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Iraq Returns Sword of Sheikh Ahmad al-Jaber Era to Kuwait

Kuwaiti Assistant Foreign Minister for Arab World Affairs, Minister Plenipotentiary Nasser al-Qahtani, and UN Sec-Gen representative during the handover ceremony (KUNA)
Kuwaiti Assistant Foreign Minister for Arab World Affairs, Minister Plenipotentiary Nasser al-Qahtani, and UN Sec-Gen representative during the handover ceremony (KUNA)
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Iraq Returns Sword of Sheikh Ahmad al-Jaber Era to Kuwait

Kuwaiti Assistant Foreign Minister for Arab World Affairs, Minister Plenipotentiary Nasser al-Qahtani, and UN Sec-Gen representative during the handover ceremony (KUNA)
Kuwaiti Assistant Foreign Minister for Arab World Affairs, Minister Plenipotentiary Nasser al-Qahtani, and UN Sec-Gen representative during the handover ceremony (KUNA)

Kuwait received from the Iraqi government a shipment of property items that had been seized by the former Iraqi regime, consisting of 738 boxes containing an Amiri sword dating back to the era of Sheikh Ahmed Al-Jaber Al-Sabah.

The shipment also included copies of the Holy Quran and Media materials that belong to the Kuwaiti Ministry of Information.

The Kuwaiti Assistant Foreign Minister for Arab World Affairs, Minister Plenipotentiary Nasser al-Qahtani, expressed his appreciation for Iraq's tireless efforts in this regard, stressing the importance of retrieving all Kuwaiti property, mainly the archives of the Amiri Diwan, the Crown Prince's Diwan and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Qahtani said, in a statement carried by the Kuwait News Agency (KUNA), that Kuwait had received from the Iraqi side a batch of Kuwaiti property that was recently found in Iraq, which the former regime seized during the invasion of Kuwait.

He affirmed that the batch consisted of media materials belonging to the Kuwaiti Ministry of Information and Amiri sword dating back to the era of the country's former Emir Sheikh Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, and two copies of the Holy Quran.

"I urge the concerned bodies in Iraq to resolve pressing issues and to bring closure to the matter of stolen Kuwaiti properties," he emphasized, saying the issue is of "paramount importance" to the Kuwaiti people.

The Iraqi Undersecretary of Foreign Affairs for Legal Affairs, Qahtan al-Janabi, said in a similar statement that the Iraqi government to should return all Kuwaiti property, adding that Baghdad will spare no effort to resolve this issue.

"We carried 738 boxes containing various books, magazines, microfilms, and items belonging to the Kuwaiti Ministry of Information and the Kuwaiti radio," he said.

He stressed the continuation of work to restore relations between Iraq and Kuwait and end all outstanding issues, expressing aspiration for more cooperation and development of bilateral ties.

The commissioned assistant undersecretary Youssef al-Sari said in a similar statement that several state belongings and media items, archives, and manuscripts were delivered to Kuwait, lauding the efforts to sort the contents.

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Varieties

Once a Top Export, Prized Kashmir Carpet Fades

(FILES) Kashmiri craftswomen weave silk carpets at a factory in Srinagar on May 6, 2026. Tauseef MUSTAFA / AFP
(FILES) Kashmiri craftswomen weave silk carpets at a factory in Srinagar on May 6, 2026. Tauseef MUSTAFA / AFP
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Once a Top Export, Prized Kashmir Carpet Fades

(FILES) Kashmiri craftswomen weave silk carpets at a factory in Srinagar on May 6, 2026. Tauseef MUSTAFA / AFP
(FILES) Kashmiri craftswomen weave silk carpets at a factory in Srinagar on May 6, 2026. Tauseef MUSTAFA / AFP

It has survived wars and upheavals, but the famed handwoven Kashmir carpet industry is now battling a steady decline as younger generations abandon the painstaking craft.

Masterpieces woven from mulberry silk or pure sheep wool by artisans have adorned imperial courts, museums and luxury homes across the world over the centuries, said AFP.

The hand-spun yarn dyed in natural colors is woven on handlooms, packing in between 300 and several thousand knots per square inch, depending on the intricacy of the design.

Until the 1980s, carpets were Kashmir's top export, but volumes have since steadily declined, with wars in Ukraine and the Middle East the latest blows to the trade.

"It hurts me to see this," weaver Bashir Ahmad, 78, told AFP.

"If more young people had taken up this craft, they could have made a living from it."

But the long hours, low wages and changing aspirations have made the profession less attractive to younger Kashmiris.

A master weaver today earns only around 500 rupees ($5) a day, less than many unskilled laborers.

"There are no government jobs for everyone, and my child, or anyone else's child, could have taken up this work and tried to make a career out of it," said Ahmad.

"But things are no longer the same."

- Modern looms -

As they craft, artisans chant aloud the design code handwritten on a strip of paper known as talim -- shorthand of ancient symbols for numbers and colors -- knotting the threads string by string.

Depending upon the size and design of the carpet, a piece can take a group of artisans up to a year to weave. They can fetch $20,000 in the international market.

