in territorial battles against the Islamic State group in 2017 has Iraq "largely stabilised and it has become possible again" to visit, said Vallet.

"The French came back in 2019 and the British a little earlier," he said. "The Italians came back as early as 2011."

In late 2021, said Vallet, 10 foreign missions were at work in the Dhi Qar province, where Larsa is located.

Iraq's Council of Antiquities and Heritage director Laith Majid Hussein said he is delighted to play host, and is happy that his country is back on the map for foreign expeditions.

"This benefits us scientifically," he told AFP in Baghdad, adding that he welcomes the "opportunity to train our staff after such a long interruption".

- 'Cradle of civilisations' -

Near Najaf in central Iraq, Ibrahim Salman of the German Institute of Archaeology is focused on the site of the city of Al-Hira.

Germany had previously carried out excavations here that ground to a halt with the 2003 US-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein.

Equipped with a geomagnetic measuring device, Salman's team has been at work in the one-time Christian city that had its heyday under the Lakhmids, a pre-Islamic tribal dynasty of the 5th and 6th centuries.

"Some clues lead us to believe that a church may have been located here," he explained.

He pointed to traces on the ground left by moisture which is retained by buried structures and rises to the surface.

"The moistened earth on a strip several metres (yards) long leads us to conclude that under the feet of the archaeologist are probably the walls of an ancient church," he said.

Al-Hira is far less ancient than other sites, but it is part of the diverse history of the country that serves as a reminder, according to Salman, that "Iraq, or Mesopotamia, is the cradle of civilisations. It is as simple as that!"

gde/hc/hkb/fz/pjm

Bulgarian Pomaks keep traditional wedding rite alive

Jan 11, 2022

AFP News Agency

The marriage of Nefie Eminkova, 21, and her fiancé Schaban Kiselov, 24, is an extravaganza of bright colours, flowers, feasting and dancing. But the bride, who comes from Bulgaria's Pomak minority, can see none of it. Her eyes must remain tightly closed until a Muslim priest blesses the couple. The newly-weds are following an age-old traditional winter wedding rite that their tiny community, nestled in the southern Rhodope mountains, was forced to abandon during communist era but has been revived since the fall of the regime in 1989. The ritual spans across two whole days, starting with a lavish display of the bride's dowry. It comprises "everything you can think of" that a new family might need, Nefie explains.

CLICK HERE TO WATCH ON YOUTUBE

Photos: Bulgarian Pomaks keep traditional wedding rite alive

Ritual spans two whole days, starting with a lavish display of the bride's dowry

Published: January 11, 2022 13:32AFP

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BULGARIA-RELIGION-MARRIAGE — Ribnovo: The marriage of Nefie Eminkova, 21, and her fiance Schaban Kiselov, 24, is an extravaganza of bright colours, flowers, feasting and dancing. But the bride, who comes from Bulgaria's Pomak minority, can see none of it. Her eyes must remain tightly closed until a Muslim priest blesses the couple.Image Credit: AFP

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Bulgaria's surveillance laws violate European human rights code, court rules

The ruling comes amid growing backlash over secret surveillance in Bulgaria. A lack of regulations in Bulgarian law has led to a situation where data "could be used for nefarious purposes," the court said.

A parliamentary inquiry last year found that Bulgarian authorities had eavesdropped on over 900 Bulgarian citizens — including journalists and activists

A top court ruled on Tuesday that Bulgaria's surveillance laws are in breach of the European Convention of Human Rights.

The ruling comes amid growing backlash over secret surveillance in Bulgaria, with a parliamentary committee last year revealing one of the biggest wire-tapping schemes in the country's history.

What did the court rule?

The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) was asked to evaluate Bulgaria's 1997 surveillance law, as well as several articles in the country's criminal code.

The court ruled that Bulgaria's legislation violated the human rights convention — particularly with regard to "respect for private life and correspondence," as well as with regard to "retention and accessing of communication data."

In the ruling, the court found that "there was a lack of proper judicial oversight over decisions to issue warrants" for surveillance.

The court also found that "the lack of clear regulation had led to a situation where surveillance data could be used for nefarious purposes."

The laws were "incapable" of ensuring that surveillance and the secret collection of communication data could be limited to "only that which was necessary."

