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UAE’s Mohammed bin Rashid Crowns Four Arab Hope Makers

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum crowned the four Arab Hope Makers finalists, awarding them a financial reward of AED 1 million ($272,000) each. Asharq Al-Awsat
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum crowned the four Arab Hope Makers finalists, awarding them a financial reward of AED 1 million ($272,000) each. Asharq Al-Awsat
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UAE’s Mohammed bin Rashid Crowns Four Arab Hope Makers

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum crowned the four Arab Hope Makers finalists, awarding them a financial reward of AED 1 million ($272,000) each. Asharq Al-Awsat
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum crowned the four Arab Hope Makers finalists, awarding them a financial reward of AED 1 million ($272,000) each. Asharq Al-Awsat

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, crowned the four Arab Hope Makers finalists, awarding them a financial reward of AED 1 million ($272,000) each.

Sheikh Mohammed awarded the title of the 4th season of the Arab Hope Makers, the largest initiative of its kind in the Arab region celebrating philanthropists, to Tala al-Khalil, who received the highest number of votes during the ceremony. He also directed that all four finalists be awarded the same title, including Mohamed al-Najjar from Iraq, Amine Imnir from Morocco and Fathiya al-Mahmoud from Egypt.

“In our part of the world, hope making is life making. The only way we can overcome challenges is through collaborative efforts. Hope for a better future is what keeps people going. Every new generation bears the responsibility of creating a better reality in their communities,” Sheikh Mohammed said.

“Spreading despair is our major challenge, which is why we need to continue to nurture hope, optimism and positivity among the new generation,” he added.

Sheikh Mohammed awarded the top Arab Hope Makers title to Tala al-Khalil for her initiative to mentally support and heal children with Down Syndrome and cancer.

Mohmmad Al Gergawi, secretary general of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives (MBRGI), said the Hope Makers initiative reflects the vision of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid of instilling the culture of giving across the Arab world, while celebrating those who launch life-changing initiatives that target communities and inspire the new generation to create a better future.

“The 4th season of Hope Makers unveiled a number of unique charity initiatives that serve Arab communities and help thousands of people around the world. More than 58,000 Arab hope makers have proved that our region enjoys a wealth of philanthropists, who renew our faith in our ability to become a global model of giving and philanthropy, regardless of color, race or religion,” he added.

Gergawi affirmed that the Hope Makers Initiative will continue to support voluntary work aiming to improve the quality of life across Arab communities, and to celebrate efforts serving vulnerable populations and alleviating their suffering, in line with MBRGI’s objectives of promoting a culture of hope and nurturing innovative ideas that can be transformed into sustainable projects in the Arab World.

The closing ceremony saw the participation of several Arab celebrities, including Ahlam, Hussain Al Jassmi and Assala, alongside artists and media personalities.

It also featured a new version of the ‘Arab Dream’ operetta, which was renewed by the Hope Makers Initiative, in collaboration with 12 artists including Ahlam, Majid al-Muhandis, Assala, Saber Rebai and Balqees.

Among the participations was the initiative of Iraqi Dr. Mohamed al-Najjar, 37, who lost his leg in 2014. He formed a football team of amputees, and worked with its players (aged between 14 and 40 years) to take part in many international, friendly games. The team qualified for the 2022 Amputee Football World Cup in Türkiye last October, won over Uruguay, Ireland and Germany, and lost three games. Thanks to these accomplishments, the Iraqi team now ranks 19th globally out of 70 amputee football teams.

From Morocco, Amine Imnir has recruited his social media accounts to improve living conditions for underprivileged Moroccans. He has led charitable campaigns and initiatives, and organized many relief campaigns to distribute aid to those in need in the country.

His AFTAS Society for Development and Solidarity distributed 800 sacrifices among poor families since 2020, dug 100 wells and provided over 1,000 solar panels, as well as more than 4,500 food parcels to underprivileged families including widows and orphans, funded 217 surgeries in 2023, and planted 2,800 fruitful trees.

Known as ‘the mother of orphans’ or ‘Mama Fathiya’, Egyptian hope maker Fathiya al-Mahmoud is an inspiring example of selfless giving and hope. Failing to have children of her own after 30 years of marriage, she decided to adopt 34 orphan girls. With the aid of her husband, they took care of raising, educating and nurturing the girls using their own savings.

The story of Iraqi pharmacist Tala al-Khalil started when a mother asked her for help to convince her child eat and take his treatment. This moment was a turning point in Tala’s life.

She launched her journey as a Hope Maker in 2015, when she started receiving young cancer patients in a special ‘caravan’ at the Basra Children’s Hospital to help them overcome challenges.

