A new report suggests Saudi Arabia may increase oil production. This comes just ahead of the OPEC+ meeting today. The cartel is grappling with how much Russian crude may disappear as a result of sanctions.
Sharon Cho reports on Bloomberg Television.
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The head of the Russian State Duma’s foreign affairs committee says he wants annexation “referendums” in occupied Luhansk, Donetsk, and Kherson in July. pic.twitter.com/jZaju9z0BP
We speak to Noam Shuster Eliassi, an Israeli comedian whose latest performance has gone viral in the Arab world. The satirical song "Dubai, Dubai" criticises the recent deal to normalise ties between Israel and the UAE and has been watched, rewatched and tweeted thousands of times. She tells us why she feels the song sends an important message.
#Dubai#Israel#song
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How Saudi Arabia's is Turning it's Desert into an Oasis
regenerative agriculture desert oasis saudi arabia agriculture farming desertification center pivot irrigation desert farming in saudi arabia desert farming sustainability fight climate change regreening deserts global warming China Turns Desert into Green Forests desert into forest terraforming the sahara desert desert into oasis, desert into green, desert into fertile land desert into farmland Regreening the desert with John D. Liu, Arabia Oasis
In today's video, we're going to introduce How Saudi Arabia's is Turning it's Desert into an Oasis.
Large areas of the desert have been turned into agricultural fields. This transformation can be definitely called as a major accomplishment for a country. Especially when the country receives an average of about 4 inches of rain a year.
In today's video, we are going to tell you how and why Saudi Arabia is turning its deserts into huge farmlands. So stick with us and let's dive into our today's video.
Saudi Arabia is called as a desert kingdom! The country's wealth soared when oil was discovered. It utilizes billions of dollars of oil earnings to fuel many aspects of its economy and the lives of its citizens. One of these elements is the Kingdom's food supply, which imports more than 80% of its required food using oil revenue. Approximately, just 1.5 percent of Saudi Arabia's land area is arable, and what agriculture the nation does have consumes 80 percent of the country's limited water supply. While the kingdom is now food secure, agriculture in Saudi Arabia has been a key focus for those looking to increase the country's sustainability and mitigate the danger of global food supply network failures.
1970s marked the beginning of serious agricultural development in the Kingdom. And by 1990 Saudi Arabia was one of the largest wheat exporters in the world. Not just wheat, it also exports vegetables, fruits, dairy products and dates. xxx
Now just think of Saudi Arabia. Also to encourage agricultural research and training institutions. Huge circular greeneries are all across the country. And there are farmlands in the middle of the desert as well. Surprisingly, in the past 60 years, Saudi Arabia has transformed 24 000 square kilometers of desert into fertile land.
When we talk about the western mountainous region of Saudi Arabia, mostly rainfall and flows back to the sea unused. This means Saudi Arabia is suffering from water loss and this also affects its agriculture. But to meet the needs of its people, Saudi Arabia planned smartly and has brought agricultural lands in US, Indonesia, Argentina and other African countries.
The mountain terraces trapped water and gave life to soil.
After that comes another project. The government launched the Al-Baydha project to manage the flood water that was directly going to sea unused. If the entire west coast is covered under this project then 30 million acres can be transformed into agricultural land. But this will cost billions of dollars and time.
Positively, the agricultural capacity of Saudi Arabia could be multiplied by a minimum of 6 times which will increase the GDP up to 5%. It will be helpful to reverse desertification as carbon gases will again be fixed to fertile soil and this will result in rainfall in the region.
To supply the population with fresh water, Saudi Arabia is using another tactic. That is to use desalination plants to de-salinate the seawater into freshwater. One method for desalination is by using thermal gases and the other is by membrane-based reverse osmosis which runs by using electricity. This electricity is harnessed by nuclear power.
So before you get confused lets simplify it. To make a land green, we need water and for water we need to desalinate it, for desalination nuclear energy is required. All of this is interconnected. Facilities have also been put into place to treat urban and industrial runoff for agricultural irrigation.
Liquid Nano-clay (LNC) serves as another important tactic. This is being used nowadays that can save water consumption by 50% but it is quite expensive. LNC is a treatment that gives the sand a clay coating so that it can trap water efficiently.
Saudi Arabia has also allocated financial resources for agricultural research purposes to further improve its agriculture system.
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One of the biggest threats to the Taliban's new rule in Afghanistan is from another radical jihadist group. IS-K, the regional chapter of the so-called Islamic State has battled the Taliban for dominance since 2015. The recent suicide attack on Kabul airport shows the group's intent to strike.