The case was brought by two Bulgarian lawyers, as well as by two NGOs. They argued that their line of work put them at risk of both secret surveillance by the state as well as having their communications accessed by law enforcement.
What are Bulgaria's current laws?

Under the laws in Bulgaria, secret surveillance is legal when national security is threatened or when a "serious intentional offense" is expected.

Authorities are allowed to wiretap phones and intercept electronic communications, as well as conduct visual surveillance and "eavesdropping."

The laws are intended to cover cases in which there is suspicion of terrorism, murder, embezzlement and other high-level offenses. Most commonly it is used for drugs offenses and racketeering — although a parliamentary inquiry last year revealed the surveillance has been used in an array of other cases as well.
Secret surveillance under scrutiny

In August, a parliamentary commission found that secret services had eavesdropped on more than 900 Bulgarian citizens. Among those targeted were politicians, journalists and activists.

This period of secret surveillance against potential government critics took place from the start of anti-corruption protests in 2020 until May 2021. At the time, the country's center-right government was in power, but was voted from office last year.

The head of the parliamentary commission, Nikolai Hadzhigenov, said at the time that evidence pointed to one of the largest wiretapping scandals to be uncovered in the country in recent history.
What happens now?

As Bulgaria has been found to be in violation of the human rights code, the ECHR said the country must change its domestic laws.

New legislation must be compatible with the human rights convention.

Although Bulgaria has already taken steps to amend its laws after an earlier European court ruling, the measures would now need to be adapted to ensure the reigning in of surveillance measures.

This report was written in part with material from Reuters news agency.

Edited by: Wesley Rahn

Taliban release prominent Afghan academic Faizullah Jalal

Family members of the well-known professor Faizullah Jalal announced news of his release on social media. He had been arrested by the Taliban for "trying to instigate people."

The family of prominent academic Faizullah Jalal have confirmed his release

A well-known Afghan professor who had been arrested by the Taliban over the weekend has been freed.

Professor Faizullah Jalal was detained by the Islamist group on Saturday for allegedly making inflammatory statements on Twitter.

News of his release was made known by his daughter Hasina Jalal, who took to Twitter to confirm he had indeed been freed.

"After more than four days of detention on baseless charges," she wrote. "I confirm that Professor Jalal is now finally released!"

Why was Jalal arrested?

On Saturday, the academic's wife, Massouda Jalal, posted on Facebook that the militant group had taken the professor from his home and that he was "transferred to an unknown place."

The Taliban's spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, said on Saturday that Jalal had made statements on Twitter that "were provoking people against the government and playing with people's dignity.''

Jalal's family said that the account cited by the Taliban was not the professor and was a fake account.

Hasina Jalal said she had reported the matter to Twitter on January 5, adding that her father had never been active on the platform.

An outspoken critic

Shortly after news of Jalal's arrest circulated, there was an outpouring of support from various quarters. There was also condemnation with calls for the professor's immediate release.

Jalal has been an open critic of Afghanistan's leadership for years and has expressed his feelings on former Presidents Hamid Karzai and Ashraf Ghani.

In November, Jalal clashed with Taliban spokesman Mohammad Naeem during a television debate.

In addition to being heavily critical of the Taliban's policies, he referred to Naeem as a "calf."

The professor was widely praised by Taliban critics for his courage in expressing his views. At the time, many social media users changed their profile pictures to that of Jalal.

Germany: Police carry out raids in connection with deadly floods

The raids focused on a landslide at a mine during last July's deadly floods. Although no one died at the site, the image of the gaping muddy crater was etched in the memory of those who survived — and sparked a probe.

The mine in the town of Erfstadt caused a landslide during last summer's floods after the ground gave way when the gravel pit flooded with water

German authorities carried out raids on Tuesday in connection with a mine that collapsed during last summer's floods.

The raids come six months after the devastating floods ripped through western and southern Germany — killing more than 180 people and causing billions in damage.
Why did the raids take place?

The raids on Tuesday centered on an open-cast mine in the western town of Erfstadt that gave way during torrential downpours on July 16, 2021.

More than 140 police officers took part in the operation, searching over 20 offices and residential addresses to gather evidence, German prosecutors said.

Authorities are investigating the mine's operator and five staff at the operations company, as well as four suspects in the Arnsberg district government.

