Diana Francis, the head of the Environmental and Geophysical Sciences lab at Khalifa University in the UAE, found that a major 2015 dust storm that impacted Iraq and parts of the Arabian Peninsula was formed due to changes in the polar region. According to Ali Attiya, a professor of atmospheric science at Mustansiriyah University in Baghdad, a typical spring would see about one to three storms per month, but at least nine major storms have descended on the country since April, with more expected. Iranian judicial authorities investigating a building collapse that killed at least 11 people have detained the mayor of the southwestern city of Abadan and nine others, state media reported on Tuesday. Background: The 10-storey residential and commercial building partly collapsed on Monday, trapping at least 80 people under the rubble, according to state TV. In 2017, 20 firefighters were killed when a 17-storey commercial building in the capital Tehran collapsed as they tried to put out a blaze. “I hurt my hand early in the fight, and I was a little hesitant, but I still think I put on a great performance. The San Francisco-based company said Friday it will pay Charm Industrial $250,000 to store 400 tons of carbon by 2025, part of the company's plan to become carbon neutral by 2040. The carbon stored will counter emissions Figma's activities put into the atmosphere, according to Praveer Melwani, Figma's head of business operations and finance.
Some experts say years of war have also played a part in the degradation of land, leading to an increase in dust sources. But experts argue more needs to be done and if countries don't act soon, the consequences for the region will be devastating. Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia has committed to plant 10 billion trees in the country and another 40 billion in the region to fight sandstorms and desertification. A glimpse of the destructive power of the storms was seen in March 2021, when the Suez Canal was blocked for six days by a ship that was blown off course by a sandstorm, holding up almost $60 billion in trade. According to the World Bank, the phenomenon costs the region's economy $13 billion a year. Costs range from ruined agricultural crops and damaged machinery to the closure of ports and airports and hours spent cleaning up roads and other infrastructure.
The Taliban will sign an agreement with the United Arab Emirates on operating airports in Afghanistan, the group's Acting Deputy Prime Minister Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar said on Tuesday, after months of talks with the UAE, Turkey and Qatar. Palestinian gunmen out of range: Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett's office shared footage of Palestinian gunmen firing haphazardly down alleyways in different parts of Jenin, originally claiming that the footage suggested "Palestinian terrorists were the ones who shot the journalist." CNN geolocated the videos to the south of the camp, more than 300 meters away from Abu Akleh. He said that at 200 meters away, there was "no chance" that random or stray fire would result in such a tight configuration of strike marks, which contradicts the Israeli military's suggestion that Abu Akleh could have been hit by Palestinian gunmen firing indiscriminate gunfire. But videos obtained by CNN, corroborated by testimony from eight eyewitnesses, a forensic audio analyst and an explosive weapons expert, suggest that Abu Akleh was shot dead in a targeted attack by Israeli forces.
Targeted shots: The forensic audio analyst who assessed the footage estimated that the gunman who shot Abu Akleh was 177-197 meters away. A direct line of sight: Of the 11 videos obtained by CNN, two show the scene when Abu Akleh was killed. One video shows a direct line of sight to an Israeli armored vehicle parked 200 meters away, which has an opening for a sniper. “Whoever is in the way of that, it doesn’t matter, you line them up and I’ll knock them down. Standing in his way is a formidable challenger in Caleb Plant who has risen through the ranks and is ever-confident of launching a successful assault on the Mexican's domination. Plant certainly has the tools to trouble Canelo, but whether he can use them effectively and beat the Mexican is a different story. However, Caleb ‘Sweet hands’ Plant, who holds the IBF world title, thinks he has what it takes to beat the Mexican superstar.