WASHINGTON: An active member of the US Air Force has died after setting himself on fire outside the Israeli embassy in Washington over the weekend in protest of the war in Gaza, the Pentagon said Monday.
Emergency responders on Sunday had rushed to the scene just before 1:00 p.m. (1800 GMT) in response to a “call for person on fire outside the Israeli Embassy,” according to a message on X, formerly Twitter, by the capital city’s fire department.
They arrived to find that officers from the Secret Service — the US law enforcement agency tasked with protecting embassies in Washington — had already extinguished the fire.
The man had filmed himself shouting “Free Palestine” as he lit himself on fire, according to footage shared on social media.
He was initially transported to hospital with “critical life-threatening injuries,” the fire department said.
An Air Force spokeswoman told AFP Monday morning that the unnamed “individual involved in yesterday’s incident succumbed to his injuries and passed away last night.”
“We will provide additional details 24 hours after next-of-kin notifications are complete.”
A spokesperson for the Israeli embassy said no staff were injured in the incident, and that the man was “unknown” to them.
In the video shared on social media, the man is seen wearing military fatigues and declaring he will “not be complicit in genocide” before dousing himself in liquid.
He then lights himself on fire while yelling “Free Palestine!” until he falls on the ground.
The video was reportedly first shared in a livestream on the social platform Twitch.
The shocking act came as protests are increasing across the United States against Israel’s actions in Gaza, where it is waging a retaliatory war for an attack on October 7 by Hamas militants.
With the death toll in Gaza nearing 30,000, according to the Hamas-run health ministry there, international pressure has been increasing on the United States to rein in its ally Israel and call for a ceasefire.
US airman sets himself on fire outside Israeli embassy in Washington
https://arab.news/nhpmr
US airman sets himself on fire outside Israeli embassy in Washington
- The man had filmed himself shouting “Free Palestine” as he lit himself on fire, according to footage shared on social media
- In the video, the man is seen wearing military fatigues and declaring he will “not be complicit in genocide” before dousing himself in liquid
Atletico thump Rayo, Valladolid relegated after Betis defeat
MADRID: Atletico Madrid cruised to a 3-0 La Liga win over Rayo Vallecano on Thursday as they bounced back from defeat at Las Palmas last weekend.
Real Betis bolstered their Champions League ambitions with a 5-1 win over Real Valladolid, confirming the visitors’ long-expected relegation.
Atletico have little to play for in the rest of the season with leaders Barcelona 10 points clear with five matches remaining, but produced a solid derby display.
Alexander Sorloth opened the scoring in the third minute after Giuliano Simeone, son of coach Diego, crossed for the Norwegian target man to nod home at the back post.
It was a formula which should have led to more goals for Atletico but the striker wasted several presentable opportunities.
Sorloth headed over a few minutes later and then was denied by Rayo goalkeeper Augusto Batalla.
Atletico were outplaying Rayo but the visitors could have levelled when Isi Palazon drilled toward the far corner and Jan Oblak made a fine save.
Sorloth spurned another headed opportunity before Conor Gallagher struck just before half-time.
Rodrigo de Paul lofted a cross into the area which the former Chelsea midfielder nodded beyond Batalla.
Oblak tipped over a Palazon header as Rayo looked for an equalizer, before Atletico substitute Antoine Griezmann fired narrowly wide after a Julian Alvarez backheel teed him up.
Julian Alvarez rounded off the win in the second half with his 15th La Liga goal of the season after Griezmann sent him through.
Real Betis bolstered their hopes of finishing in the top five as they hammered Valladolid at the Benito Villamarin stadium with playmaker Isco on the scoresheet.
Former Brazil great Ronaldo is the majority shareholder at Valladolid, who were promoted last season but immediately return to the second tier after losing 25 of their 33 games so far.
Betis moved fifth, two points above Villarreal who have a game in hand which they will play on Sunday against Espanyol.
