Browsing: Region
Bedouins gathers their goats on February 9, 2026, after residents of the town or Arraba, south of Jenin, in the occupied West Bank, were allegedly ordered…
Iran could agree to dilute its most highly enriched uranium in exchange for all financial sanctions being lifted, its atomic chief said Monday, one of the most direct indications so far of its position at talks with Washington.US and Iranian diplomats held talks through Omani mediators in Oman last week in an effort to revive diplomacy, after US President Donald Trump positioned a naval flotilla in the region raising fears of new military action.The talks follow a crackdown on anti-government demonstrations in Iran last month when thousands of people were killed, the biggest domestic unrest since the 1979 Revolution.Trump joined an Israeli bombing campaign last year and hit Iranian nuclear sites. He also threatened last month to intervene militarily during the protests but ultimately held off.Washington has demanded Iran relinquish its stockpile — estimated last year by the UN nuclear agency at more than 440kg — of uranium enriched to up to 60% fissile purity, a small step away from the 90% that is considered weapons grade.The head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organisation, Mohammad Eslami, said Monday: ‘The possibility of diluting 60% enriched uranium… depends on whether, in return, all sanctions are lifted or not’.Eslami, whose remarks were reported by Iran's ISNA news agency, said however that another proposal, sending Iran's highly enriched uranium abroad to another country, had not been discussed at the talks with US officials.Ali Larijani, a close adviser to Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and secretary of its national security council, will visit Oman Tuesday following the US-Iranian talks there, the semi-official Tasnim news agency reported.’During this trip, (Larijani) will meet with high-ranking officials of the Sultanate of Oman and discuss the latest regional and international developments and bilateral cooperation at various levels,’ Tasnim said.The date and venue of the next round of talks have yet to be announced. Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian said Monday that a new round of talks would be ‘an appropriate opportunity for a fair and balanced resolution of this case,’ and that a desired outcome could be reached if the US avoids maximalist positions and respects its commitments.Iran would continue to demand the lifting of sanctions and insist on its nuclear rights including enrichment, he said.Iran and the US held five rounds of talks last year on curbing Tehran's nuclear programme, with the process breaking down mainly due to disputes over uranium enrichment inside Iran.Since Trump struck Iran's facilities, Tehran has said it has halted enrichment activity. It has always said its nuclear programme is solely for peaceful purposes.The US wants to include Iran's ballistic missile arsenal in negotiations, but Tehran has ruled this out.In a televised statement aired Monday, Khamenei called on Iranians to participate in the coming anniversary of the Revolution.’The presence of the people in the march and their expression of loyalty to the Islamic Republic will cause the enemy to stop coveting Iran,’ Khamenei said. Source link
The death toll from the collapse of residential buildings in the Lebanese city of Tripoli rose to 15 after search and rescue operations ended, Lebanon’s National News Agency said Monday citing the civil defence chief. Civil defence director general Imad Khreiss said rescue teams rescued eight people from the rubble of the collapsed buildings in the northern city’s Bab al-Tabbaneh neighbourhood. Officials said on Sunday that two adjoining buildings had collapsed. Abdel Hamid Karimeh, head of Tripoli’s municipal council, said he could not confirm how many people remained missing. Earlier, the head of Lebanon’s civil defence rescue service said the two buildings were home to 22 residents. A number of aging residential buildings have collapsed in Tripoli, Lebanon’s second-largest city, in recent weeks, highlighting deteriorating infrastructure and years of neglect, state media reported, citing municipal officials. Karimeh said the issue of unsafe buildings in Tripoli was longstanding and driven by multiple factors, including construction violations, years of disorder, weak oversight and a lack of regular maintenance, partly linked to restrictive rent control laws that discourage owners from investing in repairs. He said many buildings in the city were between 60 and 70 years old and had exceeded their structural lifespan without undergoing essential maintenance, increasing the risk of collapse. The problem, he added, exceeded the capacity of the municipality and residents alone, calling for direct state intervention. Authorities have begun providing temporary shelter to displaced families, while Lebanon’s Higher Relief Committee is offering housing allowances for up to three months, Karimeh said. He added that charities, the Ministry of Social Affairs and international organisations were co-ordinating to provide assistance, saying the aim was to secure a minimum acceptable level of support for affected households. Related Story Source link
Children watch as war-wounded Palestinians and other patients prepare to leave the Gaza Strip for treatment through the Rafah border crossing between the Gaza Strip and…
At least 13 people were killed after an old building collapsed in the Bab al-Tabbaneh area of Tripoli, northern Lebanon, while nine survivors have been rescued so far. Rescue teams continue to search for the remaining missing persons under the rubbleLebanon’s National News Agency (NNA) reported that rescue teams are working around the clock in an effort to reach any survivors in the collapsed building. This incident comes just two weeks after another building collapsed in Tripoli, highlighting the dangers of old buildings in the city and the urgent need for authorities to take measures to ensure safety Source link
Iranian authorities have arrested 11 members of an outlawed Kurdish group on suspicion of committing acts of sabotage, state television said yesterday. The arrest of the 11 alleged members of the Kurdistan Free Life Party (PJAK) – considered a terrorist group in Iran – comes in the wake of mass anti-government protests last month. Since its formation in 2004, the PJAK – an offshoot of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) – has staged operations against the Iranian military. The 11 people arrested in west Iran were “in direct contact with PJAK elements, seeking to launch sabotage actions and to disturb the population’s security”, the Fars news agency said. “They were identified and arrested before they were able to commit the act,” it added, citing Mohsen Karimi, a regional commander in Iran’s Revolutionary Guards. Both the governments of Turkiye and the United States also consider the PJAK to be a terrorist organisation. Source link