Offering much-needed psychological support to the children, Tala is a strong believer in the role of good mental health in enhancing immunity and the body’s ability to fight illness. She also used art to boost the immunity of children with cancer and Down Syndrome.

The Hope Makers Initiative welcomed over 300,000 Arab Hope Makers in four editions, which highlights a significant eagerness among Arabs for giving and hope nurturing.

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17th Century Wreck Reappears from Stockholm Deep

The remains of a 17th century shipwreck is pictured after resurfacing in Stockholm, Sweden, on February 17, 2026. (Photo by Jonathan NACKSTRAND / AFP)
The remains of a 17th century shipwreck is pictured after resurfacing in Stockholm, Sweden, on February 17, 2026. (Photo by Jonathan NACKSTRAND / AFP)
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17th Century Wreck Reappears from Stockholm Deep

The remains of a 17th century shipwreck is pictured after resurfacing in Stockholm, Sweden, on February 17, 2026. (Photo by Jonathan NACKSTRAND / AFP)
The remains of a 17th century shipwreck is pictured after resurfacing in Stockholm, Sweden, on February 17, 2026. (Photo by Jonathan NACKSTRAND / AFP)

A 17th century Swedish Navy shipwreck buried underwater in central Stockholm for 400 years has suddenly become visible due to unusually low Baltic Sea levels.

The wooden planks of the ship's well-preserved hull have since early February been peeking out above the surface of the water off the island of Kastellholmen, providing a clear picture of its skeleton.

"We have a shipwreck here, which was sunk on purpose by the Swedish Navy," Jim Hansson, a marine archeologist at Stockholm's Vrak - Museum of Wrecks, told AFP.

Hansson said experts believe that after serving in the navy, the ship was sunk around 1640 to use as a foundation for a new bridge to the island of Kastellholmen.

Archeologists have yet to identify the exact ship, as it is one of five similar wrecks lined up in the same area to form the bridge, all dating from the late 16th and early 17th centuries.

"This is a solution, instead of using new wood you can use the hull itself, which is oak" to build the bridge, Hansson said.

"We don't have shipworm here in the Baltic that eats the wood, so it lasts, as you see, for 400 years," he said, standing in front of the wreck.

Parts of the ship had already broken the surface in 2013, but never before has it been as visible as it is now, as the waters of the Baltic Sea reach their lowest level in about 100 years, according to the archaeologist.

"There has been a really long period of high pressure here around our area in the Nordics. So the water from the Baltic has been pushed out to the North Sea and the Atlantic," Hansson explained.

A research program dubbed "the Lost Navy" is underway to identify and precisely date the large number of Swedish naval shipwrecks lying on the bottom of the Baltic.

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China Has Slashed Air Pollution, but the ‘War’ Isn’t Over 

This picture taken on February 11, 2026 shows pedestrians walking along an overpass as traffic snarls in Beijing. (AFP)
This picture taken on February 11, 2026 shows pedestrians walking along an overpass as traffic snarls in Beijing. (AFP)
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China Has Slashed Air Pollution, but the ‘War’ Isn’t Over 

This picture taken on February 11, 2026 shows pedestrians walking along an overpass as traffic snarls in Beijing. (AFP)
This picture taken on February 11, 2026 shows pedestrians walking along an overpass as traffic snarls in Beijing. (AFP)

Fifteen years ago, Beijing's Liangma riverbanks would have been smog-choked and deserted in winter, but these days they are dotted with families and exercising pensioners most mornings.

The turnaround is the result of a years-long campaign that threw China's state power behind policies like moving factories and electrifying vehicles, to improve some of the world's worst air quality.

Pollution levels in many Chinese cities still top the World Health Organization's (WHO) limits, but they have fallen dramatically since the "airpocalypse" days of the past.

"It used to be really bad," said Zhao, 83, soaking up the sun by the river with friends.

"Back then when there was smog, I wouldn't come out," she told AFP, declining to give her full name.

These days though, the air is "very fresh".

Since 2013, levels of PM2.5 -- small particulate that can enter the lungs and bloodstream -- have fallen 69.8 percent, Beijing municipality said in January.

Particulate pollution fell 41 percent nationwide in the decade from 2014, and average life expectancy has increased 1.8 years, according to the University of Chicago's Air Quality Life Index (AQLI).

China's rapid development and heavy coal use saw air quality decline dramatically by the 2000s, especially when cold winter weather trapped pollutants close to the ground.

There were early attempts to tackle the issue, including installing desulphurization technology at coal power plants, while factory shutdowns and traffic control improved the air quality for events like the 2008 Olympics.

But the impact was short-lived, and the problem worsened.

- Action plan -

Public awareness grew, heightened by factors like the US embassy in Beijing making monitoring data public.

