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
Oil Updates — crude set for worst week in months over Trump’s new tariffs
LONDON: Oil prices fell further in early Asian trade on Friday, and were on track for the worst week in months over US President Donald Trump’s new tariffs, stoking concerns over a global trade war that could weigh on oil demand.
Brent futures fell 60 cents, or 0.86 percent, to $69.54 a barrel by 9:04 a.m. Saudi time. US West Texas Intermediate crude futures were down 61 cents, or 0.91 percent, to $66.34.
Brent was on course for its biggest weekly loss in percentage terms since the week ended Oct. 14, and WTI since the week ended Jan. 21.
Adding to the bearish sentiment was a decision by the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries and their allies to advance their plan for oil output increases, with the organization now aiming to return 411,000 barrels per day to the market in May, up from 135,000 bpd as initially planned.
“This brings forward the expected surplus that we see in the oil market this year. More OPEC+ supply should translate to more medium sour crude oil and a wider Brent-Dubai spread,” analysts at ING said on Friday. “This spread has seen an unusual discount for much of the year.”
Both benchmarks started plunging lower since Trump’s news conference on Wednesday afternoon, which he called “Liberation Day” as he announced a 10 percent baseline tariff on all imports to the US and higher duties on dozens of the country’s biggest trading partners.
Imports of oil, gas and refined products were exempted from Trump’s sweeping new tariffs, but the policies could stoke inflation, slow economic growth and intensify trade disputes, weighing on oil prices.
Four dead, dozens injured in Russia drone strikes on Kharkiv
- The attack late Thursday targeted residential and office buildings in Kharkiv
- Russia and Ukraine have stepped up aerial attacks even as US President Donald Trump pushes them to agree to a ceasefire
Kyiv: Russian drone strikes killed at least four people and injured more than 30 in the eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv, authorities said Friday.
Russia and Ukraine have stepped up aerial attacks even as US President Donald Trump pushes them to agree to a ceasefire after more than three years of costly fighting.
The attack late Thursday targeted residential and office buildings in Kharkiv, causing several blazes, Ukraine’s state emergency service said on Telegram.
“Russian drones attacked one of the districts of Kharkiv. As a result of strikes at residential buildings and an administrative building, four fires broke out,” the emergency service said.
The city’s mayor Igor Terekhov said on Telegram that as of Friday morning, “unfortunately, there are already four dead,” with a fourth body “unearthed from under the rubble” in addition to three earlier fatalities.
Ukraine’s state emergency service and Oleg Synegubov, governor of the wider Kharkiv region, said 35 people were wounded in the attack, while Terekhov put the figure at 32.
Six other people were injured in the Ukrainian regions of Dnipropetrovsk, Zaporizhzhia and Kyiv, according to local authorities who blamed Moscow.
Dnipropetrovsk regional governor Sergiy Lysak said on Telegram that 13 drones had been “destroyed” in the region.
“Due to the massive drone attack, there is damage in Dnipro and its suburbs,” he said.
One killed in Russia
Russia’s Ministry of Defense said Friday that air defense alert systems intercepted and destroyed 107 Ukrainian drones overnight, including 34 over the Kursk region and 30 over the Oryol region.
An attack by Ukrainian drones in a village in the Bryansk region killed one and left another injured, governor Aleksandr Bogomaz said in a Telegram post on Friday.
“As a result of the attack by Ukrainian drones, two residents of the village received shrapnel wounds. Unfortunately, one man died,” he wrote.
The attacks came as Russia’s top economic negotiator visited Washington for talks on improving ties.
Trump is pushing for warmer relations with Moscow, reaching out to President Vladimir Putin and Russian officials in the hope of brokering a ceasefire in the three-year Ukraine war.
Washington had said last month that both Kyiv and Moscow agreed separately to “develop measures for implementing” a halt on strikes on energy infrastructure.
But attacks have continued and both sides have complained to the United States about strikes hitting their energy sites.
Kyiv called on Washington to strengthen sanctions on Moscow for “violating” agreements made at talks in Saudi Arabia last month.
Nationalist party supporters to march toward Balochistan’s capital for release of Baloch rights activists
- The Balochistan National Party-Mengal has been staging a sit-in in Mastung for the last one week to demand release of Dr. Mahrang and other activists
- Provincial minister Zahoor Buledi admits two rounds of talks with the protesters have failed to yield results, but says they will continue to negotiate
QUETTA: The Balochistan National Party-Mengal (BNP-M) has announced a march toward the capital of Pakistan’s southwestern Balochistan province on April 6, it said on Friday, amid a deadlock with authorities over the release of Dr. Mahrang Baloch and other Baloch ethnic rights activists.
