Tomb of Assad’s father set on fire in Syria hometown

Militants stand next to the burning gravesite of Syria’s late president Hafez Assad at his mausoleum in the family’s ancestral village of Qardaha in the western Latakia province on December 11, 2024, after it was stormed by opposition factions. (AFP)
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Updated 11 December 2024
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Tomb of Assad’s father set on fire in Syria hometown

QARDAHA: The tomb of ousted Syrian president Bashar Assad’s father Hafez was torched in his hometown of Qardaha, AFP footage taken Wednesday showed, with militant fighters in fatigues and young men watching it burn.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor told AFP the militants had set fire to the mausoleum, located in the Latakia heartland of Assad’s Alawite community.
AFP footage showed parts of the mausoleum ablaze and damaged, with the tomb of Hafez torched and destroyed.
The vast elevated structure atop a hill has an intricate architectural design with several arches, its exterior embellished with ornamentation etched in stone.
It also houses the tombs of other Assad family members, including Bashar’s brother Bassel, who was being groomed to inherit power before he was killed in a road accident in 1994.
On Sunday, a lightning offensive by militants seized key cities before reaching Damascus and forcing Assad to flee, ending more than 50 years of his family’s rule.


Lulu’s new store in Jeddah offers everything from daily essentials to lifestyle needs

Updated 8 min 4 sec ago
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Lulu’s new store in Jeddah offers everything from daily essentials to lifestyle needs

Lulu Retail has further strengthened its presence in Saudi Arabia with the grand opening of a new hypermarket in Jeddah’s Al-Baghdadiyah Al-Gharbiyah district. 

Located along the vibrant Al-Andalus Road, the new outlet offers a comprehensive and modern shopping experience that combines convenience, variety, and innovative retail design.

The launch is in line with the group’s commitment to supporting Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 by enhancing consumer services and contributing to the local economy.

The store was inaugurated by Nasar Salem Almoteb, deputy mayor of Jeddah Municipality, in the presence of Ihsan Bafakih, executive vice chairman of Al Nahla group, Nasser Huwaiden Thaiban Ali Alketbi, consul general of the UAE in Jeddah, Fahad Ahmed Khan Suri, consul general of India in Jeddah, and Yusuffali M.A, chairman of LuLu group, along with other dignitaries.

“We are proud to further strengthen our footprint in Jeddah with the launch of this hypermarket in Al-Baghdadiyah Al-Gharbiyah. This expansion reflects our unwavering commitment to the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 by creating jobs, enhancing retail infrastructure, and offering world-class shopping experiences to the community. We remain dedicated to being a catalyst in Saudi Arabia’s dynamic retail transformation."

Spanning over 117000 square feet, the hypermarket features a wide array of retail sections, including a fully stocked supermarket, fresh food zones, LuLu Connect electronics, fashion store, and specialty counters such as BLSH and Eye Express. 

A spacious food court adjacent to the fresh food section provides shoppers with a relaxing space to enjoy freshly prepared meals.

To ensure a smooth and convenient shopping experience, the store offers ample dedicated parking, accommodating both local residents and visitors. 

To celebrate the opening, exclusive inaugural offers are available across all departments, giving customers exceptional value on high-quality products.

The Al-Baghdadiyah hypermarket marks a key milestone in LuLu group’s strategy to serve evolving consumer needs while supporting the Kingdom’s long-term vision for sustainable economic and social development. ‎

Also present on the occasion were Saleh Ihsan Tayeb, director of corporate communications, Jeddah Chamber of Commerce; Youssef Abdullah Al-Salami, mayor of Al-Baghdadiyah; Mohammed Wajih bin Hassan Sharbatly, member of the board of managers, Al Nahla group; Sami Abdulaziz Al-Mukhdoob, CEO – real estate sector, Al Nahla group and other dignitaries.


Hail Municipality launches smart recycling machine to feed stray animals, cut plastic waste

Hail Municipality has launched smart machine that recycles used bottles and leftover food and water into meals for stray animals
Updated 12 min 5 sec ago
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Hail Municipality launches smart recycling machine to feed stray animals, cut plastic waste

  • The machine allows people to place leftover food and water into designated compartments and insert empty bottles for recycling

RIYADH: In a bid to reduce plastic waste and promote animal welfare, Hail Municipality has launched a smart machine that recycles used bottles, leftover food and water into meals for stray animals.

The Saqya Rahma initiative aims to strike a balance between sustainability and compassion through a simple, tech-driven solution.

