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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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California’s Largest Wildfire Explodes in Size as Fires Rage across US West

A column of flame burns on a hillside during the Park Fire near Lomo, Calif., Friday, July 26, 2024. (Stephen Lam/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)
A column of flame burns on a hillside during the Park Fire near Lomo, Calif., Friday, July 26, 2024. (Stephen Lam/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)
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California’s Largest Wildfire Explodes in Size as Fires Rage across US West

A column of flame burns on a hillside during the Park Fire near Lomo, Calif., Friday, July 26, 2024. (Stephen Lam/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)
A column of flame burns on a hillside during the Park Fire near Lomo, Calif., Friday, July 26, 2024. (Stephen Lam/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)

California's largest active fire exploded in size on Friday evening, growing rapidly amid bone-dry fuel and threatening thousands of homes as firefighters scrambled to meet the danger.

The Park Fire's intensity and dramatic spread led fire officials to make unwelcome comparisons to the monstrous Camp Fire, which burned out of control in nearby Paradise in 2018, killing 85 people and torching 11,000 homes.

More than 130 structures have been destroyed by this fire so far, and thousands more are threatened as evacuations were ordered in four counties — Butte, Plumas, Tehama and Shasta. It stood at 374 square miles (967 square kilometers) on Friday night and was moving quickly north and east after igniting Wednesday when authorities said a man pushed a burning car into a gully in Chico and then calmly blended in with others fleeing the scene.

"There’s a tremendous amount of fuel out there and it’s going to continue with this rapid pace," Cal Fire incident commander Billy See said at a briefing. He said the fire was advancing up to 8 square miles (21 square kilometers) an hour on Friday afternoon.

Officials at Lassen Volcanic National Park evacuated staff from Mineral, a community of about 120 people where the park headquarters are located, as the fire moved north toward Highway 36 and east toward the park.

Communities elsewhere in the US West and Canada were under siege Friday, from a fast-moving blaze sparked by lightning sent people fleeing on fire-ringed roads in rural Idaho to a new blaze that was causing evacuations in eastern Washington.

In eastern Oregon, a pilot was found dead in a small air tanker plane that crashed while fighting one of the many wildfires spreading across several Western states.

More than 110 active fires covering 2,800 square miles (7,250 square kilometers) were burning in the US on Friday, according to the National Interagency Fire Center. Some were caused by the weather, with climate change increasing the frequency of lightning strikes as the region endures record heat and bone-dry conditions.

The fire in eastern Washington was threatening homes, the railroad, Interstate 90 and the community of Tyler, which was evacuated Friday. The Columbia Basin fire in Spokane County closed part of Highway 904 between the interstate and Cheney. Multiple planes, helicopters and fire personnel were working hard to contain the fire, according to the Washington State Patrol.

In Chico, California, Carli Parker is one of hundreds who fled their homes as the Park Fire pushed close. Parker decided to leave her Forest Ranch residence with her family when the fire began burning across the street. She has previously been forced out of two homes by fire, and she said she had little hope that her residence would remain unscathed.

"I think I felt like I was in danger because the police had come to our house because we had signed up for early evacuation warnings, and they were running to their vehicle after telling us that we need to self-evacuate and they wouldn’t come back," said Parker, a mother of five.

Ronnie Dean Stout, 42, of Chico, was arrested early Thursday in connection with the blaze and held without bail pending a Monday arraignment, officials said. There was no reply to an email to the district attorney asking whether the suspect had legal representation or someone who could comment on his behalf.

Fire crews were making progress on another complex of fires burning in the Plumas National Forest near the California-Nevada line, said Forest Service spokesperson Adrienne Freeman. Most of the 1,000 residents evacuated by the lightning-sparked Gold Complex fires were returning home Friday. Some crews were peeling off to help battle the Park Fire.

"As evidenced by the (Park) fire to the West, some of these fires are just absolutely exploding and burning at rates of spread that it is just hard to even imagine," Tim Hike, Forest Service incident commander of the Gold Complex fire about 50 miles (80 km) northwest of Reno, said Friday. "The fire does not look that bad right up until it does. And then that just might be too late."

Forest Ranch evacuee Sherry Alpers, fled with her 12 small dogs and made the decision to stay in her car outside a Red Cross shelter in Chico after learning that animals would not be allowed inside. She ruled out traveling to another shelter after learning the dogs would be kept in cages, since her dogs have always roamed free at her home.

Alpers said she doesn’t know whether the fire spared her home or not, but she said that as long as her dogs are safe, she doesn't care about the material things.

"I’m kind of worried, but not that much," she said. "If it’s gone, it’s gone."

Brian Bowles was also staying in his car outside the shelter with his dog Diamon. He said he doesn't know if his mobile home is still standing.

Bowles said he only has a $100 gift card he received from United Way, which handed them out to evacuees.

"Now the question is, do I get a motel room and comfortable for one night? Or do I put gas in the car and sleep in here?" he said. "Tough choice."

In Oregon, a Grant County Search and Rescue team on Friday morning located a small single-engine air tanker that had disappeared while fighting the 219-square-mile (567 square kilometers) Falls Fire burning near the town of Seneca and the Malheur National Forest. The pilot died, said Bureau of Land Management information officer Lisa Clark. No one else was aboard the bureau-contracted aircraft when it went down in steep, forested terrain.

The most damage so far has been to the Canadian Rockies’ Jasper National Park, where a fast-moving wildfire forced 25,000 people to flee and devastated the park’s namesake town, a World Heritage site.

In Idaho, lightning strikes sparked fast-moving wildfires and the evacuation of multiple communities. The fires were burning on about 31 square miles (80 square kilometers) Friday afternoon.

Videos posted to social media include a man who said he heard explosions as he fled Juliaetta, about 27 miles (43 kilometers) southeast of the University of Idaho’s campus in Moscow. The town of just over 600 residents was evacuated Thursday just ahead of roaring fires, as were several other communities near the Clearwater River and the Nez Perce Tribal Hatchery Complex, which breeds salmon.

There’s no estimate yet on the number of buildings burned in Idaho, nor is there information about damage to urban communities, officials said Friday morning.

Oregon still has the biggest active blaze in the United States, the Durkee Fire, which combined with the Cow Fire to burn nearly 630 square miles (1,630 square kilometers). It remains unpredictable and was only 20% contained Friday, according to the government website InciWeb.

The National Interagency Fire Center said more than 27,000 fires have burned more than 5,800 square miles (15,000 square kilometers) in the US this year, and in Canada, more than 8,000 square miles (22,800 square kilometers) have burned in more than 3,700 fires so far, according to its National Wildland Fire Situation Report issued Wednesday.