WASHINGTON: Secretary of State Mike Pompeo says the United States aspires to have North Korea as a “close partner” and not an enemy.
Pompeo says he told North Korean leader Kim Jong Un of that hope when he visited Pyongyang earlier this week to finalize details of the upcoming summit between Kim and President Donald Trump and to secure the release of three imprisoned Americans.
The secretary of state says he made clear to Kim that if North Korea gets rid of its nuclear weapons in a permanent and verifiable way, the US is willing to help the impoverished nation boost its economy and living stands to levels like those in prosperous South Korea.
Pompeo spoke Friday at a joint news conference with South Korea’s visiting foreign minister.
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US hopes North Korea will become close partner, Pompeo says
US hopes North Korea will become close partner, Pompeo says
Florida mayor drops threat to evict cinema for screening ‘No Other Land’
- Miami Beach Mayor Steven Meiner vowed to evict and halt future grant payments to the non-profit O Cinema following the screening
- Accusations of “one-sided propaganda” and antisemitism by Meiner intensified the debate surrounding pro-Palestinian activism
WASHINGTON: Miami Beach Mayor Steven Meiner said on Wednesday he dropped his threat to evict an art house cinema from city property for screening Oscar-winning “No Other Land,” a film about the Israeli displacement of a Palestinian community in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.
The move came after multiple rights advocates and artists in recent days criticized Meiner’s threat and said it would violate free speech.
Meiner said earlier he sought to evict and halt future grant payments to the non-profit O Cinema in South Beach.
City commissioners were scheduled to vote on Wednesday on a resolution introduced by Meiner and made public last week.
In the session, a majority of the seven-member commission said they opposed the resolution, as did dozens of people who gathered.
Meiner said he would introduce another resolution aimed at encouraging O Cinema to show movies highlighting “a fair and balanced viewpoint of the current war” and it would be deferred to a later meeting.
Meiner called the movie “one-sided propaganda” and antisemitic. The film’s co-directors, Palestinian activist Basel Adra and Israeli journalist Yuval Abraham, dismissed antisemitism allegations.
The American Civil Liberties Union of Florida, the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression and other rights advocates condemned Meiner’s earlier threat as being against free speech.
Despite winning the Oscar for documentary feature film, “No Other Land” has not been picked up by mainstream US distributors.
The film shows Israeli soldiers tearing down homes and evicting residents to create a military training ground and the encroachment of Jewish settlers on the Palestinian community.
The directors accused Washington of blocking a solution to the decades old Israeli-Palestinian conflict whose latest bloodshed involves the ongoing devastating Israeli military assault on Gaza following a deadly October 2023 Hamas attack.
UAE’s ADQ, Energy Capital partners to launch $25bn US venture
RIYADH: Abu Dhabi Developmental Holding Co., a sovereign investment entity from the UAE, and Energy Capital Partners are joining forces to establish a $25 billion energy partnership aimed at meeting power needs across 25 gigawatts of US-based projects.
The collaboration will see the UAE-based firm partner with the largest private owner of power generation and renewable energy in the US in a 50-50 venture.
This partnership will focus on developing new power generation and energy infrastructure tailored to support data centers, hyperscale cloud companies, and other energy-intensive industries.
The combined initial capital contribution from both partners is expected to reach $5 billion, according to a report from the Emirates News Agency or WAM.
A portion of the funds may also be directed toward investment opportunities in select international markets.
This strategic move is aligned with recent findings from the International Energy Agency, which forecasts the world’s electricity consumption to increase at its fastest rate in years. The surge is driven, in part, by rising demand from data centers and industrial electrification. In the US, electricity demand is expected to rise by an amount equivalent to California’s current power consumption over the next three years.
The partnership also supports predictions that global power demand from data centers will increase by 50 percent by 2027 and may grow by as much as 165 percent by 2030. This surge is largely driven by the expansion of artificial intelligence and high-density data centers.
The US Department of Energy further reports that data center load growth has tripled over the past decade and is expected to double or triple again by 2028.
In a statement, UAE Investment Minister Mohamed Hassan Al-Suwaidi, who also serves as managing director and group CEO of ADQ, emphasized the strategic importance of this collaboration. He stated: “The rapid acceleration of AI and its widespread adoption presents significant opportunities to address the growing power and infrastructure needs of data centers and hyperscalers. Meeting these power demands poses evolving challenges for governments worldwide to ensure a secure, stable, and commercially competitive electricity supply.”
