WASHINGTON: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken discussed recent violence in Israel and the West Bank with his Jordanian counterpart and stressed the importance of maintaining the status quo at Jerusalem holy sites, the State Department said in a statement on Tuesday.
“Secretary Blinken emphasized the importance of upholding the historic status quo at the Haram Al-Sharif/Temple Mount, and appreciation for the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan’s special role as custodian of Muslim holy places in Jerusalem,” spokesman Ned Price said in a statement.
Blinken and Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi on Monday also discussed the importance of Israelis and Palestinians working to end the violence and refrain from escalatory actions, he said.
Jordan’s King Abdullah said on Monday that Israel’s “unilateral” moves against Muslim worshippers at Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa mosque seriously undermined the prospects for peace in the region, state media said.
The monarch, who was speaking with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, blamed Israel for “provocative acts” in the mosque compound that violated “the legal and historic status quo” of the Muslim holy shrines.
On Friday, at least 152 Palestinians were wounded in clashes with Israeli riot police inside the mosque compound, the latest outbreak in an upsurge of violence that has raised fears of a slide back to wider conflict.
King Abdullah’s Hashemite monarchy has been custodian of the sites since 1924, paying for their upkeep and deriving part of its legitimacy from the role.
A number of US officials engaged in phone calls with Israelis, Palestinians and Arab representatives in the region over the weekend to see to it that tensions in Jerusalem do not escalate, Price told reporters on Monday.
Tensions this year have been heightened in part by the Muslim holy month of Ramadan coinciding with the Jewish celebration of Passover.
US Blinken stresses importance of status quo at Jerusalem holy sites -statement
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US Blinken stresses importance of status quo at Jerusalem holy sites -statement
- Blinken emphasized the importance of upholding the historic status quo at the Haram Al-Sharif
- Blinken and Jordanian FM also discussed importance of Israelis and Palestinians working to end the violence
Boeing focuses on quality management enhancement amidst safety concerns, says top official
RIYADH: Aerospace giant Boeing is enhancing its quality management system to meet regulatory standards, ensuring passenger safety, a top official told Arab News.
Speaking on the sidelines of the Future Aviation Forum in Riyadh, Omar Arakat, vice president of commercial sales and marketing of Boeing in the Middle East and Africa, said that the company is putting “a lot of emphasis” to meet the safety standards proposed by regulators.
The US plane maker is revamping its management in response to increasing pressure from airlines, regulators, and investors as it faces a deepening crisis following a mid-air panel blowout on a 737 MAX plane in January.
An Alaska Airlines Boeing 737-9 MAX experienced a mid-cabin exit door panel blowout shortly after takeoff, triggering multiple investigations, including one by the Federal Aviation Administration in the US.
When asked about safety developments, Arakat said: “I’m assuming you are referring to the quality issues that have made headlines, and I assure you that Boeing’s number one priority is safety and quality. We are doing a lot of plans to strengthen our quality management system.”
He added: “We’re also sharing with our customers all the steps that were taken to make sure that they feel the comfort that Boeing is doing the right thing.”
Detailing Boeing’s initiatives to enhance safety standards, Arakat added that the company is directly engaging with its suppliers and increasing involvement by inspecting various stages in the aircraft production cycle.
He expressed his enthusiasm about the progress in Saudi Arabia’s aviation sector during the discussion.
“We are very optimistic, and we are very excited about what is going on in Saudi Arabia in general, and specifically within the aviation sector. There is a lot of commitment by the leadership of Saudi Arabia to support aviation, and they recognize it as one of the most important pillars of developing infrastructure and moving forward,” said Arakat.
He added: “If you look at the mandates of Vision 2030, it really indicates that aviation has a very bright future because it sets some very real targets that the Kingdom is very serious about achieving. We are very proud to be part of that.”
The executive further noted that Boeing’s relationship with Saudi Arabia spans over seven decades, during which the company has delivered over 240 aircraft to airlines operating in the Kingdom.
Last year, Riyadh Air, owned by the Public Investment Fund, announced ordering up to 72 Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner airplanes in a significant deal. This included 39 confirmed aircraft and an option for an additional 33 wide-body 787-9 Dreamliners, reflecting Saudi Arabia’s ambitions to establish itself as a prominent player in global aviation.
National carriers collectively announced plans to purchase up to 121 787 Dreamliners, marking one of Boeing’s largest commercial orders by value.
Lebanese designer Georges Chakra puts on a show at the Cannes Film Festival
DUBAI: Lebanese designer Georges Chakra is making a splash at the ongoing 77th Cannes Film Festival and has so far dressed a number of stars on the red carpet.
