Get the latest Codewit News from the Middle East: breaking news, features, analysis and debate plus audio and video coverage from across the Middle East.
GCC, Arab, and international delegations taking part in the 2015 Global Meeting on Search and Rescue- to be held on Sunday October 18th- started to arrive to Abu Dhabi. The delegations were received by Major General Jassem Muhammad Al Marzouqui, Civil Defense General Commander-in-chief.
On Thursday, the Internal Systems of Search and Rescue Development Committee held its preparatory meeting at Abu Dhabi International Exhibition Center (ADNEC). The committee discussed the guidelines of field work for international search and rescue teams.
In his speech, Lt. Colonel Mohammed Abdul Jalil Al Ansari, Director General of the Abu Dhabi Civil Defense welcomed representatives of search and rescue teams participating in the meeting. He wished everyone the best of luck and success to achieve the objectives and coveted results.
Major General Al Marzouqui said: “The Meeting will tackle several papers and guidelines of field work. These guidelines will regulate the relation between regional search and rescue teams as classified by the United Nations, and will establish a unified mechanism of response to natural disasters. The meeting will also provide highest levels of communication and readiness between the different search and rescue teams and the affected countries on one hand, and with the entities wishing to provide help and relief.”
The Arabic-language text of this announcement is the official, authoritative version. Translations are provided as an accommodation only, and should be cross-referenced with the Arabic-language text, which is the only version of the text intended to have legal effect.
Source:Abu Dhabi Police GHQ
Contacts:
The UAE Minister of Interior's General Secretariat, Tactical Affairs and Security Media Department
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
ABUJA—The National Hajj Commission, has confirmed that Nigerian casualties at the September 24 Muna stampede has risen to 64.
Similarly, as many as 240 Nigerian pilgrims are still missing at the time of filing this story.
In a telephone interview, Mr Uba Mana, the Public Relations Officer of the Commission, said the injured were receiving prompt medical attention.
According to him, a report containing the identities of the victims is on its way to Abuja, in line with the directive from the Presidency to the National Hajj Commission.
He said: “As soon as our medical team finishes treating the injured, we will start airlifting them back to Nigeria.”
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
The biggest offensive against ISIS so far happened without American help—but with plenty of assistance from Iran.
The Iraqi military launched a major campaign to take back a key city from the self-proclaimed Islamic State over the weekend—a move that caught the U.S. “by surprise,” in the words of one American government official.
The U.S.-led coalition forces that have conducted seven months of airstrikes on Iraq’s behalf did not participate in the attack, defense officials told The Daily Beast, and the American military has no plans to chip in.
Instead, embedded Iranian advisors and Iranian-backed Shiite militias are taking part in the offensive on the largely Sunni town, raising the prospect that the fight to beat back ISIS could become a sectarian war.
The news is the latest indication that not all is well with the American effort against the terror group. On Friday, U.S. defense officials told The Daily Beast that a planned offensive against the ISIS stronghold of Mosul had been indefinitely postponed. Over the weekend, an American-backed rebel group in Syria announced that it was dissolving, and joining an Islamist faction.
Then there was the unexpected battle for Tikrit. Over the weekend, a reported 30,000 troops and militiamen—mostly Shiites —stormed the Sunni dominated city of Tikrit, former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein’s hometown and the symbolic birthplace of his three decades of repressive practices against the majority Shiite population.
U.S. officials were largely left in the dark of the planning and timing of the operation, defense officials said. The Pentagon said Monday it was not conducting airstrikes in support of the Tikrit offensive because the Iraqi government did not ask for such help.
The U.S. had seen the prospect of strikes in Tikrit for a while but the timing and nature of the attack “caught us by surprise,” one government official explained to The Daily Beast.
Perhaps the most telling evidence that the coalition was not involved in planning for a potential Tikrit campaign could be found in the coalition’s air campaign against ISIS. It has been weeks since coalition forces struck Tikrit. Meanwhile, U.S. warplanes have conducted nearly daily strikes in the Mosul in preparation for an eventual military campaign.
