A senior al-Qaeda leader was killed in a US drone strike in Syria, the Pentagon said Friday.The strike comes two days after a base in southern Syria, used by the US-led coalition fighting ISIS, was assaulted.For all the latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app.“A US airstrike today in northwest Syria killed senior al-Qaeda leader Abdul Hamid al-Matar,” said Central Command spokesman Army Major John Rigsbee in a statement.There were no known casualties from the strike, he said, adding it was conducted using an MQ-9 aircraft.“The removal of this al-Qaeda senior leader will disrupt the terrorist organization’s ability to further plot and carry out global attacks,” he said.At the end of September the Pentagon killed Salim Abu-Ahmad, another senior al-Qaeda commander in Syria, in an airstrike near Idlib in the country’s northwest.He had been responsible for “planning, funding, and approving trans-regional al-Qaeda attacks,” according to Centcom.“Al-Qaeda continues to present a threat to America and our allies. Al-Qaeda uses Syria as a safe haven to rebuild, coordinate with external affiliates, and plan external operations,” Rigsbee said.The ongoing war in Syria has created a complex battlefield involving foreign armies and militias.The war has killed around half a million people since starting in 2011 with a brutal crackdown on anti-government protests.Read more:US names al-Qaeda commander killed in SyriaUS kills ‘senior al-Qaeda leader’ in strike near Syria’s Idlib
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: US says it killed senior al-Qaeda leader in Syria with drone strike
Fire in Dubai Marina residential building now under control
A fire broke out in a residential building in Dubai, United Arab Emirates on Saturday morning.The incident was first reported at 3:30am in Dubai Marina’s Marina Diamond 2 building.For all the latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app.The city’s Civil Defense rushed to the scene to extinguish the fire and police closed the roads around the area.Residents were safely evacuated and the fire was put under control.Videos from nearby residents on social media showed flames spreading on the upper floors of the residential tower, which is around 60 meters tall and houses 250 apartments.No injuries or deaths have been reported.“[I] Am staying in next building and this is so traumatizing to the building residents and nearby residents. Thanks to Dubai civil defense as they are fighting hard to control the fire. Cause of the fire is still unknown,” tweeted @AshyMagnificent.Constructed back in 2005, Marina Diamond 2 is a mid-rise residential tower with 15 floors. The building contains studios, one and two-bedroom apartments.One of Dubai Marina’s earliest developments, the tower welcomed its first residents in 2006.Read more:Fire breaks out at oil waste disposal unit in Dubai’s Jebel Ali, no injuries reportedFire breaks out in area near Dubai airport, no injuries reportedDubai eye, world’s tallest observation wheel, opens with lavish firework show
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Fire in Dubai Marina residential building now under control
US to release more information related to Kennedy assassination in December
The Biden administration said it will release more records related to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in December.Some of the information regarding Kennedy’s death on Nov. 22, 1963, remained off limits to “protect against an identifiable harm to the military defense, intelligence operations, law enforcement, or the conduct of foreign relations that is of such gravity that it outweighs the public interest in disclosure,” the White House said on Friday in a memorandum signed by President Joe Biden.For all the latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app.Although those considerations have become less and less urgent with the passage of the decades, and most of the records have been made available by the National Archives and Records Administration, several government agencies and departments must determine if any of the remaining undisclosed materials should continue to be kept from public view.Biden added in the memo that the Archivist of the US had reported that the pandemic had slowed the process.Some of the records will be released from Dec. 15, and most, if not all, of the rest by the end of 2022, according to the memo, 59 years after the assassination in Dallas.“Any information that an agency proposes for continued postponement beyond Dec. 15, 2022, shall be limited to the absolute minimum under the statutory standard,” Biden said.Under the President John F. Kennedy Assassination Records Collection Act of 1992, the National Archives took charge of “more than five million pages of assassination-related records, photographs, motion pictures, sound recordings and artifacts (approximately 2,000 cubic feet of records),” according to the Archives website.Congress intended that, under the act, all of the records would eventually be disclosed.Read more: US director Oliver Stone revisits JFK assassination in new documentary
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: US to release more information related to Kennedy assassination in December
UAE: Legal sector must rethink vision after pandemic, says expert
The Government of Dubai’s Legal Affairs Department hosted a conference to discuss how Covid-19 will influence the future of the legal sector..
Source: Albawaba
Full Article: UAE: Legal sector must rethink vision after pandemic, says expert
A real-life Welsh James Bond: The spy who became a monk
If you think Bond films are dramatic, the true story of this Neath-born agent might shock you..
Source: Albawaba
Full Article: A real-life Welsh James Bond: The spy who became a monk
UN envoy describes Syria constitutional talks as ‘big disappointment’
The first round of talks between the Syrian government and the opposition to draft constitutional reforms in Geneva ended in disappointment and no new date has been set for the next meeting, the United Nations envoy for Syria said Friday..
Source: Albawaba
Full Article: UN envoy describes Syria constitutional talks as ‘big disappointment’
Kicking up a karate calm
The martial art form has witnessed a rapid evolution in the UAE, riding on the back of fitness and health benefits, flattening age and gender gaps..
Source: Albawaba
Full Article: Kicking up a karate calm
Opinion | Colin Powell and ‘Guernica’
He broke many barriers but was outplayed by masters of deceit..
Source: Albawaba
Full Article: Opinion | Colin Powell and ‘Guernica’
Israel must prove blacklisted NGOs funded terrorism – editorial
Defense Minister Benny Gantz designated six Palestinian NGOs as terrorist organizations on Friday, alleging that they funneled donations from European states and int'l organizations to the PFLP.
Source: Jerusalem Post
Full Article: Israel must prove blacklisted NGOs funded terrorism - editorial
Saudi Arabia targets net zero emissions by 2060
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and his energy minister said Saudi Arabia would tackle climate change, but also stressed the continued importance of hydrocarbons.
Source: Jerusalem Post
Full Article: Saudi Arabia targets net zero emissions by 2060