عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
Varieties

Visions of Creativity in Middle East Youth Art Scene

File Photo: A scene from the “Gustav Klimt: Gold and Color” show at “Bassins de Lumières” in Bordeaux, France, in June.Credit...Georges Gobet/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images
File Photo: A scene from the “Gustav Klimt: Gold and Color” show at “Bassins de Lumières” in Bordeaux, France, in June.Credit...Georges Gobet/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images
TT
TT

Visions of Creativity in Middle East Youth Art Scene

File Photo: A scene from the “Gustav Klimt: Gold and Color” show at “Bassins de Lumières” in Bordeaux, France, in June.Credit...Georges Gobet/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images
File Photo: A scene from the “Gustav Klimt: Gold and Color” show at “Bassins de Lumières” in Bordeaux, France, in June.Credit...Georges Gobet/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

From a Lebanese student decrying government failures through art to a Palestinian teacher seeking escape in music, young people across the Middle East are creatively giving voice to complex situations.

In a series exploring youth aspirations in the volatile region -- where more than half of the population is under 30 -- AFP speaks to artists in Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, the Gaza Strip, Israel and Iraq about the hardships, uncertainties and challenges they face.

- 'Unleash the anger' –
Lebanese fine arts student Ali Merhi is finishing his degree as his country endures its worst-ever economic crisis, with unemployment around 30 percent, the local currency in free fall, and faltering electricity and water supplies.

"Life is tough for young Lebanese people... Most are thinking about leaving," says Merhi, 21.

He splatters paint across wall-sized works depicting Lebanon's garbage crisis, its defunct railway system, and a ship whose cargo of ammonium nitrate set off a catastrophic port explosion in 2020.

"You unleash the anger within you into the painting," he says.

"We're supposed to be living our lives, but instead we're spending our time looking for the most basic necessities of life."

- 'Just living an achievement' –
In her simple studio on the outskirts of Damascus, artist Dana Salameh has built a refuge to escape the difficulties of Syria's 11-year conflict and its severe economic troubles.

"Maybe I'm fleeing or escaping," says Salameh, 23. But "even just living here is an achievement."

Despite the daily pressures and the lack of support for the arts, Salameh alternates between making her own work and teaching youngsters to paint, holding tight to a wealth of creative positivity.

"When I graduated, I thought I would travel. But then I felt that there are so many beautiful things I'd like to do here," she says.

"I should show everyone that artists can achieve their dreams in this place."

- 'Giving back' –
Street artist Dalal Mitwally is at the forefront of a burgeoning art scene in Amman -- one that is changing the face of Jordan's capital.

"I have a responsibility," says Mitwally, covered in paint after a day creating murals with children in a working-class Amman community.

The 24-year-old uses bland walls as a canvas to brighten underprivileged areas, forge common bonds and highlight social issues.

"I should give back to where I came from... And if it didn't give me enough, I should secure those things for those who come after me."

- 'Escape' -
Palestinian Jawaher al-Aqraa sings at a small music school in Gaza City as others accompany her on guitar, violin or oud.

"We are a conservative society" where a woman singing or playing music in public is considered "shameful", says the singer and English teacher, 25.

The Gaza Strip, an impoverished territory ruled by the group Hamas and blockaded by Israel, has seen four wars since 2008.

Music is an "escape route", Aqraa says.

Israel and neighboring Egypt severely restrict Gazans' travel.

"I do not want to blame the situation in Gaza as a reason for failure... I can use the difficulties to strengthen myself."

- 'Shekel to shekel' -
Israeli artist Shavit Vital sits at a cafe in downtown Jerusalem, using a tablet to craft her designs.

The Israeli-Palestinian conflict "is something that very much defines Israel", says the 22-year-old, who served in the army during the 11-day war against Gaza militants last year.

She says she is studying to become a tattoo artist, but her "family is religious and doesn't accept this".

As the cost of living and income inequality rise, she expresses uncertainty about the future.

"I am not looking to become rich or anything like that, but in five years, I do not want to live shekel to shekel and barely make ends meet."

- 'We still have hope' –
Iraqi Qamar al-Ani, 21, plucks away at her traditional stringed santoor, seemingly a world away from Baghdad's seething political tensions that led to deadly clashes late last month.

"We're always living in a state of fear of what will happen in the future," the musician says.

Conflict-weary Iraq is blighted by corruption, ailing infrastructure and crumbling public services, and now faces water shortages as drought ravages swathes of the country.