The art of fine carpet weaving was introduced in the Himalayan valley of Kashmir in the 15th century by Persian travelers, and received patronage during the reign of its last local king Zain-ul-Abidin Budshah.

The handicraft flourished in Srinagar and later spread to other towns and villages across Indian-administered Kashmir.

Despite the decline in volume of work, some weavers are determined to carry on with the beloved tradition.

"As long as I have the strength and the days ahead of me, I will continue doing this work," said Mushtaq Ahmad, 75, who has been weaving carpets for 50 years.

Industry estimates suggest the sector employs around 30,000 people, down sharply from hundreds of thousands three decades ago.

Officials say efforts are underway to modernize the sector and attract new workers.

"As part of those efforts, we are providing modern carpet looms free of cost," said Zubair Ahmad, director of the Indian Institute of Carpet Technology in Srinagar.

The government has also introduced "geographical indication" tags that help distinguish genuine Kashmiri carpets from cheap imitations.

"The idea is to ensure their authenticity because there was a trust deficit between buyers and sellers," director Ahmad said.

Varieties

Japan to Survey Animal Cafes over Hygiene, Welfare Concerns

A Japanese customer at a 'cat cafe' in Tokyo. TORU YAMANAKA / AFP/File
A Japanese customer at a 'cat cafe' in Tokyo. TORU YAMANAKA / AFP/File
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Japan to Survey Animal Cafes over Hygiene, Welfare Concerns

A Japanese customer at a 'cat cafe' in Tokyo. TORU YAMANAKA / AFP/File
A Japanese customer at a 'cat cafe' in Tokyo. TORU YAMANAKA / AFP/File

Japan plans to probe popular animal cafes, where visitors can interact with anything from cats to capybaras, following concerns about hygiene and the creatures' welfare, authorities said Thursday.

Japan has hundreds of the cafes where campaigners say animals are sometimes kept in cramped spaces, and that their popularity encourages the capture and illegal trade of rare wildlife.

A fact-finding survey will begin as early as next month, starting with obtaining basic facts such as the number of establishments and what animals they keep, an environment ministry official told AFP.

The ministry will examine whether they comply with relevant laws, including whether animals have enough space and how often cleaning takes place, said the official, without wishing to be named.

"We may then do on-site inspections if we find facilities that appear to be breaching rules" stipulated by the animal welfare law, he said.

The decision to launch the survey followed recommendations by members of an expert panel about animal welfare.

Animal welfare groups have long been alarmed by the cafes, where visitors can pet and play with a dizzying array of animals including micro-pigs, hedgehogs, owls and snakes.

A 2025 survey by World Wide Fund for Nature Japan said that some kept endangered species listed on the Red List of the International Union for Conservation.

They also included species covered by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, which regulates international trade in wildlife.

Some shops had inadequate hygiene management without nudging users to handwash after contact with animals, and its "microbiological testing detected pathogenic bacteria in multiple facilities", the report said.

"Whether the animals are otters, capybaras, raccoons, owls, reptiles, or other wild species, these businesses are built around close encounters that prioritize customer entertainment over the animals' needs," said Laila Imai, campaign coordinator in Asia of animal welfare group PETA.

"Many are subjected to constant handling, noise, flashing cameras, and interactions with strangers throughout the day," Imai said.

"What may appear charming to visitors can be stressful and unnatural for the animals forced to live that way."

Some animal cafes act as adoption centers, helping to find new homes for rescued cats and dogs.

Varieties

Prince Harry, Wife Meghan Arrive in the UK as They Make a Fresh Start in Britain

Britain’s Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan. (AP)
Britain’s Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan. (AP)
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Prince Harry, Wife Meghan Arrive in the UK as They Make a Fresh Start in Britain

Britain’s Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan. (AP)
Britain’s Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan. (AP)

Prince Harry and his wife Meghan arrived in the United Kingdom on Wednesday, as they make a fresh start in Britain after six years in the United States, UK media reported.

The news comes less than a week after the couple surprised fans and critics alike with plans to return to Britain. The return was reported by media outlets including the BBC and Sky News, with the Daily Telegraph reporting their plane landed at Birmingham International Airport around noon.

Flight tracking websites showed a private charter flight from Van Nuys, California, arrived at the airport at 11:56 a.m.

The couple’s children, Prince Archie, 7, and Princess Lilibet, 5, have already enrolled at British schools and will start classes in September. The family plans to live at a private, nonroyal residence outside of London, but haven’t said exactly where that will be.

Harry and Meghan gave up their royal duties and moved to California more than six years ago to earn their living through lucrative contracts with Netflix and Spotify.

Relations with the rest of the royal family quickly soured as the couple said palace staff had been insensitive to Meghan’s mental health and leveled charges of racism and media manipulation at members of the royal family.

Harry recently expressed an interest in reconciliation so he could spend more time with his father, King Charles III, who is being treated for an undisclosed form of cancer. But relations with his brother, Prince William, who is heir to the throne, remain tense.