Hamas officials say Israel delaying aid delivery to Gaza, may affect hostages' release

Hamas officials say Israel delaying aid delivery to Gaza, may affect hostages' release
Displaced Palestinians cross a checkpoint manned by Hamas security at the Nezarim corridor as people make their way from the south to the northern parts of the Gaza Strip, on Salah al-Din road, in Mughraqa in central Gaza, on January 29, 2025. (AFP)
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Updated 29 January 2025
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Hamas officials say Israel delaying aid delivery to Gaza, may affect hostages' release

Hamas officials say Israel delaying aid delivery to Gaza, may affect hostages' release

CAIRO: Two Hamas officials on Wednesday accused Israel of delaying the delivery of vital humanitarian aid to Gaza, as agreed in the ceasefire deal, and warned that it could impact the release of hostages.
"We warn that continued delays and failure to address these points (delivery of key aid) will affect the natural progression of the agreement, including the prisoner exchange," a senior Hamas official told AFP, while another offical said the group had asked mediators to intervene in the issue. Both spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter.


New UN envoy to Libya vows to pursue ‘peace and stability’

New UN envoy to Libya vows to pursue ‘peace and stability’
Updated 50 sec ago
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New UN envoy to Libya vows to pursue ‘peace and stability’

New UN envoy to Libya vows to pursue ‘peace and stability’
Hanna Serwaa Tetteh said as she took up the role in Tripoli that her task “will not be easy” and called for “working together“
She was appointed last month by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres as his Special Representative and head of UNSMIL

TUNIS: The new United Nations envoy to Libya pledged on Thursday to “spare no effort in achieving peace and stability” in the divided country, said the UN Support Mission in Libya.
Hanna Serwaa Tetteh, a Hungary-born Ghanaian former parliamentarian and minister, said as she took up the role in Tripoli that her task “will not be easy” and called for “working together,” UNSMIL said in a statement.
Libya has struggled to recover from the chaos that followed the 2011 NATO-backed uprising that overthrew longtime ruler Muammar Qaddafi.
It remains split between a UN-recognized government in Tripoli and a rival authority in the east backed by military strongman Khalifa Haftar.
Tetteh was appointed last month by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres as his Special Representative and head of UNSMIL, succeeding the Senegalese Abdoulaye Bathily, who stepped down in April last year.
She was previously appointed the UN Special Representative for the Horn of Africa in 2022 and is the 10th official to hold the Libya role since 2011.
Tetteh pledged to “forge a path toward a Libyan-led and Libyan-owned solution.”
She said her mission would also “work with regional and international actors... to preserve national unity, territorial integrity, and sovereignty.”
Presidential and parliamentary elections in the oil-rich North African country had been scheduled for December 2021 but were indefinitely postponed due to disputes between rival factions.
“UNSMIL will continue to work tirelessly to support and enable Libyan institutions to hold inclusive national elections and forge a collective national vision to address Libya’s long-standing challenges,” said the statement.

Strike shuts Tunisia mining town over infrastructure woes

Strike shuts Tunisia mining town over infrastructure woes
Updated 4 min 41 sec ago
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Strike shuts Tunisia mining town over infrastructure woes

Strike shuts Tunisia mining town over infrastructure woes
  • The regional URT labor union called for the strike to demand improvements
  • The strike followed a road accident on Tuesday when a bus collided with a truck in the town