Despite Iraq's oil wealth, many people are mired in poverty, and some 35 percent of youth are unemployed, according to the United Nations.

Ani says she tries to "avoid pessimism".

"I feel we are better off now than 10 years ago... We still have hope."

Most Viewed

 
 
Varieties

AstraZeneca and Daiichi's Breast Cancer Drug Meets Goal in Study

FILE PHOTO: Test tubes are seen in front of a displayed AstraZeneca logo in this illustration taken, May 21, 2021. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Test tubes are seen in front of a displayed AstraZeneca logo in this illustration taken, May 21, 2021. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo/File Photo
TT
TT

AstraZeneca and Daiichi's Breast Cancer Drug Meets Goal in Study

FILE PHOTO: Test tubes are seen in front of a displayed AstraZeneca logo in this illustration taken, May 21, 2021. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Test tubes are seen in front of a displayed AstraZeneca logo in this illustration taken, May 21, 2021. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo/File Photo

AstraZeneca said on Friday its experimental precision drug had slowed the progression of a common type of breast cancer in a late-stage trial, a boost for the company after its shares fell in July on results from a separate trial of the same drug for lung cancer.
The drug, datopotamab deruxtecan, which AstraZeneca is jointly developing with Japan's Daiichi Sankyo, is being closely watched by analysts and investors in part due to the promise of the class of drugs to which it belongs, known as antibody drug conjugates (ADC).
ADCs consist of tumor-seeking monoclonal antibodies that are combined with a cell-killing chemotherapy payload.
The trial data released on Friday showed the drug, abbreviated as Dato-DXd, demonstrated a statistically significant and clinically meaningful improvement in slowing the progression of a type of breast cancer in trial participants, compared to patients who received other treatments such as chemotherapy.
The trial focused on tumors that grow in response to the hormones estrogen or progesterone, which account for roughly two-thirds of breast cancer cases. The study participants' disease had spread to other parts of the body.
The British drugmaker also said that there was a "trend in improvement" in the other main goal of the study, "overall survival" of patients, but the data on that was not mature so the trial would continue as planned.
AstraZeneca shares rose 1.7% in early trading, to their highest level in more than five weeks.
AstraZeneca is simultaneously developing the drug for use in lung cancer, and while data from a separate late-stage trial released in July was positive, the market was concerned that the drug's benefits for use in lung cancer treatment might not as pronounced as hoped, leading shares to fall more than 6% on the day the data was released.
The company has not said when it will release detailed data from the lung cancer study.
Analysts see the positive results from the breast cancer trial as good for AstraZeneca, but the market is more focused on the results of a trial called MARIPOSA by Johnson & Johnson. It compares AstraZeneca’s blockbuster cancer drug Tagrisso alone with its own drug, Rybrevant, in combination with another medicine.
Those results are expected later this year.

Varieties

In War-Scarred Iraqi City, Food Business Gives Women Independence 

A woman prepares food inside the kitchen of the women-run catering service "Taste of Mosul", in Iraq's northern city of Mosul, on September 13, 2023. (AFP)
A woman prepares food inside the kitchen of the women-run catering service "Taste of Mosul", in Iraq's northern city of Mosul, on September 13, 2023. (AFP)
TT
TT

In War-Scarred Iraqi City, Food Business Gives Women Independence 

A woman prepares food inside the kitchen of the women-run catering service "Taste of Mosul", in Iraq's northern city of Mosul, on September 13, 2023. (AFP)
A woman prepares food inside the kitchen of the women-run catering service "Taste of Mosul", in Iraq's northern city of Mosul, on September 13, 2023. (AFP)

Abir Jassem is busy preparing stuffed vegetables at a kitchen in Iraq's Mosul, where after years of unrest a women-run catering service has helped single mothers like her achieve financial security.

The 37-year-old, who lost her husband while the city was under the control of the ISIS group, said she had to get a job to put food on the table for her and her children.

"If I didn't work, we wouldn't have anything to eat," said Jassem.

She is now one of some 30 employees of "Taste of Mosul", which celebrates local delicacies and was founded in 2017 after the northern Iraqi metropolis was liberated from ISIS extremists.

Most of the workers -- cooks as well as two deliverywomen -- are widowed or divorced.

Mosul residents are all reeling from the brutal ISIS rule and the war to defeat it, but for women in Iraq's largely conservative and patriarchal society, the challenges are often compounded.

For Jassem, whose husband died of hepatitis, the catering business has offered a lifeline.

