MAE SAI, Thailand: Elite divers on Sunday began the extremely dangerous operation to extract 12 boys and their football coach who have been trapped in a flooded cave complex in northern Thailand for more than two weeks, as looming monsoon rains threatened the rescue effort.
The “Wild Boars” team has been stuck in a cramped chamber several kilometers (miles) inside the Tham Luang cave complex since June 23, when they went in after football practice and were hemmed in by rising waters.
Their plight has transfixed Thailand and the rest of the world, as authorities have struggled to devise a plan to get the boys and their coach out through twisting, narrow and jagged passageways that in some places are completely flooded.
“Today is the D-day. The boys are ready to face any challenges,” rescue chief Narongsak Osottanakorn told reporters near the cave site as weather forecasters warned of more monsoon rains late on Sunday that would cause more flooding in the cave.
Narongsak said the first boy was expected to be brought out of the cave by around 9:00 p.m. (1400 GMT), meaning the trip would take around 11 hours.
The boys, aged from 11 to 16, and their 25-year-old coach were found disheveled and hungry by British cave diving specialists nine days after they ventured in.
But initial euphoria over finding the boys alive quickly turned into deep anxiety as rescuers raced to find a way to get them out, with Narongsak at one point dubbing the effort “Mission Impossible.”
The death of a former Thai Navy Seal diver who ran out of oxygen in the cave on Friday underscored the danger of the journey even for adept professionals.
Saman Kunan had been trying to establish an air line in a flooded area with oxygen tanks when he passed out and perished.
After a short deluge of rain on Saturday night and with more bad weather forecast, Narongsak on Sunday said authorities had to act immediately.
“There is no other day that we are more ready than today,” he said. “Otherwise we will lose the opportunity.”
Between the operating base manned by Thai Navy Seals inside the cave and the trapped boys are twisting, turning cave passageways with torrents of water gushing through.
The water in the cave is muddy and unclear, with one diver comparing it to a cafe latte. Ropes have been installed to help guide the boys through the darkness.
Narongsak said Sunday two divers would accompany each of the boys out of the cave.
Rescuers had fed a kilometers-long air pipe into the cave to restore oxygen levels in the chamber where the team was sheltering with medics and divers.
More than 100 exploratory holes had also been bored — some shallow, but the longest 400 meters deep — into the mountainside in an attempt to open a second evacuation route and avoid forcing the boys into the dangerous dive.
On Saturday, Thai Navy SEALS published touching notes scrawled by the trapped footballers to their families, who had been waiting for them agonizingly close by outside the cave entrance.
The boys urged relatives “not to worry” and asked for their favorite food once they were safely evacuated, in notes handed to divers.
In one, Pheerapat, nicknamed “Night,” whose 16th birthday the group were celebrating in the cave when they became stuck on June 23, said: “I love you, Dad, Mum and my sister. You don’t need to be worried about me.”
The coach, Ekkapol Chantawong, who many Thais have criticized for leading the boys into the cave, also apologized.
“To all the parents, all the kids are still fine. I promise to take the very best care of the kids,” he said in a note given to divers on Friday.
“Thank you for all the moral support and I apologize to the parents.”
Rescue efforts for boys trapped in Thai cave begin
Rescue efforts for boys trapped in Thai cave begin
- The ‘Wild Boars’ team has been stuck in a cramped chamber several kilometers inside the Tham Luang cave complex since June 23
- The coach, Ekkapol Chantawong, who many Thais have criticized for leading the boys into the cave, has apologized
Pakistan to send delegation to US for talks on new tariffs
- US has imposed 29% tariff on Pakistan, which charges 58% tariff on goods imported from US
- Commerce ministry report says new tariff is expected to incur a loss of approximately $1 billion on Pakistan
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan will send a high-level delegation to the United States to discuss new sweeping tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump, the prime minister’s office said on Wednesday.
Trump said last week he would impose a 10% baseline tariff on all imports to the US and higher duties on dozens of other countries, including some of Washington’s biggest trading partners, rattling global markets and bewildering US allies. The Trump administration imposed a 29% tariff on Pakistan, which charges 58% tariff on goods imported from the US.
