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Lebanese Prof. Niveen Khashab Wins Great Arab Minds Award in Natural Sciences

Lebanese Prof. Niveen Mohammad Ali Khashab. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Lebanese Prof. Niveen Mohammad Ali Khashab. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Lebanese Prof. Niveen Khashab Wins Great Arab Minds Award in Natural Sciences

Lebanese Prof. Niveen Mohammad Ali Khashab. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Lebanese Prof. Niveen Mohammad Ali Khashab. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Lebanese Professor Niveen Mohammad Ali Khashab won the Great Arab Minds Award-2023 in Natural Sciences, for her contributions in chemistry, bioengineering and biology.

Her research interests focus on applications of programmable, intelligent, engineered nanomaterials and their uses for medical, pharmaceutical, industrial and environmental purposes. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, vice president, prime minister and ruler of Dubai, said that scientific and cognitive curiosity has been the base of nations’ cultural development throughout history.

The winning announcement was made by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. Prof. Niveen Khashab is associate dean of Physical Sciences and Engineering Division and Professor of Chemistry at KAUST - Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, given her pioneering contributions in the field of natural sciences and her research in Arab universities.

“Today we announce the winner of the Arab Minds Award in natural sciences, Professor Nevin Khashab, a researcher and academic who inspires a new generation of young scientists in the Arab world and transforms research into advanced innovations in medicine, advanced industries, nanotechnology and sustainable agriculture,” said the Ruler of Dubai.

“Scientific achievement is the basis of civilizational development. We want to preserve scientists, empower them, honor them, celebrate their achievements and provide them with the space they need to transform their ideas and research into reality. Resuming the region’s contribution to human civilization is a comprehensive project and a strategic commitment that focuses on the Arab citizen capable of achievement, creativity and excellence in science and knowledge,” he added.

Khashab is exploring the new opportunities that nano capsules and devices can provide in drugs, gene therapies, medical diagnosis and industries, given their sturdiness, durability and superior thermal resistance.

Khashab is currently experimenting with carbon nanotubes characterized with their exceptional rigidity and strength, as well as electronic properties. She is also testing applications of carbon tubes in smart membranes. Khashab also collaborated on designing smart materials used in biomedical systems based on molecule assemblies at the nanoscale using non-covalent interactions.

The applications of the scientific innovations and smart materials developed by Khashab are diverse, including medical in the fields of sensing and drug, therapeutic and surgical delivery; industrial as in nanocomposites and others; and environmental in sustainable agriculture solutions and platforms.

Mohammad Al Gergawi, chairman of the Committee leading Great Arab Minds, congratulated Khashab on the phone, hailing her contributions in natural sciences and its pioneering research that opened new horizons in the uses of ultra-fine nanomaterials for medical and pharmaceutical purposes and advanced technology applications.

The initiative aims to promote the reverse migration of Arab minds and keep them in the Arab world by celebrating, honoring and highlighting their achievements.

The competition received thousands of nominations in its six categories: engineering and technology, medicine, economics, literature and natural sciences, arts, architecture, and design.

The Great Arab Minds Awards’ winners announced so far are: Dr. Hani Negm from Saudi Arabia in Medicine, Professor Fadel Adib from Lebanon in Engineering and Technology, Dr. Muhammad el-Erian in economics, and Professor Niveen Khashab in natural sciences. The winners in the two remaining categories will be announced later.

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Jordan’s Government Launches AI-Powered Digital Spokesperson ‘Farah’

Farah's account on the Instagram platform
Farah's account on the Instagram platform
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Jordan’s Government Launches AI-Powered Digital Spokesperson ‘Farah’

Farah's account on the Instagram platform
Farah's account on the Instagram platform

The account of the Jordanian government’s digital spokesperson, "Farah," has been launched on Instagram as a new digital platform for communicating with the public and providing citizens with information in a simple and direct manner.

In its announcement on X introducing “Farah,” the Jordanian Ministry of Government Communications included a video clip of the character, who introduced herself in a colloquial dialect as a digital spokesperson.

“This is considered the first experience of its kind in the region and the world.”

"Farah" is a virtual character developed using artificial intelligence technologies. She has begun appearing on social media platforms as part of efforts to harness modern technology to enhance communication with citizens, Jordan News Agency (Petra) reported Friday.

The launch aims to address questions and inquiries concerning issues of public interest through digital content tailored to social media users, Petra said.

Speaking in a simple and accessible style, "Farah" is intended to complement traditional communication channels in an innovative experience designed to keep pace with the rapid digital transformation and changing ways in which the public receives official information and news.

The launch of the digital spokesperson is seen as a pioneering step in the use of artificial intelligence in institutional work and public communication, as government institutions seek to strengthen their presence on digital platforms and reach broader segments of society.

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Malaysia Declares Emergency in Serian District in Sarawak State Due to Haze

Kuching riverside in the city center is shrouded in thick haze in Kuching, Sarawak state, Malaysia, Friday, Sept. 4, 2026. (AP)
Kuching riverside in the city center is shrouded in thick haze in Kuching, Sarawak state, Malaysia, Friday, Sept. 4, 2026. (AP)
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Malaysia Declares Emergency in Serian District in Sarawak State Due to Haze

Kuching riverside in the city center is shrouded in thick haze in Kuching, Sarawak state, Malaysia, Friday, Sept. 4, 2026. (AP)
Kuching riverside in the city center is shrouded in thick haze in Kuching, Sarawak state, Malaysia, Friday, Sept. 4, 2026. (AP)

Malaysia declared an emergency in the district of Serian, in Sarawak state, after thick haze caused by forest fires in neighboring Indonesia pushed air pollution up to hazardous levels on Friday.