TUNIS: Schools and businesses in Om Laarayes, a major Tunisian mining town, shut down Thursday as a general strike protested deteriorating infrastructure, days after a deadly road accident.
The regional URT labor union, part of the powerful UGTT trade federation, called for the strike to demand improvements to the southwestern town’s infrastructure and health care.
“All schools, shops and local institutions have shut down in protest against the deteriorating state of infrastructure,” said URT secretary-general Mohamed Sghaier Miraoui.
The strike followed a road accident on Tuesday when a bus collided with a truck in the town, killing six people and injuring nine.
“This tragic accident has sparked outrage among residents of our neglected region,” Miraoui told AFP.
“Such incidents are frequent because we still lack basic infrastructure Public transport is inadequate, and our hospital is poorly equipped even for emergency care, while the morgue cannot properly accommodate bodies.”
Despite its phosphate wealth, Om Laarayes, home to 40,000 people, remains underdeveloped.
“Our town is a mining city and has natural resources,” said Miraoui. “It should be among the main regions with infrastructure.”
Many inland areas of Tunisia struggle with social and economic hardship, unlike wealthier coastal cities.
Protests have been common in these regions since the 2011 revolution that toppled longtime ruler Zine El Abidine Ben Ali and sparked the Arab Spring uprisings.
In the mining hub of Gafsa, people have long demanded better infrastructure and jobs by reviving phosphate production.
Tunisia produced eight million tons of phosphate in 2010 but has only been producing up to half of that in recent years due to underinvestment and recurring social unrest.
Phosphates, one of Tunisia’s few natural resources, are a key ingredient in fertilizers.


Saudi artists ‘embrace the process’ at Tuwaiq sculpture exhibition

Saudi artists ‘embrace the process’ at Tuwaiq sculpture exhibition
Updated 2 min 13 sec ago
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Saudi artists ‘embrace the process’ at Tuwaiq sculpture exhibition

Saudi artists ‘embrace the process’ at Tuwaiq sculpture exhibition
  • Visitors flock to Roshn Front to check out latest creations by 30 international, local artists
  • Saudi artist Rawan Al-Shehri’s piece, titled Spontaneity, is composed of three large, curved pieces crafted with two different stones

RIYADH: At the sixth Tuwaiq International Sculpture Symposium — a Riyadh Art initiative to beautify the city with public artworks — visitors have flocked to Roshn Front to check out the latest creations by 30 international and local artists.

This year’s theme, “From Then to Now: Joy in the Struggle of Making,” has pushed artists to widen the idea of what a completed artwork really is, and encouraged them to consider ways in which the process of creation could be more engaging to a public audience.

During the opening of the symposium last month, at which 30 artists began their sculpting journey on raw stone, co-curator Sebastian Betancur-Montoya told Arab News: “Art tends to be this idea of the artist as a sort of genius and the ideas are kind of obscure. It’s not clear where things come from, or how things are made.

“I thought it was very interesting to create a space — this event — where the interest was not in the final product, but the whole creative, physical, and intellectual process behind those pieces.”

Saudi artist Rawan Al-Shehri’s piece, titled “Spontaneity,” is composed of three large, curved pieces crafted with two different stones. The piece is designed to promote playfulness and invite public interaction.

She told Arab News: “My work focuses on how artists can sometimes believe they must produce the perfect art piece, but I think the focus should be the process of building an art piece — the joy in it and being more natural, or in our element, during our work.

“We could be faced with challenges or hurdles that change or enhance, even, the work itself and make it unique.”

Rather than keeping the viewer at bay, she hopes that the work will pull them in, adding: “They can sit on parts of it, slide on a corner, or even climb on a piece.”

Saudi artist Ali Al-Tokhais’ sculpture “Care and Interest in the Content” draws inspiration from the positive and cohesive relationship between the leadership of the Kingdom and society.

The 3-meter sculpted piece of granite resembles a spiral, with 13 lines marking its center to symbolize the number of regions in the Kingdom — each rich in cultural, economic, and social diversity.

He told Arab News: “This sculpture embodies the spirit of Saudi Arabia in all its regions, with a forward-looking vision led by Vision 2030, which has focused on the development of both people and place, with the homeland becoming a safe haven for the diversity and multiplicity that distinguish the Kingdom’s regions within a unified national framework.”

Al-Tokhais’ art journey began with creating wood figures using carpentry and blacksmithing techniques. From there, the passion evolved, leading him into the world of stone sculpting in which he said he found “a means of expressing ideas and emotions” in the material.

He added: “I began to explore new dimensions of art that reflected both cultural and human identity.”