“The primary motivation lies in converting recyclable waste — such as plastic bottles, leftover food, and water — into a useful resource that helps hydrate and feed stray animals,” Saud Al-Ali, assistant secretary of Hail Region for Media and Corporate Communication, told Arab News.

“This achieves a balance between caring for the environment and supporting living creatures,” he added.

The machine allows people to place leftover food and water into designated compartments and insert empty bottles for recycling.

“Instead of being discarded, these bottles are reused as a raw material for recycling, creating a direct environmental impact by feeding stray animals in a sustainable and responsible way,” Al-Ali said

“This simple step helps reduce unrecycled plastic waste and transforms it into an environmentally beneficial process.”

He said the initiative is also designed to promote long-term behavioral change among residents by encouraging sustainable habits and reducing the environmental burden caused by plastic pollution.

Al-Ali emphasized that the initiative aligns with the goals of Saudi Vision 2030, which aims to enhance the quality of life and environmental sustainability.

“It supports the vision’s environmental and sustainable development pillars by reducing waste, promoting recycling, and improving treatment of living creatures. It also enhances community involvement in environmental work and encourages eco-friendly practices in daily life.”

Among those who welcomed the initiative is Mohammad Al-Lahham, a resident who looks after stray cats. He said this initiative offers a practical solution that benefits both the environment and animals.

“I do believe that providing food, in exchange of plastic would encourage people to be more open about their care for the little ones, along with creating an awareness towards the environment,” Al-Lahham told Arab News.

“Making them (people) know that the more they recycle bottled water, the more cats would find food and water, so it is a win-win situation,” he added.

Al-Lahham also pointed to the public health implications of neglecting stray animals.

“Unfortunately, on a day-to-day basis, you do find a lot of dead cats for multiple reasons, and that invites bugs, ravens, and with that, of course, a lot of reasons for diseases,” he said.

“I may not be well versed on the topic, but I can at least be aware that those things may affect other animals and maybe other living beings one way or another, so caring for those cats would reduce the chance of that happening.”

Al-Lahham also believes that over time, the initiative could inspire a stronger culture of recycling across the Kingdom.

“I am certain it would make a massive impact with time, and encouragement from the locals, to reduce plastic pollution, and in the process increase awareness to other types of items that need to be recycled, and that would create a culture among the cities and the country as a whole,” he said.

“For recycling, making cities cleaner, and making those little ones thrive as well, because they will find food, water, and lots of love from the people,” he concluded.


Gaza civil defense says 52 killed by Israeli forces

A Palestinian woman comforts a child as casualties are brought into Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital following an Israeli strike, in Dei
Updated 15 min 10 sec ago
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Gaza civil defense says 52 killed by Israeli forces

  • 17 Palestinians, including eight children, killed in Israeli strike in front of a medical point in Deir Al-Balah in Gaza
  • Dozens of others killed across the territory by airstrikes and shooting

GAZA CITY: Gaza’s civil defense agency on Thursday said at least 52 people, including eight children, were killed by Israeli forces in the Palestinian territory battered by more than 21 months of war.
The latest deadly strikes and gunfire came just hours after Hamas, which runs Gaza, announced it was willing to release 10 hostages as part of indirect ceasefire talks with Israel.
Israel has recently expanded its military operations in the Gaza Strip, where the war has created dire humanitarian conditions for the population of more than two million people.
Civil defense official Mohammad Al-Mughair told AFP that 17 people were killed in a strike in front of a medical point in Deir Al-Balah in central Gaza.
The Israeli military told AFP that it had struck a Hamas militant in Deir Al-Balah who had infiltrated Israel during the group’s October 7, 2023 attack.
It said it “regrets any harm to uninvolved individuals and operates to minimize harm as much as possible,” adding the incident was under review.
Mughair said eight children and two women were killed in the strike.


Yousef Al-Aydi, 30, said he was among dozens of people, mostly women and children, waiting for nutritional supplements in front of the medical point.
“Suddenly, we heard the sound of a drone approaching, and then the explosion happened,” he told AFP by phone.
“The ground shook beneath our feet, and everything around us turned into blood and deafening screams.”
“What was our fault? What was the fault of the children?” asked Mohammed Abu Ouda, 35, who had also been waiting for supplies.
“I saw a mother hugging her child on the ground, both motionless — they were killed instantly.”
AFP is unable to independently verify the tolls and details due to media restrictions in Gaza.

