Biden, Harris to meet US negotiating team on Gaza hostage deal

Biden, Harris to meet US negotiating team on Gaza hostage deal
President Joe Biden, left, and Vice President Kamala Harris speak in Largo. (File/AP)
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Updated 02 September 2024
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Biden, Harris to meet US negotiating team on Gaza hostage deal

Biden, Harris to meet US negotiating team on Gaza hostage deal
  • Biden’s official schedule was revised to make time for the White House meeting, which will also be attended by Vice President Kamala Harris

WASHINGTON: President Joe Biden will sit down on Monday with US negotiators pushing for a hostage-release deal in the Israel-Hamas war, the White House said, after the deaths of six captives in Gaza, including an American citizen.
Biden’s official schedule was revised to make time for the White House meeting, which will also be attended by Vice President Kamala Harris, who is running to succeed him in November’s presidential election.
A statement announcing Biden’s updated schedule said he and Harris would meet Monday “with the US hostage deal negotiating team following the murder of American citizen Hersh Goldberg-Polin and five other hostages by Hamas on Saturday, and discuss efforts to drive toward a deal that secures the release of the remaining hostages.”
The United States, along with fellow mediators Egypt and Qatar, has spent months pushing for a hostage-prisoner exchange and ceasefire in the war in Gaza.
Militants seized 251 hostages during the October 7 attack on Israel that sparked the war, 97 of whom remain in Gaza, including 33 the Israeli military says are dead.
Scores of hostages were released during a one-week truce in November, with campaigners and family members believing another deal is the best option to ensure the rest return.
A nationwide strike in Israel aimed at ramping up pressure on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government to secure the release of the remaining captives was set to begin Monday.
Hostage relatives and advocates have accused Netanyahu’s administration of not doing enough to bring the captives back alive, and have called for an immediate ceasefire to rescue the rest.


9 dead, 48 missing in migrant boat shipwreck off Spanish island

9 dead, 48 missing in migrant boat shipwreck off Spanish island
Updated 28 September 2024
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9 dead, 48 missing in migrant boat shipwreck off Spanish island

9 dead, 48 missing in migrant boat shipwreck off Spanish island
  • Eighty-four people were on board and 27 were saved after rescuers responded to a distress call received shortly after midnight from off El Hierro
  • This follows the death of 39 migrants in early September when their boat sank off Senegal

MADRID: A boat carrying migrants capsized off Spain’s Canary Islands overnight, killing at least nine and leaving 48 missing, the national maritime rescue service said on Saturday.
Eighty-four people were on board and 27 were saved after rescuers responded to a distress call received shortly after midnight from off El Hierro, one of the islands in the Atlantic archipelago, a statement said.
This follows the death of 39 migrants in early September when their boat sank off Senegal while attempting a similar crossing to the Canaries, from where migrants hope to reach mainland Europe.
Thousands of migrants have died in recent years setting off into the Atlantic to reach Europe onboard overcrowded and often dilapidated boats.
The latest tragedy “again underlines the dangerousness of the Atlantic route,” Canaries regional president Fernando Clavijo wrote on X.
“We need Spain and the EU to act decisively in the face of a structural humanitarian tragedy” as lives are lost “meters from Europe’s southern border,” he added.
In late August, Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez visited Mauritania and The Gambia to sign cooperation agreements to crack down on people smugglers while expanding pathways for legal immigration.
As of August 15, 22,304 migrants had reached the Canaries since the start of the year, up from 9,864 in the same period the previous year.
Almost 40,000 migrants entered the Canaries in 2023, a record on course to be broken this year as easier navigation conditions from September tend to lead to a spike in crossing attempts.
The Atlantic route is particularly deadly, with many of the crowded and poorly equipped boats unable to cope with the strong ocean currents. Some boats depart African beaches as far as 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) from the Canaries.
The International Organization for Migration, a UN agency, estimates that 4,857 people have died on this route since 2014.
Many aid organizations say that is a massive undercount, with Caminando Fronteras, a Spanish NGO that aids migrants, saying 18,680 have died trying to reach Europe.