The exhibition is an invitation to explore the cultural and creative world embodied in each sculpture.

Al-Tokhais said: “It is a gathering where we share moments of beauty and deep reflection, further enhancing Riyadh’s position as a global destination for arts and creativity.”

He emphasized the importance of local and international art forums in enriching the art scene and enhancing the exchange of experiences among sculptors worldwide, adding: “Art forums have always provided exceptional opportunities for growth and development, as they allow artists to explore new methods and expand their creative horizons.

“Through my various contributions, both in Saudi Arabia and internationally, I have been able to develop my artistic vision and refine my techniques, which are reflected in my works and my unique style in sculpture.”

The exhibition mirrors the public engagement program of the live sculpting phase, which featured panel discussions, workshops, masterclasses, and guided tours — prompting visitors to further engage with the artists’ creative processes and the significance of contemporary sculpture until the event’s conclusion on Feb. 24.

Co-curator Dr. Manal Al-Harbi said at the opening: “The forum is not limited only to displaying sculptures, but rather provides a rich interactive experience through community activities that give the public the opportunity to learn about sculpting techniques, speak with artists, and participate in the creative process, which enhances interaction with the arts and makes them part of daily life.”


UN denounces Hamas’s ‘abhorrent’ display of hostages’ coffins

UN denounces Hamas’s ‘abhorrent’ display of hostages’ coffins
Updated 5 sec ago
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UN denounces Hamas’s ‘abhorrent’ display of hostages’ coffins

UN denounces Hamas’s ‘abhorrent’ display of hostages’ coffins
  • “The parading of bodies in the manner seen this morning is abhorrent and cruel,” said the office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights

GENEVA: The UN human rights group on Thursday denounced the “abhorrent and cruel” manner that Hamas staged the handover of the bodies of four hostages to Israel.

“The parading of bodies in the manner seen this morning is abhorrent and cruel, and flies in the face of international law,” said the office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights.


Pakistani startup Edufi wins first prize at LEAP 2025 in Riyadh

Pakistani startup Edufi wins first prize at LEAP 2025 in Riyadh
Updated 15 min 38 sec ago
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Pakistani startup Edufi wins first prize at LEAP 2025 in Riyadh

Pakistani startup Edufi wins first prize at LEAP 2025 in Riyadh
  • Edufi wins Rocket Fuel Pitch International Competition by beating over 2,000 other companies
  • Education fintech streamlines borrowing process for students, helping them finance education

ISLAMABAD: Pakistani education fintech startup Edufi bagged first place at an international competition held recently during the four-day LEAP 2025 tech conference in Saudi Arabia, Pakistan’s state television said on Thursday, bagging $250,000 as cash prize after beating over 2,000 competitors.
The international tech conference was held from Feb. 9-12 at the Riyadh International Convention and Exhibition Center in Malham. Among the highlights of the conference was the Rocket Fuel Pitch Competition for startups, which provides entrepreneurs with an opportunity to showcase innovative ideas to a global audience of investors and industry leaders.
Edufi streamlines the borrowing process for students, helping them finance their education. It does its own credit-vetting, then pays tuition for approved students who repay the loan on a monthly basis as they study. It won first prize at the Rocket Fuel Pitch Competition last week.
“Aleena Nadeem from Pakistan has won first place and a cash prize of $250,000 at the International Information Technology Exhibition leap held recently in Saudi Arabia,” Pakistan Television (PTV) said in a report.
“This is the First time in the history of the Rocket Fuel Pitch International competitions that Pakistan has achieved this honor,” the state-run media said, adding that Edufi beat 2,000 competitors to win first prize.
Edufi’s founder and CEO Aleena Nadeem received the award at the ceremony held last week in Riyadh. An MIT graduate who interned at McKinsey during college and then worked in London for Goldman Sachs and Ventura Capital, Nadeem has been involved in education issues since she was in high school, as per Forbes. 
She was included in Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia list in 2024 for her work with Edufi.