Her family had refused for her to work in any mixed-gender spaces, "but I wanted to work so I would not have to depend on anybody", she said.

Now she earns 15,000 dinars ($11) a day cooking meals that are then delivered to clients.

Her specialty is Mosul-style kibbeh, a minced meat dish.

"Neither Syrians nor Lebanese can make" some of the recipes her Iraqi city is known for, Jassem boasted, as other women sat beside her at a large blue table were preparing the day's menu.

One cook rolled vine leaves. Another copiously stuffed hollowed-out peppers with orange-colored rice, and a third made meat fritters.

'Strong women'

Only slightly more than 10 percent of Iraq's 13 million women of working age are in the job market, according to a July 2022 report issued by the International Labor Organization.

When the war in Mosul ended in the summer of 2017, the United Nations refugee agency UNHCR estimated the number of "war widows" in the thousands.

"Their husbands were often the families' sole breadwinners," the UN agency said.

"Without an income and often with children to support, Mosul's war widows are among the most vulnerable to have been displaced during months of fighting for the once thriving city."

Mahiya Youssef, 58, started "Taste of Mosul" to allow women to enter the labor market in the battered city.

"We have to be realistic," she said. "If even people with university degrees are unemployed, I wondered what kind of work" would "let them cover their children's needs and be strong women".

Launched with just two cooks, the initiative has since grown and now also provides employment for young graduates, said Youssef, a married mother of five.

Appetizers and main dishes on the menu go for the equivalent of $1-10, and monthly profits top $3,000, according to Youssef, who plans to expand.

She said she hopes to open a restaurant or create similar projects in other parts of Iraq.

'Unique'

Youssef said her passion was "old recipes that restaurants don't make", like hindiya, a spicy zucchini stew with kibbeh, or ouroug, fried balls of flour, meat and vegetables.

One of her employees, Makarem Abdel Rahman, lost her husband in 2004 when he was kidnapped by Al-Qaeda militants.

The mother of two, now in her 50s, delivers food in her car, which she said has drawn some criticism.

"My children support me, but certain relatives are opposed" to her working, she said.

But Abdel Rahman hasn't let that stop her, and said she has found in "Taste of Mosul" a "second home".

Many clients order again, but some have become particularly loyal.

For more than two years, Taha Ghanem has ordered his lunch from "Taste of Mosul" two or three times a week.

"Because of our work, we are far from home," said the 28-year-old cafe owner.

"Sometimes we miss our home cooking, but we have this service", he said, hailing "the unique flavors" of Mosul's cuisine.

Varieties

Cairo International Film Festival Announces Screening of Saudi Film

“To My Son” is the second film directed by Dhaffer L'Abidine
“To My Son” is the second film directed by Dhaffer L'Abidine
TT
TT

Cairo International Film Festival Announces Screening of Saudi Film

“To My Son” is the second film directed by Dhaffer L'Abidine
“To My Son” is the second film directed by Dhaffer L'Abidine

The Cairo International Film Festival has announced the screening of the Saudi film “To My Son” by director and actor Dhafer Abidine as part of the Horizons of Arab Cinema Competition this year.

It is the second film directed by Dhaffer L'Abidine, and its story revolves around the return of a Saudi father and his son to Saudi Arabia, after their lengthy residency abroad ended in a painful incident.

L'Abidine’s first film, “Ghodwa”, was shown at the 43rd Cairo International Film Festival, where it won the International Federation of Film Critics Award.

Cairo International Film Festival has earlier announced that it will grant Egypt’s Ahmed Ezz the Faten Hamama Award for Excellence during its 45th session, to be held from November 15 to 24, in appreciation of what he presented throughout his artistic career that began since the end of the nineties.

Varieties

King Charles III Makes Stop at Fire-Damaged Notre Dame Cathedral on State Visit to France 

Britain's King Charles and Britain's Queen Camilla visit Notre Dame Cathedral to see the restoration work in progress, in Paris, France, September 21, 2023. (Reuters)
Britain's King Charles and Britain's Queen Camilla visit Notre Dame Cathedral to see the restoration work in progress, in Paris, France, September 21, 2023. (Reuters)
TT
TT

King Charles III Makes Stop at Fire-Damaged Notre Dame Cathedral on State Visit to France 

Britain's King Charles and Britain's Queen Camilla visit Notre Dame Cathedral to see the restoration work in progress, in Paris, France, September 21, 2023. (Reuters)
Britain's King Charles and Britain's Queen Camilla visit Notre Dame Cathedral to see the restoration work in progress, in Paris, France, September 21, 2023. (Reuters)

King Charles III went from a meeting with young athletes in a working-class, multicultural suburb of Paris to an emotional stop in front of the fire-damaged Notre Dame Cathedral on Thursday, the second day of his state visit to France.