The depth of Iranian involvement and the dearth of U.S. engagement in the battle for Tikrit suggested the coalition led campaign did little to weaken Iranian influence on Iraqi security. Two U.S. defense officials told The Daily Beast that Iranian troops were firing Iranian artillery “in the vicinity of” the Iraqi military campaign.
And there were several reports that Maj. Gen. Qassem Soleimani, the shadowy commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards’ overseas operation arm is also on the ground near Tikrit.
The Iraqi decision to cut out the U.S.-led coalition turned the war against ISIS in Iraq into a dual track approach—one carried out by the U.S.-led coalition another directed by the Iranians. Each has its own military strategy.
“As long as the Iranians perceive that what we’re doing comports with their objectives—which is eliminating ISIL—we’re on a parallel course there,” Director of National Intelligence James Clapper told an audience at the Council on Foreign Relations in New York on Monday.
U.S. officials have said taking back cities from ISIS will take months, in part, to minimize civilian casualties and destruction of communities. In addition, U.S. advisors are training Iraqi brigades that includes at least some semblance of Sunni representation.
But the Iranian-led approach the clearing of Tikrit is largely sectarian—with Shiite militias reviled and feared by Sunni residents. Rather than a deliberate military campaign, the forces appear prepared to pound Tikrit, hard. And perhaps because of that, there is no need for an air campaign.
There are already fears that the Iraqi effort, backed by their Iranian supporters, will decimate parts of the city, defense officials said. Such actions would have great symbolic effect and make it increasingly unlikely of mending sectarian tensions between the minority Sunnis and their Shiite-dominated government.
An advisor to U.S. government tasked with monitoring and engaging with Iraqi officials told The Daily Beast, “I think there is a great deal of joy about going into the city that fought Iran for a decade,” referring to Tikrit’s role in the seven-year war against Iran. “Imagine Qassem Soleimani is in Tikrit directing Iraqi forces in the destruction of the symbol of the former regime and the Sunni resistance,” the advisor added.
Because of that, Pentagon officials are watching carefully how the Iraqi forces carry out their campaign to rid Tikrit of ISIS, though they concede the signs are not promising.
“This is a real bellweather,” said a second defense official. “If this becomes a sectarian battle, we will shift to simply counter terrorism, and away from training Iraqi forces. And the coalition will come apart.”
ISIS has been in Tikrit since June, just after it stormed Iraq’s second largest city, Mosul, and made the local capital of its caliphate. Iraqi forces had tried at least three times to wrest control of the city from ISIS, without much success. In one instance, ISIS released photos claiming to have killed 1,700 troops in and around Tikrit.
But never has Iraq sought to seize the city with so many troops and with so much help from Iran, making this campaign it best chance of reclaiming the city.
“I don’t know if this operation is going to succeed. But I know the size and configuration has been successful in the past,” said Sinan Adnan, a research associate at the Washington D.C.-based Institute for the Study of War.
The forces face significant challenges, however: namely a well-established ISIS that will fight to retain Tikrit, its last grip in Saladin province.
“It is going to be a fight,” the advisor said.
Should the Iranian-backed forces win back Tikrit, it would mark a major psychological victory and lay the groundwork for an eventual campaign to Mosul, as Tikrit sits on the supply line route between Baghdad and the north, Adnan said.
And for some at the Pentagon, it raised fears that its train and assist program would be applied to the destruction of Sunni towns, not the elimination of the ISIS threat.
“This is an erosion of Iraqi independence and sovereignty that endangers our interests in the region,” the advisor said. “And there won’t be much of Tikrit left.”
As of Jan. 30, the U.S. and coalition has spent $1.5 billion on the campaign against ISIS striking roughly 2,500 targets. U.S. Central Command, which is leading the American effort, referred all questions about the Tikrit operation to the Iraqi government.
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
You’ve probably been hearing a lot lately about the battle between the White House and Congress over Iran’s nuclear program. It could be the final act of an ongoing drama that's had all the makings of a Bond film.
In 2009, the United States revealed a big secret: Iran was building a covert nuclear plant … inside a mountain.