Earlier Osasuna beat Sevilla 1-0 and Leganes grabbed a late 1-1 draw at home against Girona, leaving the Madrid side 19th and four points from safety.
Trump slams Harvard as funding fight heads to court
- The latest outburst from Trump comes as his administration cracks down on US universities on several fronts, alleging widespread anti-Semitism, anti-white bias, and the promotion of ‘gender ideology’
WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump on Thursday bashed Harvard as an “Anti-Semitic, Far Left Institution,” as the prestigious university battles his administration’s funding freeze in court.
The latest outburst from Trump comes as his administration cracks down on US universities on several fronts, alleging widespread anti-Semitism, anti-white bias, and the promotion of “gender ideology” by protecting trans students.
The administration has threatened several top-tier universities with funding freezes and other punishments, prompting concerns over declining academic freedom.
It has also moved to revoke visas and deport foreign students involved in the protests, accusing them of supporting Palestinian militant group Hamas, whose October 7, 2023 attack on Israel provoked the war.
Harvard, which has seen billions in federal funding frozen after it rejected wide-ranging government oversight, filed suit against the Trump administration on Monday.
“The place is a Liberal mess,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform, also complaining that the university has admitted students “from all over the World that want to rip our Country apart.”
His broadside came a day after he issued an executive order targeting higher education, upending how federal authorities decide which universities and colleges can access billions of dollars from certain grants and student loans.
The executive order seeks to clamp down on what Trump brands “unlawful discrimination” — that is any measures that seek to promote the representation of “racial and ethnic minority individuals.”
On Thursday, a federal judge ruled that Trump could not withhold funds from public schools that operate equality and diversity policies which have been a particular target of the president.
The ruling issued in New Hampshire does not apply across the board but instead to the largest US teacher union, the National Education Association (NEA), and the Center for Black Educator Development (CBED) non-profit which promotes the recruitment of Black teachers.
The ruling will apply in schools employing members of the NEA, or contracting with the CBED.
Trump and his White House team have publicly justified their campaign against universities as a reaction to what they say is uncontrolled anti-Semitism and a need to reverse diversity programs aimed at addressing historical oppression of minorities.
The administration claims that protests against Israel’s war in Gaza that swept across US college campuses last year were rife with anti-Semitism.
Several Jewish lawmakers accused Trump on Thursday of weaponizing anti-Semitism to attack universities for his own ends.
“We reject any policies or actions that foment or take advantage of anti-Semitism and pit communities against one another; and we unequivocally condemn the exploitation of our community’s real concerns about anti-Semitism to undermine democratic norms and rights,” the Democratic senators, including Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, wrote in a joint letter.
Many US universities, including Harvard, cracked down on the protests over the allegations at the time, with the Cambridge-based institution placing 23 students on probation and denying degrees to 12 others, according to protest organizers.
Trump’s claims about diversity tap into long-standing conservative complaints that US university campuses are too liberal, shutting out right-wing voices and favoring minorities.
In the case of Harvard, the White House is seeking unprecedented levels of government control over the inner workings of the country’s oldest and wealthiest university — and one of the most respected educational and research institutions in the world.
Professor Kirsten Weld, president of the Harvard chapter of the American Association of University Professors (AAUP), told AFP “this is an increasingly autocratic, authoritarian government that is trying to dismantle not just our universities, but the higher education sector as a whole.”
How Saudi Arabia can balance its AI infrastructure and sustainable water usage
- While AI’s energy demands are widely known, its vast and growing water footprint remains largely out of sight
- Experts urge early-stage planning and water-smart designs to reduce risk and future-proof AI growth in arid climates
RIYADH: Artificial intelligence has opened up remarkable new possibilities — but beneath its sleek, digital surface lies an overlooked environmental cost: Water.
While debates over AI’s energy demands have captured headlines, its vast and growing water footprint remains largely out of sight. That blind spot, experts warn, could carry serious consequences.