Earlier, Charles made an address to lawmakers at the Senate, praising France and the United Kingdom's “indispensable relationship” and its capacity to meet the world's challenges, including Russia's war in Ukraine and climate change.

Charles and Queen Camilla, accompanied by French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife, Brigitte, paid much attention to a presentation about ongoing renovation work at Notre Dame, one day after the king said he had been “utterly appalled by the scenes of such devastation following the catastrophic fire” in April 2019.

Charles and Camilla weren't able to enter the cathedral for safety reasons, but Macron invited them to take a closer look at the entrance as dozens of workers on the higher floors of the monument applauded the king and took pictures. The cathedral is due to reopen at the end of next year.

During the day, Charles made a few stops to greet the crowds waiting for him along the streets of the sites he visited, including the Paris flower market named after his late mother, Queen Elizabeth II.

In Saint-Denis, north of the capital, Charles chatted with young athletes while Camilla exchanged a few balls with Prithika Pavade, a 19-year-old French table tennis player. The area will serve as a major venue in next year’s Olympics.

Residents said the royal visit to Saint-Denis was a welcome boost for the town with deep pockets of poverty, a reputation for crime and a feeling among many of being left by the wayside.

“A lot of people are poor and it has a reputation as a cut-throat place,” said Yasmina Bedar, who was born in Saint-Denis and has lived there for 50 years.

“For a king in real flesh and blood to come to Saint-Denis of course can only help our image,” she said, chatting with friends in the Le Khédive café where Charles stopped to sit down for a few minutes with job seekers.

Café owner Sid Ould-Moussa said, “It’s excellent for the town, for us.”

The king also met there with the Paris Saint-Germain soccer club president Nasser Al-Khelaifi, who gave him the club’s No. 3 jersey and explained the club’s involvement in supporting young people and communities in difficulty.

Charles and Camilla briefly visited the basilica of Saint-Denis, which houses the tombs of French kings.

In the morning, the king received a warm welcome from French lawmakers from both the upper and lower houses of parliament gathered at the Senate, who stood and applauded him at length.

The partnership between the two nations “remains utterly vital as together we confront the challenges of this world,” he said, switching from French to English. “The United Kingdom will always be one of France’s closest allies and best friends.”

“Our determination and our alliance are more important than ever” in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, he added. “Together, we are steadfast in our determination Ukraine will triumph, and that our cherished freedoms will prevail.”

Charles offered to adapt the Franco-British “Entente Cordiale,” a 1904 series of agreements that settled former disputes and significantly improved relations, into an “entente for sustainability in order to tackle the global climate and biodiversity emergency more effectively."

"There’s no challenge we can’t meet, as we have so often done in the past,” he said.

The king’s emphasis on climate change came a day after Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced he was watering down some of Britain’s climate commitments, including pushing back a ban on new gas and diesel cars from 2030 to 2035.

Charles and Macron later attended a reception for British and French business leaders about financing climate-related and biodiversity projects.

The king also met at the British Embassy with French billionaire Bernard Arnault, CEO of the world's biggest luxury group LVMH.

Charles and Camilla wrapped up the Parisian leg of their state visit on Thursday evening with an informal meeting at the presidential palace, where they were welcomed by Emmanuel and Brigitte Macron.

The royal couple was to head the next day to the southwestern city of Bordeaux that is home to a large British community.

Charles is scheduled to meet emergency workers and communities affected by the 2022 wildfires in the area and visit an experimental forest designed to monitor the impact of climate on urban woodlands.

The royal couple's trip started Wednesday with a ceremony at Arc de Triomphe in Paris and a state dinner at the Palace of Versailles.

Varieties

Media Minister: Saudi History Exhibition Establishes Relationship between Saudi Media, National History

Minister of Media Salman bin Yousef Al-Dosari at the exhibition. SPA
Minister of Media Salman bin Yousef Al-Dosari at the exhibition. SPA
TT
TT

Media Minister: Saudi History Exhibition Establishes Relationship between Saudi Media, National History

Minister of Media Salman bin Yousef Al-Dosari at the exhibition. SPA
Minister of Media Salman bin Yousef Al-Dosari at the exhibition. SPA

The Minister of Media and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Saudi Press Agency (SPA), Salman bin Yousef Al-Dosari, expressed the Saudi media’s pride in its national message and its responsibility to consolidate the historical depth of the Saudi state by introducing its achievements, nobility, and cultural and social heritage, and promoting its civilizational achievement and regional and global status so that the progress march continues towards a promising future for the nation and the citizens under the Saudi Vision 2030.