The Iranian government claimed that the facility was used to make electricity and that it had nothing to do with weapons, but the United States wasn’t so sure. Still, U.S. officials reassured the American people, it could be up to five years before Iran would be capable of building a bomb.
Well, now those five years are up, and the United States and its allies still haven’t been able to find a solution to the Iran nuclear crisis.
But not for lack of trying.
Since 2006, the United States, China, Russia, the United Kingdom, France and Germany have been working together to negotiate with Iran. Iranians insist that their program is peaceful and that they have the right to keep their nuclear plants up and running. But many Western countries don’t trust Iran’s government, and they don’t want to risk leaving dangerous chemicals in its hands.
After Iran’s current president, Hassan Rouhani, was elected in 2013, it began to look as if there was a light at the end of the tunnel. Rouhani was motivated to bring the debate to a peaceful end, and he made a few concessions, like ceasing the production of dangerous chemicals and diluting the ones Iran already had. The U.S. and its allies were optimistic that they could resolve the nuclear crisis without heading into another war, and they set a deadline of November 2014 to find a permanent solution.
But that deadline came and went without a deal emerging.
So what happens next, and how worried should you be?
To find out, check out the video above, so when it comes to the showdown over Iran’s nuclear program, at least you can say, “Now I get it.”
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
Saudi King Salman, who succeeded his half-brother Abdullah on his death on Friday, is a 79-year-old stalwart of the royal family credited with transforming the capital Riyadh during his half-century as governor.
Like Abdullah, Salman is seen as a moderate with a reputation for austerity, hard work and discipline, especially in his role overseeing the hundreds of young princes in the royal family.
Recent years have seen concerns over his health after operations on his back, but Salman took on an increasingly high-profile role as Abdullah’s own health issues forced him from the limelight.
Born on December 31, 1935, Salman is the 25th son of the desert kingdom’s founder Abdulaziz bin Saud and a prominent member of a formidable bloc of brothers known as the Sudairi seven, after their mother Hassa bin Ahmed al-Sudairi.
He is the sixth son of Abdulaziz to become king of the arid, oil-rich nation.
Salman was appointed governor of Riyadh province at the age of only 20, in line with a tradition of putting royal family members in charge of key provinces.
He is considered the architect of the development of Riyadh from a desert backwater to a modern metropolis, balancing the historic power of the Red Sea city of Jeddah.
The governorship “allowed him to serve as a generally very well respected arbiter of al-Saud family affairs, as well as overseeing the city’s emergence,” said Eleanor Gillespie of the London-based Gulf States Newsletter.
“Salman has a reputation for probity and for being ‘clean’ when it comes to money,” Gillespie said.
Salman only took on his first ministerial post — as defence minister — in 2011 following the death of his brother Prince Sultan.
He was officially named crown prince following the death of the previous heir apparent, Nayef, in June 2012 and undertook a series of visits to Western and Asian nations.
‘A man of dialogue’ –
He has since developed solid ties with foreign partners and “is probably Western policy-makers’ favourite choice when it comes to future kings”, Gillespie said.
Said to be a hard worker who arrives in the office every day at 7:00 am sharp, Salman also has a reputation for accessibility, holding court three times a week.
“He is a man of dialogue who always preferred to solve problems amicably,” said Anwar Eshki, the director of the Jeddah-based Middle East Institute for Strategic Studies.
“He prefers moderation” in internal and foreign policy and “follows in the steps of Abdullah”, who was a keen reformer, said Eshki.
Salman is also in charge of the many young princes in the royal family, who “respect and fear him”, Eshki said.
Salman is reputed to be ill and there had been speculation he might not claim the throne at all, according to a source close to the circle of power.
But one diplomat said: “Despite his age he is active on all fronts, especially since the king slightly stepped back.”
Married three times, Prince Salman had 10 sons, two of whom have died, and a daughter.
One of his sons, Prince Abdul Aziz bin Salman, was appointed assistant petroleum minister in 2004 and is considered likely to succeed veteran Oil Minister Ali al-Naimi.
His most famous son is Prince Sultan, who became the first Saudi to go into space when he joined a 1985 mission on the US space shuttle Discovery. He is currently head of the Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities.
