DUBAI: Syrian air defenses shot down on Friday two drones in the west of Damascus, state media reported, citing a military source as saying the drones came from the direction of the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights to the west of the capital.
The Israeli military has said it does not comment on reports in foreign media.
Syrian state media reported earlier that the air defenses were responding to “hostile targets” in the vicinity of Damascus.
Since December, Israeli strikes have killed more than half a dozen Revolutionary Guards, including a top intelligence general.
Separately, the US military launched airstrikes earlier this month in Syria and Iraq against more than 85 targets linked to Iran’s Revolutionary Guards and the militias it backs, in retaliation for an attack in Jordan in January that killed three US troops.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards have suffered one of their most bruising spells in Syria since arriving a decade ago to aid President Bashar Assad in the Syrian war, as the United States and Israel conduct strikes against Iran-backed militias in the country.
Informed sources told Reuters that the Guards had pulled out some of their senior officers as a result. Iran’s ambassador to Syria said on Thursday that Iran remained “present” in Syria. Iran’s foreign minister is due in Lebanon on Friday and then Damascus early next week for meetings with top officials.
Syrian air defenses respond to ‘hostile targets’ in vicinity of Damascus – state media
https://arab.news/yt634
Syrian air defenses respond to ‘hostile targets’ in vicinity of Damascus – state media
- Syrian state media reported earlier that the air defenses were responding to “hostile targets” in the vicinity of Damascus
- Iran’s Revolutionary Guards have suffered one of their most bruising spells in Syria since arriving a decade ago
Jordan nominates ancient Mehras olive trees for UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage list
- Culture minister underscored the profound importance of the olive tree in Jordanian society
AMMAN: Jordan has nominated its Mehras olive trees for inclusion on UNESCO’s representative list of Intangible Cultural Heritage for the year 2025, Jordan News Agency reported on Monday.
According to the Food and Agricultural Organization, Jordan has some of the world’s most ancient habitats for olive trees.
Olive trees cover approximately 30 percent of all cultivated land in Jordan, constituting 75 percent of fruit trees. The olive trees hold immense significance for Jordan’s economy, environment, and culture.
Jordanian Culture Minister Haifa Najjar highlighted the importance of the tree to Jordanian heritage, drawing attention to its regional and international significance.
The minister underscored the profound importance of the olive tree in Jordanian society, representing both agricultural prowess and the cultural heritage deeply ingrained in the lives of its people.
She commended the collaborative efforts between the Ministry of Culture and national stakeholders in finalizing the nomination dossier for “The Ancient Olive Tree — Al-Mehras” to be presented to UNESCO in Paris.
Najjar noted the ministry’s commitment to documenting and safeguarding elements of intangible cultural heritage and the positive effect of such nominations on Jordan’s cultural presence globally.
The ministry previously secured UNESCO recognition for Jordanian cultural elements such as As-Samer traditional dance and mansaf, a traditional dish.
The ministry has participated in joint Arab nominations to UNESCO, highlighting the interconnectedness of cultural practices across the region. Previous submissions included files on date palm cultivation and Arabic calligraphy.
Looking ahead, Najjar mentioned joint Arab nominations currently under consideration for the 2025 UNESCO list. These encompass an array of practices and traditions, including mud architecture, traditional attire for men, musical instruments such as the oud, and various crafts and skills associated with Arab cultural heritage.
Dubai launches major AI economic strategy
- Crown prince said initial phase of plan, by leveraging AI, would enhance quality of life and well-being for Dubai residents
RIYADH: Dubai’s crown prince on Monday launched a major artificial intelligence drive across government, business and education in the emirate.
The Dubai Universal Blueprint for Artificial Intelligence aims to achieve the Dubai Economic Agenda D33 — to double the size of the economy by 2033 — by adding AED100 billion ($27 billion) from digital transformation and increasing economic productivity by 50 percent.
The strategy includes appointing chief Al officers in government entities, the launch of a Dubai AI and Web3 campus, the launch of AI weeks at the emirate’s schools, a plan to attract data centers and the launch of a trade license for AI.
Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed Al-Maktoum said that the initial phase of the plan, by leveraging AI, would enhance quality of life and well-being for Dubai residents.
“Dedicated incubators and campuses for artificial intelligence will be launched to further enhance Dubai’s vibrant AI ecosystem, and finally AI will be celebrated in Dubai schools with the introduction of an AI week,” he said on X.
“We will annually review, update and introduce new projects under this plan, ensuring it keeps pace with all developments. Dubai is a city centered around its people, and to this end, we will dedicate all our resources and energy to make it the happiest place in the world.”
The crown prince said: “In 1999, his highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum initiated the pioneering journey of the future by launching Dubai’s digital transformation, a venture that has continued to achieve milestones, leading to the recent unveiling of the Dubai Digital Strategy last year.
“We have realized record-breaking accomplishments that have established us as the premier hub for billion-dollar global enterprises in the technology and artificial intelligence sectors within the region,” he added.
Sheikh Hamdan said that the evolution of AI is presenting opportunities for nations and governments, but posing challenges to those unable to keep pace.
For Dubai, this requires a “swift and adaptive action plan,” responding to the “rapid changes in technology and AI,” he added.
UAE clothing brand ‘The Giving Movement’ donates over $800,000 to Gaza
- Donations earmarked for hot meals, food packages, and the provision of emergency shelter
DUBAI: A UAE-based sustainable clothing brand said on Monday that it had contributed more than AED 3 million ($816,798) in emergency relief aid for Gaza since the beginning of Israel’s war on the Palestinian enclave.
All proceeds donated to Dubai Cares charity by The Giving Movement were earmarked for the delivery of crucial support to Palestinians in Gaza, including hot meals, food packages, and the provision of emergency shelter.