He made his remarks following the opening on Wednesday of “Saudi Arabia's History Exhibition” at the headquarters of SPA in Riyadh. He noted that this documentary initiative aims to enrich historical knowledge and highlights the prosperous present of the country, within a framework that reflects the image of the Kingdom on the world stage.

He added that SPA’s holding of an exhibition on Saudi Arabia's history comes in the context of its national media role and to enrich its educational and knowledgeable message through an interactive media presentation, in a new experience for visitors from inside and outside the Kingdom, applying an innovative method that establishes a relationship between the media institution and the Kingdom's history.

The minister of media reiterated that the exhibition embodies the depth of the media’s connection with Saudi Arabia's history.

Nearly a century ago, the Kingdom witnessed the publication of Umm Al-Qura newspaper in 1924, in which it documented events and the reality of the national scene in its various aspects then. The issue of September 23, 1932 announced the declaration of all parts of the Kingdom united, under the name "Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,” marking a new era of development and modernization of the media sector, the diversity of its mass-media organizations, and the breadth of its message, keeping pace with the latest technologies across various media platforms.

After his statement, the minister of media extended his thanks and appreciation to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, and Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, for their support to Saudi media, and their continued interest in developing it, to enhance its role in highlighting the Kingdom's movement, under the goals of Saudi Vision 2030.

Varieties

KAICIID Trains Journalists to Use Dialogue, Media in Conflict Settlement

The participants acquired the necessary skills to use alternative methods to address conflicts. (Asharq Al-Awsat).
The participants acquired the necessary skills to use alternative methods to address conflicts. (Asharq Al-Awsat).
TT
TT

KAICIID Trains Journalists to Use Dialogue, Media in Conflict Settlement

The participants acquired the necessary skills to use alternative methods to address conflicts. (Asharq Al-Awsat).
The participants acquired the necessary skills to use alternative methods to address conflicts. (Asharq Al-Awsat).

The King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz International Center for Interreligious and Intercultural Dialogue (KAICIID) held a training workshop that hosted 32 Arab journalists from different religious and cultural backgrounds in Kuala Lumpur. It focused on understanding conflicts and how to use dialogue and media as efficient tools to address them.

During the second workshop of the Dialogue Journalism Project, the participants improved their knowledge of conflicts, and the decisive role that mediation can play to achieve peace.

They also acquired the necessary skills to use alternative methods to address conflicts by studying different cases of social disputes between two parties and developing sustainable and innovative solutions for these cases.

They trained on drafting “primary agreements” aimed at protecting the rights of all parties and establish peace among them.

Waseem Haddad, program manager in the Arab region, underscored the pivotal role that media can play to enhance coexistence, build sustainable peace, and respect the other who comes from another religious, ethnic, and cultural background. “Media can be a bridge of communication and agreement among different communities, and even among the members of the same community,” he explained.

“Journalists can harness dialogue to resolve conflicts and build communication bridges, which highlights the importance of the Dialogue Journalism Project led by KAICIID in the Arab region,” he said.

The participants said that after five days of various workshops and discussion sessions, they felt more open to accept the other and coexist with them without prejudgments, more committed to fighting hate speech, and more able to enhance peaceful agreements among religions and cultures.

They also acknowledged the importance of joining hands to empower the strategic role of media in promoting dialogue, coexistence, conflict settlement, and peace.

Varieties

Climate Crisis Has ‘Opened the Gates to Hell’ UN Chief Tells Summit

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres attends the UN Climate Ambition Summit on the sidelines of the 78th United Nations General Assembly at UN headquarters in New York City on September 20, 2023. (AFP)
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres attends the UN Climate Ambition Summit on the sidelines of the 78th United Nations General Assembly at UN headquarters in New York City on September 20, 2023. (AFP)
TT
TT

Climate Crisis Has ‘Opened the Gates to Hell’ UN Chief Tells Summit

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres attends the UN Climate Ambition Summit on the sidelines of the 78th United Nations General Assembly at UN headquarters in New York City on September 20, 2023. (AFP)
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres attends the UN Climate Ambition Summit on the sidelines of the 78th United Nations General Assembly at UN headquarters in New York City on September 20, 2023. (AFP)

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Wednesday told world leaders humanity's addiction to fossil fuels had "opened the gates to hell" as he kicked off a climate meeting where leading polluters China and the United States were conspicuously absent.

