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☆ Hamas militants were high on 'poor man's cocaine' during the October 7 terrorist attacks, report says
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-28 | by ( Nathan Rennolds | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Hamas militants were high on Captagon pills during the October 7 terrorist attacks, reports say. AdvertisementAdvertisementCaptagon pills fueled Hamas militants during the October 7 terrorist attacks, Israel's Channel 12 News reported. The drug, which is also known as "poor man's cocaine," is a highly addictive, synthetic stimulant that is widely consumed across the Middle East. On board, authorities discovered more than $100 million worth of cannabis and Captagon pills that had been hidden among sawdust, coffee, and spices. In 2021, data on seizures in the region valued the Captagon trade at $5.7 billion, per the FDD.

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AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Patrick Mahomes “jumped” at the the chance to invest in a Formula One team when he was asked to join a group of celebrity backers behind the Alpine team. It'll be cool to see some of the events, maybe some of the other races other than Miami," Mahomes said. Asked if he thinks it could buy him a chance drive an F1 car some time, Mahomes said: “I don't know if that's in my contract. I know (Chiefs general manager Brett) Veach is a big F1 guy. “Passion for excellence on the golf course has led me to admire the same pursuit in Formula 1," McElroy said.

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☆ Captagon: the drug fuelling the Gulf party scene - and Syria's finances
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Curbing the captagon trade has become a key demand by Arab states seeking to restore ties with Syria's President Bashar al-Assad, whose government is accused of benefiting from the trade. Intelligence sources based in the region say captagon is still produced in small factories along the Syrian-Lebanese border as well as larger ones closer to Syria's frontier with Jordan. The United States, the European Union and Britain have accused the Fourth Division and other Syrian officials of benefitting from the trade, but it is not clear to what extent, if any, it fills state coffers. FUELLING GULF PARTIES, AND ANGEROne of captagon's most lucrative markets is the Gulf region, where party scenes are flourishing, particularly in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Intercepted shipments of the drug are typically headed there, including a recent 10 million-pill transfer from Lebanon.

☆ Analysis: Arabs bring Syria's Assad back into fold but want action on drugs trade
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( Maya Gebeily | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

While denying any role in the trade, for which Syrian officials and Assad relatives have faced Western sanctions, Damascus has sought leverage from the issue. Hezbollah, which deployed fighters to Syria to aid Assad's war efforts, has denied any role in the drugs trade. Aided by Iran and Russia, Assad steadily beat back his rebel enemies, some of whom had support from U.S.-allied Arab states that have now restored ties. The Syrian source confirmed Riyadh had proposed a sum that would be paid as humanitarian aid, but could not say how much. "I would put ending the captagon trade right at the top alongside the other issues", she said.

☆ Arabs bring Syria's Assad back into fold but want action on drugs trade
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( Maya Gebeily | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Hezbollah, which deployed fighters to Syria to aid Assad's war efforts, has denied any role in the drugs trade. Aided by Iran and Russia, Assad steadily beat back his rebel enemies, some of whom had support from U.S.-allied Arab states that have now restored ties. The United States, United Kingdom and European Union have all placed new sanctions on Damascus in recent weeks over captagon. The United States has said it will not normalize ties with Assad and its sanctions remain in full effect. "I would put ending the captagon trade right at the top alongside the other issues", she said.

☆ Syrian refugees deported from Lebanon face arrest, conscription, say relatives
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-01 | by ( Maya Gebeily | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

[1/5] Youssef, a Syrian refugee and single father of two girls, attends an interview with Reuters, in Beirut, Lebanon April 26, 2023. One refugee told Reuters he and his three brothers were detained in a raid on a camp in Lebanon in late April. Another refugee said he was briefly held by the Fourth Division after being deported but paid smugglers to return to Lebanon. The Access Center for Human Rights (ACHR), a rights organisation, said it had documented the detention of at least two deported Syrians by the Fourth Division. Youssef, a Syrian refugee and single father-of-two, said he was so afraid of being deported and conscripted that he had stopped leaving his home in Lebanon.

☆ Trophies won't define City legacy, says Guardiola
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

City are now just two points behind leaders Arsenal but have played two games less, and could go top later on Sunday with a victory at Fulham. I think that managers and players cannot forget it, we fight for the title, but we cannot forget what we give to others." Guardiola has won 30 major trophies across his spells with City, Bayern Munich and Barcelona, but said he is not bothered about where he will rank in debates about the best managers in football. "Honestly I don't know, I try to do my job like all the managers, but I'm not concerned about that. My concern is to live in the moment and yeah now is Fulham and the rest doesn't matter," Guardiola said.

☆ A German Soccer Team’s Radical Fix for Declining Attendance: Free Tickets
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( Rachel Bachman | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Fortuna Düsseldorf in western Germany has had a wild ride over more than a century as the city’s top professional soccer club. It has savored the heights of the Bundesliga and sunk to the fourth division. In the early 2000s, it even took on as a sponsor the punk band Die Toten Hosen, which means “The Dead Pants.”Now playing in Germany’s second-tier Bundesliga 2, Fortuna Düsseldorf is heading toward its most radical move ever: giving away its match tickets for free.

☆ U.S. sanctions Syrian leader Assad's cousins, others over drug trade -Treasury
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

It said the trade in captagon was estimated to be a billion-dollar enterprise and the sanctions highlight the role of Lebanese drug traffickers and the Assad family dominance of captagon trafficking, which helped fund the Syrian government. Assad's government denies involvement in drug-making and smuggling and says it is stepping up its campaign to curb the lucrative trade. Also sanctioned were Khalid Qaddour, who the Treasury said was a Syrian businessman and close associate of Bashar al-Assad's brother, the head of the army's Fourth Division. Hassan Daqqou was sentenced in 2021 to seven years in prison in Lebanon on charges of captagon trafficking, according to the same source. Reporting by Doina Chiacu, Daphne Psaledakis and Brendan O'Brien in Chicago; editing by Mark HeinrichOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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