“As an active investor with a strong focus on critical infrastructure and a proven ability to build long-term partnerships, we are well-positioned to address these shifting dynamics. Our partnership with ECP enables us to invest meaningfully in power generation and related infrastructure assets that will meet the growing demand for electricity, support industry progress, and help future-proof economies,” Al-Suwaidi added.
The statement further highlighted the critical need for reliable and consistent power in high-growth sectors, underscoring the necessity of nearby captive power plants to meet these demands. The partnership is designed to address these long-term needs, focusing on greenfield developments, new projects, and expansion opportunities, positioning it as a leader in power generation for the expanding US economy.
Doug Kimmelman, founder and executive chairman of ECP, remarked: “We are honored to collaborate with ADQ to provide the electricity resources required by the rapidly expanding AI and data center sector. The build-out of new power generation resources in the U.S. will necessitate significant, patient capital with a long-term investment horizon.”
Middle East airline fleet set for 5% annual surge, outpacing global growth: report
RIYADH: The Middle East’s commercial airline fleet will see a 5.1 percent compound annual growth rate from 2025 to 2035, above the 2.8 percent global average, according to a new forecast.
A report by consulting firm Oliver Wyman projected 2,557 aircraft would be available in the region, with fleet expansion fueled by demand for short-haul flights.
The Middle East’s share of the global commercial fleet is projected to rise from 5.3 percent in 2025 to 6.7 percent by 2035. Alongside fleet expansion, maintenance, repair, and overhaul spending is forecast to surge from $16 billion in 2025 to $20 billion in 2035, propelled by the increasing number of aircraft.
The analysis underscores the region’s aggressive push to strengthen its aviation sector, aligning with broader economic ambitions — particularly in Saudi Arabia, where the government’s National Tourism Strategy aims to attract 150 million visitors by 2030.
Andre Martins, head of transportation, services, and operations practices for India, the Middle East, and Africa at Oliver Wyman, said: “The Middle East commercial aviation market is on a growth trajectory, supported by strong demand for air travel, from both full-service airlines and low-cost carriers entering the market.”
He added: “The region’s fleet expansion will be driven primarily by the addition of narrowbodies that will cater to the growth in domestic and shorter-haul flights.”
Martins said that there is a significant opportunity for different countries in the Middle East to capture the large market potential across the entire value chain, while simultaneously enhancing the productivity and efficiency of operations.
“By leveraging global insights and best practices, the aviation sector in the Middle East can adapt their strategies to address local challenges while driving substantial improvement,” he added.
Saudi Arabia and UAE flying high
Saudi Arabia and the UAE are driving much of this growth, accounting for 60 percent of the region’s aviation market, according to Oliver Wyman’s analysis.
Saudi Arabia leads in domestic travel, making up 45 percent of total seats, while the UAE remains focused on international traffic.
A recent report by the International Air Transport Association highlighted the Middle East’s aviation sector growth, with passenger demand rising 9.6 percent year on year in January.
IATA also noted that the capacity of air carriers in the region increased by 4.4 percent compared to the same month last year.
However, air cargo demand saw an 8.4 percent year on year decline in January.
Narrow-body aircraft to dominate fleet
The Middle East’s fleet expansion will be dominated by narrow-body aircraft, projected to reach 1,190 by 2035, marking a rise of 75.25 percent compared to 2025.
Their share of the region’s total fleet will grow from 43 percent to 47 percent. One of the key advantages of narrow-body aircraft is their superior fuel efficiency. Their streamlined design and lighter weight make them an environmentally favorable choice for airlines aiming to cut carbon emissions and lower fuel consumption.
The number of widebody aircraft in the region is projected to reach 1,307 in 2035, representing a rise of 63.17 percent compared to 2025. The number of Turboprop aircraft in the Middle East region will be 37 by 2035, followed by regional jets at 23.
Global outlook
The analysis projects the global fleet to surpass 38,300 aircraft by 2035, with production challenges prompting airlines to delay retiring older planes, raising the fleet’s average age.
Narrowbody aircraft are expected to maintain their dominance, with their share increasing from 62 percent to 68 percent by 2035.
The report highlighted that emerging regions like China, India, and the Middle East are poised to capture a larger share of the global aviation market, reflecting shifting industry dynamics.