Despite increasing extreme weather events and record-shattering global temperatures, greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise and oil and gas companies reap handsome profits.

Guterres has thus billed the "Climate Ambition Summit" as a "no nonsense" forum where leaders or cabinet ministers will announce specific actions that deliver on their commitments under the Paris Agreement.

In his opening speech, he evoked 2023's "horrendous heat" and "historic fires," but stressed: "The future is not fixed: It is for leaders like you to write.

"We can still limit the rise in global temperature to 1.5 degrees. We can still build a world of clear air, green jobs and affordable clean power for all," he said, referring to the target seen as needed to avoid long-term climate catastrophe.

The bar for the podium was set high, with the UN chief making clear that only leaders who had made concrete plans to achieve net-zero greenhouse emissions would be allowed to speak.

After receiving more than 100 applications to take part, the UN finally released a list on Tuesday night of 41 speakers which did not include China, the United States, the United Kingdom, Japan or India.

Several major leaders didn't bother making the trip to New York for this year's UN General Assembly, including President Xi Jinping of China and Prime Minister Rishi Sunak from the United Kingdom, who said he was too busy.

US President Joe Biden, who addressed the General Assembly on Tuesday, sent his climate envoy John Kerry to the meeting -- although Kerry won't be permitted to speak in the segment reserved for "movers and doers."

"There's no doubt that the absence of so many leaders from the world's biggest economies and emitters will clearly have an impact on the outcomes of the summit," Alden Meyer of climate think tank E3G said.

He blamed competing issues -- from the Ukraine conflict to US-China tensions and rising economic uncertainty -- but also the lobbying power of the fossil fuel industry.

Catherine Abreu, executive director of nonprofit Destination Zero, said it was "perhaps a good-news story that we see Biden not being given a speaking slot at the summit" because the United States is continuing to expand fossil fuel projects even as it makes historic investments in renewables.

"I think about this as being a correction from past summits, where leaders have been given the opportunity to take credit for climate leadership on the global stage, while they continue to pursue plans to develop fossil fuels, and continue driving the climate crisis back at home," she added.

While the United States won't take the rostrum, California will be represented by Governor Gavin Newsom. From Britain, London Mayor Sadiq Khan will also attend.

Broken promises

The event is the biggest climate summit in New York since 2019, when Greta Thunberg stunned the world with her "How Dare You" speech before the UN.

Anger is building among climate activists, particularly younger people, who turned out in thousands last weekend for the "March to End Fossil Fuels" in New York.

Observers are eager however to see what Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and European Union President Ursula von der Leyen say both on their own goals and on financing commitments for the developing world.

Advanced economies vowed in 2009 to channel $100 billion to less developed countries by the year 2020 -- a promise that was broken -- even as much of the funding that was mobilized came in the form of loans.

Meanwhile, a "loss and damage" fund aimed at providing financial assistance to nations most vulnerable and impacted by the effects of climate change has still not been operationalized.

There are some bright spots, including the announcement that Colombia and Panama are joining a grouping called the Powering Past Coal Alliance -- particularly notable as Colombia is the world's sixth biggest coal exporter.

Varieties

France Rolls Out the Red Carpet for King Charles III’s State Visit

French President Emmanuel Macron, right, and Britain's King Charles III walk in the street from the Elysee Palace to the British ambassador to France's residence, Wednesday, Sept. 20, 2023 in Paris. (AP)
French President Emmanuel Macron, right, and Britain's King Charles III walk in the street from the Elysee Palace to the British ambassador to France's residence, Wednesday, Sept. 20, 2023 in Paris. (AP)
TT
TT

France Rolls Out the Red Carpet for King Charles III’s State Visit

French President Emmanuel Macron, right, and Britain's King Charles III walk in the street from the Elysee Palace to the British ambassador to France's residence, Wednesday, Sept. 20, 2023 in Paris. (AP)
French President Emmanuel Macron, right, and Britain's King Charles III walk in the street from the Elysee Palace to the British ambassador to France's residence, Wednesday, Sept. 20, 2023 in Paris. (AP)

President Emmanuel Macron and King Charles III were holding talks in Paris on Wednesday at the start of a long-awaited three-day state visit meant to highlight the friendship between France and the UK

Charles' trip to France was postponed in March amid widespread demonstrations against Macron’s pension changes.