Australian actress Claire Holt hit the red carpet before the premiere of Kevin Costner’s “Horizon: An American Saga” in an all-white gown by the designer.
The Georges Chakra Couture look was created from white satin and chiffon and featured pleated detailing across the hips and a dramatic chiffon shoulder train. The look hailed from the designer’s Spring/Summer 2024 collection.
Meanwhile, Tunisian actress Dorra Zarrouk attended the “Women in Cinema” gala dinner hosted by Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea Film Festival in a white satin bustier gown with a satin cape encrusted with hand painted gold feathers from the label’s Fall/Winter 2023-2024 line.
Finally, Chinese actress and model Crystal Zhang chose a Georges Chakra Couture gold sequined gown with a draped veil from the Spring/Summer 2024 collection to attend the Marie Claire China event which took place on the sidelines of the festival.
Holt showed off her choice at the premiere of Costner’s latest film on Sunday. “Horizon: An American Saga” sees the director return to his favorite Western genre with a three-hour film that is just the first of four mooted chapters.
Costner put millions of dollars of his own fortune into the decades-long passion project.
“At a certain moment I just said OK, I'm going to do this myself. And so I mortgaged property, I raised the money,” he told AFP at the festival.
The early reviews were mixed, with The Hollywood Reporter deriding it as a “clumsy slog” while British newspaper The Telegraph said it was “earnest yet hopeful... (and) perhaps its full grandeur won't be fully realized until part two.”
Costner says he is unconcerned about risking his money.
“If they take it away from me, I still have my movie. I still have my integrity. I still listened to my heart,” he said.
War monitor says Israeli strikes kill six pro-Iran fighters in Syria
- A Hezbollah source said that at least one fighter from the group was killed in Israeli strikes in the Qusayr area
Beirut: A war monitor said at least six pro-Iran fighters were killed Monday in Israeli strikes in Syria near the Lebanese border, in an area where Lebanon’s powerful Hezbollah group holds sway.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said “Israeli strikes targeted two positions of pro-Iran groups in the Homs region,” including “a Hezbollah site in the Qusayr area” near the border where “six Iran-backed fighters were killed.”
The Observatory did not specify their nationalities.
A Hezbollah source told AFP that at least one fighter from the group was killed in Israeli strikes in the Qusayr area.
Israel rarely comments on individual strikes in Syria but has repeatedly said it will not allow its arch-enemy Iran to expand its presence there.
On Saturday, the Observatory said an Israeli drone strike near the Lebanese border targeted a vehicle carrying “a Hezbollah commander and his companion,” without reporting casualties.
Hezbollah did not announce any deaths among its ranks on Saturday.
On May 9, Israeli strikes on Syria targeted facilities belonging to Iraq’s Al-Nujaba armed movement, the Observatory and the pro-Iran group said, with Damascus saying an unidentified building was attacked.
The Israeli military has carried out hundreds of strikes in Syria since the outbreak of the civil war in its northern neighbor in 2011, mainly targeting army positions and Iran-backed fighters including from Lebanon’s Hezbollah group.
But the strikes increased after Israel’s war with Hamas in the Gaza Strip began on October 7, when the Iran-backed Palestinian militant group launched an unprecedented attack against Israel.
Syria’s war has killed more than half a million people and displaced millions more since it erupted in 2011 after Damascus cracked down on anti-government protests.
Energy security is vital for prosperity among Arab citizens, says top official
RIYADH: A comprehensive and integrated approach is needed to ensure energy security amongst citizens, according to the Assistant Secretary-General and Head of the Economic Affairs Sector at the Arab League, Ali Al-Maliki.
During the 12th celebration of Arab Energy Efficiency Day, Al-Maliki urged the adoption of new measures to address this critical issue.
“Energy security is a fundamental issue due to its direct impact on economic growth, national security, and the well-being of all Arab citizens,” he stated in a speech delivered on his behalf by the Director of the Energy Department at the General Secretariat of the Arab League, Jamila Mattar.
“We are all aware of the challenges we face in terms of energy security and the transition to more sustainable sources,” the speech said.
“To confront these challenges, the world needs to adopt a comprehensive and integrated approach to energy security that takes into account the need to increase energy efficiency, develop renewable energy, protect vital energy infrastructure, and work to reduce harmful carbon emissions,” the text added.
Al-Maliki emphasized that efficiency is one of the basic pillars of energy security, according to a report by Bahrain News Agency.
He noted that achieving energy security involves providing services at the lowest cost without compromising quality and managing demand by introducing various concepts related to efficiency.
This approach aims to reduce consumption without conflicting with the developmental plans of each country.
