German government says criticism of Musk does not mean exit from X
German government says criticism of Musk does not mean exit from X/node/2588289/world
German government says criticism of Musk does not mean exit from X
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz's sharp criticism of Elon Musk's backing of right-wing parties in the European Union does not influence how the German government uses his social media platform X, a government spokesperson said on Wednesday. (AP/File)
German government says criticism of Musk does not mean exit from X
“It has no repercussions,” said the spokesperson
Updated 30 January 2025
Reuters
BERLIN: German Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s sharp criticism of Elon Musk’s backing of right-wing parties in the European Union does not influence how the German government uses his social media platform X, a government spokesperson said on Wednesday.
“It has no repercussions. Our statement still holds that we are looking at and weighing up what is happening there case by case,” said the spokesperson in a press conference, adding there was no pre-defined “red line.”
Scholz on Tuesday described Musk’s backing of right-wing parties in the EU as “really disgusting,” saying it was hindering democracy in the bloc.
Fitness enthusiasts challenge themselves with pre-iftar hikes in Pakistani capital
Hikers set out hour before sunset, break fast on trails on Margalla Hills National Park
Participants say pre-iftar hikes help boost fat burning, maintain weight in Ramadan
Updated 24 sec ago
Muhammad Ibrahim and Usama Iqbal Khawaja
ISLAMABAD: Zarnab Tahir struggled to catch her breath as the steep incline of the hiking trail at Islamabad’s picturesque Margalla Hills tested her endurance. Hiking can put people through physical exertion, especially when they do it on an empty stomach.
An hour before the sun sets and the call to prayer blares out from various mosques located in Pakistan’s capital city, a group of fitness enthusiasts take to the hiking trails in Margalla Hills National Park.
Participants hike up the mountain at the Margalla Hills National Park in Islamabad on March 25, 2025, during an Arab News’ Ramadan special coverage of a pre-iftar hiking trend in Pakistani capital. (Supplied)
Islamabad Run With Us — IRU — which describes itself as Pakistan’s “pioneering running community,” is behind the pre-iftar hiking initiative.
“When you engage in pre-iftar (physical) activities during Ramadan, it gives you extra energy, an extra boost,” Qasim Naz, who founded IRU in 2016, told Arab News on hiking trail number three.
Participants hike up the mountain at the Margalla Hills National Park in Islamabad on March 25, 2025, during an Arab News’ Ramadan special coverage of a pre-iftar hiking trend in Pakistani capital. (Supplied)
“And when someone joins in on an activity once or twice, they figure out it’s not that hard and they can sustain it comfortably.”
Naz stresses that staying active during the holy month is essential. The IRU organizes five activities a week, which include two runs and three hikes.
This aerial view shows the Margalla Hills National Park in Islamabad on March 25, 2025, during an Arab News’ Ramadan special coverage of a pre-iftar hiking trend in Pakistani capital. (Supplied)
“Either we can maintain our weight, or if our goal is weight loss, we can achieve it by being in a calorie deficit while eating a healthy diet and exercising,” Naz explained.
Tahir, 22, meanwhile, said that she was committed to reaching the top of hiking trail before sunset. This was the second time she was hiking with IRU.
Participants hike up the mountain at the Margalla Hills National Park in Islamabad on March 25, 2025, during an Arab News’ Ramadan special coverage of a pre-iftar hiking trend in Pakistani capital. (Supplied)
She agreed with Naz that group activities are “much easier” to sustain.
“I think it is important to go at your own pace and it’s so much easier with the group,” Tahir, a content creator, told Arab News.
Participants hike up the mountain at the Margalla Hills National Park in Islamabad on March 25, 2025, during an Arab News’ Ramadan special coverage of a pre-iftar hiking trend in Pakistani capital. (Supplied)
“If you go alone, it’s kind of more difficult and you are, like, really slow but if you go with the group you can maintain that pace and I think it’s much easier that way.”
Mahwish Ashraf, a journalist associated with a foreign diplomatic mission in Islamabad, shared how she struggled the first time that she went on a pre-iftar hike with IRU.
“The first time I was hiking, I returned from in between, I couldn’t complete it,” she admitted. “So, this is my second time hiking with the IRU, and gladly, I’m at the main point, the meeting point.”
Eraj Khan, a commercial specialist visiting from Australia to spend Ramadan with his family, said pre-iftar hikes give one “lots of energy.”
“For fat burning, it’s a great activity,” Khan said. “Especially because the last two hours of fasting are the hardest, most people feel really hungry. But so far, I’m loving it.”
As the clock continued to tick and evening settled in, the hikers began to pick up their pace. For Tahir, reaching the top of the trail before sunset was a victory in itself.
She had pushed past exhaustion, embraced the challenge and proved to herself that she was capable of more than she thought she could achieve.
And according to her, hiking with the group made all the difference.
“The energy of the group keeps you going,” she said. “Even when you feel like stopping, you see everyone else moving forward, and you push through.”
