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British Syrian Society
The British Syrian Society is an association set up to promote relations between the government of Syria and the United Kingdom. It was established in 2003 by Fawaz Akhras, father-in-law of Bashar al-Assad. Its current directors include Akhras, Lord Asquith, Lord Green, Major-General John Holmes, and Peter Ford, former British ambassador to Syria. As part of its lobbying work, the Society has over the years hosted visits to Syria by several Members of Parliament. Several of these subsequently voted against the Cameron–Clegg coalition government in 2013 on the issue of British military intervention in the Syrian civil war including Richard Shepherd, Crispin Blunt, and David TC Davies. In September 2011, the HSBC bank said it would no longer represent the Society. Its co-chair Sir Andrew Green, a former British ambassador to Syria, resigned after emails showed Dr Akhras had advised Assad on how to rebut evidence of civilians apparently being tortured. Dr Akhras had used a pr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Syria
Syria ( ar, سُورِيَا or سُورِيَة, translit=Sūriyā), officially the Syrian Arab Republic ( ar, الجمهورية العربية السورية, al-Jumhūrīyah al-ʻArabīyah as-Sūrīyah), is a Western Asian country located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It is a unitary republic that consists of 14 governorates (subdivisions), and is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east and southeast, Jordan to the south, and Israel and Lebanon to the southwest. Cyprus lies to the west across the Mediterranean Sea. A country of fertile plains, high mountains, and deserts, Syria is home to diverse ethnic and religious groups, including the majority Syrian Arabs, Kurds, Turkmens, Assyrians, Armenians, Circassians, Albanians, and Greeks. Religious groups include Muslims, Christians, Alawites, Druze, and Yazidis. The capital and largest city of Syria is Damascus. Arabs are the largest ethnic group, and Mu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Richard Shepherd
Sir Richard Charles Scrimgeour Shepherd (6 December 1942 – 19 February 2022) was a British politician who was Member of Parliament for Aldridge-Brownhills from 1979 to 2015. A Eurosceptic, Shepherd was one of the Maastricht Rebels that had the whip withdrawn over opposition to Prime Minister John Major's legislation on the European Union. Shepherd was also a libertarian Conservative, and had a three line whip imposed against him by Margaret Thatcher when he introduced an amendment to loosen the Official Secrets Act 1911. Early life Shepherd was born in Aberdeen, Scotland, to parents who worked in the commercial aviation industry. The family moved to London to be closer to Heathrow Airport, and Shepherd was educated at Isleworth Grammar School (now Isleworth and Syon School). He then went to the London School of Economics where he received a BSc in Economics and where he studied with and became a friend of Robert Kilroy-Silk. He subsequently attended the Paul H. Nitze Schoo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Syria–United Kingdom Relations
Since the Syrian civil war, the United Kingdom has supported the Syrian opposition. The United Kingdom closed its embassy in Syria in 2011, and the Embassy of Syria, London was closed the following year. History 1950s On 6 November 1956, during the Suez Crisis, a Royal Air Force Canberra PR.7 was sent to overfly Syria on a photo reconnaissance mission, and was shot down by a Syrian Air Force Gloster Meteor. As of 2022, this was the last RAF aircraft shot down in an enemy air-to-air engagement. 21st century In 2001, positive relations were developed between Prime Minister Tony Blair and the Syrian government, as part of the War on Terror. In 2002, President Bashar al-Assad made an official visit to the United Kingdom, the first Syrian leader to do so. He and his wife Asma met with Queen Elizabeth II. In 2003, the British Syrian Society was established in London by Fawaz Akhras, father-in-law of Bashar al-Assad. Since the 2011 civil war, relations have deteriorated, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ali Haidar (politician)
Ali Haidar (born 1962) is a Syrian politician who is the leader of the Syrian Social Nationalist Party – Intifada Wing, and since June 2011 the Minister of State for National Reconciliation Affairs.Lebanon Debateجناح الانتفاضة بـ"القومي": لن نجير أصواتنا للسلطة/ref> Early life Ali Haidar was born in Hama-masyaf in 1962. He studied ophthalmology at the Damascus University, and specialized in surgery and eye diseases. Whilst studying ophthalmology he was classmates with Bashar al-Assad. He graduated from Damascus University in 1994. Career In 2012, Haidar led his party into the Popular Front for Change and Liberation coalition of non-Ba'athist parties in the Syrian parliament. Haidar is one of two non-Ba'athist candidates elected to Parliament in May 2012 who were given ministerial posts, the other being Jamil Qadri. On 12 February 2013, Haidar stated in a press briefing that the Syrian government can hold talks with head of Syrian opp ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bouthaina Shaaban
Bouthaina Shaaban ( ar, بثينة شعبان) (born 1953 in Homs, Syria) is a Syrian politician and political and media adviser to the President of Syria, Bashar al-Assad. Shaaban served as the first Minister of Expatriates for the Syrian Arab Republic, between 2002 and 2008, and has been described as the Syrian government's face to the outside world. Life and education Born in Masudiyah, Homs and a member of the Syrian Regional Branch of the Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party since the age of 16, she was educated in Britain and obtained her Ph.D. in English literature from the University of Warwick. She is married to Iraqi Dr. Khalil Jawad; the couple have two daughters and a son.Official Website , Bouthaia Shaaban. Career Shaaban worked first as an interpreter for the Syrian presidents[...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Council For Arab-British Understanding