An investigation into the collapse of the mine was launched on suspicion of negligence, as well as potential violation's of Germany's Mining Act.

"There is a suspicion that the accused could and should have recognized the conditions at the flood protection embankment and the pit embankments due to their professional involvement with the gravel pit and should have taken remedial action," said Ulrich Bremer, Cologne's senior public prosecutor.

Although no one was killed when the mine collapsed, prosecutors say the operators may have violated the law

What happened at the mine?

Throughout the day and overnight on July 16, western and southern Germany were hit with immense downpours.

Some areas saw over 200 liters per square meter (5 gallons per square foot) of rainfall within a short period of time, according to the German weather service.

During this time, many small creeks turned into raging streams, and rivers swelled far past their banks.

That was also the case near the mine under investigation. The mine is located near the Erft River.

AFTER THE FLOOD IN ERFTSTADT-BLESSEM
Rebuilding on the edge
After years of living in Erftstadt-Blessem, Maria Dunkel and her son, Thomas, are now a few dozen meters away from where a huge crater opened up following flooding three months ago. In this photo, Thomas points to where a landslide opened the earth near their home.
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During the heavy rainfall, the mine's gravel pit filled with water and the ground later gave way — creating a landslide.

Several buildings at the site were swept away.

No one died at the site, but photographs of the giant, muddy crater at the mine has stayed in the memories of locals and others across Germany following the news.

Initial investigations appear to indicate that the flood protection embankment at the mining pit might not have been properly constructed. Furthermore, the embankments at the site may have been too steep.

Prosecutors said the raids sought to seize documents about the practices at the mine, and to determine if there was negligent behavior.

rs/wmr (dpa, AP)

How colonial powers presented people in 'human zoos'

Up into the 20th century, ethnological shows presented people as exotic objects. Two exhibitions shed light on the cruel colonial history

From the age of colonial exhibitions

The 267 women and men from the Belgian colony of Congo were housed somewhere in the back of the extensive park in the Brussels suburb of Tervuren, penned up as if they were in a petting zoo.

Brought to Belgium at the behest of King Leopold II, they were set up under the thatched-roof huts of a fake "Congo village" to be marveled at by the European public. Up to 40,000 visitors a day came to gawk at them at the 1897 World's Fair.

Seven Congolese had died by the time the fair ended. In their honor, the AfricaMuseum Tervuren — designed as a colonial museum in the late 19th century, and renovated and renamed several times since then — is now holding a special exhibition, which runs until March 5: "Human Zoos: The Age of Colonial Exhibitions."

Claim of superiority

At the Berlin Africa Conference of 1884-1885, 14 European nations divided up the continent among themselves.

Belgian King Leopold II was granted an area 80 times the size of his country as a private colony: the Congo.

Belgium claimed that it was "bringing civilization to Congo"

His "Africa Palace" museum in Tervuren, complete with living exhibits, left no doubt as to the European's claim to superiority: a brass plaque beneath a portrait of Leopold with two Black children read, "Belgium brings civilization to the Congo." In reality, the country's resources were ruthlessly exploited, the people abused as laborers, or brought to Europe and gawped at.

Popular pastime

The human zoo drew enormous crowds, said Maarten Couttenier, a historian and anthropologist and one of the three curators of the Brussels show. They literally presented people from the Congo as cavemen, dancing in raffia skirts, full of primitive desires, he told DW, adding they were never shown as intellectuals or artists or just normal people.

Belgian King Leopold II

It was not a regional phenomenon, either, Couttenier said. People of all races were exhibited, and shown everywhere, in Europe, America, Japan, and even in Africa, he says. But the mechanism was always the same, he added — visitors would see what was totally strange to them and "feel superior."

Pseudo science of racial types

In the heyday of European colonialism, "human zoos" — or exhibitions of groups such as Africans, Indigenous peoples of the Americas and the Sami from Scandinavia — traveled the countryside for popular amusement. They were set up along the lines of a crude "scientific" anthropology.

A 1903 diagram of "racial types" shows that racist fantasies of superiority considered non-European people to be nonhuman primates; the colonial powers were convinced of their own "civilized superiority."