“American citizen Faye Hall, just released by the Taliban, is now in the care of our friends, the Qataris in Kabul, and will soon be on her way home,” Khalilzad wrote on X
Khalilzad posted a picture of Hall smiling with Qatar representatives ahead of her departure from Afghanistan
Updated 54 min 11 sec ago
AFP
WASHINGTON: An American woman has been freed by the Taliban in Afghanistan after she, two Britons and their Afghan translator were detained earlier this year, Washington’s former envoy to Kabul, Zalmay Khalilzad, said Saturday.
“American citizen Faye Hall, just released by the Taliban, is now in the care of our friends, the Qataris in Kabul, and will soon be on her way home,” Khalilzad, who has been part of a US delegation working on Taliban hostage releases, wrote on X.
While at the Qatari embassy in Kabul, Hall “has been confirmed in good health after undergoing a series of medical checks,” said a source with knowledge of the release.
She was released on Thursday following a court order and with logistical support from Qatar, the source added.
American citizen Faye Hall, just released by the Taliban, is now in the care of our friends, the Qataris in Kabul, and will soon be on her way home. Thank you, #Qatar, for your ongoing and steadfast partnership. #USA#Afghanistanpic.twitter.com/cMSBuaq7qR
Hall, who has been identified by the Taliban’s interior ministry as Chinese-American, was detained in February along with Peter and Barbie Reynolds, who are in their 70s, as they traveled to the British couple’s home in central Bamiyan province.
Their Afghan translator was additionally arrested.
Taliban officials have refused to detail the reasons for their arrest, but one report said Hall had been detained on charges of using a drone without authorization.
In his announcement, Khalilzad posted a picture of Hall smiling with Qatar representatives ahead of her departure from Afghanistan.
Khalilzad had been in the Afghan capital earlier this month on a rare visit by US officials to meet Taliban authorities, accompanying US hostage envoy Adam Boehler.
Following their visit, the Taliban government announced the release of US citizen George Glezmann after more than two years of detention, in a deal brokered by Qatar.
He and Hall are among several Americans to be released from Taliban custody this year.
In January, two Americans detained in Afghanistan — Ryan Corbett and William McKenty — were freed in exchange for an Afghan fighter, Khan Mohammed, who was convicted of narco-terrorism in the United States.
At least one other US citizen, Mahmood Habibi, is still held in Afghanistan.
The British couple detained with Hall remain in Taliban custody.
Their daughter has expressed grave fears for her father’s health and appealed to the Taliban authorities to free them.
The Reynolds, who married in Kabul in 1970, have run school training programs in the country for 18 years.
They remained in Afghanistan after the Taliban takeover in 2021 when the British embassy withdrew its staff.
The government in Kabul is not recognized by any country, but several, including Russia, China and Turkiye, have kept their embassies open in the Afghan capital.
Qatar, too, has maintained diplomatic channels with the Taliban and has facilitated negotiations for the release of US hostages.
Since US President Donald Trump’s reelection, the Kabul government has expressed hopes for a “new chapter” with Washington.
WHO must cut budget by fifth after US pullout: email
The WHO is facing an income gap of nearly $600 million in 2025 and has “no choice” but to start making cutbacks, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said
The United States was by far the WHO’s biggest donor
Updated 29 March 2025
AFP
GENEVA: The World Health Organization has proposed slashing a fifth of its budget following the US decision to withdraw, and must now reduce its reach and workforce, its chief said in an internal email seen by AFP on Saturday.
The WHO is facing an income gap of nearly $600 million in 2025 and has “no choice” but to start making cutbacks, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in the message sent Friday to the UN health agency’s staff.
Besides triggering the US pullout from the WHO after returning the White House in January, President Donald Trump decided to freeze virtually all US foreign aid, including vast assistance toward boosting health worldwide.
The United States was by far the WHO’s biggest donor.
“Dramatic cuts to official development assistance by the United States of America and others are causing massive disruption to countries, NGOs and United Nations agencies, including WHO,” Tedros said in his email.
He said that even before Trump triggered the one-year process of withdrawing from the WHO, the organization was already facing financial constraints, and had begun working on efficiency measures more than nine months ago.
“The United States’ announcement, combined with recent reductions in official development assistance by some countries to fund increased defense spending, has made our situation much more acute,” said Tedros.
“While we have achieved substantial cost savings, the prevailing economic and geopolitical conditions have made resource mobilization particularly difficult.
“As a result, we are facing an income gap of almost $600 million this year alone.”
Last month, the WHO’s executive board reduced the proposed budget for 2026-2027 from $5.3 billion to $4.9 billion.
“Since then, the outlook for development assistance has deteriorated, not only for WHO, but for the whole international health ecosystem,” said Tedros.
“We have, therefore, proposed to member states a further reduced budget of $4.2 billion — a 21 percent reduction from the original proposed budget.”
In the body’s last two-year budget cycle, for 2022-23, the United States pitched in $1.3 billion, representing 16.3 percent of the WHO’s then $7.89 billion budget.
Most of the US funding was through voluntary contributions for specific earmarked projects, rather than fixed membership fees.
“Despite our best efforts, we are now at the point where we have no choice but to reduce the scale of our work and workforce,” said Tedros.
