JERUSALEM: The Israeli military attacked targets near Damascus late Saturday in what it said was a successful effort to thwart an imminent Iranian drone strike on Israel, stepping up an already heightened campaign against Iranian military activity in the region.The late-night airstrike, which triggered Syrian anti-aircraft fire, appeared to be one of the most intense…
BEIRUT: A Hezbollah official said Sunday that an Israeli drone went down over the Lebanese capital of Beirut and another exploded in the air, amid regional tensions between Israel and Iran.Residents of the Iranian-backed group’s stronghold in southern Beirut reported one large explosion that shook the area early Sunday, triggering a fire. They said the…
HASAKAH/SYRIA, BEIRUT: Syria’s Kurds would support the implementation of a US-Turkey deal to set up a buffer zone in their areas along the Turkish border, they said on Saturday. The “safe zone” agreed by Ankara and Washington earlier this month aims to create a buffer between the Turkish border and Syrian areas controlled by the Kurdish…
CAIRO: Global plastics production reached 348 million tons in 2017, rising from 335 million tons in 2016, according to Plastics Europe. Critically, most plastic waste is not properly managed: Around 55 percent of it was landfilled or discarded in 2015. These numbers are extremely concerning because plastic products take anything from 450 to 1,000 years…
CAIRO: Global plastics production reached 348 million tons in 2017, rising from 335 million tons in 2016, according to Plastics Europe. Critically, most plastic waste is not properly managed: Around 55 percent of it was landfilled or discarded in 2015. These numbers are extremely concerning because plastic products take anything from 450 to 1,000 years…
CAIRO: Fashion is about far more than just trendy outfits. The growing demand for ethical clothing is one example of how designers are seeking to leave a legacy beyond the runway. The ethical fashion movement is spreading to the Middle East and North Africa. Recent initiatives include Talahum by UAE-based designer Aiisha Ramadan, who created…
CAIRO: Egypt is seeking Japan’s help to improve its education system, which has fallen to 130th place in international rankings. The Japanese education system is recognized as one of the top five worldwide, and Cairo is hoping to apply key aspects of Japan’s approach to the Egyptian curriculum. Education has played a major role in…
CAIRO: Egypt is seeking Japan’s help to improve its education system, which has fallen to 130th place in international rankings. The Japanese education system is recognized as one of the top five worldwide, and Cairo is hoping to apply key aspects of Japan’s approach to the Egyptian curriculum. Education has played a major role in…
ANKARA: Syrian regime forces opened fire on a Turkish observation post No. 8 eight — in Sirman, Maarat Al-Numan in southeastern Idilb — on Thursday morning. Observation post No. 9, in the town of Morek, is reportedly surrounded as well. The observation post in Sirman is of strategic importance due to its location in the…
DUBAI: Bulk cash couriers, narcotics mules, counterfeit goods, wildlife trafficking — spotting smugglers is all part of a day’s work for customs officials and law enforcement professionals in the Gulf. Experts say that illegal trafficking in all its guises is bringing in billions each year for criminals worldwide, and the problem is increasing across the globe and…
DUBAI: Bulk cash couriers, narcotics mules, counterfeit goods, wildlife trafficking — spotting smugglers is all part of a day’s work for customs officials and law enforcement professionals in the Gulf. Experts say that illegal trafficking in all its guises is bringing in billions each year for criminals worldwide, and the problem is increasing across the globe and…
SANAA: The World Food Programme (WFP) on Wednesday resumed distributing food in Yemen's capital Sanaa after a two-month stoppage. The halt in aid came after UN officials found the Houthis were diverting food away from those who desperately needed it. Dozens of people gathered at a distribution centre in Sanaa to be given flour, vegetable…
Turkey suspended mayors of 3 major Kurdish-majority cities. What’s next? ANKARA: The suspensions of elected mayors and the detainment of hundreds of people in eastern and southeastern Turkey has sparked harsh criticism and has raised questions as to why elections are being held in the country at all. Regardless of the outcome of the March 31…
ANKARA: The suspensions of elected mayors and the detainment of hundreds of people in eastern and southeastern Turkey has sparked harsh criticism and has raised questions as to why elections are being held in the country at all. Regardless of the outcome of the March 31 elections, where all three cities increased their vote share, with…
DUBAI: On the face of it, the idea of tugging an iceberg from Antarctica to replenish the UAE’s freshwater supplies might sound sensational. Abdulla Alshehi, the Emirati businessman who was the subject of recent media reports about such a proposal, probably doesn’t mind the positive publicity. But a plan to transport icebergs to Saudi Arabia…
CAIRO: The Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM), set to open in 2022, is already a beacon for future Egyptian prosperity. Built to showcase Egypt’s civilization and heritage, the museum will house thousands of monuments and artifacts including mummies, as well as housing a very important restoration center which will help in preserving Egyptian Pharaonic heritage. It is hoped the GEM…
CAIRO: The Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM), set to open in 2022, is already a beacon for future Egyptian prosperity. Built to showcase Egypt’s civilization and heritage, the museum will house thousands of monuments and artifacts including mummies, as well as housing a very important restoration center which will help in preserving Egyptian Pharaonic heritage. It is hoped the GEM…
DUBAI: From poverty and climate change, to food security, social justice, regional integration and sustainable development, the Arab region still lags in vital areas to ensure a sustainable future, according to a new report. The aim of the 2018 Annual Report for the Arab Region by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western…
LONDON: Britain has revoked the citizenship of a dual national Muslim convert to the Daesh group dubbed “Jihadi Jack” being held in northern Syria, leading Canada to accuse the UK of off-loading its responsibilities.The move targeting Jack Letts, 24, who was a dual UK-Canadian national, has prompted a diplomatic row with Ottawa, Britain’s Mail on…
AMMAN: Jordan has stepped up its diplomatic pressure on Israel, demanding that they do not change the status quo at Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa Mosque. Zaid Lozi, director-general of Jordan’s Foreign Ministry, summoned Israeli Ambassador to Jordan Amir Weissbrod to protest Israel’s actions in Jerusalem. According to Petra News, Lozi told the envoy that recent remarks by Israeli…