For their first stop in the French capital, Charles and Queen Camilla attended a ceremony at the Arc de Triomphe, where they were greeted by Macron and his wife, Brigitte.

Macron offered a warm welcome to the new king, often putting his hand on his arm and his back. Both smiled as they chatted together.

Paris city center has been placed under high security for the occasion, with thousands of police officers and surveillance drones being deployed.

Small crowds gathered behind a wide range of barriers on the Champs-Elysees to get a chance to see the royal parade.

The visit shows "the deep historical ties that unite our two countries. It is also an opportunity to showcase France’s cultural, artistic and gastronomic excellence," the French presidency said.

At the Arc de Triomphe, both national anthems were played before a review of French troops and a wreath laying at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier to marking "the shared sacrifices of the past and an enduring legacy of cooperation," according to Buckingham Palace.

The jet fighters of the Patrouille de France and Britain's Red Arrows, the acrobatic teams of the two air forces, flew together above the monument, leaving a trail of red, white and blue smoke in the Parisian sky.

Charles and Macron, followed by Brigitte and Camilla in another car, then headed to the presidential palace under escort from the horses of the French National Guard, with both waving at the crowd.

Macron and Charles were holding a bilateral meeting at the Elysee Palace, because the visit also "symbolizes the relationship of friendship and trust" since they "have in the past worked closely together to protect biodiversity and combat global warming," the French presidency said.

The agenda was also due to include talks on Russia's war in Ukraine and the migration issue as Italy's southern island of Lampedusa was in recent days overwhelmed by people setting off from Tunisia.

While the UK royal family long ago ceded political power to elected leaders, members of the royal family remain Britain's preeminent ambassadors as presidents and prime ministers jockey to bask in the glamor and pageantry that follows them wherever they go.

The visit comes amid a recent warming in the Franco-British relationship after years marked by Brexit talks and related disputes.

At a bilateral summit in March, Macron and UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak agreed to strengthen military ties and step up efforts to prevent migrants from crossing the English Channel.

"We know that the British and French relationship has been difficult at times since 2016," Ed Owens, a historian of the British monarchy, told The Associated Press.

"This move on the part of the British state to send the king to France is about reassuring the people of France, but also the people of the UK that this is a relationship of significant important and that it is based on history, heritage and that there are many other things in our shared futures that connect us."

A state dinner on Wednesday in the Hall of Mirrors at the Palace of Versailles in the presence of more than 150 guests will be one of the highlights of the visit.

The menu includes blue lobster and crab followed by Bresse poultry and a gratin of cep mushrooms prepared, respectively, by French chefs Anne-Sophie Pic and Yannick Alléno. Both have been awarded three Michelin stars. The cheese course will feature France’s Comté and Britain’s Stichelton blue cheese. For dessert, world-famous pastry chef Pierre Hermé will prepare his rose macaroon cookie, made of rose petal cream, raspberries and lychees.

On Thursday, Charles will address French lawmakers at the Senate, providing a new venue for the king to show off his language skills after he wowed his audience by switching seamlessly between German and English during a speech to Germany’s parliament in March.

He will later rejoin Macron in front of Notre-Dame Cathedral to see the ongoing renovation work aimed at reopening the monument by the end of next year.

UK Ambassador Menna Rawlings, speaking on French news broadcaster LCI, said that Charles was "very sad" after the monument's spire and roof collapsed in a blaze in 2019. It reminded him of the 1992 fire at Windsor Castle, she added.

"Of course it’s an incredible moment for him to have the opportunity, with the queen, to look at this (renovation) work and also meet the firemen who were involved," she said.

Charles and Macron will also attend a reception for British and French business leaders about financing climate-related and biodiversity projects.

The king will end his trip on Friday with a stop in Bordeaux, home to a large British community. He will meet emergency workers and communities affected by the 2022 wildfires in the area and visit the Forêt Experimentale, or experimental forest, a project designed to monitor the impact of climate on urban woodlands.

Varieties

4 Lives Saved after Successful Organ Transplants in Arar

Saudi Flag / File/Reuters
Saudi Flag / File/Reuters
TT
TT

4 Lives Saved after Successful Organ Transplants in Arar

Saudi Flag / File/Reuters
Saudi Flag / File/Reuters

A specialized medical team at Prince Abdulaziz bin Musaed Hospital in Arar performed successful kidney, liver and lung transplants after having been donated the organs from a brain-dead patient, saving the lives of four recipients.