Salah Al-Kafrawi, senior consultant at EY for data and AI, told Arab News: “We have no universal approach to assess how much water is consumed while using or training AI,” leaving the true scale of the problem poorly understood.
Although a few tech firms publish rough water usage estimates, most businesses — from e-commerce to aviation — remain unaware of their consumption. “Many aren’t even aware of their water footprint,” Al-Kafrawi said
Even available data likely underestimates reality by a factor of 10 or more. In a world facing increasing water scarcity, AI’s mounting thirst is a silent crisis — one that demands innovation, transparency and smarter systems.
AI’s water usage is complex. It includes both direct consumption, such as cooling servers, and indirect usage tied to the electricity that powers them.
“AI requires significant data for training and evaluation, along with electricity to operate and cooling systems to prevent overheating,” Al-Kafrawi said.
That electricity often comes from water-intensive power sources. Coal-fired and nuclear plants, for instance, consume “millions of gallons of water daily” for steam production and cooling — a hidden environmental cost rarely accounted for in sustainability reports.
Meanwhile, data centers use vast amounts of water to stop their servers from overheating.
“Data centers often use water cooling towers to dissipate heat generated by their servers,” said Al-Kafrawi, noting this creates “another significant source of water usage.”
This leads to a vicious cycle: AI requires power, power generates heat, and cooling that heat requires more water.
“The combination of water needed for electricity generation and cooling systems means that AI’s water footprint extends far beyond what might be immediately apparent,” Al-Kafrawi said.
In Saudi Arabia, where water is scarce and AI infrastructure is booming, managing this balance is becoming increasingly urgent.
Abdulelah Al-Shehri, assistant professor of chemical engineering at King Saud University, said that most global data centers rely on potable water — despite its scarcity.
“Water purity directly affects a system’s lifespan,” he said. Indeed, reclaimed water can risk corrosion and microbial contamination, though efforts to safely reuse non-potable sources are gaining traction.
Currently, most data centers in the Kingdom use hybrid cooling systems.
“Saudi data centers rely on high-efficiency mechanical cooling systems combining air-cooled and water-cooled chillers,” said Al-Shehri, referencing Microsoft’s climate-adaptive guidelines and the Saudi Telecom Company’s 2023 Sustainability Report.
Even these efficient systems come with a significant toll. Al-Shehri said that cooling infrastructure for the country’s 300 MW of operational data centers consumes between 2.3 and 2.8 liters of water per kilowatt-hour.
“If we look at current capacity operating at full load year-round, annual water use would approach 6.7 million cubic meters,” he warned — roughly the same amount used by 160,000 Saudi households each year.
And this is just the beginning. Al-Shehri projected that capacity could more than quadruple to 1,300 MW within five years — putting total water use on par with the needs of 700,000 households.
“These figures only capture direct water use for cooling,” he added. The indirect cost, tied to fossil fuel-based energy production, remains even greater.
Despite the growing demand, Al-Shehri said that there are promising solutions — but they require investment and vision.
“Multiple solutions are emerging to reduce water usage in data center cooling, though investors often hesitate because of the intensive capital investment and costly retrofits.”
Among the most promising ideas is rethinking traditional cooling standards. “Microsoft and Google have piloted these so-called ‘high-temperature data centers,’ which would effectively drive the direct water footprint to zero,” he said.
Raising operating temperatures from 21 degrees Celsius to as high as 35 Celsius allows systems to rely more on air than water.
Other technologies focus on recycling heat. “Absorption chillers can reclaim up to 40 percent of waste heat here and repurpose it for cooling,” said Al-Shehri, pointing to global examples such as Swiss company Infomaniak, which now uses server heat to warm 6,000 homes.
There is also the energy mix to consider. “Diversifying energy sources for AI power isn’t a simple swap,” he said. “It hinges on resource availability, proximity to data centers, and the water footprint.”
Research shows that solar and wind are the most water-efficient sources. By contrast, biomass — a widely promoted renewable option — can consume “up to 100 times more water than natural gas,” Al-Shehri said.