And concerns are growing thousands of miles to the east about the events in Afghanistan. Kurdish forces in Syria fear resistance against the Taliban takeover could inspire a resurgence of the so-called Islamic State in their region.
Many families say they are already living under threat.
The Shaheel region is considered an IS stronghold in eastern Syria. One of many in the province. Kurdish fighters put an end to the Islamists' rule in 2019, with the help of the United States. But the self-styled 'soldiers of God' went underground and continued spreading fear and terror, murdering anyone who dared to oppose them.
Kurdish forces are fighting back. They aim to keep the terrorists in check, as the number of IS attacks rises. There were 18 in the province in July alone. And the Taliban's victory in Afghanistan seems to have given them a boost.
That's what Kurdish commander Siyamend Ali thinks. Since the attack on Kabul Airport, he's afraid a wave of terrorism could spread across Syria as well.
Kurdish special forces are showing their presence on patrol. They don't want to give any ground to IS. And they know its fighters come out of their hiding places at night, demanding protection money, taking hostages and committing murder.
At a check-point at an intersection between two villages considered IS strongholds, guards look for suicide attackers and search for weapons and explosives in cars, even if it might get them killed.
They try to capture the leaders in raids. Recently, they were able to take down a top IS commander. They destroyed 120 sleeper cells in July, but more appear all the time.
After decades of #conflict, #terrorism and government mismanagement, #Baghdad's monumental buildings are increasingly dilapidated and under threat. Many fear that without laws and protection, they could gradually perish, taking much of Iraq's cultural heritage with them. Our correspondents Jack Hewson and Lucile Wassermann report.
Great
Compatibility of Action Cameras: Compatible with #GoPro Hero
8/7/6/5/4/3, OSMO Action, Insta360 one R, Sony RX0, YI cam, Mijia, SJCAM
and other action cameras with similar size and weight(150g,
48*32mm/Height * thickness).
The UN secretary general has called on Israel to abandon plans for settlements in the occupied West Bank. Antonio Guterres said the plan would be a serious violation of international law and damage long-term prospects of a two-state solution. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said cabinet will discuss plans to move forward with the annexation on July 1. FRANCE 24 correspondent Hoda Osman explains the latest developments.
#Israeli annexation of significant parts of the occupied #Palestinian West Bank after 1 July would violate a cornerstone principle of international law and must be meaningfully opposed by the international community – UN experts call for accountability: https://t.co/m4UUojCfJBpic.twitter.com/FhBHkiN8Xo
— UN Special Procedures (@UN_SPExperts) June 16, 2020
Palestinians have taken to the streets of occupied West Bank & Gaza to protest Israel’s looming annexation of parts of the Jordan Valley and illegal Israeli settlements.
The UN are toothless. The international community should impose sanctions on Israel. pic.twitter.com/3G5PEgR9pF
In an interview with FRANCE 24, David Schenker, the US Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs, discussed the situation in Libya and the involvement of foreign forces like Turkey and Russia in the conflict there. "We think it's important that the arms embargo be implemented immediately," he told FRANCE 24. Schenker warned that the Libyan conflict "could spin out of control if the Russians choose to escalate further". The top US official also discussed the situation in Iraq, Iran and Lebanon, as well as the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
BBC News Arabic’s undercover investigation exposes the people in Kuwait breaking local and international laws on modern slavery, including a woman offering a child for sale.
At the centre of this powerful investigative film is Fatou, a 16 year old in Kuwait City who has been there for nine months. We follow her rescue and journey back home to Guinea, West Africa and ask: what’s being done to control the apps promoted on Google, Apple and Facebook-owned Instagram?
Click here to watch this film in Arabic:
:يمكن مشاهدة هذا الفيلم الوثائقي باللغة العربية هنا
https://youtu.be/YKq06ZYPPrE
President
Donald Trump that the United States has "targeted 52 Iranian sites" for
attack should the country strike "any Americans, or American
assets."The string of tweets come after the White House formally
notified Congress of the US operation that killed Iranian military
commander Qasem Soleimani.
....targeted 52 Iranian sites (representing the 52 American hostages taken by Iran many years ago), some at a very high level & important to Iran & the Iranian culture, and those targets, and Iran itself, WILL BE HIT VERY FAST AND VERY HARD. The USA wants no more threats!
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UN News Russian attacks on civilian targets in Ukraine could be a war crime: UN rights office