Racial classification, presented as 'science'

In Germany, the Hamburg-based animal trader and zoo founder Carl Hagenbeck turned human zoos into a business model. The fairground showman Friedrich Wilhelm Siebold displayed people at the Munich Oktoberfest until 1931.

Berlin exhibition also looks back at its human zoos

The first colonial exhibition in Germany was held in 1896. As part of a trade show in Berlin, organizers had set up a village in a park in the city's Treptow district, dubbing it with a derogatory term for Black people.

Lured by false promises, more than 106 Africans from the German colonies were brought to Berlin, where they were forced to present themselves to the astonished public for seven months as villagers in exotic costumes. They were repeatedly subjected to publicly humiliating medical or "racial" examinations.

"Looking Back" is the first permanent exhibition on colonialism, racism and

Black resistance in a public museum in Berlin

"Zurückgeschaut" (Looking Back), an updated permanent exhibition at the Museum Treptow that reopened in October 2021, sheds light on this dark chapter and traces the biographies of the people who were reduced to objects.

It also shows how the colonial masters suddenly encountered resistance when the living exhibits stepped out of the role assigned to them.

For example, Kwelle Ndumbe, from Cameroon, bought an opera glass and used it to stare at the audience.

The same mechanisms today

The concept of the racist gaze underlying the human zoos still exists today, Couttenier said. He has colleagues with darker skin color who face it every day, for instance when looking for an apartment or a job. It's always the same process, he says: defining an otherness in order to be able to say, "I'm better than you."

Children are not born racists, he said: "We raise our children to see people as different and inferior."

White House task force aims to promote scientific integrity

Eric Lander, director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy, said violations of scientific integrity may be small, but they can significantly "undermine federal decision-making and public trust in science." File Photo by Erin Scott/UPI | License Photo

Jan. 11 (UPI) -- A report released Tuesday from the White House Science Integrity Task Force says its wants to restore trust in government through scientific integrity and evidence-based policymaking.

The 67-page report said the task force seeks to "ensure that science is conducted, managed, communicated and used in ways that preserve its accuracy and objectivity and protect it from suppression, manipulation and inappropriate influence -- including political interference."

The task force, part of the White House Office of Science & Technology Policy, makes no mention of COVID-19 but maintaining the public's trust in scientific-based information about coronavirus, for example, has been a challenge since President Joe Biden's administration took office a year ago.

Former President Donald Trump and his supporters frequently attacked scientists and health officials during the pandemic. At an October 2020 rally in Arizona, for example, Trump mocked Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, and downplayed the effects of COVID-19.

Environmentalists and climate scientists expressed concern about the Trump administration's policies, accusing officials of spreading false information about climate change. In one example, Trump used a Sharpie on Sept. 4, 2019, to expand the projected path of Hurricane Dorian.

Biden's science adviser, Eric Lander, director of the Office of Science and Technology, said, "The health, safety, and prosperity of the American people depend on reliable, technically sound policies and communications from the federal government. This report is a comprehensive federal assessment of what's needed to protect science -- and scientists and technologists -- within the U.S. government, and a clear government-wide policy statement calling for decision-making at all levels to be informed by science without interference."

While violations of scientific integrity are small, Lander said they can significantly "undermine federal decision-making and public trust in science."

The report called for the need to deter "inappropriate influence in the conduct, management, communication and use of science." It also urges all federal agencies to develop, implement and periodically update scientific integrity policies.

Among many recommendations, the report called for protecting the integrity of the research process that includes shielding data collection and analysis from interference; encouraging legitimate scientific debates while minimizing disputes that serve a desired outcome or interest; encouraging continued professional development of federal scientists; and applying conflict-of-interest rules to all those involved in the conduct, management, communication and use of science, including those on scientific advisory committees.

The report also said scientific integrity policies should be modernized to address important, emergent issues of our time.

Those policies, the task force said, "must advance diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility; address new concerns arising from the use of emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence and machine learning; and apply to emerging modes of science, such as citizen science and community-engaged research with Federal involvement."

Vietnamese electric carmaker VinFast to launch autonomous vehicles

By Kim Hye-ran & Kim Tae-gyu, UPI News Korea

VinFast Chief Technology Officer Bae Hong-sang speaks during the Consumer Electronics Show last week in Las Vegas. Photo courtesy of VinFast

SEOUL, Jan. 11 (UPI) -- Vietnamese electric carmaker VinFast plans to launch autonomous vehicles this year and next, the company told UPI News Korea.

