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Saudi Arabia Participates in Int'l Conference on Combating Sand, Dust Storms

File Photo: Dust storm in Baghdad/ AP
File Photo: Dust storm in Baghdad/ AP
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Saudi Arabia Participates in Int'l Conference on Combating Sand, Dust Storms

File Photo: Dust storm in Baghdad/ AP
File Photo: Dust storm in Baghdad/ AP

CEO of the National Center of Meteorology (NCM) has highlighted the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's significant efforts to mitigate climate change and combat sand and dust storms, citing the Saudi Green Initiative, introduced by the Saudi Crown Prince in March 2021, which is designed to tackle both local and global environmental challenges.

In a key address at the International Conference on Combating Sand and Dust Storms held in Tehran Dr. Ayman bin Salem Ghulam emphasized that the Kingdom took the lead in recognizing the pressing need for collective action.

It demonstrated its commitment through various initiatives and investments, including the establishment of the National Center for Vegetation Cover Development and Combating Desertification in March 2019.

This initiative aims to increase green areas and rehabilitate degraded plant sites, SPA reported.

Dr. Ghulam further stated that the Kingdom's ambitious plans involve planting 10,000,000,000 trees and restoring over 40,000,000 hectares of degraded lands in the coming decades. These efforts are designed to combat desertification, reduce carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere, and promote biodiversity, he said.

He indicated that the Kingdom launched the Middle East Initiative in April 2021, as part of its support for the Saudi Green Initiative. This initiative aims to plant 50,000,000,000 trees, which is equivalent to five percent of the global afforestation target – the most comprehensive program of its kind worldwide.

Dr. Ghulam further mentioned that the Kingdom has set up the Regional Climate Change Center, the Sand and Dust Storm Warning Regional Center, and the Regional Cloud Seeding Program as integral components of the Green Middle East Initiative.

Moreover, the Kingdom has made significant investments in research and technology in collaboration with regional and international partners. He added that the Kingdom has also signed agreements with neighbouring countries to strengthen cooperation in early warning systems, research, and technology transfer.

He emphasized that these efforts underscore the Kingdom's dedication to sustainable development and its commitment to tackling challenges related to climate change, sand, and dust storms.

He also highlighted the recent recognition by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) of the consultation and evaluation system for warning of sand and dust storms for the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries as one of its regional headquarters.

Additionally, he said the Sand and Dust Storm Warning Regional Center received accreditation as one of its regional centres by the WMO.

The CEO of the National Center of Meteorology called for attending the Saudi-hosted first international conference on sand and dust storms in the Arabian Peninsula next March, and the 16th for the parties to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification end of next year.

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Varieties

Winter Storm Bears Down on US Northeast, Disrupting Airline Travel

Workers clear snow from the ice rink at Bryant Park during a winter storm in New York City, US, December 26, 2025. (Reuters)
Workers clear snow from the ice rink at Bryant Park during a winter storm in New York City, US, December 26, 2025. (Reuters)
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Winter Storm Bears Down on US Northeast, Disrupting Airline Travel

Workers clear snow from the ice rink at Bryant Park during a winter storm in New York City, US, December 26, 2025. (Reuters)
Workers clear snow from the ice rink at Bryant Park during a winter storm in New York City, US, December 26, 2025. (Reuters)

A winter storm packing a frosty mix of snow and ice bore down on the US Northeast early on Saturday, disrupting post-holiday weekend airline traffic and prompting officials in New York and New Jersey to issue weather emergency declarations.

The National Weather Service posted ice storm and winter storm warnings throughout New York state and Connecticut, forecasting some of the heaviest snowfall totals - up to a foot in localized areas - for Long Island and the Hudson Valley.

New York City could see its highest accumulations since 2022, with peak snowfall ‌rates of 2 ‌or more inches per hour, according to an ‌emergency ⁠declaration on Friday ‌from Governor Kathy Hochul, warning of treacherous road conditions.

In many areas snow was forecast to be mixed or glazed over with sleet and freezing rain.

"The safety of New Yorkers is my top priority, and I continue to urge extreme caution throughout the duration of this storm," Hochul said in a statement, admonishing residents to "avoid unnecessary travel."

Ice storm warnings and winter weather advisories were likewise posted for ⁠most of Pennsylvania, much of Massachusetts, and most of New Jersey, where a state of emergency ‌also was declared. High winds were forecast as part ‍of the storm.

