Muslim World League condemns extremist settlers' storming of Al-Aqsa Mosque
In a statement, Secretary-General of the League Dr. Mohammad Al-Issa denounced the heinous crime as a blatant violation of the sanctity of Islamic holy places.
Al-Issa also warned of the serious consequences of the Israeli occupation's continued criminal actions and escalating violations.
Earlier in the day, Israeli occupation's far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, along with a large group of Jewish settlers, stormed Al-Aqsa Mosque. (end) fn.sar
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Kuwait Times
8 hours ago
- Kuwait Times
Kuwait launches environmental bootcamp for high school students
Blue Pioneer camp gives students lessons in marine life, mapping, environmental protection KUWAIT: A new summer camp launched in Kuwait aims to raise environmental awareness among high school students across the region through a packed schedule of hands-on learning, field visits, and interactive workshops. The Blue Pioneer camp, organized by the Regional Organization for the Protection of the Marine Environment (ROPME), brings together young participants and a range of local institutions, including the Environment Public Authority (EPA), Kuwait University, the Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research, and the Kuwait Coast Guard. The initiative aimed at educating high school students on key environmental challenges and laws in Kuwait. 'The camp is designed to raise awareness and educate secondary school students about environmental issues,' said Sheikha Al-Ibrahim, Director of Public Relations and Media at the EPA, in a statement to Kuwait News Agency (KUNA). Organized in collaboration with the Regional Organization for the Protection of the Marine Environment (ROPME), the EPA's participation reflects its ongoing efforts to empower youth and promote their role in environmental protection. 'This collaboration stems from our belief in the importance of empowering young people and strengthening their role in preserving the environment,' Al-Ibrahim said. 'It's part of our continuous efforts to boost environmental cooperation and help build a generation that's aware of environmental issues.' Hands-on training As part of the program, the EPA will host hands-on field activities at its headquarters over the next two days. Students will explore Kuwait's biodiversity and learn how the country's environmental laws are enforced. 'The activities also include an introduction to the role of judicial officers in enforcing the Environmental Protection Law, including how violations are recorded and the common types of infractions,' Al-Ibrahim explained. She stressed the importance of familiarizing students with the Environmental Protection Law, saying it helps increase environmental awareness and gives participants the knowledge to apply these principles in real life. Marwa Abul, head of the Capacity Building Unit at ROPME, told KUNA that the camp is designed to 'educate and inspire future environmental leaders from high school students across all member countries.' She said the program combines interactive lectures, field visits, and hands-on training across various institutions and coastal sites. Students will tour EPA laboratories to learn how to collect and analyze water and marine samples using scientific methods. They'll also get hands-on experience with coral farming and fish feeding in aquariums. Other highlights include mapping training with the Coast Guard, workshops at the fish market on identifying healthy fish and collecting samples, and a visit to a fish farming facility in Wafra that introduces aquaponics techniques. Students will also tour the Ahmad Al-Jaber Oil and Gas Exhibition and take part in a marine pollution response workshop. To top it off, the program includes scuba diving sessions and educational film screenings at the Scientific Center's IMAX theater. Abul said the program aims to connect what students learn with real-world environmental challenges and prepare them to apply their knowledge 'in practical life.'— KUNA
Arab Times
10 hours ago
- Arab Times
Royal parties ... glitterati
Algerian poet and novelist Ahlam Mosteghanemi once wrote an article expressing her dismay at the lackluster reception she received upon arriving at Beirut airport, claiming it was not as warm as the welcome given to an 'artist.' At the time, I responded that this reaction was entirely understandable. Artists, particularly actors, singers, and performers, tend to hold a unique place in the hearts of the public, regardless of civilization or culture. Their popularity often far exceeds that of leading scientists, brilliant doctors, or distinguished writers, whose recognition tends to remain confined to their professional circles. That is why we often see the majority of guests invited to parties at the White House, royal palaces, or billionaire gatherings are not intellectuals, but entertainers like actors, singers, and musicians. A few days ago, the renowned artist Ziad Rahbani passed away, and I wrote an elegy in his memory. However, it seems that not everyone appreciated it, including my friend Professor Saad bin Tefla, who described Ziad as 'a hollow, troubled man full of psychological complexes.' He further accused him of holding harsh views and a condescending attitude toward the Gulf states, claiming this reflects the mindset of many Arab leftists, intellectuals, and prominent writers, and in turn a deeper internal crisis. Professor Saad described it as part of the crisis within the Arab world, manifested in a sense of cultural superiority held by those who see themselves as heirs to ancient civilizations, looking down on the so-called 'Arabs of the desert.' What they fail to recognize is that these very Gulf countries have advanced and developed rapidly, often surpassing the so-called cradle of civilizations, whose current standard of living bears little resemblance to their historic past. I don't think the issue is that simple, even if it reflects the truth. Those who try to obscure it do so out of ignorance. That said, the discussion about attitudes toward the Gulf and its people applies to various circles, but it is unfair to paint all artists and creatives with the same brush. Ziad Rahbani, despite the many wise, humorous, emotional, and sometimes biased or absurd quotes attributed to him, was not a thinker, writer, or lecturer, nor was he known for being deeply educated or culturally intelligent. He was, above all, an artist who breathed music as