Another overlooked cost comes from the treatment and transportation of water itself — a point highlighted by Abdullah Al-Otaibi, Saudi Arabia managing director at global water solutions firm Ecolab.
“Water must be moved, heated, cooled and treated to be fit for business use, which requires energy,” Al-Otaibi told Arab News. He framed water and energy as interconnected levers — what scientists call the “water-energy nexus.”
“Water serves a dual purpose in data centers. It cools infrastructure directly and gets consumed indirectly when generating the electricity that powers high-performance computing,” he said.
Failing to manage this interdependency is risky. “Overlooking water creates risk — particularly in regions like Saudi Arabia, where water is scarce, and digital infrastructure is expanding rapidly.”
DID YOU KNOW?
• AI systems consume large volumes of water through energy generation and data center cooling.
• High-temperature data centers and heat-recycling systems offer promising ways to reduce direct water use.
• Experts urge early-stage planning and water-smart designs to reduce risk and future-proof AI growth.
Al-Otaibi said that better data and AI tools can help companies to understand and reduce their water and energy footprints. “With the right data and technologies, businesses can make water use more visible — and more manageable,” he said.
Ecolab’s audits show significant gains are possible. Their tools have helped clients to cut water usage by 44 percent, energy by 22 percent and emissions by 12 percent, all while improving reliability.
“Water efficiency can become a business enabler — supporting uptime and sustainability targets at the same time,” Al-Otaibi said.
With AI infrastructure expanding rapidly across the Gulf, Al-Otaibi urged stakeholders to act now — especially in design stages. “The key is starting early — smart water strategies begin before construction,” he said.
He cited Ecolab’s partnership with global data center operator Digital Realty, where their AI-driven system is expected to reduce water use by up to 15 percent and prevent the withdrawal of 126 million gallons of potable water annually.
For Saudi Arabia, where water is precious and technology ambitions are vast, that kind of efficiency is not just smart — it is essential.
Bayn: A coastal community development that bridges Abu Dhabi and Dubai
ORA Developers has lifted the curtain on Bayn, a visionary coastal community development where city energy meets coastal serenity without compromise.
The 4.8 million square meter master plan in Ghantoot was unveiled at an event in the presence of influential business leaders and government representatives.
Located in Ghantoot, Bayn embraces the compact-city philosophy, integrating schools, retail, sports, leisure, and wellness facilities, accessible within 15 minutes.
Featuring 1.2 km of beachfront with crystal-clear Arabian Gulf waters, lagoons, a marina and a business park, the community is crafted for those seeking a dynamic yet tranquil lifestyle.
“Our vision with Bayn is to create a destination that enhances how people experience time and space,” said Naguib Sawiris, chairman and CEO of ORA Developers.
“We are bringing together the best of both worlds: the dynamism of city living and the calm of a coastal retreat. By investing in sustainable infrastructure, walkable neighborhoods, and high-quality amenities, we’re not just building homes — we’re shaping an environment where people can truly flourish. We look forward to seeing Bayn evolve into one of the UAE’s most sought-after addresses — one that enriches every moment,” he added.
Bayn’s design is inspired by the site’s natural history.
Preliminary insights suggest that the land may have once been shaped by waterways, a concept that has influenced the master plan, reintroducing water as a defining element.
At the core of the community lies a seamless connection to water with over 7 km of waterfront living, framed by 9,000 residences, including mansions, villas, townhouses, and apartments.
The community is further activated by a marina, a beach town, a business park and multiple promenades, creating a seamless connection between land and sea.
More than 55 percent of Bayn’s land area is dedicated to open space, including one million sqm of public parks, landscaped pathways, and outdoor activity zones featuring gyms, padel courts, BBQ areas, and playgrounds.
A standout feature of Bayn is its expansive sports club, covering over 100,000 square meters.
This facility is designed to cater to both professional athletes and families, offering a comprehensive range of sports and recreational activities.