VinFest displayed five models last week during the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, including the VF8, which would start at $41,000, and the VF9 at $56,000. Those models are expected to roll out this year.

The startup's team includes Chief Technology Officer Bae Hong-sang, a former executive at Samsung Electronics.

Bae said in an interview that VinFast is planning to launch Level 3 autonomous vehicles next year.

"Our VF8 and VF9 models - to be launched later this year - will be Level 2 models. Beginning late next year, Level 3 and Level 4 models will hit the market," Bae said.

Level 2 models have limited hands-free capabilities, while Level 3 models still require a driver to be ready to take control in an emergency. Level 4 vehicles, however, do not require a driver behind the wheel.

Bae, who earned a Ph.D. at Stanford University, is regarded as an expert in autonomous driving. Previously, he developed driverless cars at General Motors and Faraday Future.

Bae said VinFast is exploring whether to produce battery cells in-house. Currently, South Korea's Samsung SDI and LG Energy Solution provide battery cells to the company.

"We are already preparing to design and manufacture battery modules and battery packs. A discussion is underway whether to do the same for battery cells," he said.

An assembly of battery cells forms a battery module of an electric vehicle, and multiple battery modules are called a "pack."

VinFast was founded in 2017 in Hai Phong and released its first model in early 2019.

This year, the company announced its all-electric strategy, scrapping the production of cars powered by an internal combustion engine.

NASA's new chief scientist to focus on Earth, climate change
By Paul Brinkmann & Megan Hadley

Kate Calvin was introduced NASA's new chief scientist and senior climate adviser Monday at a press briefing with NASA Administrator Bill Nelson.

Photo by Bill Ingalls/NASA

Jan. 11 (UPI) -- NASA's growing emphasis on Earth and climate science took sharper focus this week with the appointment of an Earth scientist, Katherine Calvin, to the agency's chief scientist position.

Calvin also will serve as senior climate officer, a new title at the agency, NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said in a press conference Tuesday.

"This is really a big deal for us... We've chosen to elevate this senior climate adviser position" to reflect new emphasis on climate change in the Biden administration, Nelson said.

Calvin has been a contributor to several major publications on climate change, including the third U.S. National Climate Assessment and two special reports by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

Calvin will help guide NASA as it prepares to launch a series of new Earth observation satellites expected to offer the most complete, accurate and integrated data on how and why the climate is changing, she said in the press conference.

The first of those missions, called NISAR, is planned for launch in January 2023 in cooperation with the Indian Space Research Organization.

RELATED Harris says space technology to play a key role in addressing climate change

Those missions "will work together to create a 3-D, holistic view of the Earth... to help measure changes in the Earth's surface which will help us understand things like ice sheet collapse and landslides," Calvin said. "There's a lot more planned, and I'm looking forward to learning all of that as I settle in at NASA."

NASA launches and operates satellites that monitor weather, the climate and other Earth processes. Other agencies like the National Weather Service and Federal Emergency Management Agency use data from such spacecraft, Nelson noted.

Calvin "will bring her expertise in integrated human-Earth system modeling to help ensure the Biden Administration has the data needed to achieve the critical goal of protecting our planet," Nelson said.

She plans to focus on connecting climate science research with the rest of NASA's research portfolio.

Among the projects Calvin will consider is how the water recycling system onboard the International Space Station could help communities on Earth struggling with drought and whether ISS carbon capture technologies might also apply to needs on the ground.

'No path ahead but the sea': Lebanese join migrant flow to EU

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'No path ahead but the sea': Lebanese join migrant flow to EUBilal Moussa, 34, smokes near the waters off Tripoli that almost swallowed him -- but he vows to try again to flee Lebanon's poverty (AFP/JOSEPH EID)

Hashem Osseiran
Mon, January 10, 2022,

If he wasn't making good money smuggling irregular migrants to the European Union by sea, Ibrahim himself might have joined the growing exodus from crisis-hit Lebanon.

"If I didn't work in this profession, I would have left, just like so many other people," said the 42-year-old trafficker, who asked to use a pseudonym when he spoke to AFP in the northern city of Tripoli.