Al-Maliki highlighted the council’s efforts to monitor the stages of efficiency in the Arab region. This includes developing, implementing, and monitoring national efficiency plans.
The council has also prepared the Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Guide in Arab Countries, which provides statistical information on policies and programs adopted in nations to enhance the efficiency of production and consumption and the use of renewables.
Additionally, the guide details the institutional and legal frameworks and the necessary financial incentives implemented or planned in these fields.
Pakistan heat wave to ‘intensify’ from May 23 onwards — chief meteorologist
- Pakistan’s largest province, Punjab, has announced school closures from May 25-31 due to heat wave
- KP, Balochistan provinces, Kashmir, Gilgit-Baltistan regions to witness higher than average temperatures
KARACHI: A heat wave is expected to hit parts of Pakistan starting today, Monday, Pakistan’s chief meteorologist said, warning that it will “intensify” from May 23 onwards in the South Asian nation at the searing edge of climate change.
Pakistan’s disaster management authority warned last Thursday temperatures in certain areas of Pakistan’s southern Sindh and eastern Punjab provinces could surge to 40 degrees Celsius between May 15-30. On Sunday, the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) warned of an “intense” heat wave in the southern districts of Punjab, with severe risk identified in Bahawalpur, Rahim Yar Khan, Dera Ghazi Khan and Multan districts from May 21 to May 27.
Heatwaves, which occur in summer, are caused by slow-moving high-pressure systems leading to prolonged high temperatures. The World Meteorological Organization defines a heat wave as five or more consecutive days during which the daily maximum temperature surpasses the average maximum temperature by 5 °C (9 °F) or more.
“Heatwave conditions are expected from today over Sindh, except Karachi, and the plain areas of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces,” Dr. Sardar Sarfaraz, the chief meteorologist at the Met Department, told Arab News.
“Maximum temperatures are expected to remain 4-6 degrees Celsius above average until May 22 and then intensify from May 23rd with temperatures 6-8 degrees above average,” he said, urging citizens to exercise caution.
Pakistan experienced its first severe heat wave in June 2015 when temperatures as high as 49 degrees Celsius struck the country’s south, causing the deaths of about 2,000 people from dehydration and heatstroke. A heat wave in Sindh’s provincial capital of Karachi that year alone claimed 120 lives.
Increased exposure to heat, and more heat waves, have been identified as one of the key impacts of climate change in Pakistan, with people experiencing extreme heat and seeing some of the highest temperatures in the world in recent years. The South Asian country of more than 241 million, one of the ten most vulnerable nations to climate change impacts, has also recently witnessed untimely downpours, flash floods and droughts.
Climate change-induced extreme heat can cause illnesses such as heat cramps, heat exhaustion, heatstroke, and hyperthermia. It can make certain chronic conditions worse, including cardiovascular, respiratory, and cerebrovascular disease and diabetes-related conditions, and can also result in acute incidents, such as hospitalizations due to strokes or renal disease.
Dr. Sarfaraz said other than Karachi, the rest of Sindh province would remain in the grips of scorching heat this month.
“While Karachi will not face a heat wave, the rest of the province and the plain areas of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa will be in the grip of the heatwave from today,” he said.
“In Jacobabad, the hottest city of the [Sindh] province, the temperature is expected to reach 50 degrees Celsius during this wave.”
Jacobabad is considered one of the hottest places in the world, with temperatures rising to 50 degrees Celsius between May and August, forcing nearly half the city’s 200,000 people to leave for cooler cities and towns, officials say.
The federal capital of Islamabad, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan provinces and the Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan regions would also see temperatures 4 to 6 degrees Celsius above average from May 21-27, Dr. Sarfaraz said.
SCHOOLS CLOSURES
Separately, the Punjab government announced on Monday it would close public and private schools from May 25-31.
“In view of the surge in temperature and heat wave in the province, all public and private schools shall remain closed for seven days with effect from 25th May 2024 to 31st May 2024,” a notification from the provincial education department on Monday read, adding that exams could be conducted during these days with necessary precautions in place.
Punjab Education Minister Rana Sikander Hayat shared the notification on social media platform X, saying the safety of children would always remain the government’s “priority.”
According to the Global Climate Risk Index, nearly 10,000 Pakistanis have died while the country has suffered economic losses worth $3.8 billion due to climate change impacts between 1999 and 2018.
In 2022, torrential monsoon rains triggered the most devastating floods in Pakistan’s history, killing around 1,700 people and affecting over 33 million, a staggering number close to the population of Canada. Millions of homes, tens of thousands of schools and thousands of kilometers of roads and railways are yet to be rebuilt.