Snow began falling ‍in western New York state and the New York City area on Friday ‍evening and was expected to intensify on Saturday.

More than 1,600 commercial airline flights within the United States and into or out of the country were canceled on Friday, and 7,800-plus were delayed as weather conditions began to worsen, according to the flight-tracking service FlightAware.

The three major airports serving the New York City area - John F. Kennedy, Newark Liberty International and LaGuardia Airport - accounted for ⁠the bulk of Friday's flight cancellations. All three issued alerts on social media platform X warning travelers of potential disruptions.

Another 650 flights that had been scheduled to depart or land in the US on Saturday were canceled, FlightAware reported.

Representatives from American Airlines, United Airlines and JetBlue Airways told Reuters those carriers had waived change fees normally charged to re-book for passengers whose travel plans may be affected by weather-related disruptions.

New Jersey and Pennsylvania issued commercial vehicle restrictions for some roads, including many interstate highways.

"This storm will cause dangerous road conditions and impact holiday travel," New Jersey's acting governor Tahesha Way said in a statement. "We are urging travelers to ‌avoid travel during the storm and allow crews to tend to roads."

Varieties

Cypriot Fishermen Battle Invasive Lionfish and Turn Them into a Delicacy

A cat stands next to a table with fried lionfish at Stefanos restaurant in Larnaca, Cyprus, in the eastern Mediterranean, Thursday, Dec. 18, 2025. (AP)
A cat stands next to a table with fried lionfish at Stefanos restaurant in Larnaca, Cyprus, in the eastern Mediterranean, Thursday, Dec. 18, 2025. (AP)
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Cypriot Fishermen Battle Invasive Lionfish and Turn Them into a Delicacy

A cat stands next to a table with fried lionfish at Stefanos restaurant in Larnaca, Cyprus, in the eastern Mediterranean, Thursday, Dec. 18, 2025. (AP)
A cat stands next to a table with fried lionfish at Stefanos restaurant in Larnaca, Cyprus, in the eastern Mediterranean, Thursday, Dec. 18, 2025. (AP)

Photis Gaitanos’ rough fingers adroitly untangle the venomous spikes of a lionfish from a net, throwing the exotic-looking creature into an ice-filled rubber bin along with other fish from the day’s catch.

Unlike a few years ago when he would have mostly caught local staples as sea bream, red mullet or bass, the veteran fisherman now hunts for the invasive species that made its way from the Red Sea to the warming waters of the Mediterranean,

Lionfish, with their red and orange-hued stripes and antennae-like barbs that menacingly ward off enemies, threaten to decimate indigenous fish stocks, wreaking havoc on the livelihoods of the roughly 150 professional fishermen in Cyprus.

The prickly fish has even made its way as far north as the Ionian Sea, where Italian authorities have asked the public to photograph and report sightings.

The East Mediterranean has also seen another invasive Red Sea fish in the last decade: the silver-cheeked toadfish. Known as an eating machine whose powerful jaws cut through fishing nets, decimating fishermen’s catch, it has no natural predators off Cyprus, allowing its population to explode.

That toadfish also produces a lethal toxin, making it inedible.

Warmer waters are the culprit

Gaitanos, the 60-year-old fisherman, has fished for years in an area a few kilometers off the coastal town of Larnaca, once famous for its fishing bounty. Now, he says, it’s been more than two years since he’s caught a red mullet, a consumer favorite.

"I have been practicing this profession for 40 years. Our income, especially since these two foreign species appeared, has become worse every year. It is now a major problem (affecting) the future of fishing," he said. "How can it be dealt with?"

Europe’s General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean says with the sea warming some 20% faster than the global average, the presence of invasive species "is progressively increasing in the western basin."

Models show that warmer seas as a result of climate change could see lionfish swarm the entire Mediterranean by the century’s end. Warmer waters and an expanded Suez Canal "have opened the floodgates" to Indo-Pacific species in general, according to Cyprus’ Fisheries Department.

Lionfish, center, are seen at Stefanios restaurant in Larnaca, Cyprus, in the eastern Mediterranean, Thursday, Dec. 18, 2025. (AP)

The European Union’s Fisheries Commissioner Costas Kadis, a Cypriot himself, told The Associated Press that more frequent and intense extreme weather, often linked to climate change, could make the Mediterranean more hospitable to invasive species.

