عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
Varieties

Children's Art Supplies Enter into Gaza for First Time in Two Years

A painting drawn by artists is seen at a house destroyed by Israel, in recent Israeli-Gaza fighting, in Deir Al-Balah, central Gaza Strip June 13, 2023. REUTERS/Mohammed Salem
A painting drawn by artists is seen at a house destroyed by Israel, in recent Israeli-Gaza fighting, in Deir Al-Balah, central Gaza Strip June 13, 2023. REUTERS/Mohammed Salem
TT
TT

Children's Art Supplies Enter into Gaza for First Time in Two Years

A painting drawn by artists is seen at a house destroyed by Israel, in recent Israeli-Gaza fighting, in Deir Al-Balah, central Gaza Strip June 13, 2023. REUTERS/Mohammed Salem
A painting drawn by artists is seen at a house destroyed by Israel, in recent Israeli-Gaza fighting, in Deir Al-Balah, central Gaza Strip June 13, 2023. REUTERS/Mohammed Salem

The UN children's agency (UNICEF) told AFP on Friday that it was able to bring recreational supplies including notebooks, crayons and art materials into the war-scarred Gaza Strip for the first time in more than two years.

Since the start of the war sparked by Hamas's October 2023 attack on Israel, humanitarian organizations have repeatedly denounced major difficulties bringing equipment and supplies into the Palestinian territory, blaming Israeli restrictions.

Israel rejects those accusations, saying it oversees the entry of goods into Gaza to ensure its security.

UNICEF's announcement comes after the United States announced in mid-January the launch of phase two of President Donald Trump's Gaza peace plan, against the backdrop of a fragile ceasefire in effect since October 2025.

"Since Thursday 15 January, 5,168 recreational kits have entered the Strip, supporting more than 375,000 children -- including 1,000 children with disabilities," UNICEF said in a statement.

COGAT, the Israeli defense ministry body overseeing civilian affairs in the Palestinian territories, told AFP it was not in a position to comment immediately.

Phase two of Trump's peace plan aims at paving the way for Gaza's reconstruction including the gradual restoration of public services, but does not include specifics about the school system which has been largely paralysed for more than two years.

At the World Economic Forum in Davos on Thursday, US officials presented their vision for a "New Gaza" that would turn the shattered Palestinian territory into a glitzy resort of skyscrapers by the sea, saying the transformation could emerge in three years.

The issue of education was not mentioned among priorities for "the next 100 days".

UNICEF official Ted Chaiban, who visited Gaza this week, called for the authorisation to bring all other educational and early childhood development supplies into the territory.

Quoted in the UNICEF statement, he said these would provide children "with the most basic materials they need to be able to learn".

Humanitarian officials have told AFP they have not obtained authorisation from Israel to bring in school supplies.

AFP correspondents in the Gaza Strip say they have seen school supplies sold on the private market at exorbitant prices.

Most Viewed

 
 
Varieties

US Astronaut to Take her 3-year-old's Cuddly Rabbit Into Space

FILE PHOTO: An evening launch of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying 20 Starlink V2 Mini satellites, from Space Launch Complex at Vandenberg Space Force Base is seen over the Pacific Ocean from Encinitas, California, US, June 23, 2024. REUTERS/Mike Blake/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: An evening launch of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying 20 Starlink V2 Mini satellites, from Space Launch Complex at Vandenberg Space Force Base is seen over the Pacific Ocean from Encinitas, California, US, June 23, 2024. REUTERS/Mike Blake/File Photo
TT
TT

US Astronaut to Take her 3-year-old's Cuddly Rabbit Into Space

FILE PHOTO: An evening launch of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying 20 Starlink V2 Mini satellites, from Space Launch Complex at Vandenberg Space Force Base is seen over the Pacific Ocean from Encinitas, California, US, June 23, 2024. REUTERS/Mike Blake/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: An evening launch of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying 20 Starlink V2 Mini satellites, from Space Launch Complex at Vandenberg Space Force Base is seen over the Pacific Ocean from Encinitas, California, US, June 23, 2024. REUTERS/Mike Blake/File Photo

When the next mission to the International Space Station blasts off from Florida next week, a special keepsake will be hitching a ride: a small stuffed rabbit.

American astronaut and mother, Jessica Meir, one of the four-member crew, revealed Sunday that she'll take with her the cuddly toy that belongs to her three-year-old daughter.

It's customary for astronauts to go to the ISS, which orbits 250 miles (400 kilometers) above Earth, to take small personal items to keep close during their months-long stint in space.

"I do have a small stuffed rabbit that belongs to my three-year-old daughter, and she actually has two of these because one was given as a gift," Meir, 48, told an online news conference.

