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Arab Gulf Program for Development, UNICEF Sign Cooperation Agreement

The agreement was signed in Riyadh. SPA
The agreement was signed in Riyadh. SPA
    Asharq A-Awsat
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Arab Gulf Program for Development, UNICEF Sign Cooperation Agreement

The agreement was signed in Riyadh. SPA
The agreement was signed in Riyadh. SPA

The Arab Gulf Program for Development (AGFUND) announced funding to support UNICEF's response to the cholera outbreak in Lebanon and to prevent the spread of waterborne diseases again.

The agreement was signed in Riyadh on Monday by Prince Abdulaziz bin Talal bin Abdulaziz, Chairman of the Board of Directors of AGFUND, and UNICEF Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa Adele Khodr on the sidelines of the Riyadh International Humanitarian Forum.

UNICEF and AGFUND stressed the importance of expanding the scope of partnership to new areas, and this comes after four decades of joint work, the latest of which are programs that have benefited children and families in Yemen, Sudan, Palestine and Jordan.

UNICEF and AGFUND identified the field of early childhood development, which is one of the focus areas of UNICEF programs in the Gulf, as a major priority for the partnership. The new cooperation includes the establishment of the Center of Excellence for Early Childhood Development, based in Riyadh.

The cooperation between UNICEF and AGFUND will also include steps aimed at addressing the climate crisis, as AGFUND, as a member of the Arab Coordination Group, has an important role in regional programming on climate change.

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Russian ‘Spy Whale’ in Norway Wasn’t Shot Dead, Likely Died of Infection

FILE - In this photo taken in April 2019 a beluga whale found in Arctic Norway is fed. (Jorgen Ree Wiig, Norwegian Directorate of Fisheries via AP)
FILE - In this photo taken in April 2019 a beluga whale found in Arctic Norway is fed. (Jorgen Ree Wiig, Norwegian Directorate of Fisheries via AP)
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Russian ‘Spy Whale’ in Norway Wasn’t Shot Dead, Likely Died of Infection

FILE - In this photo taken in April 2019 a beluga whale found in Arctic Norway is fed. (Jorgen Ree Wiig, Norwegian Directorate of Fisheries via AP)
FILE - In this photo taken in April 2019 a beluga whale found in Arctic Norway is fed. (Jorgen Ree Wiig, Norwegian Directorate of Fisheries via AP)

A beluga whale that lived off Norway’s coast and whose harness ignited speculation that it was a Russian spy, was not shot to death as claimed by animal rights groups but died of a bacterial infection, Norwegian police said Friday.
A final autopsy by Norway's Veterinary Institute “concludes that the probable cause of death was bacterial infection -- possibly as a result of a wound in the mouth from a stuck stick,” Amund Preede Revheim, head of the North Sea and Environment section of the police in south-western Norway said.
“There have been no findings from the autopsy that indicate that the whale has been shot,” he stressed, adding that the autopsy had been “made difficult by the fact that many of the whale’s organs were very rotten.” As there was no indication of foul play, there was no reason to start a criminal investigation into its death, The Associated Press quoted Preede Revheim as saying.
The tame beluga, which was first spotted in 2019 not far from Russian waters with a harness reading “Equipment St. Petersburg,” had been nicknamed "Hvaldimir,” combining the Norwegian word for whale — hval — and the first name of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
It was found floating in a southern Norway bay on Aug. 31.
In September, animal advocate groups OneWhale and NOAH filed a police report saying that the animal’s wounds suggested it was intentionally killed.
They pointed at several wounds found on the animal’s skin, including what was interpreted as a bullet hole.
“Assessments made by the Veterinary Institute and the police’s forensic technicians are that these are not gunshot wounds. X-rays of the chest and head were carried out without any projectiles or other metal fragments being detected,” police said in a statement.
Earlier, police had described a stick about 35 centimeters (14 inches) long and 3 centimeters (1 inch) wide which was found wedged in the animal’s mouth, its stomach was empty and its organs had broken down, police said. No further details were given.
The 4.2-meter (14-foot) long and 1,225-kilogram (2,700-pound) whale was first spotted by fishermen not far from the Arctic town of Hammerfest.
Its harness, along with what appeared to be a mount for a small camera, led to media speculation that it was a “spy whale.” Experts say the Russian navy is known to have trained whales for military purposes. Media reports also have speculated that the whale might have been trained as a therapy animal.
There was no immediate reaction from OneWhale or NOAH.