PARIS: Egyptian fencer Nada Hafez has revealed that she fought at the Paris Olympics while seven months pregnant.
Hafez posted on Instagram that she was “carrying a little Olympian one” hours after she had reached the round of 16 in women’s saber Monday.
The 26-year-old fencer from Cairo upset Elizabeth Tartakovsky of the United States, a former NCAA champion, before losing to Jeon Hayoung of South Korea.
“My baby & I had our fair share of challenges, be it both physical & emotional,” Hafez wrote. “The rollercoaster of pregnancy is tough on its own, but having to fight to keep the balance of life & sports was nothing short of strenuous, however worth it. I’m writing this post to say that pride fills my being for securing my place in the round of 16!”
A former gymnast with a degree in medicine, Hafez is a three-time Olympian who won gold medals in the individual and team saber events at the 2019 African Games. She finished Monday’s competition officially ranked 16th, her best result in any of her three Olympic appearances.
Egyptian fencer Nada Hafez reveals she competed at the Paris Olympics while 7 months pregnant
Egyptian fencer Nada Hafez reveals she competed at the Paris Olympics while 7 months pregnant
Blinken denounces ‘covert’ activities by Russia’s RT media
WASHINGTON: Top US diplomat Antony Blinken on Friday accused Russian media outlet RT of being a “de facto arm of Russia’s intelligence apparatus.”
“We know that RT possess cyber capabilities and engaged in covert information influence operations and military procurement,” the secretary of state told reporters.
Earlier this month, US authorities announced a battery of measures including sanctions and potential prosecution targeting Russian media over alleged attempts to interfere in this year’s American elections.
The State Department at that time imposed visa restrictions affecting a media group that includes RT, Rossia Segodnia, as well as others of its affiliates.
On Friday, Washington emphasized that the group’s efforts at destabilization extend far beyond the United States.
It said the Russian government this spring “embedded within RT an entity with cyber operational capabilities and ties to Russian intelligence.”
It added: “This cyber entity has focused primarily on influence and intelligence operations all over the world.”
Mother, relatives charged over child’s killing
- Prosecutors at a Diyarbakir court charged the girl’s mother and brother with participating in the murder, while six people, including an uncle and cousins, were charged with destroying evidence
DIYARBAKIR, Turkiye: A Turkish court has jailed pending trial the mother and brother of a murdered eight-year-old girl whose body was found in a sack hidden under rocks in a case that horrified the nation and triggered protests since her disappearance three weeks ago.
President Tayyip Erdogan has said he would seek the most severe punishment for those responsible for the death of Narin Guran, whose body was found in a village near Diyarbakir, the largest city in southeast Turkiye.
Prosecutors at a Diyarbakir court charged the girl’s mother and brother with participating in the murder, while six people, including an uncle and cousins, were charged with destroying evidence.
Another uncle was earlier charged with murder.
Political parties and women’s groups have held protests in various cities across Turkiye to demand justice for Guran, whose murder triggered an outpouring of shock on social media, mainly because of the number of relatives allegedly involved in her killing.
Guran went missing on Aug. 21 from her village, some 10 km south of Diyarbakir.
Her body was found in a sack hidden under rocks in a nearby stream on Sept 8.
It was not clear how she was killed, but media reports said the autopsy revealed she had lesions on her neck.
How Saudi Arabia’s investment in blue ammonia is helping the global clean energy transition
- The Kingdom’s strategic push for blue ammonia under Vision 2030 has positioned it as a leader in clean energy alternatives
- Adoption of the circular carbon economy, carbon capture, and pioneering regulatory frameworks deemed key to the transition
RIYADH: As the world accelerates its shift toward cleaner energy sources, Saudi Arabia is positioning itself at the forefront of blue ammonia production, which is emerging as a key component in the global effort to combat carbon emissions and climate change.
Long a global leader in oil and gas, the Kingdom is now using its technological and economic prowess to lead in alternative energy, particularly blue ammonia, which has the potential to drive the global hydrogen economy and decarbonize hard-to-abate sectors.
Blue ammonia, or NH3, is a versatile chemical compound traditionally used in agriculture as fertilizer, as well as in various industrial processes. However, its appeal as a clean energy source is gaining momentum.
The production of blue ammonia involves capturing up to 90 percent of the carbon dioxide emissions generated during its manufacture, thereby significantly reducing its environmental impact. This makes it an attractive alternative to conventional fossil fuels, especially in industries that are difficult to decarbonize, such as shipping, aviation, and heavy manufacturing.
Saudi Arabia’s pivot to blue ammonia is part of its broader Vision 2030 reform agenda to reduce the Kingdom’s reliance on fossil fuels and expand its renewable energy capacity. This transition is also critical to its commitment to combat climate change and contribute to global efforts to reduce carbon emissions.
Under Vision 2030, Saudi Arabia aims to generate half of its energy needs from renewables and alternative sources, including hydrogen and blue ammonia, by the end of the decade.
The Kingdom will transition to natural gas and renewable energy sources in equal parts by 2030, Abdulaziz Almizani, head of sustainability in renewable energy and circular economy at the Royal Commission for Riyadh City, told Arab News.
“Fifty percent should be by natural gas and the other 50 percent should be with renewables and alternative energy sources, hydrogen, and blue ammonia,” he said.