The brand raised the money through the “Gaza In Our Hearts” fundraising campaign.
Dubai Cares has forged a partnership with American Near East Refugee Aid, a nongovernmental organisation, collaborating closely with UN agencies, diplomatic channels, and other NGOs to establish aid channels for swift and effective delivery of life-saving supplies.
Dr. Tariq Al-Gurg, CEO of Dubai Cares, commended the clothing brand for its philanthropic efforts.
“The Giving Movement has truly embodied its brand name and set an example for other brands to make a positive impact on the lives of those who urgently need our assistance,” he said.
Dominic Nowell-Barnes, founder of The Giving Movement, said: “Our collaboration with Dubai Cares underscores our commitment to standing with the community and providing assistance to those in need.
Hamas must accept truce deal and be removed from Gaza leadership, UK foreign secretary says
- ‘All the pressure of the world’ should be on militant group, David Cameron tells WEF Special Meeting in Riyadh
RIYADH: Hamas was urged on Monday by British Foreign Secretary David Cameron to accept an offer of a 40-day ceasefire and the release of “potentially thousands” of Palestinian prisoners in return for freeing Israeli hostages.
Speaking at a Special Meeting of the World Economic Forum in Riyadh, the former UK prime minister said the Palestinian militant group had been given “a very generous offer of sustained 40-day ceasefire, the release of potentially thousands of Palestinian prisoners, in return for the release of these hostages.”
A Hamas delegation is due in Egypt on Monday, where it is expected to respond to the latest proposal for a truce in Gaza and a release of hostages after almost seven months of war in the enclave, which broke out after militants killed nearly 1,200 people in southern Israel on Oct. 7.
“I hope Hamas do take this deal and, frankly, all the pressure in the world and all the eyes of the world should be on them today saying take that deal,” Cameron said, adding the proposal would lead to a “stop in the fighting that we all want to see so badly.”
Egypt, Qatar and the US have been trying to mediate an agreement between Israel and Hamas for months, but a flurry of diplomacy in recent days appeared to suggest a new push toward halting hostilities.
The UK foreign minister said that for Palestinian statehood to become a reality, there needed to be a wholesale change in thinking on both the Israeli and Palestinian side.
For a “political horizon for a two-state solution,” with an independent Palestine co-existing with Israel, the “people responsible for Oct. 7, the Hamas leadership, would have to leave Gaza and you’ve got to dismantle the terrorist infrastructure in Gaza,” he said.
“You’ve got to see a political future for the Palestinian people, but you’ve also crucially got to see security for Israel, and those two things have to go together,” he added.
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who joined Cameron on the panel discussing what policymakers needed to do to rejuvenate global growth, went further and told the forum that the world could not focus on economic development unless it had peace.
“I want to make it very clear, the world will not be in peace unless there is a permanent peace in Gaza; I am speaking very frankly,” he said.
Sharif said the breakout of conflict between Russia and Ukraine had already given a warning of what conflict means for growth, adding that it caused commodity prices to skyrocket, inflation to soar, and impacted imports and exports of food and raw materials.
Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Economy and Planning, Faisal Alibrahim, echoed the Pakistani leader’s assertions, adding that current economic growth levels were lower than desired, and that increased productivity and global collaboration were the two keys to improving the situation.
“Productivity needs to see an upward shift,” he said. “We need to focus on the tools, the interventions, that will help us grow productivity.
“Secondly, (do we want) collaboration or fragmentation? A more fragmented world is a lower-growth world and with fragmentation comes a lot of cost. Without collaboration, we cannot achieve higher growth rates for the global economy.”
US, Britain urge Hamas to accept Israeli truce proposal
- “Hamas has before it a proposal that is extraordinarily, extraordinarily generous on the part of Israel,” Blinken said
- Britain’s Foreign Secretary David Cameron also described the Israeli proposal as “generous”
RIYADH: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Monday urged Hamas to swiftly accept an Israeli proposal for a truce in the Gaza war and the release of Israeli hostages held by the Palestinian group.
Hamas negotiators were expected to meet Qatari and Egyptian mediators in Cairo on Monday to deliver a response to the phased truce proposal which Israel presented at the weekend.
“Hamas has before it a proposal that is extraordinarily, extraordinarily generous on the part of Israel,” Blinken said at a meeting of the World Economic Forum in the Saudi capital Riyadh.
“The only thing standing between the people of Gaza and a ceasefire is Hamas. They have to decide and they have to decide quickly,” he said. “I’m hopeful that they will make the right decision.”
A source briefed on the talks said Israel’s proposal entailed a deal for the release of fewer than 40 of the roughly 130 hostages believed to be still held in Gaza in exchange for freeing Palestinians jailed in Israel.
A second phase of a truce would consist of a “period of sustained calm” — Israel’s compromise response to a Hamas demand for a permanent ceasefire.
A total of 253 hostages were seized in a Hamas attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7 in which about 1,200 Israelis were also killed, according to Israeli counts.
Israel retaliated by imposing a total siege on Gaza and mounting an air and ground assault that has killed about 34,500 Palestinians, according to Gaza health authorities.
Palestinians are suffering from severe shortages of food, fuel and medicine in a humanitarian crisis brought on by the offensive that has demolished much of the territory.
Britain’s Foreign Secretary David Cameron, who was also in Riyadh for the WEF meeting, also described the Israeli proposal as “generous.”
It included a 40-day pause in fighting and the release of potentially thousands of Palestinian prisoners as well as Israeli hostages, he told a WEF audience.
“I hope Hamas do take this deal and frankly, all the pressure in the world and all the eyes in the world should be on them today saying ‘take that deal’,” Cameron said.
Cameron is among several foreign ministers in Riyadh, including from the US, France, Jordan and Egypt, as part of a diplomatic push to bring an end to the Gaza war.