Pakistani authorities call for vaccination amid resurgence of polio

Pakistani authorities call for vaccination amid resurgence of polio
Updated 28 September 2024
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Pakistani authorities call for vaccination amid resurgence of polio

Pakistani authorities call for vaccination amid resurgence of polio
  • Number of cases in Pakistan this year is the highest since 2021
  • Officials are ‘hopeful’ new strategies will stop the virus spreading

KARACHI: The number of polio cases in Pakistan has risen to at least two dozen so far this year, as local authorities urged citizens on Saturday to vaccinate their children against the virus.

Pakistan is one of the only two countries in the world — alongside neighboring Afghanistan — where polio is still endemic.

In 2024, thousands of Pakistani health workers were involved in nationwide campaigns aimed at vaccinating millions of children under five in a state-driven effort to contain the spread of the virus.

But polio has continued to spread across the country, with the number of cases so far this year surging to its highest since 2021.

After health officials reported the first polio case in Islamabad in 16 years earlier this month, the most recent was reported in Sindh province, where local authorities are urging parents and caregivers to vaccinate their children.

“Vaccinate your children to protect them from disability,” Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah said on Saturday.

“There is an urgent need for collective action to eradicate the crippling disease of polio. Every time a new polio case is reported, it causes severe distress. While the world is making strides in development, we have yet to free ourselves from polio.”

Nofil Naqvi, spokesperson for the Emergency Operations Center in Sindh, highlighted that the virus has continued to spread because some children have yet to be vaccinated.

“If every child is vaccinated, it will stop,” Naqvi told Arab News. “We’re implementing several changes in our operations and communication strategies. We are hopeful that we will soon stop this spread, which will lead to the ultimate eradication of the polio virus.”

Polio is a highly contagious and sometimes deadly illness, which once paralyzed hundreds of thousands of children globally each year. Though incurable, it can be prevented through vaccination. After vaccines were introduced in 1955, the number of cases worldwide dropped by more than 99.9 percent.

Pakistan launched the Polio Eradication Program in 1994, after cases were reported to have reached around 20,000 in the early 1990s.

While the number of cases has declined significantly in the last three decades, the nation continues to face challenges. This includes misinformation and militants who attack vaccinators, particularly in northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

The polio program also faces continued disruptions from natural disasters, such as the deadly floods that have affected much of Pakistan in recent years.


Indonesian entrepreneurs explore Saudi market at Jeddah trade expo

Indonesian entrepreneurs explore Saudi market at Jeddah trade expo
Updated 28 September 2024
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Indonesian entrepreneurs explore Saudi market at Jeddah trade expo

Indonesian entrepreneurs explore Saudi market at Jeddah trade expo
  • Amazing Indonesia promoted products from the Southeast Asian country
  • A variety of Indonesian businesses, from coffee to fashion brands, showcased their goods

JAKARTA: A number of Indonesian entrepreneurs made their first foray into the Saudi market this week at the Amazing Indonesia Trade Expo in Jeddah.

The event, which ran from Sept. 26 to 28, was organized by the Indonesian Consulate General in Jeddah to promote goods and services from the world’s largest Muslim-majority country.

For Inna Dwi Kurniati, owner of Jakarta-based modest fashion brand Inabee Mukena, it was the first time she has exhibited her products outside of her homeland.

“I’m very happy I can participate at this exhibition in Jeddah,” Kurniati told Arab News on Saturday. “I hope I can continue to participate at international exhibitions so I can introduce Indonesian products to the world.”

The Saudi market offered “good potential” for the business, which she started in 2019, she said.

“We just have to develop it further to fit the Saudi market demand, to offer prayer sets and abayas with designs and cultural considerations that will be acceptable here.”

Sabardi, owner of Aceh-based Ulunowih, which specializes in coffee made from beans from the Gayo highlands, told Arab News: ”As a small business from Aceh, being able to get this chance in Jeddah is a source of pride and an extraordinary achievement. This is an opportunity to introduce local products, such as Gayo coffee, to the international market.”

Gayo beans are a flagship commodity for Aceh, which is Indonesia’s top producer of Arabica coffee.  

“This is an experience that adds to my belief that Aceh’s local products have great potential in the international market, especially in the Middle East,” Sabardi said. “This also motivates us to increase our product quality even further to make it more competitive globally.”

The Indonesian entrepreneurs also had the chance to do their own market survey while in Jeddah, visiting other stores and businesses across the city that they could potentially collaborate with.