"Maybe I would have turned to someone to smuggle me out," he said, his face hidden by an anti-Covid surgical mask and a hoodie.

Lebanon, in the throes of a brutal economic crisis, is no longer just a launchpad for Syrian refugees and other foreign migrants.

Its own desperate citizens now also risk drowning in the Mediterranean in their quest for a better life.

Ibrahim argues that, while having smuggled around 100 Lebanese nationals to Europe since 2019 makes him no angel, there is virtue in helping his compatriots.

"I get them out of here, out of this beggar's life," he said. "At least if they are put in a camp, they can eat and drink with dignity."

Ibrahim said he took pride in taking only Lebanese nationals on his boats, and even then, only those who can produce civil registry documents.

"I get requests from Palestinians and Syrians but I am responsible only for my own countrymen," said Ibrahim, a former school bus driver whose tumbling income led him to people smuggling.

"There are many Lebanese who want to leave... They are ready to sell their houses, sell their cars, sell everything, just to make it out."

- Sinking ship -

Lebanon, a country of around six million people, is like a sinking ship, grappling with an unprecedented financial crisis that the World Bank says is on a scale usually associated with wars.

The currency has crashed, people's purchasing power has plummeted and the monthly minimum wage is now worth $22.

The UN's refugee agency UNHCR said at least 1,570 individuals, including 186 Lebanese nationals, had embarked or tried to embark on illicit sea journeys from Lebanon between January and November 2021.

Most were hoping to reach European Union member Cyprus, an island 175 kilometres (109 miles) away.

This is up from 270 passengers, including 40 Lebanese in 2019, UNHCR spokesperson Lisa Abou Khaled told AFP.

"In previous years, the vast majority of passengers were Syrians, while in 2020 and 2021, a notable number of Lebanese joined these movements," she said.

Lives have been lost, including those of two little children, during attempted crossings over the past two years, though there is little data and no exact toll.

The Lebanese army said it is diligently monitoring the 225 kilometre coastline with radar systems and patrol boats.

A joint maritime operations room facilitates coordination between naval forces and other security agencies as well authorities in Cyprus.

"In 2020, the navy succeeded in seizing about 20 boats and detaining 596 people," the army said.

The army said that "Lebanese nationals who know their way around the country's coastline" are the most common smuggling culprits.

They include Ibrahim who said he organised an illicit sea crossing to Europe in 2019 for a Lebanese family of five now residing in Germany.

Since then, he said he has organised nine others, including his latest in September which saw 25 Lebanese nationals arrive in Italy.

With prices ranging from $2,500 per person for a trip to Cyprus to up to $7,000 to get to Italy, Ibrahim said he can make up to $5,000 profit from a single boat journey.

"We used to have to advertise our trips," he said. "Now people come running to us."

- 'No future' -

Sitting on a bench on Tripoli's coast, Bilal Moussa, 34, was watching the giant waves that almost swallowed him in November.

Taking a long drag from a cigarette, the father of three said he would try again.

"There is no future here, not for us and not for our children," said Moussa, who quit his supermarket job because his monthly salary of $55 barely paid for his commute.

In September, Moussa decided to attempt the sea voyage to Italy.

He sold his car and borrowed $1,500 from a friend to cover the $4,000 for the trip.

On November 19, Moussa packed a small duffel bag and left his home in the Dinniyeh region without even telling his wife.

When he reached the Tripoli meeting point, he found around 90 passengers clambering onto a truck that would drive them to the Qalamoun region from where they would depart.

They included 15 Palestinians and 10 Syrians, while the rest were Lebanese.

"We had 35 children on board, and around 20 women," he said.

Two hours after the 18-meter (60-foot) craft set sail, a navy boat took chase and ordered the captain back.

Their overcrowded craft started taking on water from the wake of the patrol boat, but the captain sped off and lost his tail after an hour-long white-knuckle chase.

The next terrifying moment came when the engine broke down and the boat started to sink, in the dark.

Panicked passengers started throwing suitcases and fuel tanks overboard.

Moussa and others contacted relatives back home to send help, which arrived several hours later.

A Lebanese army ship came and towed them back ashore, where passengers were interrogated and then released.

"I felt defeated because I came back, because I didn't make it," Moussa said.

"But I am going to leave again... We have no path ahead but the sea."

ho/jmm/fz

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