naturally as he breathed air. For over forty years, he enriched the lives of millions with works that remain timeless. That is what he should be remembered for, not his political stances or leftist leanings. After all, Laila Murad was Jewish, yet her voice captured the hearts of generations. The brothers Saleh and Daoud Al-Kuwaiti, who later immigrated to Israel, were also Jewish. Their different origins or religions never stood in the way of enjoying their timeless artistic heritage. The negative attitudes of some intellectuals, thinkers, and cultural figures toward the peoples of the Gulf are not isolated incidents. We should not dwell on them too long or hold every intellectual, writer, novelist, or philosopher accountable for their views. Doing so would mean depriving ourselves of a large part of the global intellectual and cultural heritage. The inferior or misguided perceptions about the people of the Gulf, and the negative attitudes toward them, are natural behavior, whether expressed by thinkers, singers, or politicians. This is part of human nature. After the two world wars, Americans faced similar condescension from Europeans, who saw them as representatives of cowboy culture, the Wild West, dollar greed, anti-civilization, anti-culture and descendants of society's dregs who immigrated to the New World. But this American 'cowboy', within just two or three decades, attained the highest levels of knowledge and progress in all fields, and had the biggest influence in Europe in security and finance, as well as became most successful in winning countless awards in all fields of creativity, setting an example for oppressed peoples worldwide, before circumstances changed. We must admit that the Gulf suffers from cultural scarcity, a lack of creativity, and cultural poverty. However, we are better today than we were yesterday, and we will be far better tomorrow. Combating or responding to the ideologies represented by figures like Zaydan, Adonis, Al-Aswany, and others doesn't mean boycotting their works or attacking them. It means striving to become pioneers in literature, leaders in art, and guardians of culture. This goal cannot be achieved without providing an atmosphere that is rich in freedom. For years, Kuwait and Lebanon stood out as the most creative hubs in the region due to well-known reasons. But how can we truly support literature, culture, and thought when censors scrutinize every breath of creative persons, when the publication of Al-Arabi, which was Kuwait's cultural flagship for over half a century, is suspended, and when the printing of Alam Al- Maarifa and similar publications is banned? We have succeeded in buying almost everything with our wealth, but culture and intellectual creativity cannot be purchased. They must be nurtured, cultivated, and allowed to grow; only then can we reap their fruits. What will remain in the memory of history, dear Saad, are not Ziad's stances on the Gulf states, his views on Nasrallah, or his support for Assad, but rather his timeless artistic contributions such as 'Give my regards to him,' 'How are you?,' 'On the roar of the bus,' 'I'm writing your name, my love,' 'Miss the gazelle,' 'Joy has come,' 'Since he is,' and many more.
Kuwait Times
11 hours ago
- Kuwait Times
Paramilitaries kill 14 civilians in Sudna's Darfur
KHARTOUM: Sudanese paramilitary fighters have killed at least 14 civilians trying to flee a besieged city in Darfur, a rights group said Monday, more than 27 months into their war against the army. The attack in a village on the outskirts of El-Fasher came just two days after the administration installed by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) had called on civilians to evacuate the besieged city and promised they would be safe. The Emergency Lawyers, a rights group which has documented atrocities in the war between the RSF and the Sudanese army, said that 14 people had been killed in the Saturday attack, 'dozens more were injured and an unknown number of civilians detained'. 'The victims had left El-Fasher in an attempt to escape the siege and escalating battles,' the group said. AFP was not immediately able to verify the toll and details, with Darfur under a communications blackout and largely inaccessible to journalists. The RSF has in recent days launched its latest assault on El-Fasher, the North Darfur state capital which it has besieged since May 2024 but has been unable to seize from the hands of the army. The UN has repeatedly warned of the plight of an estimated one million people trapped in El-Fasher and its surrounding displacement camps with virtually no aid or services. Families have survived on animal feed, a shortage of which was announced last week by local authorities. Since April 2023, the war between the army and the RSF has killed tens of thousands, torn the country apart, and created what the UN has called the world's largest hunger and displacement crises. If the RSF captures El-Fasher, it will control all of Sudan's vast western region of Darfur and, along with its allies, much of the country's south. On Thursday, the RSF's political administration urged El-Fasher residents to evacuate to Qarni village, where the Emergency Lawyers said the civilians had been killed. 'I call on you to leave El-Fasher and head to Qarni, the northwest gate of the city, where our forces and the Tasis alliance forces are located and will ensure your safety,' the RSF-appointed Darfur governor Al-Hadi Idris had said in a video address. Tasis is an RSF-led political alliance which late last month named leaders of a government based in South Darfur state capital Nyala. The RSF government has received no international recognition, and the African Union has called on its members to 'not recognize the so-called 'parallel government''. Idris said RSF allies would offer safe passage to areas including the western town of Tawila, 'just as the forces have secured thousands of people who left El-Fasher in the past six months'. In Tawila, the UN says hundreds of thousands are currently facing a devastating cholera outbreak after surviving RSF attacks on the displacement camps that surround El-Fasher in April. Both the army and the RSF have been repeatedly accused of war crimes, including targeting civilians and the indiscriminate shelling of residential areas. But the RSF has been specifically accused of atrocities including laying siege to and burning entire villages and displacement camps, systematic sexual violence and genocide in its ethnically motivated attacks in Darfur. – AFP
