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Egyptians Urged to Rationalize Water Consumption

A boat on the Nile River in Atfih town, Giza, Egypt. (AP)
A boat on the Nile River in Atfih town, Giza, Egypt. (AP)
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Egyptians Urged to Rationalize Water Consumption

A boat on the Nile River in Atfih town, Giza, Egypt. (AP)
A boat on the Nile River in Atfih town, Giza, Egypt. (AP)

Egypt’s Housing Minister, Assem el-Gazzar, issued a directive to increase awareness among citizens on the importance of rationalizing water consumption, optimizing its use and maximizing the utilization of all available water resources.

Gazzar chaired a meeting of the Egyptian Water and Wastewater Regulatory Agency (EWRA), during which he called for the safe reuse of treated water based on the top international standards.

Egypt suffers from a scarcity of freshwater resources, and according to official statements, it has officially entered the “water poverty” era, in which the per capita share is less than 1,000 cubic meters annually.

The Egyptian government is implementing a national strategy to manage and meet water demand until 2037, with investments of nearly $50 million, including projects to desalinate seawater, implement modern irrigation methods in agricultural lands and treat wastewater.

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Syrian Police Impose Curfew in Homs after Unrest

Syrian children play on a damaged tank in Homs, on December 20, 2024. (AFP)
Syrian children play on a damaged tank in Homs, on December 20, 2024. (AFP)
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Syrian Police Impose Curfew in Homs after Unrest

Syrian children play on a damaged tank in Homs, on December 20, 2024. (AFP)
Syrian children play on a damaged tank in Homs, on December 20, 2024. (AFP)

Syrian police have imposed an overnight curfew in the city of Homs, state media reported, after unrest there linked to demonstrations that residents said were led by members of the minority Alawite and Shiite communities.

Reuters could not immediately confirm the demands of the demonstrators nor the degree of disturbance that took place.

Some residents said the demonstrations were linked to pressure and violence in recent days aimed at members of the Alawite minority, a sect long seen as loyal to former President Bashar al-Assad, who was toppled by opposition fighters on Dec. 8.

Spokespeople for Syria’s new ruling administration led by the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) group, a former al-Qaeda affiliate, did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the curfew.

State media said the curfew was being imposed for one night, from 6pm (1500 GMT) local time until 8am on Thursday morning.

The country's new leaders have repeatedly vowed to protect minority religious groups.

Small demonstrations also took place in other areas on or near Syria’s coast, where most of the country’s Alawite minority live, including in the city of Tartous.

The demonstrations took place around the time an undated video was circulated on social networks showing a fire inside an Alawite shrine in the city of Aleppo, with armed men walking around inside and posing near human bodies.

The interior ministry said on its official Telegram account that the video dated back to the opposition offensive on Aleppo in late November and the violence was carried out by unknown groups, adding that whoever was circulating the video now appeared to be seeking to incite sectarian strife.

The ministry also said that some members of the former regime had attacked interior ministry forces in Syria’s coastal area on Wednesday, leaving a number of dead and wounded.