And that’s taking a heavy toll on Europe’s fishing industry as fishermen’s catches diminish while their costs shoot up as a result of repairs to fishing gear damaged by the powerful intruders.

"The native marine biodiversity of a specific region, as in the case of Cyprus, faces heightened competition and pressure, with implications for local ecosystems and industries dependent on them," said Kadis.

Fishermen cry for help

Gaitanos, who inherited his father’s boat in 1986, is not sure the fishermen’s grievances are being handled in a way that can stave off the profession’s decline.

"We want to show the European Union that there’s a big problem with the quantity of the catch as well as the kind of fish caught, affected by the arrival of these invasive species and by climate change," he said.

Some EU-funded compensation programs have been enacted to help fishermen. The latest, enforced last year, pays fishermen about 4.73 euros ($5.5) per kilogram (2.2 pounds) to catch toadfish to control their number. The toadfish are then sent to incinerators.

Another project, RELIONMED, which began in 2017, recruits some 100 scuba divers to cull lionfish around wrecks, reefs and marine protected areas. The Cyprus Fisheries Department says surveys show that frequent culls could buy time for native species to recover, but it’s not a permanent fix.

Some try eating the problem

What local fishermen are hoping will catch on with the fish-loving public is a new campaign to serve lionfish as a delicacy after its poisonous spines are carefully removed.

Kadis, the EU Fisheries commissioner, said a social media campaign that began in 2021, #TasteTheOcean, had top European chefs and influencers plugging invasive species as a tasty alternative to the more commonly consumed fish. Renowned Cypriot chef Stavris Georgiou worked up a lionfish recipe of his own.

For most Cypriots, local taverns with their rich meze menus that feature numerous plates different fish is the way to go. Although eating lionfish has been slow to catch on, many tavernas and fish restaurants have started to introduce it as part of their menu.

The bonus is that lionfish is now priced competitively compared to more popular fish like sea bass. At the Larnaca harbor fish market, lionfish cost less than half as much as more popular fish like sea bass.

"By incorporating invasive species such as lionfish into our diet, we can turn this challenge into an opportunity for the fisheries sector and at the same time help limit the environmental threat caused by these species," Kadis said

Stephanos Mentonis, who runs a popular fish tavern in Larnaca, has included lionfish on his meze menu as a way to introduce the fish to a wider number of patrons.

Mentonis, 54, says most of his customers aren’t familiar with lionfish. But its meat is fluffy and tender, and he says it can hold up against perennial tavern favorites like sea bream.

"When they try it, it’s not any less tasty than any other fish," he said.

Varieties

Massive Crash on Highway in Japan Kills 1 Person, Injures 26 as Holiday Season Starts

Burnt vehicles are seen after a massive crash on an expressway, in Minakami, northwest of Tokyo, Saturday, Dec. 27, 2025. (Kyodo News via AP)
Burnt vehicles are seen after a massive crash on an expressway, in Minakami, northwest of Tokyo, Saturday, Dec. 27, 2025. (Kyodo News via AP)
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Massive Crash on Highway in Japan Kills 1 Person, Injures 26 as Holiday Season Starts

Burnt vehicles are seen after a massive crash on an expressway, in Minakami, northwest of Tokyo, Saturday, Dec. 27, 2025. (Kyodo News via AP)
Burnt vehicles are seen after a massive crash on an expressway, in Minakami, northwest of Tokyo, Saturday, Dec. 27, 2025. (Kyodo News via AP)

A massive crash in snowy weather killed one person and injured 26 on an expressway in Japan late on Friday as the country kicked off its end-of-the-year holiday season.

The Gunma prefectural highway police said Saturday that the pileup on the Kan-etsu Expressway started with a collision between two trucks in the town of Minakami, about 160 kilometers (100 miles) northwest of Tokyo.

A 77-year-old woman from Tokyo died, police said. Out of the 26 injured, five were reported to be in serious condition.

The crash of the trucks blocked parts of the expressway, and cars coming from behind them were unable to brake on the snowy surface. More than 50 vehicles were involved in the pileup, police said.

A fire erupted at the far end of the pileup, spreading to more than a dozen vehicles, some of which were completely burned. Nobody was injured from the fire, which was extinguished about seven hours later, police said.

A warning about heavy snow was in effect late Friday, when many Japanese started their year-end and New Year holidays.

Parts of the expressway remained closed for police investigation, removal and cleaning of the wreckage.