“I think every small business has their own market, and it’s such a coincidence that Sweet Sundae (matches well with) Saudi Arabia and other Middle Eastern countries,” said Yuki Rahmayanti, referring to her ice cream and dairy brand.

“This is a splendid blessing, being able to offer our products directly in Jeddah,” she concluded. 


Kyiv says Russian attacks on medical center in Ukraine’s Sumy kill 8, injure 11

Kyiv says Russian attacks on medical center in Ukraine’s Sumy kill 8, injure 11
Updated 28 September 2024
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Kyiv says Russian attacks on medical center in Ukraine’s Sumy kill 8, injure 11

Kyiv says Russian attacks on medical center in Ukraine’s Sumy kill 8, injure 11

KYIV: Russian forces hit a medical center in Sumy in northeastern Ukraine on Saturday morning then struck again as the building was being evacuated, killing a total of eight people, Ukrainian officials said.
Ukrainian prosecutors said that at the time of the attacks, 86 patients and 38 staff members were in the hospital.
“The first attack killed one person and damaged the ceilings of several floors of the hospital,” Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said on Telegram.
As people were being evacuated, the Russians struck again, killing a further five people, he said.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky later said eight people were killed and 11 injured.
“Everyone in the world who talks about this war should pay attention to where Russia is hitting. They are fighting hospitals, civilian objects, and people’s lives,” Zelensky said on Telegram.
“Only force can force Russia to peace. Peace through force is the only right way.”
Klymenko did not specify what weapons were used in Saturday’s attacks but the regional administration and air forces said the strike was carried out by drones.
Attacks on Sumy city and the Sumy region have become much more frequent since Ukrainian forces launched an operation in Russia’s Kursk region in August and captured dozens of settlements.
Sumy city is located just 32 km (20 miles) from the Russian border and Russian forces have been attacking the region and the city with drones and guided bombs.
Ukrainian air forces earlier on Saturday said they had shot down 69 of 73 drones during an overnight Russian attack that included two ballistic and two cruise missiles.
About 15 Russian attack drones were destroyed by air defenses in the capital Kyiv and on its outskirts, the military administration there said.


Somali PM: Country faces ‘flagrant violation’ of its territorial integrity by Ethiopia

Somali PM: Country faces ‘flagrant violation’ of its territorial integrity by Ethiopia
Updated 28 September 2024
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Somali PM: Country faces ‘flagrant violation’ of its territorial integrity by Ethiopia

Somali PM: Country faces ‘flagrant violation’ of its territorial integrity by Ethiopia
  • Israel’s war against Palestinians has ‘reached catastrophic levels,’ Hamza Abdi Barre tells UN General Assembly
  • Somalia will be a member of the UN Security Council for 2025-2026

WASHINGTON: Somalia’s prime minister told the UN General Assembly on Friday that his country is facing a serious threat to its territorial integrity from Ethiopia that must not be overlooked by the international community.

Hamza Abdi Barre said Ethiopia’s collaboration with a Somali separatist group is a “flagrant violation” of his country’s territorial integrity.

Ethiopia’s attempts “to annex parts of Somalia under the guise of securing sea access are both unlawful and unnecessary,” he said.

“Somali ports have always been accessible for Ethiopia’s legitimate commercial activities as part of Somalia’s commitment to enhance regional trade.

“However, Ethiopia’s aggressive maneuvers, including its illegal MoU (memorandum of understanding) with a separatist group in northern Somalia undermines Somalia’s sovereignty and emboldens secessionist movements and is a threat to our national unity.”

He said Somalia has the sovereign right to defend its territorial integrity, and called on Ethiopia to cease its provocations and adhere to international law.

Speaking about the civil war in Sudan, he called for an “immediate cessation of hostilities and the protection of civilians.”

He said Israel’s war against the Palestinians has “reached catastrophic levels” and “has created one of the most severe humanitarian disasters of our time.”

Due to Israel’s blockade, he described Gaza as “an open-air prison, where access to basic services and medical care is severely restricted.”

He urged the international community to push for a political settlement to end the suffering of generations of Palestinians, and to give them hope to live in dignity and security in their own state.

He said Somalia is looking forward to playing an active and responsible role as an incoming member of the UN Security Council in 2025-2026.

“We’re fully committed to working alongside all nations to confront the world’s most pressing challenges,” he said, adding that his country is committed to achieving the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals and creating better economic conditions for Somalis.