India’s commercial airline fleet is projected to grow at a compound annual rate of 8.5 percent from 2025 to 2035.
The report forecasts aircraft production to reach 1,800 units in 2025, rising to 2,200 by 2029 and just over 2,400 by 2035.
In December, a separate IATA report projected the aviation industry’s net profit to climb to $36.6 billion in 2025, up from $31.5 billion in 2024.
The industry body also estimated passenger numbers will hit 5.2 billion in 2025 — a 6.7 percent increase from 2024 — marking the first time global travelers surpass the 5 billion mark.
IATA further projected cargo volumes to rise 5.8 percent year on year to 72.5 million tonnes in 2025.
Putin offers cooperation to Syrian leader, backs efforts to stabilize country
- Russia, which has two strategically important military bases in Syria, was one of the main supporters of former President Bashar Assad
MOSCOW: Russian President Vladimir Putin has sent a message to Syria’s interim President Ahmed Al-Sharaa supporting efforts to stabilize the situation in the country and saying Russia is ready to engage in “practical cooperation,” Russian state news agency TASS reported on Thursday.
Putin confirmed “Russia’s continuing readiness to develop practical cooperation with the Syrian leadership on the whole range of issues on the bilateral agenda in order to strengthen traditionally friendly Russian-Syrian relations,” it quoted Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov as saying.
Syria has been rocked by a wave of sectarian killings. The Kremlin
said
earlier this month it wanted to see a united and “friendly” Syria because instability there could affect the whole of the Middle East.
Russia, which has two strategically important military bases in Syria, was one of the main supporters of former President Bashar Assad, who fled to Russia after he was toppled in December.
Pakistan to hold Mar. 23 military parade on 'limited scale' due to Ramadan
- Parade will mark 85th anniversary of Pakistan’s republic day celebrated each year on Mar. 23 to celebrate adoption of Lahore Resolution
- Pakistan honors foreign dignitaries, national heroes with top civilian awards, features tanks, missiles, UAVs, and air defense systems at parade
ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Day military parade will be held this year on Mar. 23 on a “limited scale” due to the holy month of Ramadan, state-run media reported on Thursday, with contingents of the country’s three armed forces set to participate in the spectacle.
The parade will be held on the 85th anniversary of Pakistan’s republic day, marked each year to celebrate the adoption of the Lahore Resolution by the Muslim League party, which called for the creation of an independent state for the Muslims of India on Mar. 23, 1940.
While last year the event was held at the Parade Avenue in Pakistan’s capital Islamabad, this year it is scheduled to take place within the premises of the Aiwan-e-Sadr or the official residence of Pakistan’s president. President Asif Ali Zardari will be the chief guest on the occasion, state broadcaster Radio Pakistan said.
“Pakistan Day Parade will be held on Sunday on a limited scale with traditional enthusiasm,” it said. “The decision to hold the parade on a limited scale was made due to the month of Ramadan,” Radio Pakistan said.
Pakistan Air Force (PAF) fighter jets will also conduct a fly past, a ceremonial or honorific flight by an aircraft or group of aircraft, during the occasion.
“Foreign ambassadors and other distinguished guests have also been invited to the event,” the state media reported.
Pakistan honors foreign dignitaries and national heroes on the occasion with top civilian awards. The parade also features mechanized columns including tanks, armored personnel carriers, rocket launchers, air defense system, guns, UAVs, short-and-long-range Pakistani missiles such as Ra’ad, Nasr, Babur, Shaheen, Ghauri and Ababeel every year.
This year the military parade takes place as Pakistan grapples with surging militancy, especially in its southwestern Balochistan province bordering Iran and Afghanistan. Separatist militants last Tuesday bombed a section of the railway track and stormed the Peshawar-bound Jaffar Express train carrying over 400 passengers in the mountainous Bolan region.
The crisis was resolved the following day when the armed forces carried out a successful operation to rescue the hostages, killing all 33 militants in the process. A final count showed 23 soldiers, three railway employees and five passengers had died in the attack.
Violence persisted in the region days later as a blast killed five, including three paramilitary soldiers, in the province’s Nushki district on Sunday.
Both attacks were claimed by the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), an ethnic separatist militant outfit in the province. The BLA is the largest and strongest of several ethnic Baloch insurgent groups which have been fighting for decades to win a larger share of the natural resources of mineral-rich Balochistan, which is also home to major China-led projects including a port and gold and copper mines.
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