Author: arabcolumnist.com
ARBA MINCH: The death toll from floods and landslides in southern Ethiopia’s Gamo Zone has risen to 70, according to official reports issued on Friday, as rescue teams and residents searched muddy slopes and riverbanks for victims after days of heavy rainfall. Authorities said more than 120 people were still unaccounted for in several districts, underscoring the scale of the disaster in a densely populated, mountainous area where homes and footpaths were swept away or buried. The landslides and flooding struck multiple districts in the South Ethiopia Region after a week of intense rain loosened soil in highland areas and sent torrents through valleys. Local…
ABU DHABI: Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the UAE’s deputy prime minister and minister of foreign affairs, received Germany’s foreign minister, Johann Wadephul, in Abu Dhabi on March 11 as the two sides reviewed bilateral relations and ongoing cooperation, according to an official UAE readout. The meeting formed part of continuing high-level contacts between the UAE and Germany and focused on expanding coordination between the two governments on shared priorities. The UAE said the talks addressed ways to strengthen the friendship between the two countries and to broaden cooperation across the economy, trade, industry and investment. Officials discussed practical steps to build on existing…
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has demolished a building inside Pakistan Air Force Base Murid that was heavily damaged during India’s May 2025 Operation Sindoor air strike, according to commercial satellite imagery dated Feb. 28, 2026. The latest image shows the structure completely removed, leaving exposed earth and scattered rubble across the former building footprint. The cleared area marks the final stage of a site that had remained visibly damaged for months after the strike. The facility, located near Chakwal in Pakistan’s Punjab province, was among installations struck early on May 10, 2025 during India’s cross border operation. Satellite imagery captured shortly after the attack showed a…
EuroWire, LEIPZIG: BMW Group has launched a pilot project using humanoid robots in production at its Plant Leipzig, marking the company’s first deployment of humanoid robotics on a factory floor in Germany. BMW announced the project on Feb. 27 and provided additional details on March 9, describing the move as part of what it calls “Physical AI,” which combines artificial intelligence software with machines operating in real production processes. The company said the pilot is being carried out with Hexagon Robotics, an organizational unit of Hexagon focused on robotics and related software. BMW said the humanoid robot, named AEON, is designed to…
NICOSIA: Cyprus President Nikos Christodoulides received UAE Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan during a working visit to the Cypriot capital, with Cypriot Foreign Minister Constantinos Kombos attending. The UAE foreign minister conveyed greetings from UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and wishes of continued progress and prosperity for Cyprus and its people. Christodoulides returned greetings to the UAE president and expressed wishes of continued prosperity and wellbeing for the UAE and its people. The UAE Foreign Ministry said the meeting reviewed the repercussions of Iranian missile attacks that it said targeted the UAE, Cyprus and…
NEW DELHI: India holds the world’s largest identified thorium resources, according to the latest U.S. Geological Survey compilation, a position that has long underpinned New Delhi’s interest in using the metal as part of its nuclear energy program. The USGS’s February 2026 thorium summary lists India with 850,000 tons of identified thorium resources, ahead of Brazil at 630,000 tons and Australia and the United States at 600,000 tons each, based on worldwide identified totals. Thorium is most commonly found in the mineral monazite, typically recovered from heavy mineral sands, where it is often treated as a byproduct because commercial demand remains limited.…
SHARJAH: Astronomers at the Sharjah Academy for Astronomy, Space Sciences and Technology said Eid Al Fitr in the UAE is expected to fall on Friday, March 20, 2026, based on astronomical calculations for the start of Shawwal in the Islamic calendar. The holiday marks the end of Ramadan, the fasting month observed by Muslims worldwide. In the UAE, the final start date of Eid is confirmed through the country’s established official process for determining the beginning of lunar months. The academy, through its Sharjah Astronomical Observatory, said its analysis of the Shawwal crescent for 1447 AH indicates Ramadan is set to complete 30 days. It…
MUMBAI: India’s foreign exchange reserves rose to a record $728.494 billion in the week ended Feb. 27, according to data released by the Reserve Bank of India on Friday. The stockpile increased $4.885 billion from $723.608 billion a week earlier, reversing the prior week’s decline. India’s forex reserves comprise foreign currency assets, gold, Special Drawing Rights and the country’s reserve tranche position at the International Monetary Fund. The figure is widely tracked as a gauge of external liquidity held by the central bank. Foreign currency assets, the largest component of the reserves, rose $561 million to $573.125 billion in the latest week. Gold reserves increased…
NAIROBI: Flash floods triggered by heavy overnight rain killed at least 28 people in Kenya’s capital, Nairobi, after rivers and drainage channels overflowed and sent water through low-lying neighborhoods and key transport corridors. Police and rescue workers searched flooded streets and riverbanks after the worst of the downpour struck late Friday and into Saturday morning, submerging vehicles and trapping residents in inundated buildings. Authorities said several victims died after being swept away by floodwaters or electrocuted during the storm. Nairobi police commander George Seda said the dead included people who drowned and others who were electrocuted after power lines and electrical installations…
BRATISLAVA: UAE Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan met Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico in Bratislava on Sunday, March 8, 2026, during a working visit to the Slovak capital. The meeting took place in the presence of Slovakia’s Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Juraj Blanár. The UAE foreign ministry said the talks reviewed bilateral relations and discussed ways to develop cooperation in areas identified by both sides as priorities. According to the UAE foreign ministry, the two sides explored opportunities to expand cooperation across economic, trade and investment areas, as well as renewable energy, linking the…