Reuters World News - Assad in Saudi to talk drugs and money

Episode Date: May 19, 2023

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is in Saudi Arabia to attend the Arab League summit. His appearance seals his return to the regional fold after years of civil war. But Arab leaders are seeking a price for re-engagement and potential financial assistance – action on Syria’s flourishing drugs trade. G7 leaders are set to unveil new sanctions against Russia and welcome Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy at a summit in Hiroshima. Plus, Greek politicians vie for struggling youth vote, New York pitches for the World Cup 2026 final and debunking misinformation at the U.S./Mexico border.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today, we look at why the youth vote is so significant in the Greek election this weekend. One of the reasons seems to be a simmering anger among young people. Plus, what President Assad's reunion with the Arab League means for Syria and its neighbours. We unpack what's really happening at the US-Mexico border and what's misinformation. And North America has the 26 men's soccer World Cup, but which city gets the final. It's Friday, May 19th. This is Reuters World News,

bringing you everything you need to know from the front lines in 10 minutes. I'm Kim Vinal in London. And I'm Christopher Waljester in Chicago. First, here's what news we're tracking this morning. Walt Disney is scrapping plans to build a corporate campus in central Florida. The move comes as a part of a larger legal battle

between the company and Florida governor Ron DeSantis. Disney was expected to spend nearly a billion dollars on the project and relocate 2,000 jobs there. Ukraine President Volodomir Zelensky will attend the Group of Seven Summit in Hiroshima this weekend. The leaders of the world's richest democracies are expected to announce new sanctions against Russia over its invasion of Ukraine at the meeting.

We'll have a special G7 episode of the podcast on Saturday for a deeper dive into all the geopolitics at play. Stay tuned for that. The Supreme Court is not holding tech companies liable for user posts. In twin rulings on Thursday, the court upheld protections that means social media companies are not legally responsible for what people say on their sites. Middle Eastern leaders are meeting in Saudi Arabia for the Arab League summit. It's an important coming together in a region racked by conflict, and where power plays are a norm. It's also the first time Syrian president Bashar al-Assad has attended in more than a decade.

Maya Jabali joins us to unpack what to expect. Why do these Arab countries want Syria back in the Arab League? It's a really good question. There are some immediate concerns. One of those would be the returns of millions of Syrian refugees who are based in Jordan, in Lebanon, and especially those countries who are facing some economic crises, they're hoping that having these refugees go back home

could be a sustainable solution for them. At the same time, they're keen to reestablish their control over regional affairs. What does Syria want from this summit? Primarily, what Syria is struggling with at the stage is a profound economic crisis. They need funds for reconstruction. They need funds for public infrastructure. structure. You're also seeing the West continue to put sanctions on Syrian factions within the

army. And so when they're seeing the kind of noose tightening on the sanctions front, they're hoping that the Arab countries around them could provide some relief. What will the U.S. be watching out for? The U.S. has made a lot of public positions on reintegration of Assad into the Arab fold. It has said that it will not normalize with Assad, but it has also encouraged Arab countries to get something out of the Syrian government if they are going to normalize. They've mentioned UN resolutions on a Syrian political settlement and a curb to the Capagon trade, the amphetamine-like drug that is produced and then smuggled out of Syria. And we've actually seen Arab countries try to weave those demands into their talks with the Syrian government as well.

So we can take that to mean possibly that Arab countries are trying to appease the U.S. way. The end of Title 42 spurred a lot of misinformation online about immigration into the U.S. Sophia Paredes in Mexico City is on Reuters' fact-checking team. Sophia, you've been combing through all the photos and videos claiming to portray a flood of migrants at the U.S. southern border. Correct. One such example was a very viral video depicting people claiming a border fence. It got shared a lot because the images were so striking. Our team was able to detect that not only the clip had been online since at least 2022, but we also geolocated the exact place shown in the video at the border separating Morocco and the Spanish enclave of Malila. Wow. There's also been