According to a Pakistan ministry of commerce report widely cited by Pakistani media this week, the country is expected to incur a loss of approximately $1 billion following the imposition of the new tariff on Pakistani goods.
“The delegation was tasked by the Prime Minister to work out a mutually beneficial course of action for the future after the negotiations on the new tariffs imposed on imports by the US,” PM Shehbaz Sharif’s office said in a statement, adding that leading business figures and exporters would be part of the delegation.
The decision came after a review meeting chaired by Sharif on increasing domestic exports and the new tariffs imposed on imports by the US.
“Various alternative courses of action [to the new tariffs] were presented to the meeting,” the PM’s office said.
On Monday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke via telephone to Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and “discussed US reciprocal tariffs on Pakistan and how to make progress toward a fair and balanced trade relationship,” the State Department said in a statement.
The US goods trade deficit with Pakistan was $3 billion in 2024, a 5.2% increase over 2023, according to the Office of the US Trade Representative.
Art Week Riyadh: 3 generations of Saudi abstract art on display
- The Saudi Research and Media Group unveiled a compelling collection at the inaugural art festival
RIYADH: The Saudi Research and Media Group unveiled a compelling collection at the inaugural Art Week Riyadh that traces the evolution of Saudi abstraction.
Titled “Abstract Horizons,” it highlights the pioneering contributions of artists like Mohammed Al-Saleem and Abdulhalim Radwi, whose work helped lay the groundwork for the Kingdom’s contemporary art movement.
Borrowing its name from Al-Saleem’s seminal work, the collection takes a unique approach, emphasizing the shifting aesthetic and intellectual currents of the Kingdom through the abstract practices of three generations of Saudi artists.
The exhibition seamlessly flows from the early beginnings with artists born in the 1930s and 1940s, whose work predominantly emerged in the 1990s: Radwi was a foundational figure in Saudi modernism; Al-Saleem, who became notable for establishing the “horizonism” movement, characterized his work with a geometric depiction of the Saudi skyline and desertscape; Taha Al-Seban furthered the desert motif with his unique color compositions.
From there, it can be seen how abstraction has transformed into a crucial language in the cultural scene.
The exhibition continues to work from the early 2000s, engaging more with culture, identity and memory. There are artists like Abdulrahman Al-Soliman, also a critic, who infused architectural elements to bridge between heritage and contemporary expression; Abdullah Hamas, who reimagines the Saudi landscape through geometric compositions; Fahad Al-Hajailan, whose abstraction plays with color and movement; Raeda Ashour, one of the first female Saudi abstract artists, who adopts a minimalist yet evocative approach with a chromatic palette and fluid silhouettes.
Then, at the turn of the 21st century, there is the work of artists born in the 1970s. Abstraction is now a conceptual tool.
Rashed Al-Shashai, known for his experimental approach, repurposes everyday materials to construct layered compositions that address the tension between tradition and modernity while, in contrast, Zaman Jassim’s abstraction interplays between the tangible and the elusive.
SRMG’s collection is on display as part of an exhibition titled “Collections in Dialogue,” featuring collected works by the King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture (Ithra) and Hayy Jameel.
Morocco’s El-Jamari scores spectacular win at ONE Fight Night 30
- Compatriot Chafi puts in disappointing performance against rising English fighter George Jarvis in lightweight Muay Thai matchup
BANGKOK: Moroccan Muay Thai stars Elmehdi El-Jamari and Mouhcine Chafi had differing fates at ONE Championship show ONE Fight Night 30: Kryklia vs. Knowles.
The two Moroccans participated in the weekend event which was held inside Bangkok’s Lumpinee Stadium and featured bouts in several fighting genres.
El-Jamari scored a first-round knockout victory over Thai counterpart Thongpoon PK Saenchai in a strawweight Muay Thai bout, raising his overall professional record to 27-1.
The 28-year-old put in an excellent attacking performance, pressing forward from the opening bell before an impressive boxing combination saw him land a left hook that finished his opponent at 2:56 of the first round.
Chafi suffered another disappointing performance as he was dominated by rising English fighter George Jarvis in a lightweight Muay Thai matchup.