The Council for Arab-British Understanding (Caabu), is a not-for-profit organisation that works for a British Middle East policy rooted in support for international law, human rights and civil society. Since it was founded in 1967, Caabu has taken on a strong advocacy, media and educational role to help shape UK foreign policy and public opinion. Caabu carries out a range of events and publications aimed at promoting greater understanding of the Arab world, in particular political issues. Caabu works with politicians, conducting in-depth parliamentary briefings and situation up-dates on the Middle East, in addition to taking politicians to the region. Caabu organises public and private meetings to raise awareness and tackle important issues in the Arab world. Caabu is a non-profit organisation funded by donations and membership fees. History Caabu was founded shortly after the 1967 war, when 98% of the British public were polled as knowing little or nothing about the Arab world ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lord Mayor Of London
The Lord Mayor of London is the mayor of the City of London and the leader of the City of London Corporation. Within the City, the Lord Mayor is accorded precedence over all individuals except the sovereign and retains various traditional powers, rights, and privileges, including the title and style ''The Right Honourable Lord Mayor of London''. One of the world's oldest continuously elected civic offices, it is entirely separate from the directly elected mayor of London, a political office controlling a budget which covers the much larger area of Greater London. The Corporation of London changed its name to the City of London Corporation in 2006, and accordingly the title Lord Mayor of the City of London was introduced, so as to avoid confusion with the mayor of London. However, the legal and commonly used title remains ''Lord Mayor of London''. The Lord Mayor is elected at ''Common Hall'' each year on Michaelmas, and takes office on the Friday before the second Saturday i ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gavyn Farr Arthur
Sir Gavyn Farr Arthur KStJ (13 September 1951 – 16 May 2016) was a British judge and prominent figure in the City of London who served as the 675th Lord Mayor from 2002 to 2003. Early life The only surviving son of Major Leonard Arthur, JP, by his wife Raina ''née'' Farr, he was educated at Harrow School before going up to Christ Church, Oxford. His father was in remainder to the baronetcy of his great-great-grandfather, Lt-Gen. Sir George Arthur, and from 2010 until his death Sir Gavyn was heir presumptive to the Arthur family title. Career Arthur was called to the Bar in 1975 at the Middle Temple, before being appointed a Bencher in 2001. He practised as a barrister and was appointed a Recorder in 2001 and a Circuit Judge in 2007 before promotion as a Deputy High Court Judge in 2008. He served as Alderman for the Ward of Cripplegate in the City from his election in 1991 until 2005. Sir Gavyn served as Aldermanic Sheriff for 1998–99 and as Lord Mayor of London ( ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
HSBC
HSBC Holdings plc is a British multinational universal bank and financial services holding company. It is the largest bank in Europe by total assets ahead of BNP Paribas, with US$2.953 trillion as of December 2021. In 2021, HSBC had $10.8 trillion in assets under custody (AUC) and $4.9 trillion in assets under administration (AUA), respectively. HSBC traces its origin to a hong in British Hong Kong, and its present form was established in London by the Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation to act as a new group holding company in 1991; its name derives from that company's initials. The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation opened branches in Shanghai in 1865 and was first formally incorporated in 1866. HSBC has offices in 64 countries and territories across Africa, Asia, Oceania, Europe, North America, and South America, serving around 40 million customers. As of 2022, it was ranked no. 38 in the world in the Forbes rankings of large companies ranked by sales, profits ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
David TC Davies
David Thomas Charles Davies (born 27 July 1970) is a British politician who has served as Secretary of State for Wales since 2022 and the Member of Parliament (MP) for Monmouth since 2005. A member of the Conservative Party, he chaired the Welsh Affairs Select Committee from 2010 to 2019. Davies also served as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Wales from 2019 to 2022. A vocal critic of the European Union (EU), he supported Brexit in the 2016 membership referendum. Having previously questioned the scientific evidence for the role of human factors in global warming, Davies said in 2019 he supported the UK government's intention to become carbon neutral by 2050 and that he fully accepted the link between carbon dioxide and climate change. Background Davies was born in Newham, London and educated at Bassaleg School, Bassaleg, in a suburb of Newport, Wales. He is the eldest child of Peter and Kathleen Davies. After leaving school in 1988 he worked for the British Steel C ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Crispin Blunt
Crispin Jeremy Rupert Blunt (born 15 July 1960) is a British politician who has served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Reigate since 1997. A member of the Conservative Party, he was the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Prisons and Youth Justice within the Ministry of Justice from 2010 to 2012 and Chair of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee from 2015 until 2017. Blunt first entered the House of Commons at the 1997 general election, when he replaced the then MP Sir George Gardiner, who had been deselected by the Constituency Conservative Association Executive Council and joined the Referendum Party. In 2013, Blunt was deselected by the Constituency Executive Council, with speculation that this was due to his public announcement that he was gay. However, after a ballot of party members in Reigate, the decision was overturned by a margin of 5–1 and Blunt was reselected as the Conservative candidate for the 2015 general election. On 1 May 2022, he announced he wou ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