Baloch and a few other activists were arrested on March 22 after they took part in a sit-in protest outside the University of Balochistan to demand the release of some members of her Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) rights group, whom they allege have been detained by security agencies. They have since been charged with terrorism, sedition and murder after the demonstration ended in the death of three protesters, according to police documents.
The Pakistan army and the government have in the past variously referred to Baloch and her BYC as “terrorist proxies” who they say are allied with militant separatist groups like the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA). Baloch and her group deny the charge and say they lead peaceful protests for the rights of the ethnic Baloch people.
On Friday, the BNP-M, which led supporters out of its chief Akhtar Mengal’s tribal heartland of Wadh in Balochistan’s Khuzdar district on March 28 to stage a sit-in at Lak Pass near the Mastung district, said its two-day ultimatum for the authorities to release Baloch and other activists had ended and its would now move toward the provincial capital of Quetta.
“We are standing on our demands for the release of detained Baloch women activists, but the government committee is not hearing us seriously,” Sanaullah Baloch, a senior BNP-M member, told Arab News, accusing authorities of “digging trenches” at the Quetta-Karachi highway to stop them from reaching the provincial capital.
“We have decided to march toward the capital for another round of sit-in and protests.”
At least two rounds of talks between the government and BNP-M chief Mengal have failed to bear any result, while provincial authorities have suspended mobile Internet in Quetta for the last three days, citing “serious security threats.”
Zahoor Buledi, a senior Balochistan minister who is part of the negotiations, said the government is fully engaged in a dialogue with the BNP.
“Though we held two rounds of talks with Mr. Mengal, they didn’t bore any result,” he told Arab News. “Talks will continue.”
Balochistan, Pakistan’s largest province by landmass and rich in mineral resources, has been the site of an insurgency for the last two decades. The separatists accuse Islamabad of exploiting the province’s natural resources, such as gold and copper. Successive Pakistani governments have denied the allegations.
Police actions against Baloch activists have intensified after Baloch separatists earlier this month staged a dramatic train siege that officials said ended in around 60 deaths, half of whom were separatists behind the assault.
More than a dozen United Nations experts demanded this week that Pakistan immediately release detained Baloch rights defenders and halt its crackdown on peaceful protests.
Ariya Jutanugarn maintains group lead over Nelly Korda at T-Mobile Match Play
- Jutanugarn, of Thailand, won 2 and 1 against Altomare to continue to lead Group 1, though she will face Korda in the final leg of the round robin Friday
- Angel Yin (1-0-1) leads Group 10, and Russia’s Nataliya Guseva (1-0-1) is on top in Group 15
LAS VEGAS: World No. 1 Nelly Korda avoided a second straight collapse, but Ariya Jutanugarn maintained her advantage in Group 1 play Thursday at the T-Mobile Match Play in North Las Vegas, Nevada
Korda built a lead and held on to finish 1 up on Jennifer Kupcho, who fell to 0-2 in the event. That marked an improvement from Wednesday for Korda, when the defending champion settled for halving her match after losing a late lead to Brittany Altomare.
“Golf doesn’t necessarily bring out (head-to-head competitiveness) unless you’re in a playoff or whatnot,” Korda said. “(It) just makes you a little bit more aggressive of a player.”
Jutanugarn, of Thailand, won 2 and 1 against Altomare to continue to lead Group 1, though she will face Korda in the final leg of the round robin Friday. A win there would give either player the group.
The 64-player field is divided into 16 four-player groups competing in three days of round-robin matches. A win earns one point, a tie earns a half-point and a loss is zero points. The winner of each group moves on to a 16-player, single-elimination bracket beginning Saturday. In the event of a tie for first place in a group, a playoff will determine which player advances. The quarterfinals will be played on Saturday, with the semifinals and final on Sunday.
Overall, 12 golfers are 2-0 through two days of play at Shadow Creek Golf Course, putting each in a strong position to win her group and advance to the 16-person field Saturday.
Thailand’s Jeeno Thitikul defeated Mexico’s Gaby Lopes 2 and 1 to get to 2-0 in Group 2. South Korea’s Sei Young Kim upended Japan’s Yuna Nishimura 4 and 2 to advance to 2-0 in Group 4.
Group 5 features Australia’s Stephanie Kyriacou leading the way at 2-0 after her 4-and-2 victory over Japan’s Ayaka Furue.
The only group with a pair of 2-0 golfers is Group 9, as South Korea’s Hyo Joo Kim and Sweden’s Maja Stark are still perfect and face off Friday.