Following his third consecutive loss, and after the unanimous decision, the former WBC light heavyweight Muay Thai champion saw his record slump to 32-8.
UK MPs back call for Iraq war-style inquiry into Gaza conflict
- Cross-party group of 37 sign letter by Jeremy Corbyn to PM Keir Starmer
LONDON: A group of MPs in the UK have called on the government to launch an Iraq war-style inquiry into Britain’s role in the Gaza conflict, Sky News reported on Wednesday.
The 37 MPs include 10 from the governing Labour Party, who have signed a letter to Prime Minister Keir Starmer written by Jeremy Corbyn, the party’s former leader.
Corbyn demanded a “comprehensive inquiry with legal power to establish the truth” about the war, which has killed more than 50,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children.
It follows Israel denying entry to, and deporting, two Labour MPs who had traveled there as part of a parliamentary delegation.
Abtisam Mohamed and Yuan Yang intended to visit humanitarian aid projects in the West Bank.
Foreign Secretary David Lammy described Israel’s decision as “unacceptable” and “no way to treat British parliamentarians.”
MPs from the Scottish National Party, Plaid Cymru and Sinn Fein also signed Corbyn’s letter, as did members of the House of Lords.
He said he has consistently pursued answers over Britain’s continued sale of F-35 jet components to Israel, the use of British military bases in the war, and the legal definition of genocide, yet he has been met with “evasion, obstruction and silence.”
The government is “leaving the public in the dark over the ways in which the responsibilities of government have been discharged,” Corbyn added.
He warned that history is at risk of “repeating itself,” drawing parallels to the UK’s decision to invade Iraq based on “flawed intelligence and assessments.”
That assessment was found by the Chilcot report into the Iraq war, published in 2016 following numerous delays.
An inquiry into the UK’s ties to the Gaza war “should establish exactly what decisions have been taken, how these decisions have been made and what consequences they have had,” Corbyn said.
“Any meaningful inquiry would require the full cooperation from government ministers involved in decision-making processes since October 2023,” he added.
“Many people believe the government has taken decisions that have implicated officials in the gravest breaches of international law.
“These charges will not go away until there is a comprehensive, public, independent inquiry with the legal power to establish the truth.”
Egypt sovereign fund to manage, operate armed forces affiliated firms ahead of private sector offerings
RIYADH: A group of companies affiliated with Egypt’s Armed Forces National Service Projects Organization will undergo restructuring and management changes through a new agreement with the country’s sovereign fund.
The deals, signed with several specialized local and international consulting firms, are part of efforts by relevant state agencies to implement the government’s offering program.
This initiative involves transferring management and operations of several state-owned companies to private sector institutions, which is in line with the State Ownership Policy, according to a statement.
This falls in line with the aim of the Sovereign Fund of Egypt to foster private sector partnerships and help foreign investments flow into state-owned companies.
It also aligns with Investment Minister Hassan El-Khatib’s comments in February, in which he outlined Egypt’s plan to transfer management of state-owned enterprises to the country’s sovereign wealth fund to maximize returns on state assets.
The newly released statement revealed that these agreements also include the offering of a group of firms from the Armed Forces National Service Projects Organization, including the National Petroleum Co., Shell Outlet, and Silo Foods, as well as Safi and the National Roads Co., through a group of specialized local and international consulting firms.
Under the deals, the offering of some of these companies is set to be completed in 2025, with the remainder scheduled for completion in 2026.
In March, Egypt secured a $1.2 billion disbursement from the International Monetary Fund following the completion of the fourth review of its economic reform program.
This disbursement, approved at the time by the IMF’s Executive Board under the Extended Fund Facility, brings Egypt’s total funding under the program to around $3.2 billion.
In addition, the IMF also approved at the time a $1.3 billion arrangement under the Resilience and Sustainability Facility to support Egypt’s climate-related reforms.
The 46-month EFF arrangement, which was initially approved in December 2022, was designed to promote macroeconomic stability and drive structural reforms to support sustainable growth.
At the time, the IMF acknowledged Egypt’s progress in stabilizing its economy, despite external challenges such as regional conflicts and trade disruptions.