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Saudi Arabia is leading the clean energy transition through large-scale investment in blue ammonia, crucial for decarbonizing hard-to-abate sectors like shipping and aviation.
The Kingdom aims for 50 percent of its energy to come from natural gas and 50 percent from clean sources, including blue ammonia, by 2030.
Saudi Aramco and Ma’aden have already pioneered carbon-neutral ammonia exports, making significant strides in supporting the global hydrogen economy.
In addition to embracing blue ammonia production, Saudi Arabia is adopting the circular carbon economy model to manage and reduce emissions, incorporating what are known as the “4Rs” — reduce, reuse, recycle, and remove.
As part of this effort, the Kingdom is investing in carbon capture, utilization, and storage technologies to remove CO2 and convert it into useful products. Almizani highlighted Saudi Aramco’s role in pioneering these technologies, including the launch of a project that transforms CO2 into methanol.
Saudi Aramco has already become a key player in promoting the hydrogen economy, having shipped the world’s first carbon-neutral ammonia to Japan in 2020. This was a significant milestone for the global adoption of clean energy, marking Saudi Arabia’s emergence as a leader in blue ammonia production and export.
Furthermore, the Saudi Arabian Mining Co., or Ma’aden, is playing a pivotal role in these efforts, recently exporting 138,000 tons of blue ammonia to South Korea — one of the largest quantities approved globally.
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Despite the high cost of production and the need for technological adaptation, Almizani is optimistic that the costs associated with blue ammonia will eventually decrease, making it more accessible and scalable.
The Kingdom’s investment in clean energy is also reflected in its new developments, such as its smart city NEOM, which is set to host the world’s largest green ammonia plant by 2025, further solidifying Saudi Arabia’s commitment to becoming a global leader in both green and blue ammonia production.
Saudi Arabia’s efforts are also supported by a strong regulatory framework aimed at promoting clean energy. Almizani emphasized the importance of establishing regulations in the energy industry to encourage private sector participation.
The Kingdom’s adoption of blue ammonia as part of its energy mix not only aligns with its domestic goals but also contributes significantly to the global fight against climate change.
As blue ammonia production scales up and technological advancements make it more cost-effective, Saudi Arabia is well-positioned to emerge as a world leader in this critical area of clean energy, offering a blueprint for other nations seeking to transition away from fossil fuels.
What We Are Reading Today: The Greatest of All Plagues
Author: David Lay Williams
Economic inequality is one of the most daunting challenges of our time, with public debate often turning to questions of whether it is an inevitable outcome of economic systems and what, if anything, can be done about it.
But why, exactly, should inequality worry us? “The Greatest of All Plagues” demonstrates that this underlying question has been a central preoccupation of some of the most eminent political thinkers of the Western intellectual tradition.
David Lay Williams shares bold new perspectives on the writings and ideas of Plato, Jesus, Thomas Hobbes, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Adam Smith, John Stuart Mill, and Karl Marx. He shows how they describe economic inequality as a source of political instability and a corrupter of character and soul, and how they view unchecked inequality as a threat to their most cherished values, such as justice, faith, civic harmony, peace, democracy, and freedom. Williams draws invaluable insights into the societal problems generated by what Plato called “the greatest of all plagues,” and examines the solutions employed through the centuries.
Flooding in northeast Nigeria could displace up to one million
KANO, Nigeria: Fatima Yakubu woke up in the middle of the night to find her legs submerged as water rose in her home in northeastern Nigeria earlier this week.
She screamed and people helped her escape with her six children.
Flood waters have displaced more than one million people in and around Maiduguri, the capital of Borno State, in one of the worst ever floods in Africa’s most populous country.
Thousands of homes were engulfed by rapidly rising waters after a dam burst following a weekend of torrential rain in northeastern Nigeria.
“I shouted for help in terror and some men outside heard my scream and came into the house which was already flooded and rescued us,” said Yakubu, 26, describing her survival as a “miracle.”
She and her children took shelter in one of the eight camps set up by authorities.
Barkindo Mohammed, the director general of Borno State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), told AFP that the number of people displaced by the flooding could reach one million people.
Mohammed Sheriff, 60, was not so lucky. He too awoke in the middle of the night to rising waters in his home.
Together with his two wives, they carried six of their children, thinking that the two eldest, aged 11 and 13, would be strong enough to fight the current. The two children are still missing.
“We haven’t seen them since and we fear the worst,” Sheriff told AFP.
The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) said on Wednesday that at least 30 people have died in the floods — the worst in 30 years, according to the United Nations refugee agency in Nigeria.
NEMA’s director general Zubaida Umar said on X on Thursday she was relieved that the “flood level in Maiduguri is receding, and normalcy is beginning to return to the metropolis,” adding that rescue operations were ongoing in the city flooded up to 40 percent.
“Children and families are still trapped in their homes,” British charity Save The Children said in a statement on Friday.
“The immense damage to water and sanitation services is driving up the risk of cholera and other water- and vector-borne diseases,” the NGO said, pointing out that the city’s two main hospitals had also been flooded.
The World Food Programme (WFP) said the disaster would increase the risk of food insecurity, particularly in the vulnerable northeast.
At least 259 people have been killed by flooding in Nigeria since the beginning of the rainy season, according to Umar.