Other 2-0 golfers after two days include Japan’s Mao Saigo in Group 7 (the only debut golfer at 2-0), Canada’s Brooke M. Henderson in Group 8 (having played only playing 27 holes — the fewest in the field), France’s Celine Boutier in Group 11, South Korea’s A Lim Kim in Group 12, Sweden’s Madelene Sagstrom in Group 14 and South Korea’s Narin An in Group 16.
Group 3 and 13 each have a four-way tie for first place at 1-1-0, while England’s Charley Hull and South Africa’s Ashleigh Buhai co-lead in Group 6 at 1-0-1.
“I love this format and it’s been a lot of fun,” New Zealand’s Lydia Ko said after winning her Thursday match 6 and 5 over Australia’s Gabriela Ruffels to get into that four-way tie in Group 3. “Yesterday I came off the day not feeling like defeated. I still had a great time.”
Angel Yin (1-0-1) leads Group 10, and Russia’s Nataliya Guseva (1-0-1) is on top in Group 15.
Gaza heritage and destruction on display in Paris
- Using satellite image, UN cultural agency UNESCO has already identified damage to 94 heritage sites in Gaza, including 13th-century Pasha’s Palace
- The damage to the known sites as well as treasures potentially hidden in unexplored Palestinian land ‘depends on the bomb tonnage,’ the curator says
PARIS: A new exhibition opening in Paris on Friday showcases archaeological artifacts from Gaza, once a major commercial crossroads between Asia and Africa, whose heritage has been ravaged by Israel’s ongoing onslaught.
Around a hundred artifacts, including a 4,000-year-old bowl, a sixth-century mosaic from a Byzantine church and a Greek-inspired statue of Aphrodite, are on display at the Institut du Monde Arabe.
The rich and mixed collection speaks to Gaza’s past as a cultural melting pot, but the show’s creators also wanted to highlight the contemporary destruction caused by the war, sparked by Hamas’s attack on Israel in October 2023.
“The priority is obviously human lives, not heritage,” said Elodie Bouffard, curator of the exhibition, which is titled “Saved Treasures of Gaza: 5,000 Years of History.”
“But we also wanted to show that, for millennia, Gaza was the endpoint of caravan routes, a port that minted its own currency, and a city that thrived at the meeting point of water and sand,” she told AFP.
One section of the exhibition documents the extent of recent destruction.
Using satellite image, the UN’s cultural agency UNESCO has already identified damage to 94 heritage sites in Gaza, including the 13th-century Pasha’s Palace.
Bouffard said the damage to the known sites as well as treasures potentially hidden in unexplored Palestinian land “depends on the bomb tonnage and their impact on the surface and underground.”
“For now, it’s impossible to assess.”
The attacks by Hamas militants on Israel in 2023 left 1,218 dead. In retaliation, Israeli operations have killed more than 50,000 Palestinians and devastated the densely populated territory.
The story behind “Gaza’s Treasures” is inseparable from the ongoing wars in the Middle East.
At the end of 2024, the Institut du Monde Arabe was finalizing an exhibition on artifacts from the archaeological site of Byblos in Lebanon, but Israeli bombings on Beirut made the project impossible.
“It came to a sudden halt, but we couldn’t allow ourselves to be discouraged,” said Bouffard.
The idea of an exhibition on Gaza’s heritage emerged.
“We had just four and a half months to put it together. That had never been done before,” she explained.
Given the impossibility of transporting artifacts out of Gaza, the Institut turned to 529 pieces stored in crates in a specialized Geneva art warehouse since 2006. The works belong to the Palestinian Authority, which administers the West Bank.
The Oslo Accords of 1993, signed by the Palestine Liberation Organization and Israel, helped secure some of Gaza’s treasures.
In 1995, Gaza’s Department of Antiquities was established, which oversaw the first archaeological digs in collaboration with the French Biblical and Archaeological School of Jerusalem (EBAF).
Over the years, excavations uncovered the remains of the Monastery of Saint Hilarion, the ancient Greek port of Anthedon, and a Roman necropolis — traces of civilizations spanning from the Bronze Age to Ottoman influences in the late 19th century.
“Between Egypt, Mesopotamian powers, and the Hasmoneans, Gaza has been a constant target of conquest and destruction throughout history,” Bouffard noted.
In the 4th century BC, Greek leader Alexander the Great besieged the city for two months, leaving behind massacres and devastation.
Excavations in Gaza came to a standstill when Hamas took power in 2007 and Israel imposed a blockade.
Land pressure and rampant building in one of the world’s most densely populated areas has also complicated archaeological work.
And after a year and a half of war, resuming excavations seems like an ever-more distant prospect.
The exhibition runs until November 2, 2025.
