Bahrain expels Israel envoy, cuts economic ties

Bahrain expels Israel envoy, cuts economic ties
This picture shows an Israeli flag inside the embassy of the Jewish state, in the Bahraini capital Manama, on September 30, 2021. (AFP/File)
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Updated 02 November 2023
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Bahrain expels Israel envoy, cuts economic ties

Bahrain expels Israel envoy, cuts economic ties
  • The kingdom says its decision is based on 'historical stance that supports the Palestinian cause'
  • The Israeli ambassador has left Bahrain while the kingdom has called back its envoy from Israel

RIYADH: Bahrain has recalled its ambassador to Israel and suspended economic ties with Tel Aviv, the country’s parliament announced on Thursday.

The statement published on the Bahraini parliament website confirmed that the Israeli ambassador had left Bahrain, while Bahrain called back its ambassador from Israel and decided to suspend all economic relations with Israel.

It added that its decision to recall its envoy and suspend economic relations is based on the kingdom’s “solid and historical stance that supports the Palestinian cause and the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people.”

The parliament statement continued: “The Council of Representatives affirms that the Israeli ambassador in the kingdom of Bahrain has left Bahrain and the kingdom of Bahrain has decided on the return of the Bahrain ambassador to Israel. The cessation of economic relations was also decided.

“The Council affirms that the continuation of war and military operations, and the continuing Israeli escalation in light of the lack of respect for international humanitarian law, prompts the Council to demand more decisions and measures that preserve the lives of innocent people and civilians in Gaza and all Palestinian areas.”

The Bahraini Ministry of Foreign Affairs is yet to issue a statement, but the story has been widely reported by several news agencies, including Israeli ones.

In September 2020 Bahrain signed the Abraham Accord with Israel and the UAE in the US with their host the then President Donald Trump.


Data-driven tech helping to reduce impact of severe weather events

Data-driven tech helping to reduce impact of severe weather events
Updated 12 sec ago
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Data-driven tech helping to reduce impact of severe weather events

Data-driven tech helping to reduce impact of severe weather events
  • Better predictions of rainfall and flooding increasingly possible
  • Data is key, says Naji Atallah, EMEA Emerging markets, Autodesk

SAN DIEGO: Severe weather events across the Middle East are becoming increasingly common, but advanced data-collection technology is now being used to mitigate these effects on cities today and hopefully in the future.

According to the website Statista.com, flooding between 2013 and 2023 resulted in economic insured losses of an estimated $98.2 billion.

The report goes on to say that 2021 was the year with the highest insured losses caused by flooding events during that decade at $24.2 billion.

The human cost alone is of concern. In 2021 the World Economic Forum reported that storms had claimed over 577,000 lives, and almost 59,000 people died in floods.

In April, 142 mm of rain fell on the UAE in 24 hours — the same amount usually over a year-and-a-half, and the heaviest in 75 years.

Five people reportedly died in the storms that also flooded homes, malls, streets and even Dubai’s busy international airport. The country was brought to a standstill as cars were submerged.

According to Naji Atallah, head of construction and manufacturing, EMEA Emerging markets at Autodesk, such weather is going to become more frequent as climate change continues.

But as more information is gathered on such events then more can be done to reduce the impact, and in some cases turn these events into an advantage.

Speaking on the sidelines of the recent Autodesk University 2024: The Design and Make Conference in San Diego, US, Atallah told Arab News that incidents such as flash floods can be prevented, or the impact at least reduced if a large amount of data is available.

“Floods, more intense rainfall, or more intense droughts are becoming more frequent,” he explained. “So a city that designed its infrastructure for a one-in-100-year storm will be capable of coping with a probability of 1 percent. for a storm of that magnitude.”

But he said there was now a greater frequency to these major weather events. So a storm that would have previously occurred once every 100 years, is now likely to occur once every 10 years, making the need for improvements much more necessary.

“At some point there will be a storm event that’s beyond the capacity of that design and then flooding will occur. So, the intention should be to make the flood events predictable and manageable.”

He said there are currently cities in the Middle East using software to help design drainage systems and prioritize areas that need intervention when flooding occurs.