Sarawak, on Borneo, has been heavily affected by fires on the Indonesian side of the island, with haze forcing school closures in some parts of the state.

Malaysian authorities categorize Air Pollution Index (API) readings ‌above 300 as ‌hazardous, with a measurement of ‌500 serving ⁠as the threshold ⁠for declaring an emergency. The API reached 519 in Serian on Friday, government data showed.

The emergency declaration was issued by Malaysia's king, Sultan Ibrahim, after advice from Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and Sarawak premier Abang Johari Openg, Anwar's office said in a statement.

"Sultan ⁠Ibrahim has consented to the declaration of ‌a state of emergency throughout ‌the Serian district, Sarawak, following haze conditions that have reached ‌a level of air pollution hazardous to public ‌health and safety," the statement said.

Sarawak disaster management committee chairman Douglas Uggah Embas had earlier told a news conference the state had requested an emergency declaration after API ‌readings breached 500.

The emergency would be confined to the Serian district, covering an area ⁠of ⁠about 20 kilometers (12.4 miles) radius, with essential services such as supermarkets, petrol stations, and banks expected to continue operating, Douglas said.

Cloud-seeding operations were also being carried out, he added.

Malaysia is a constitutional monarchy in which the king has a largely ceremonial role, carrying out his duties with advice from the prime minister and cabinet. But the monarch has the power to decide if an emergency should be declared based on grave threats to national security, the economy, or public order.

Varieties

US Study Tests Psilocybin to Fight Cancer Side Effects

A health worker from the community health center prepares a cervical cancer and rubella vaccination during the School Children Immunization Month (BIAS) program at a school in Banda Aceh, Indonesia, 27 August 2026. EPA/HOTLI SIMANJUNTAK
A health worker from the community health center prepares a cervical cancer and rubella vaccination during the School Children Immunization Month (BIAS) program at a school in Banda Aceh, Indonesia, 27 August 2026. EPA/HOTLI SIMANJUNTAK
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US Study Tests Psilocybin to Fight Cancer Side Effects

A health worker from the community health center prepares a cervical cancer and rubella vaccination during the School Children Immunization Month (BIAS) program at a school in Banda Aceh, Indonesia, 27 August 2026. EPA/HOTLI SIMANJUNTAK
A health worker from the community health center prepares a cervical cancer and rubella vaccination during the School Children Immunization Month (BIAS) program at a school in Banda Aceh, Indonesia, 27 August 2026. EPA/HOTLI SIMANJUNTAK

Here's a novel idea for countering the painful side effects of chemotherapy: beforehand, take the hallucinogenic drug found in magic mushrooms.

The study published Thursday in the journal Science involved tests on rats and certain human tissues as researchers looked at using psilocybin to fight a condition called peripheral neuropathy, which affects millions of people around the world.

It is a nerve ailment that hits about three quarters of all people who undergo chemo and commonly causes numbness and tingling, Patrick Dougherty, a co-author of the study, said in a call with reporters.

But a third of that group will develop non-stop, burning pain, said Dougherty, a pain treatment specialist at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.

The symptoms can lead to trouble walking and other debilitating complications that can last after a person finishes chemotherapy, and even remain with them for life, AFP reported.

And it is not just a quality-of-life issue. This complication also affects a cancer patient's chances of survival because sometimes the side effects are so bad they force doctors to cut back on chemo or stop it altogether.

It was almost by accident that these researchers found that psilocybin can help cancer patients.

The team was initially studying how the disease manages to hijack nerve cells in order to grow.

And the researchers were surprised to see the mushroom ingredient -- it was being used to study a brain pathway regeneration concept called neuroplasticity -- actually prevented the emergence of peripheral neuropathy.

Later experiments highlighted psilocybin's role in protecting nerve cells and stimulating inside them the transport of mitochondria, often referred to as a cell's powerhouse.

This is key because chemo destroys the microscopic railroads that allow mitochondria to send energy all the way to the tips of people's hands and feet, killing off nerve endings there.

Psilocybin also seems to act on the brain, preserving electrical activity that chemotherapy thwarts.

In rodents, taking two doses of psilocybin before chemo was enough to prevent the appearance of painful hypersensitivity during as many as six rounds of treatment. And it did this without affecting the animal's immune system or hindering the cancer-fighting action.

"This is a highly promising finding," said Kristy Townsend, a professor of neurobiology at The Ohio State University who was not involved in the study.

And psilocybin's nerve-protecting quality does not seem to be linked to its hallucinogenic effects because a non-hallucinogenic analogue had the same effect in a lab test, she added.

Before the treatment can be made standard for people, testing will be needed to see if it is safe and effective, said Townsend.

This will be a long, slow process though it should be eased by a boom in medical research on psychedelic substances and a Trump administration executive order in April to speed up research and regulatory reviews, these scientists say.

The MD Anderson Cancer Center plans to launch clinical tests with psilocybin on cancer patients later this year.

Meanwhile it is important for cancer patients to avoid using magic mushrooms on their own as treatment, the researchers warned.

Psilocybin is legal in a few US states.

The drug has an "amplifier" effect and cancer patients who take it without supervision could feel more stressed and anxious than they already are because of their cancer diagnosis, said Gregory Jones, a psychiatrist who took part in the study released Thursday.

"If you put somebody in adversity under these psychedelic substances, you can get much worse," Jones said.