Palestinians react as casualties are brought into Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital following an Israeli strike, in Deir Al-Balah, central Gaza on Thursday. (Reuters)


Four people were killed and several injured in a pre-dawn air strike on a family home in Al-Bureij camp in central Gaza, Mughair added.
AFP footage from Al-Bureij showed a family including three young children sitting among rubble outside their tattered tent after an air strike hit a house next door.
Mughair reported 27 more people killed in bombardments across the territory, including 15 people in five separate strikes in the area of Gaza City.
One person was killed southwest of the southern city of Khan Yunis by “Israeli military fire,” Mughair said.
Three more, including a woman, were killed by Israeli gunfire on civilians near an aid center in the northwest of nearby Rafah, he added.
More than 600 people have been killed around aid distributions and convoys in Gaza since late May, when Israel began allowing in a trickle of supplies, the United Nations said in early July.
The war began after Hamas militants attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, leading to the deaths of 1,219 people, most of them civilians.
Israel’s retaliatory strikes have killed at least 57,680 Palestinians in Gaza, most of them civilians, according to the Hamas-run territory’s health ministry.
The United Nations deems the figures reliable.


Saudi-made Lucid built without compromise, says Middle East president

Updated 2 min 4 sec ago
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Saudi-made Lucid built without compromise, says Middle East president

  • Faisal Sultan takes Mayman Show through EV maker’s journey from Silicon Valley to manufacturing in the Kingdom
  • Lucid is training more than 1,000 Saudis to meet increasing production demands

RIYADH: Faisal Sultan, the president of Lucid Motors in the Middle East, has been a key figure driving the region’s electric vehicle transformation.

With a background in automotive engineering and business leadership, Faisal is at the forefront of Lucid’s expansion, including the company’s first international manufacturing facility in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Lucid started off as a battery company, Atieva, based in Silicon Valley in California and then moved into motor manufacturing.

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“But we are really a technological company — a technology company, as I call it. So, you know, we are very much all about, you know, bringing new technology into luxury vehicles and giving an option where we’re not compromising anything,” Sultan said.

He added that Lucid’s current slogan is “compromise nothing.” The way the company started off is from their founders’ vision where the EV manufacturer wanted to make sure that the customer gained a product with amazing range —their car has the fastest battery charging time of any vehicle so customers do not face an inconvenience when charging the vehicle. The Lucid Air charges more than 300 km in just 10 minutes, which is nearly 40 percent faster than their competitors.

“So, if you have a DC fast charger — a 350-kilowatt or a 400-kilowatt charger — a Lucid Air will definitely give you 300 km plus within 10 or 11 minutes of charging time. Our closest competitors will probably be around 15 to 20 minutes,” Sultan said.

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He said this reduces the average electric vehicle charging time by about 40 percent. “And it is that initial charge, the speed of the initial charge, that matters most because, as Saudi Arabia is going to get more infrastructure installed, we want the customer to park the car quickly, charge enough kilometers on it, and then move on. Because they don’t want to be plugged in for 40 minutes or 30 minutes,” he said.

“As a part of our agreement with Human Resources Development Fund, we are looking at an investment of $50 million in human capital for over 1,000 Saudi employees.”

Sultan said the goal is to have the longest-range vehicle — Lucid Air can deliver 838 km on a single charge. He added that everything the company has learned from Lucid Air is perfected in the Lucid Gravity, the company’s new all-electric SUV designed for adventure and family travel as well as their upcoming midsize sedan that will be revealed soon.

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“Lucid Gravity is a seven-seater SUV — a full-size luxury SUV. It is going to be state of the art, with ride-height adjustment, four-wheel drive. The space will be unmatched. Interior space — all the seats actually fold down and become a flatbed in the back. So, you know, combine that with all the other conveniences that I’ve already mentioned for the Lucid Air, it becomes an amazing product.

“It’s already won a few awards in North America,” he added. “Within a few months of the launch, we expect it to continue to dazzle our other consumers here in the GCC also.”

There are a lot of things happening in the world right now, he said, that make sense for Lucid to have its first international manufacturing plant in Saudi Arabia. Located in King Abdullah Economic City, the facility is the Kingdom’s first car manufacturing plant with a capacity to manufacture 150,000 cars to meet demands.  

“You know, the free trade agreements that Saudi has. But quite honestly, when we decided, you know, two years ago to put this plant here, it also made a lot of sense at that time because of the geographical location of Saudi Arabia — it’s kind of the center of the world, if you think about it. And if you have a manufacturing plant, you have the Red Sea,” he said.

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He added that the Red Sea has about 15 percent of global trade passing through it. “So, it really makes sense to have a plant right on the port on the Red Sea, which can then produce and distribute the product all over the world,” he said.