A network of pedestrian, cycling, and running trails connects high-energy social hub such as the bustling marina promenade to quieter enclaves designed for relaxation and wellness.
Bayn is built on principles of responsible development, integrating smart, sustainable solutions at every level.
Solar-powered energy systems reduce reliance on traditional power sources.
A landscape designed with native greenery enhances the environment while supporting sustainable water use.
Smart water and waste management systems enhance environmental efficiency.
Building orientations maximize natural light and airflow, reducing cooling demands.
These elements contribute to a lower carbon footprint and an enhanced quality of life, aligning with the UAE’s long-term sustainability agenda.
Bayn is designed for seamless access to both Abu Dhabi and Dubai, with direct connectivity to Sheikh Maktoum Bin Rashid Road, Al Fayah Road, Sheikh Zayed Road and Mohamed Bin Zayed Road — placing residents just 35 minutes from Downtown Dubai and 45 minutes from Abu Dhabi’s city center.
Future infrastructure projects, including the Etihad GCC Railway and airport expansions, further elevate Bayn’s strategic positioning, while its proximity to major developments like Palm Jebel Ali and Dubai South makes it a compelling investment destination.
The first phase of Bayn introduces 464 meticulously designed residences, spread across four gated clusters, offering 10 distinct typologies, with a selection of three to five-bedroom residences and is set for handover in 2028.
Residents of Phase 1 will enjoy a clubhouse and a curated mix of F&B and retail experiences, reinforcing Bayn’s vision of a seamlessly integrated, self-sufficient coastal destination.
With a blend of compact city principles, ecological stewardship, and strategic dual-city connectivity, Bayn is set to redefine the UAE’s waterfront real estate landscape, offering a lifestyle that balances social vibrancy with the serenity of the sea.
British right-wing Reform party under scrutiny over online posts of candidates
- Hope Not Hate identified multiple Reform UK candidates who have promoted far-right conspiracy theories or made Islamophobic remarks
LONDON: The British right-wing Reform UK party has come under renewed scrutiny after an anti-racism campaign group claimed that several of the party’s local election candidates have posted hateful and extremist content online, it was revealed on Thursday.
The offensive content has been unearthed despite assurances from party leader Nigel Farage that a rigorous vetting system is in place for its candidates.
The group Hope Not Hate said it had identified multiple Reform UK candidates standing in England’s May 1 local elections who have promoted far-right conspiracy theories or made Islamophobic remarks on social media.
The party has selected more than 1,600 candidates for the upcoming vote.
In a BBC investigation published on Thursday, posts highlighted included calls to “nuke” Islam, claims that British towns with large Muslim populations were “s******s,” and support for the “Demographic Jihad” conspiracy theory that accuses Muslims of attempting to replace the UK’s native population.
Some of the posts were recent, while others date back several years, but were visible when candidates were selected.
One candidate, Steven Biggs, running in North Durham, previously posted that “Islam has no place on this earth” and linked to content from anti-Muslim group Britain First.
Another candidate in Doncaster shared content alleging Islamic colonization, while a third, in Lincolnshire, endorsed the idea that Muslim immigration was a strategy to overtake native populations.
At a campaign event in Dover on Thursday, Farage claimed Reform UK now had a vetting system “as good if not better than other parties,” adding that “hundreds” of applicants had been rejected for offensive or “outrageous” remarks.
Farage has long rejected claims that Reform UK harbors extremists, and the party has taken steps to distance itself from figures such as jailed anti-Islam activist Tommy Robinson.
The party is chaired by Zia Yusuf, himself a Muslim entrepreneur, and Farage has previously said he would “never want anything to do with” Robinson.
Hope Not Hate, which says it focuses on monitoring the far right, argues that the examples it uncovered call into question Reform UK’s vetting claims. Some of the posts cited have since been deleted or hidden.
Reform UK has yet to respond publicly to the latest findings.