By 2013, several international schools had installed giant inflatable domes around sport facilities to protect students.

That year, multiple episodes of prolonged haze shrouded Chinese cities, with one in October bringing northeastern Harbin to a standstill for days as PM2.5 levels hit 40 times the WHO's then-recommended standard.

The phrase "I'm holding your hand, but I can't see your face" took off online.

Later that year, an eight-year-old became the country's youngest lung cancer patient, with doctors directly blaming pollution.

As concerns mounted, China's ruling Communist Party released a ten-point action plan, declaring "a war against pollution".

It led to expanded monitoring, improved factory technology and the closure or relocation of coal plants and mines.

In big cities, vehicles were restricted and the groundwork was laid for widespread electrification.

For the first time, "quantitative air quality improvement goals for key regions within a clear time limit" were set, a 2016 study noted.

These targets were "the most important measure", said Bluetech Clean Air Alliance director Tonny Xie, whose non-profit worked with the government on the plan.

"At that time, there were a lot of debates about whether we can achieve it, because (they were) very ambitious," he told AFP.

The policy targeted several key regions, where PM2.5 levels fell rapidly between 2013 and 2017, and the approach was expanded nationwide afterwards.

"Everybody, I think, would agree that this is a miracle that was achieved in China," Xie said.

China's success is "entirely" responsible for a decline in global pollution since 2014, AQLI said last summer.

- 'Low-hanging fruits' gone -

Still, in much of China the air remains dangerous to breathe by WHO standards.

This winter, Chinese cities, including financial hub Shanghai, were regularly among the world's twenty most polluted on monitoring site IQAir.

Linda Li, a running coach who has lived in both Beijing and Shanghai, said air quality has improved, but she still loses up to seven running days to pollution in a good month.

A top environment official last year said China aimed to "basically eliminate severe air pollution by 2025", but the government did not respond when AFP asked if that goal had been met.

Official 2025 data found nationwide average PM2.5 concentrations decreased 4.4 percent on-year.

Eighty-eight percent of days featured "good" air quality.

However, China's current definition of "good" is PM2.5 levels of under 35 micrograms per cubic meter, significantly higher than the WHO's recommended five micrograms.

China wants to tighten the standard to 25 by 2035.

The last five years have also seen pollution reduction slow.

The "low-hanging fruits" are gone, said Chengcheng Qiu from the Center for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA).

Qiu's research suggests pollution is shifting west as heavy industry relocates to regions like Xinjiang, and that some cities in China have seen double-digit percentage increases in PM2.5 in the last five years.

"They can't just stop all industrial production. They need to find cleaner ways to produce the output," Qiu said.

There is hope for that, given China's status as a renewable energy powerhouse, with coal generation falling in 2025.

"Cleaner air ultimately rests on one clear direction," said Qiu.

"Move beyond fossil fuels and let clean energy power the next stage of development."

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Sydney Man Jailed for Mailing Reptiles in Popcorn Bags 

Investigators recovered 101 Australian reptiles from parcels destined for Hong Kong, South Korea, Sri Lanka and Romania. (AFP file)
Investigators recovered 101 Australian reptiles from parcels destined for Hong Kong, South Korea, Sri Lanka and Romania. (AFP file)
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Sydney Man Jailed for Mailing Reptiles in Popcorn Bags 

Investigators recovered 101 Australian reptiles from parcels destined for Hong Kong, South Korea, Sri Lanka and Romania. (AFP file)
Investigators recovered 101 Australian reptiles from parcels destined for Hong Kong, South Korea, Sri Lanka and Romania. (AFP file)

A Sydney man who tried to post native lizards, dragons and other reptiles out of Australia in bags of popcorn and biscuit tins has been sentenced to eight years in jail, authorities said Tuesday.

The eight-year term handed down on Friday was a record for wildlife smuggling, federal environment officials said.

A district court in Sydney gave the man, 61-year-old Neil Simpson, a non-parole period of five years and four months.

Investigators recovered 101 Australian reptiles from seized parcels destined for Hong Kong, South Korea, Sri Lanka and Romania, the officials said in a statement.

The animals -- including shingleback lizards, western blue-tongue lizards, bearded dragons and southern pygmy spiny-tailed skinks -- were posted in 15 packages between 2018 and 2023.

"Lizards, skinks and dragons were secured in calico bags. These bags were concealed in bags of popcorn, biscuit tins and a women's handbag and placed inside cardboard boxes," the statement said.

The smuggler had attempted to get others to post the animals on his behalf but was identified by government investigators and the New South Wales police, it added.

Three other people were convicted for taking part in the crime.

The New South Wales government's environment department said that "the illegal wildlife trade is not a victimless crime", harming conservation and stripping the state "and Australia of its unique biodiversity".