Atallah said that rapid urbanization was contributing to increased flooding because it has reduced drainage areas.

Information remains key, he said.

“It is all about data,” Atallah explained. “These models are extremely rich in data, which means you can simulate different scenarios and how the water will behave, where it will go.”

In cities such as Dubai, where fleets of tankers are used for drainage, there can be better predictions of high-risk areas and therefore the deployment of these vehicles.

In addition, Atallah said scenario-mapping can help determine where to create channels and storage areas where flash floods are most likely — basically creating lakes or reservoirs.

This is especially important in areas such as the Gulf region, he said, as water is high in demand but low in supply.

He said cities in the UAE and Saudi Arabia are already working on projects to counter future weather events. This includes Jeddah, which is particularly flood-prone.

Atallah said there was still a lot to be learned.

And he hopes the advancements in technology, including artificial intelligence, would help mitigate the effects of major weather events detrimental to human habitats.


Qatar says it will work with Biden administration until ‘last minute’ for Gaza ceasefire deal

Qatar says it will work with Biden administration until ‘last minute’ for Gaza ceasefire deal
Updated 1 min 32 sec ago
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Qatar says it will work with Biden administration until ‘last minute’ for Gaza ceasefire deal

Qatar says it will work with Biden administration until ‘last minute’ for Gaza ceasefire deal

DOHA: Qatar will work with US President Joe Biden’s administration “until the last minute” before the Presidential election to reach a Gaza ceasefire deal, the Qatari foreign ministry said on Tuesday.
“We don’t foresee any negative result of the elections on the mediation process itself. We believe that we are dealing with institutions, and in a country like the United States, the institutions are invested in finding a resolution to this crisis,” ministry spokesperson Majed Al-Ansari told a press conference.


UN expert says Israel ‘genocide’ seeks ‘eradication’ of Palestinians from their land

UN expert says Israel ‘genocide’ seeks ‘eradication’ of Palestinians from their land
Updated 39 min 28 sec ago
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UN expert says Israel ‘genocide’ seeks ‘eradication’ of Palestinians from their land

UN expert says Israel ‘genocide’ seeks ‘eradication’ of Palestinians from their land
  • UN rights expert Francesca Albanese: ‘Genocide of the Palestinians appears to be the means to an end’
  • Independent expert on rights in the occupied Palestinian territories has long faced harsh Israeli criticism

GENEVA: Outspoken UN rights expert Francesca Albanese reiterated Tuesday an allegation that Israel is committing “genocide” in Gaza, charging that the country is seeking the “eradication of Palestinians” from their land.
The independent expert on rights in the occupied Palestinian territories, who has long faced harsh Israeli criticism, said in a fresh report that “the genocide of the Palestinians appears to be the means to an end: the complete removal or eradication of Palestinians from the land so integral to their identity, and which is illegally and openly coveted by Israel.”


Iran moves to triple military budget amid Israel tensions

Iran moves to triple military budget amid Israel tensions
Updated 44 min 17 sec ago
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Iran moves to triple military budget amid Israel tensions

Iran moves to triple military budget amid Israel tensions
  • Tehran has not disclosed any figures
  • The proposed budget will be debated, with lawmakers expected to finalize it in March

TEHRAN: Iran’s government has proposed to triple its military budget, its spokeswoman said Tuesday, as tensions with arch-rival Israel rise following recent tit-for-tat missile strikes.
Government spokeswoman Fatemeh MoHajjerani outlined the move that would see “a significant increase of more than 200 percent in the country’s military budget” at a news conference in Tehran.
She did not elaborate and Tehran has not disclosed any figures, but according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute think tank, Iran’s military spending in 2023 was about $10.3 billion.
The proposed budget will be debated, with lawmakers expected to finalize it in March.
Iran and Israel on Monday accused each other of endangering Middle East peace in a heated exchange at a UN meeting.
It came days after Israel carried out strikes on Iran in response to an October 1 missile barrage that the Islamic republic launched against Israel.
The Iranian army reported four soldiers killed and damage to “radar systems.”
Iran’s October 1 strike, involving 200 missiles, was in retaliation for attacks that killed the leaders of the Iran-backed groups Hamas and Hezbollah, as well as one of its own commanders.
“All efforts have been made to meet the country’s defense needs and special attention has been paid to this issue,” the government spokeswoman MoHajjerani said.
The regional tensions flared after Israel launched a military offensive in the Gaza Strip to eliminate the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas in response to the unprecedented October 7, 2023 attacks on Israel.
Since last month, Israel has also been battling Lebanon’s Hezbollah movement.