The hospital where the brain-dead person has followed the protocol in force in the Kingdom in such cases and asked the family to donate the organs, SPA reported.

According to the Saudi Center for Organ Transplantation, the recipients of the donated organs are a 50-year-old patient (right kidney), a 47-year-old patient (left kidney), a 44-year-old patient (liver), and a 45-year-old patient (lung).

Varieties

Saudi Arabia Opens Local Universities for Students from Around the World

Saudi Arabia has launched a new initiative to bring in students and researchers from around the world to study in Saudi universities. Photo: Al-Imam University
Saudi Arabia has launched a new initiative to bring in students and researchers from around the world to study in Saudi universities. Photo: Al-Imam University
TT
TT

Saudi Arabia Opens Local Universities for Students from Around the World

Saudi Arabia has launched a new initiative to bring in students and researchers from around the world to study in Saudi universities. Photo: Al-Imam University
Saudi Arabia has launched a new initiative to bring in students and researchers from around the world to study in Saudi universities. Photo: Al-Imam University

Saudi Arabia has launched a new initiative to bring in students and researchers from around the world to study in Saudi universities, and benefit from the various academic curricula in its colleges, universities, and institutes.

Minister of Education Yousef Al-Benyan opened the forum on the “Study in Saudi Arabia Initiative” on Monday, in the presence of ambassadors, diplomats, and representatives of international organizations.

The forum aims at showcasing the details of the initiative and the accompanying exhibit exploring the opportunities to bring exceptional students from around the world to study in Saudi universities.

The Minister said Saudi Arabia is a major destination for scientific research and innovation, and that the unlimited support provided by King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, has helped guaranty a special and sustainable research environment.

Al-Benyan invited the ambassadors and diplomats in the Kingdom to explore the educational opportunities and various academic programs to open the door for collaborations with distinguished researchers from different fields.

He also noted that joining the academic programs in Saudi universities enables international students to benefit from the new curricula and advanced facilities, and offers chances to interact with various cultures and enjoy new experiences and rich educational journeys.

“Bringing students, researchers, and interns from around the world to join the Saudi higher education institutions is an integral part of the kingdom’s view to develop the educational sector and boost its international position. It also contributes to fulfilling the fourth sustainability goal (good education), and boosting students’ flow from around the world and promoting scientific and cultural exchange,” he explained.

Al-Benyan also shed light on the care given to the Arabic language as a universal language, and how Saudi Arabia is the perfect destination to learn it and explore its fine cultural heritage. The economic shifts in the world have placed the Kingdom among the fastest growing economies, which helped create opportunities of technical and vocational development in different sectors including oil and gas, renewable energy, technology, and business.

74,000 students from around the world

Saudi universities have hosted over 74,000 students from around the world, and graduated more than 140,000 students from 160 countries in various specialties and academic levels, who benefited from the exceptional educational level and the high-quality outputs in the kingdom.

Dr. Sami Al-Haisouni, director of the scholarships department for non-Saudi students at the Ministry of Education, said the “Study in Saudi Arabia Initiative” reflects the Kingdom’s commitment to providing the best opportunities in the field of education and cultural exchange for international students. The Kingdom has paid great attention to supporting and empowering international students who have chosen it as their destination for education, he added.

Advanced Saudi universities

Saudi Arabia is a major cultural destination and a fine educational hub that has achieved a significant advancement over the past decades as a result of the guided support to develop the education sector, promote its outputs, and transform the conventional education system into a modern one.

The “Study in Saudi Arabia” platform opens the doors of Saudi universities for those willing to join from around the world to invest and develop their skills, benefit from the outstanding capabilities of the Kingdom’s universities, educational facilities, and research centers that serve all kind of scientific purposes.

The development efforts in the Saudi education sector have leveled up some Saudi universities to pioneering ranks. The Times’ World University Rankings 2023 includes 21 Saudi universities compared with 15 last year; seven Saudi universities were among the best worldwide, according to QS Universities Rankings 2021. The Kingdom has also ranked 36th among the best higher education systems in the world.

Public and private Saudi universities showcased their capacities in the exhibition accompanying the forum. They also introduced their educational and academic programs, seats allocated to international students, admission details, and academic information that students need to learn.

In addition to presenting the Ministry of Education’s approach for studying in Saudi Arabia, the forum provides comprehensive information, figures, and statistics about studies in the Kingdom, advantages, universities, colleges, and institutes, as well as the diploma, bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral programs in many fields including computer and Islamic law.