GCC Secretary-General Meets Australia Space Chief

Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Secretary-General Jasem bin Mohammed Albudaiwi holds talks with Space Industry Association of Australia (SIAA) chief executive Jeremy Hallett in Manama, Bahrain. (SPA)
Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Secretary-General Jasem bin Mohammed Albudaiwi holds talks with Space Industry Association of Australia (SIAA) chief executive Jeremy Hallett in Manama, Bahrain. (SPA)
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GCC Secretary-General Meets Australia Space Chief

Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Secretary-General Jasem bin Mohammed Albudaiwi holds talks with Space Industry Association of Australia (SIAA) chief executive Jeremy Hallett in Manama, Bahrain. (SPA)
Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Secretary-General Jasem bin Mohammed Albudaiwi holds talks with Space Industry Association of Australia (SIAA) chief executive Jeremy Hallett in Manama, Bahrain. (SPA)

Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Secretary-General Jasem bin Mohammed Albudaiwi held talks on Tuesday with Space Industry Association of Australia (SIAA) chief executive Jeremy Hallett in Manama, Bahrain.

Meeting on the sidelines of the sixth annual International Space Forum (ISF), the officials stressed the importance of boosting cooperation between the GCC countries and the SIAA in the fields of technology investment and the formulation of space-related policies in a way that serves their mutual interests.

They tackled Australia's aspiration and desire to bolster cooperation with GCC countries in the field of outer space to help serve their common interests.



Leslie Strengthens into a Hurricane in the Atlantic but Isn’t Threatening Land

An aerial view of flood damage along the Swannanoa River in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene on October 4, 2024 in Swannanoa, North Carolina. (Getty Images/AFP)
An aerial view of flood damage along the Swannanoa River in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene on October 4, 2024 in Swannanoa, North Carolina. (Getty Images/AFP)
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Leslie Strengthens into a Hurricane in the Atlantic but Isn’t Threatening Land

An aerial view of flood damage along the Swannanoa River in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene on October 4, 2024 in Swannanoa, North Carolina. (Getty Images/AFP)
An aerial view of flood damage along the Swannanoa River in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene on October 4, 2024 in Swannanoa, North Carolina. (Getty Images/AFP)

Leslie has strengthened into a hurricane in the Atlantic Ocean and isn’t threatening land, forecasters said.

The storm was located Saturday about 725 miles (1,170 kilometers) west-southwest of the southernmost Cabo Verde Islands and had maximum sustained winds of 75 mph (120 kph). There were no coastal watches or warnings in effect.

Meanwhile, Hurricane Kirk remained a Category 4 major hurricane, and waves from the system were affecting the Leeward Islands, Bermuda, and the Greater Antilles, forecasters said. The storm's swells were expected to spread to the East Coast of the United States, the Atlantic Coast of Canada and the Bahamas on Saturday night and Sunday.

Forecasters warned the waves could cause life-threatening surf and rip current conditions.

Kirk was expected to weaken starting Saturday, the center said.

Though there were no coastal warnings or watches in effect for Kirk, the center said those in the Azores, where swells could hit Monday, should monitor the storm's progress.

Kirk was about 975 miles (1,570 kilometers) east-northeast of the northern Leeward Islands with maximum sustained winds of 130 mph (209 kph).

The storms churned in the Atlantic as rescuers in the US Southeast searched for people unaccounted for after Hurricane Helene struck last week, leaving behind a trail of death and catastrophic damage.