Several Saudi companies signed a series of strategic contracts with Syrian government entities in Damascus on Saturday, aiming at strengthening the path of economic cooperation between the two countries. The Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported that the agreements covered an array of vital sectors, notably aviation, communications, infrastructure, in addition to several developmental initiatives.Saudi Minister of Investment Khalid bin Abdulaziz Al Falih affirmed that the signed agreements mark a new phase in the path of economic cooperation between the two countries, supporting shared interests and enhancing opportunities for sustainable growth. Al Falih explained that these projects will contribute to developing Syria’s strategic infrastructure, expanding quality investment opportunities across several vital sectors, supporting economic development, creating jobs, and stimulating private-sector participation. He reiterated Riyadh’s commitment to continuing support for investment partnerships that promote stability and prosperity in both countries. Source link
Across the Arab world, internet access has quietly become part of everyday life. Yet behind this surge in connectivity lies a deeper divide — not between those who are online and those who are not, but between those who can simply connect and those who can truly navigate the digital age.In an exclusive interview with Gulf Times, sociologist and researcher Dr Laila Omar of the Arab Center for Research and Policy Studies (ACRPS) at the Doha Institute for Graduate Studies (DI) discusses what the latest Arab Opinion Index (AOI) reveals about digital literacy, inequality, and the shifting future of work in the region.The AOI — one of the largest public opinion surveys in the Arab world — conducted face-to-face interviews with more than 40,000 respondents across 15 countries during its 2024–2025 round. Its findings point to a dramatic rise in internet usage: 79% of respondents now use the internet, and nearly two-thirds go online daily. This marks a steep increase from 42% in 2012–2013, reflecting what Dr Omar describes as “a structural shift in communication, information consumption, and social life.”Internet access, she argues, now resembles a basic utility — in some countries, even more accessible than electricity or water. Smartphones have driven this transformation, with over 90% of users going online via mobile devices. As a result, the line between digital and non-digital life has largely disappeared. Yet, Dr Omar cautions, connectivity alone tells only part of the story.Despite widespread access, digital literacy remains uneven across generations, education levels, and nations. Many people can perform basic online tasks, but skills tied to critical thinking, fact-checking, and productive online engagement are far less common. This gap, she warns, has profound consequences — particularly in an era when social media dominates how information spreads.AOI data show that around 80% of internet users rely on social media for political news, especially during times of conflict. Yet only 41% trust the information they encounter there. For Dr Omar, this paradox underscores the urgency of digital literacy: without the ability to evaluate sources and detect manipulation, access can amplify misinformation rather than foster informed participation.Governments across the region have begun responding. Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt, and Morocco are investing heavily in digital infrastructure and e-government services, and education systems are integrating online tools. However, as Dr Omar observes, educational reform has lagged behind technological progress. Infrastructure has advanced faster than teacher training, curriculum redesign, and the development of workforce-relevant digital skills.This lag, she says, has tangible social costs. Digital illiteracy now compounds economic inequality as crucial services — from job applications to banking and training — move online. AOI findings reveal that 28% of households report incomes that do not meet basic needs. Limited digital skills thus become barriers to employment, upskilling, and mobility, particularly among youth and women. “Digital competence is no longer optional,” Dr Omar stresses. “It is now a form of social capital.”Looking ahead, she believes computer literacy will form the foundation of the future labour market. As AI, automation, and remote work reshape employment, basic digital competence must evolve into what she calls “AI-era literacy” — an awareness of how automated systems operate and the critical capacity to interpret their outputs. These themes, she adds, will take centre stage at the 2027 Social Sciences and Humanities Conference, which she will chair under the theme “AI and the Social Sciences in the Arab World.”To ensure digital literacy serves as a tool of empowerment rather than exclusion, Dr Omar identifies three policy priorities: “embedding digital and media literacy into school curricula; expanding adult and workforce-focused training; and strengthening regulation around misinformation, algorithms, and data protection”.“The future,” she concludes, “will not be defined by connectivity alone — but by who has the skills to use it wisely.” Related Story Source link
This handout picture released by the Lebanese Government Press Office shows Prime Minister Salam being showered with confetti as he is received by locals during a…
A flotilla of pro-Palestinian activists who attempted to reach Gaza last year will set sail for the besieged territory again next month, one member said yesterday. The Global Sumud Flotilla said the new mission set for March 29 would be “the largest co-ordinated humanitarian intervention for Palestine in history” and will mobilise “thousands from over 100 countries”. “We will be sailing from Barcelona, Tunis, Italy and many other ports not yet made public,” Brazilian activist Thiago Avila said. The group said an overland convoy would also leave for Gaza on the same day, without specifying from where. The campaigners sought to break an Israeli blockade by delivering aid to Gaza by sea last October, before they were intercepted by Israel, detained and deported. Israel controls Gaza’s borders and scrutinises all aid coming into the territory. The activists describe their actions as a “non-violent response to genocide, siege, mass starvation, and the destruction of civilian life in Gaza”. Source link