Sexual violence on ‘staggering’ scale in Sudan civil war: UN probe

Sexual violence on ‘staggering’ scale in Sudan civil war: UN probe
Updated 53 min 2 sec ago
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Sexual violence on ‘staggering’ scale in Sudan civil war: UN probe

Sexual violence on ‘staggering’ scale in Sudan civil war: UN probe
  • Children are not spared the abuse, while women and girls are being abducted for sexual slavery
  • War between the Sudanese army and paramilitary forces has triggered one of the worst humanitarian crises

GENEVA: Rape is widespread in Sudan’s civil war, a United Nations investigation said Tuesday, accusing paramilitaries especially of committing sexual violence on a “staggering” scale.
Children are not spared the abuse, while women and girls are being abducted for sexual slavery, the UN Independent International Fact-Finding Mission for the Sudan said in a new report.
“There is no safe place in Sudan now,” the investigation’s chair Mohamed Chande Othman said in a statement.
War has raged since April 2023 between the Sudanese army (SAF) under the country’s de facto ruler Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), led by his former deputy Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo.
The civil war has triggered one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.
UN chief Antonio Guterres said Monday that Sudan was enduring a “nightmare” of hunger, violence, illness and “unspeakable atrocities.”
The fact-finding mission said Tuesday the war had resulted in thousands of killings, injuries, extensive displacement and the destruction of homes, schools and hospitals.
“The situation remains grim as the conflict rages on, causing civilians immense suffering,” it said.
About 11.3 million people have been uprooted from their homes by the war, among them nearly three million who have fled outside Sudan, according to the UN refugee agency.
More than 25 million people — more than half the population — are facing acute hunger.
The SAF, the RSF and their allied militias “have committed large-scale human rights and international humanitarian law violations, many of which may amount to war crimes and/or crimes against humanity,” the mission concluded.
Both sides have arrested and detained people arbitrarily, and have engaged in torture amounting to war crimes.
“Both obstructed access to humanitarian aid for civilians in need,” the mission said.
The report accused both sides of sexual violence, but said the RSF was behind the “large majority” of documented cases.
The mission said the RSF was responsible for “sexual violence on a large scale,” including “gang-rapes and abducting and detaining victims in conditions that amount to sexual slavery.”
It also said the RSF and its allies had committed a range of other war crimes and crimes against humanity, including “abduction, and recruitment and use of children in hostilities,” amid systematic looting and pillaging.
“The sheer scale of sexual violence we have documented in Sudan is staggering,” said Othman, a former chief justice of Tanzania.
“The situation faced by vulnerable civilians, in particular women and girls of all ages, is deeply alarming and needs urgent address.”
Such abuses were “part of a pattern aimed at terrorizing and punishing civilians for perceived links with opponents,” and suppressing any opposition to their military advances.
In the western Darfur region, sexual violence was committed “with particular cruelty, with firearms, knives and whips.”
The report said: “First-hand sources informed of rape of girls as young as eight years and women as old as 75.”
Victims were often subjected to “punching, beatings with sticks and lashing, before and during the rape,” with sexual violence often occurring in the presence of the victims’ relatives.
The mission said they had received credible information “about rape and gang-rape of men and boys.”
Chaired by Othman, the three-member mission was established in October 2023 by the UN Human Rights Council, charged with probing all alleged human rights and international humanitarian law violations in the conflict.
Tuesday’s 80-page report expands on the mission’s first report to the rights council, delivered in September.
The mission called for an immediate and sustainable ceasefire.
They repeated their call for the deployment of an independent force with a mandate to protect civilians.
The mission also said the arms embargo on Darfur, and the International Criminal Court’s jurisdiction over the region, should be extended to the whole country, while former president Omar Al-Bashir should be surrendered to the ICC.