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
Joining a swarm of Saudis taking to social media on Friday, veteran news broadcaster Abdullah al-Shihri said he would have preferred not to deliver the official announcement that King Abdullah was dead.
“I did not wish to announce this news,” said Shihri, who wore a dark robe and traditional shemagh head covering to deliver the announcement from the royal court.
“May God have mercy on Abdullah bin Abdulaziz. Sincere prayers for his successor and crown prince,” he wrote.
The ailing Abdullah died early Friday aged about 90, after almost a decade on the throne.
Many Saudis took to the Internet to praise the deceased monarch but some, including campaigners for free speech and women’s right to drive, were less flattering.
Abdullah was “loved by the Saudi people and the entire Muslim population. We did not lose a king today, we all lost a father”, Ameera Al Taweel said in one of thousands of Twitter messages.
Saudi Army News, an official account, expressed condolences and said: “This Twitter account will stop tweeting for three days in mourning of King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz al-Saud, may God rest his soul”.
Many tweeted a hadith, or saying of the Prophet Mohammed, that death on a Friday means that one’s life ended well.
Some talked of the development Abdullah fostered in the kingdom.
“Spending was generous and golden projects in all regions,” wrote Naif al-Qarni.
In a country where official media are tightly controlled, the Internet offers more freedom for Saudis to communicate.
But the kingdom’s record on free speech was highlighted in the final weeks of Abdullah’s rule by the case of Raef Badawi, a blogger sentenced to 1,000 lashes and 10 years in jail.
Badawi’s Twitter account retweeted a comment on Abdullah’s death saying: “God forgive him and have mercy on him.”
Rights group Amnesty International said earlier that Saudi Arabia had postponed for a second time on medical grounds Badawi’s flogging, which had been due to resume on Friday. He has already received 50 lashes.
Campaigners for women’s right to drive referred only in passing to the king’s death, saying on their Twitter account: “For all creatures whether big or small — nothing remains but your deeds and your grave — and only God lasts forever”.
They posted a picture of the king but then followed it with photographs of Loujain Hathloul and Maysaa Alamoudi, two women’s rights activists detained since early December.
Saudi Arabia, with a population of about 29 million including around 20 million Saudis, is the only country where women are not allowed to drive.
Abdullah had challenged conservatives with moves such as including women in the Shura Council, an advisory body.
A minority of those posting comments were unimpressed by his accomplishments.
He was “neither a reformer nor leader” Usamah Mohammad said in a tweet.
Abdullah is succeeded by his half-brother Salman, 79, whose Twitter account had already been updated.
“The official account of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz al-Saud, King of Saudi Arabia”, it said, referring to the kingdom’s hosting of Islam’s holiest sites.
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
Iran’s hard line judiciary has banned a reformist newspaper for publishing a picture of Hollywood star George Clooney wearing a “Je suis Charlie” (“I am Charlie”) button, Iranian newspapers reported on Monday.
Mardom-e Emrooz (Today’s People) had come under criticism after running the image of the U.S. actor at last week’s Golden Globes ceremony.
He displayed his support for victims of a deadly attack two weeks ago on the Charlie Hebdo weekly in Paris.
A conservative press watchdog revoked Mardom-e Emrooz’s permit only three weeks after it started publishing with a pledge to support President Hassan Rouhani in his political and social liberalisation programme.
Like many other Hollywood celebrities, Clooney commands wide popularity among Iranian youths, although they only get to watch his movies on pirated videos.
Almost all Hollywood productions are banned in the Islamic republic as “culturally decadent”.
Twelve people were killed in the Jan. 7 shooting at the Charlie Hebdo office, carried out in retaliation for caricatures of the Prophet Mohammad.
Thousands of Islamist hardliners gathered outside the French embassy on Monday to denounce a new drawing of the Prophet published last Wednesday in the first issue of Charlie Hebdo after the shooting.
The cartoon has sparked violent clashes in other Muslim countries.
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
To provide the best experiences, we use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behaviour or unique IDs on this site. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions.
Functional
Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes.The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
To provide the best experiences, we use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behaviour or unique IDs on this site. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions.