“This reduction will begin at headquarters, starting with senior leadership, but will affect all levels and regions.”
On Ramadan nights, Islamabad residents are all cued up and ready to win
Snooker is a popular way to relax during holy month
Players at Snooker 13 seek to emulate their sporting heroes, like Ronnie O’Sullivan
Updated 29 March 2025
Shahjahan Khurram and Falak Mahmood Khan
ISLAMABAD: Usman Sartaj reaches for the chalk on the edge of the snooker table and rotates it over his tip in a smooth, circular motion. Then he strikes the cue ball hard into the pack of reds, sending them around the table.
The popularity of snooker often increases during Ramadan, with many people visiting their local club after breaking their fast. Things are no different in Islamabad where players like 25-year-old car dealer Sartaj spend their nights before the pre-dawn sahoor meal.
“There is a lot of buzz in snooker clubs during Ramadan,” he told Arab News at the Snooker 13 club in the city’s G-13 area where he was playing after offering his Tarawih prayers.
“Snooker is a great game. It eliminates a person’s tension and stress. Tournaments are held and players come from different places,” he said.
Abdul Hadi, the club supervisor, said that the number of visitors rose from about 500 a day to 1,500 or 1,600 during the hours between the iftar and suhoor meals.
He said it was an affordable way to spend the time.
“It’s around Rs150-200 (50-70 cents) for a frame,” he said. “So everyone can afford it, even the students.”
Muhammad Shahbaz, 27, who works in Dubai but was in Pakistan to spend Ramadan and Eid with his family, said his favorite player was seven-time world champion Ronnie O’Sullivan.
“We admire Ronnie’s game and love to watch and follow him,” Shahbaz said. “We try to follow his tricks and his shots.”
Pakistan also has its snooker heroes. Muhammad Asif is a three-time world amateur champion and made the last 32 of the English Open in 2023.
“There is a lot of snooker talent in Pakistan and if we want to promote it, the government has to support it,” Shahbaz said.
Shavez Ahmed, a 30-year-old realtor, said there was no doubt snooker was one of the most popular games during Ramadan.
“Other games are impressive — we play cricket and badminton as well — but the craze for snooker in Ramadan never ends.”
Myanmar quake struck mosques as minority Muslims gathered for Ramadan prayers
Htet Min Oo, 25, said two uncles and his grandmother were also trapped under piles of concrete
More than 50 mosques sustained damage, according to the shadow National Unity Government
Updated 29 March 2025
Reuters
MYANMAR: When Friday’s powerful earthquake struck central Myanmar, Htet Min Oo was performing ritual ablutions before Ramadan prayers at a mosque next to his house in Mandalay.
His home collapsed along with part of the mosque, trapping half his body with the rubble of a wall that buried two of his aunts. Residents raced to pull the aunts out, he said, but only one survived.
Htet Min Oo, 25, said two uncles and his grandmother were also trapped under piles of concrete. With no heavy equipment available, he tried desperately to clear the rubble with his hands but could not shift it.
“I don’t know if they are still alive under the debris. After so long, I don’t think there’s any hope,” he said on Friday.
“There’s too much rubble and no rescue teams have come for us,” he added, his voice shaking as he broke into tears. Hundreds of Muslims are feared among the dead in Myanmar after the shallow quake struck as worshippers gathered at mosques for Friday prayers in the holy month.
More than 50 mosques sustained damage, according to the shadow National Unity Government.
’I HAD TO LEAVE HIM BEHIND’
A 39-year-old resident of the Mandalay region described harrowing scenes as he tried to save a man trapped under the debris of a collapsed mosque in Sule Kone village, but had to flee because of strong aftershocks.
“I had to leave him behind ... I went in a second time to try to save him,” he said, declining to be identified.
“I retrieved four people with my own hands. But unfortunately, three were already dead and one died in my arms.”
He said 10 people had been killed there, and that they were among 23 who died at three mosques that were destroyed in the village. Government restrictions had prevented them being upgraded, he said.
Muslims are a minority in predominantly Buddhist Myanmar and have been marginalized by successive governments, while ultranationalist groups and extremist monks have in recent years incited violence.
Myanmar authorities have for decades made it difficult for Muslims to obtain permission to repair or build new mosques, according to 2017 report by the US State Department, which said historic mosques have deteriorated because routine maintenance was denied.
Buddhist buildings were also badly hit by the quake, with 670 monasteries and 290 pagodas damaged, according to the military government. It did not mention any mosques in its damage report.
Reuters could not reach the mosques or verify the accounts of the collapses.
One man, Julian Kyle, appealed on social media for heavy equipment to lift concrete pillars after the quake destroyed another Mandalay mosque.
“Underneath the rubble, my family members and others were crushed and lost their lives,” he posted. “We desperately want to recover their bodies.”
A resident from the town of Taungnoo about 370 km (230 miles) away said he was praying when one side of the Kandaw mosque caved in on two rows of men seated before him.
“I saw so many people carried out from the mosque, some of them died right before my eyes,” he said. “It was truly heartbreaking.”