"So one will stay down here with her, and one will be there with us, having adventures all the time, so that we'll keep sending those photos back and forth to my family," AFP quoted her as saying.

US space agency NASA says SpaceX Crew-12 will lift off on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral in Florida to the orbiting scientific laboratory early Wednesday.

The mission will be replacing Crew-11, which returned to Earth in January, a month earlier than planned, during the first medical evacuation in the space station's history.

Meir, a marine biologist and physiologist, served as flight engineer on a 2019-2020 expedition to the space station and participated in the first all-female spacewalks.

Since then, she's given birth to her daughter. She reflected Sunday on the challenges of being a parent and what is due to be an eight-month separation from her child.

"It does make it a lot difficult in preparing to leave and thinking about being away from her for that long, especially when she's so young, it's really a large chunk of her life," Meir said.

"But I hope that one day, she will really realize that this absence was a meaningful one, because it was an adventure that she got to share into and that she'll have memories about, and hopefully it will inspire her and other people around the world," Meir added.

When the astronauts finally get on board the ISS, they will be one of the last crews to live on board the football field-sized space station.

Continuously inhabited for the last quarter century, the aging ISS is scheduled to be pushed into Earth's orbit before crashing into an isolated spot in the Pacific Ocean in 2030.

The other Crew-12 astronauts are Jack Hathaway of NASA, European Space Agency astronaut Sophie Adenot, and Russian cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev.

Varieties

iRead Marathon Records over 6.5 Million Pages Read

Participants agreed that the number of pages read was not merely a numerical milestone - SPA
Participants agreed that the number of pages read was not merely a numerical milestone - SPA
TT
TT

iRead Marathon Records over 6.5 Million Pages Read

Participants agreed that the number of pages read was not merely a numerical milestone - SPA
Participants agreed that the number of pages read was not merely a numerical milestone - SPA

The fifth edition of the iRead Marathon achieved a remarkable milestone, surpassing 6.5 million pages read over three consecutive days, in a cultural setting that reaffirmed reading as a collective practice with impact beyond the moment.

Hosted at the Library of the King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture (Ithra) and held in parallel with 52 libraries across 13 Arab countries, including digital libraries participating for the first time, the marathon reflected the transformation of libraries into open, inclusive spaces that transcend physical boundaries and accommodate diverse readers and formats.

Participants agreed that the number of pages read was not merely a numerical milestone, but a reflection of growing engagement and a deepening belief in reading as a daily, shared activity accessible to all, free from elitism or narrow specialization.

Pages were read in multiple languages and formats, united by a common conviction that reading remains a powerful way to build genuine connections and foster knowledge-based bonds across geographically distant yet intellectually aligned communities, SPA reported.

The marathon also underscored its humanitarian and environmental dimension, as every 100 pages read is linked to the planting of one tree, translating this edition’s outcome into a pledge of more than 65,000 trees. This simple equation connects knowledge with sustainability, turning reading into a tangible, real-world contribution.

The involvement of digital libraries marked a notable development, expanding access, strengthening engagement, and reinforcing the library’s ability to adapt to technological change without compromising its cultural role. Integrating print and digital reading added a contemporary dimension to the marathon while preserving its core spirit of gathering around the book.

With the conclusion of the iRead Marathon, the experience proved to be more than a temporary event, becoming a cultural moment that raised fundamental questions about reading’s role in shaping awareness and the capacity of cultural initiatives to create lasting impact. Three days confirmed that reading, when practiced collectively, can serve as a meeting point and the start of a longer cultural journey.

Varieties

Imam Turki bin Abdullah Royal Reserve Launches Fifth Beekeeping Season

Jazan’s Annual Honey Festival - File Photo/SPA
Jazan’s Annual Honey Festival - File Photo/SPA
TT
TT

Imam Turki bin Abdullah Royal Reserve Launches Fifth Beekeeping Season

Jazan’s Annual Honey Festival - File Photo/SPA
Jazan’s Annual Honey Festival - File Photo/SPA

The Imam Turki bin Abdullah Royal Nature Reserve Development Authority launched the fifth annual beekeeping season for 2026 as part of its programs to empower the local community and regulate beekeeping activities within the reserve.

The launch aligns with the authority's objectives of biodiversity conservation, the promotion of sustainable environmental practices, and the generation of economic returns for beekeepers, SPA reported.

The authority explained that this year’s beekeeping season comprises three main periods associated with spring flowers, acacia, and Sidr, with the start date of each period serving as the official deadline for submitting participation applications.

The authority encouraged all interested beekeepers to review the season details and attend the scheduled virtual meetings to ensure organized participation in accordance with the approved regulations and the specified dates for each season.