Wednesday News 26/03/2025
LONDON: In a bid to protect the rights of children, Kuwait recently raised the minimum age of marriage to 18. However, the fight against child marriage across the Arab world remains an uphill battle, particularly in conflict-ridden regions.
In mid-February, Kuwait amended its Personal Status Law No. 51/1984 and Jaafari Personal Status Law No. 124/2019, citing alarming rates of child marriage. In 2024 alone, 1,145 underage marriages were registered, including 1,079 girls and 66 boys.
KHARTOUM: Three civilians including two children were killed Sunday in an artillery attack by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces on Omdurman, part of the Sudanese capital, a medical source told AFP.
Eyewitnesses in the area reported seven rounds of shelling rocking residential neighborhoods controlled by the army, which in recent days regained most of central Khartoum’s government district from the RSF.
BEIRUT: Lebanon’s health ministry said one person was killed Sunday in an Israeli drone strike, a day after the most intense escalation since a November ceasefire in the war with Hezbollah.
“The Israeli enemy raid with a drone on a car in Aita Al-Shaab led to the death of one citizen,” the health ministry said, after the official National News Agency (NNA) had reported the strike on the southern village.
The NNA also reported separate Israeli strikes on Sunday on Naqurah, Shihin and Labbouneh in the south, near the Israeli border.
ISTANBUL: A Turkish court jailed Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu on Sunday pending trial, state media and other broadcasters said, in a move likely to stoke the country’s biggest protests in more than decade.
The decision to send Imamoglu — who is President Tayyip Erdogan’s main political rival — to prison comes after the main opposition party, European leaders and tens of thousands of protesters criticized the actions against him as politicized.
Jerusalem: Israel’s military said early on Sunday it had intercepted a missile launched from Yemen after air raid sirens sounded in several areas across the country.
“Following the sirens that sounded a short while ago in several areas in Israel, a missile launched from Yemen was intercepted by the IAF (Israeli Air Force) prior to crossing into Israeli territory,” the military said in a statement.
The latest interception is part of an escalation between Israel and the Houthis after the Iran-backed group claimed a series of missile launches this week.
DEIR AL-BALAH: Israeli strikes across the southern Gaza Strip killed at least 26 Palestinians overnight into Sunday, including a Hamas political leader and several women and children. The military sent ground troops into part of the southern city of Rafah as thousands of Palestinians heeded new evacuation orders.
Baghdad: In a Baghdad arena, a crowd cheers to the rhythm of drums, not for a football match but for a fiery centuries-old game enjoyed by Iraqis during Ramadan called “mheibes.”
“It’s a heritage game, the game of our ancestors, which unites all Iraqis,” said Jassem Al-Aswad, a longtime mheibes champion in his early seventies and now president of the game’s national federation.
The game involves members of one team hiding a ring — “mehbis” in Arabic — and the captain of the opposing team trying to guess who has it in the palm of his hand.
ISTANBUL: Turkish prosecutors have asked a court to jail Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu and four of his aides pending trial on terrorism and corruption charges, Imamoglu’s office said, as thousands of people across the nation protest what they call his undemocratic detention.
Imamoglu, a key opposition figure and potential challenger to President Tayyip Erdogan, was detained on Wednesday for charges such as graft and aiding a terrorist group.
MOSCOW : The Kremlin on Sunday downplayed expectations for a rapid resolution to the Ukraine conflict, saying talks were just beginning and that “difficult negotiations” were ahead.
Delegations from Russia and Ukraine are set to hold separate talks with US officials in Saudi Arabia over the next 48 hours as President Donald Trump pushes for a rapid end to more than three years of fighting.
“We are only at the beginning of this path,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Russian state TV.
JERUSALEM: Israel will keep striking Hamas targets in Gaza to ensure the return of hostages, a senior adviser to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Saturday, as European countries called for a ceasefire and access for aid supplies.
Ophir Falk, Netanyahu’s foreign policy adviser, said military pressure pushed Hamas to accept the first truce in November 2023, in which some 80 hostages were returned. He said this was also the surest way to force release of the remaining 59 hostages.
RIYADH: The historic Al-Hosn Al-Asfal Mosque in the Asir region has been restored as part of a national project, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
The second phase of the Prince Mohammed bin Salman Project for the Development of Historic Mosques aims to protect Islamic heritage and highlight traditional architectural styles.
Built in 1760, Al-Hosn Al-Asfal Mosque was renovated to preserve its original design and geometric shape while restoring its sustainable features.
RIYADH: The fifth National Campaign for Charitable Work, hosted on the Ehsan platform during Ramadan, continues to attract significant donations, focusing on mosque enhancements and worship services.
The campaign has funded more than 3,000 Umrah trips, built five mosques, maintained 46, and provided essential resources to 12, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Sunday.
Donations can be made via ehsan.sa or the donor service center at 8001247000, the SPA added.
RIYADH: Members of Saudi Arabia’s Project Masam removed 552 explosive devices from various regions of Yemen last week.
The total included 513 unexploded ordnances, 35 anti-tank mines and four explosive devices, according to a recent report.
Ousama Al-Gosaibi, the initiative’s managing director, said a total of 485,501 mines had been cleared since its inception in 2018.
The explosives were planted indiscriminately and posed a threat to civilians, including children, women and the elderly.
RIYADH: The net profits of public joint companies listed on the Muscat Stock Exchange surged 52.6 percent year on year to reach 1.339 billion Omani rials ($3.48 billion) in 2024.
This increase coincided with the listing of OQ Exploration and Production and OQ Base Industries in 2024, while energy companies recorded improved performance, with some moving from losses to profits, the Oman News Agency reported.
This falls in line with strong growth in Arab stock exchanges in 2024, where trading values surged 58.1 percent to surpass $1.03 trillion.
JEDDAH: Riyadh has unveiled new investment opportunities for 2025, covering commercial, residential, retail, industrial, and leisure projects to boost the city’s economy and development.
The Riyadh municipality introduced 20 new investment prospects, covering more than 175,000 sq. meters across over 20 sites. These include mixed-use developments, existing retail spaces, mobile sports clubs, and areas allocated for concrete and construction material factories — along with a cafe and ATM setup.
RIYADH: The Transport General Authority fined more than 400 foreign trucks in several regions of the Kingdom between March 16 and 21 for regulatory offenses.
The actions were part of the authority’s field campaigns on land transport activities aimed at enhancing compliance with regulations and laws, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Sunday.
The authority reaffirmed its zero-tolerance policy, which imposes a SR10,000 ($2,666) fine and a 15-day impoundment for first-time offenders.
RIYADH: Global economic growth is expected to average around 3.1 percent in the next five years, below the pre-pandemic level of 3.7 percent, according to an International Monetary Fund official.
Speaking at the China Development Forum in Beijing on March 23, Nigel Clarke, deputy managing director of the IMF, said that total factor productivity internationally, which measures the ability to create more outputs with the same inputs, has been growing at a slower pace since the 2008-09 global financial crisis.
DUBAI: With Eid Al-Fitr on the horizon, you may be planning to host friends and family to mark the festivities.
Nahel Selo, creative director at Sedar Global, shares his décor tips.
Tip 1: Make a good first impression
JERUSALEM: The Palestinian foreign ministry condemned on Sunday an Israeli decision to recognize more than a dozen new settlements in the occupied West Bank, upgrading existing neighborhoods to independent settlement status.
The decision by Israel’s security cabinet was a show of “disregard for international legitimacy and its resolutions,” said a statement from the Palestinian Authority’s foreign ministry.