Sultan added that the second reason stems from Saudi Vision 2030 and the transformation that the country is going through. “That transformation aligns perfectly with the vision of Lucid, which is sustainability, which is the progress of human capital. All of those are pillars of Vision 2030. So, what we wanted to do is really benefit from that because if the values of the country are aligning with your brand and with your company, then it’s much easier to bring a project here and get it done,” Sultan said.

Saudi Vision 2030 has set a target of 30 percent of vehicles in Riyadh to be electric by 2030. The Kingdom is also investing in EV infrastructure with plans to install 5,000 EV charging points by 2030. 

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Sultan said Lucid is very proud to be the first automotive brand to have the “Saudi Made” brand badge on their cars.

“We are already assembling these cars — as you know, the Lucid Air — and now the Lucid Gravity has also started to be assembled in the Kingdom.”

He believes that fact establishes an emotional connection and certifies how Lucid is really embedded in the auto ecosystem of Saudi Arabia and has catalyzed the formation of an auto industry.

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“That’s a badge that will always remain very dear to our workforce and our consumers at the same time. A lot of our customers come in, and they’re so proud to be buying a Saudi-made product. It is amazing to see that nationalistic pride in play,” he said.

Sultan has always been enamored by cars since playing with toy cars and taking them apart to see how they were made. That curiosity led him to become an automotive engineer.

“I got my mechanical engineering degree, and then from there, I always wanted to be in automotive, I’ve got about 28 years now in automotive companies. And I think I love what I do because, you know, automotive really motivates me.”

 

 


Filipinos push back against growing Israeli presence on popular tourist island

Local and foreign tourists catch waves at Cloud 9, a popular surf spot on Siaragao Island, the Philippines. (File/Reuters)
Updated 45 min 42 sec ago
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Filipinos push back against growing Israeli presence on popular tourist island

  • Siargao is a premier surfing site and one of the Philippines’ top tourist destinations
  • Facebook users accuse Israeli tourists of disrespecting local rules, harassing residents

MANILA: Concerns over the presence of Israeli visitors are growing on a southern Philippine island, locals say, as they protest plans to establish an Israeli community center amid fears of displacement and reports of tourist misconduct.

Siargao — a resort island off Surigao del Norte province in Mindanao — is the Philippines’ premier surfing site and one of the country’s top tourist destinations.

It has lately become popular among Israelis, whose arrival over the past few months has resulted in numerous complaints. Siargao-based singer and community organizer Maria Lalaine Tokong went viral last week when she highlighted that many of the tourists were “disregarding the culture, the customs,” of the place.

“We are feeling less at home in our home,” she wrote. “I speak up because I refuse to let our identity, our peace, and our safety be erased.”

Tokong’s post has since resulted in tens of thousands of interactions, with Filipinos sharing similar concerns.

It came against the backdrop of Israeli plans to open a Chabad house — a Jewish community center and place of worship — on the island. The plans have been opposed by the local community, which met Israeli embassy representatives in May.

“We don’t want it,” Tokong told Arab News. “When we talked about the cultural center with the Israeli embassy, we specifically told them, ‘What’s the purpose?’ We already have an education system. We already have a church here.”

With new officials taking office following recent elections, she is now preparing with other community members to take the case forward with the local administration.

In April, Project Paradise, a Siargao-based non-governmental organization, held a town hall meeting with residents and local business owners to gather their complaints.

“We received reports primarily regarding disrespect for local customs and values — ranging from noise disturbances, reckless driving, disregard for modesty in dress in rural areas, to environmental irresponsibility such as leaving trash on beaches or protected areas,” Sofia Nicole de Asis, president of Project Paradise, told Arab News.

While De Asis said that the incidents “are not isolated to any one group, and our stance has always been that misconduct is a behavioral issue, not a nationality-based one,” members of the Facebook group Siargao Business Classified 2.0 have been reporting Israeli tourists calling local staff “slaves,” illegally raising their flags on boats, trashing local homestays, violating the island’s no-noise curfew past midnight, and verbally and physically assaulting locals.

“They have no right to put up a cultural center as they have no roots or connection to Filipinos’ history. ‘Free Palestine’ today, so we won’t be shouting ‘Free Siargao’ tomorrow,” one user wrote, as others complained over inaction from the island’s administration.

“These people were welcomed into our country and treated with genuine hospitality, yet they choose to disregard our laws and disrespect our people and communities. The local government of Siargao should strictly enforce all local rules and regulations,” another user said.

“For the local government in Siargao, you better act. Remember you’re still part of the Philippines, you might one day be surprised that Siargao is now ‘the promised land,’” another commented.

Officials in General Luna, one of the main towns on Siargao, did not respond to requests for comment from Arab News.