a lot of posts about who is crossing the border. Yeah. So another false allegation we debunked is that only men attempt to enter the U.S.? This is not true. There is data available from CBP and Mexican authorities. They show that women and children are also part of these caravans traveling to the U.S. southern border. Moreover, Reuters photographers and videographers have been documenting women and children

that are trying to enter the United States. And there's been a lot of discussion about some of the benefits that migrants are or are not receiving once. they make it to the U.S.? Yes, we debunked another widely sure to claim that U.S. taxpayers are financing phones with unlimited internet plans for migrants. This was a misrepresentation of a program to checking with people during their immigration process.

Those phones can only be used with a special app and they do not have paid internet access or unlimited messages. These are a cheaper alternative to detention, according to ICE, and helps ensure compliance with immigration orders. When Greece goes to the polls on Sunday, despite an ageing population, much of the attention is on the youth vote. Politicians have been upping their use of social media

to try and connect with those under 30, but many are disenfranchised after the economic crisis in Greece made worse by the subsequent pandemic. Carolina Tagaris has been to Athens to speak to one person whose dream of becoming a teacher is on hold. We decided to look at young voters to give a voice to a generation of people

who have gone through crisis upon crisis in Greece and one of them in particular, Irini, Palliaka. When she entered university a decade ago, it was just when Greece's economic downturn had begun and she had dreams to study physics and get a master's degree and become a teacher, and everything seemed relatively straightforward.

But then the crisis deepened, so she started working 12-hour days for very little money. She had to juggle two or three jobs at the same time, and she still wasn't making ends meet, and on top of that, she was too exhausted to study. So a decade later, as the Greek economy started to recover, the COVID pandemic hit and now the cost of living crisis, and she has yet to complete her degree. What she told us is really echoing what a lot of young Greeks under 30 feel. I mean, I would say what she seems to be feeling the most is defeated. So politicians seem to be looking at the youth. youth vote more closely this year compared to the previous election in 2019.

And one of the reasons seems to be the simmering anger among young people, which was galvanized after a deadly train crash in March, in which 57 people were killed, and many of them were students. So a lot of young people under 30 feel rage and anger over that accident. And this is something that politicians and analysts are watching closely because Greece has a history of social unrest. In 2008, there were weeks of riots following the police shooting of a teenager, which toppled the government at the time. So this is something that politicians know they cannot ignore. I'm Carolina Tagorese in Athens. The next Men's World Cup isn't until 2026.

But North American cities are already getting fired up for, 48 teams from around the world to play across Mexico, the U.S. and Canada. New York City, along with New Jersey, unveiled some of their festivities, and our very own Amy Tennery was there. And let's show how proud we are of New York and New Jersey and how enthusiastic we are about the game, everybody. Amy, why are we already talking about an event that's three years away? Well, look, for most people around the globe, the World Cup is.

is the biggest sporting event, period. But the United States, soccer has always played second fiddle. So right now, organizers are trying to get the enthusiasm for soccer in the United States on a level that's equal to their co-host, Mexico. So that's a good point. But New York is one of the biggest host cities. Why are they pushing so hard? Well, right now, New York is considered one of the front runners to be awarded the final

match. They're contending with, however, Los Angeles, which has SoFi Stadium. That opened up in 2020. It has all the bells and whistles people get excited about. So New York is trying to muscle its way through. They actually got Michael Strayhan, Super Bowl champion, hero of the New York Giants to come out. This is football. Okay. The thing I did is guys running around and tight hands. For any U.S. soccer fans who don't need any help getting enthusiastic about the sport, the U.S. women's national team, the four-time champions are flying out to New Zealand and Australia to compete in the 2023 World Cup in just a couple months. That's it for this Friday edition of Reuters World News.

We'll be back tomorrow with a special edition of the podcast all about the G7 Summit. To get all our shows in your podcast feed, make sure you follow us on your favorite platform or download the Reuters app.