China, Kuwait sign agreement to expand solar power projects/node/2594037/middle-east
China, Kuwait sign agreement to expand solar power projects
Representatives from Kuwait's Ministry of Electricity and Water and Renewable Energy and China's National Energy Administration shake hands during the signing ceremony in Kuwait. (KUNA)
China, Kuwait sign agreement to expand solar power projects
China to oversee expansion of Al-Shagaya, Al-Abdiliya plants
Shagaya part of Kuwait’s plan to generate 15% of its energy from renewable sources by 2030
Updated 18 March 2025
Arab News
LONDON: Kuwait and China signed a framework agreement this week which included a commitment to cooperate in renewable energy and solar plants technology.
The framework agreement was reached after six months of negotiations, according to Adel Al-Zamel, the undersecretary at the Ministry of Electricity and Water and Renewable Energy, who signed the agreement in Kuwait with Ren Jingdong, the deputy director of the Chinese National Energy Administration.
The agreement outlines a plan, overseen by the Chinese side, for the third and fourth zones of the Al-Shagaya and Al-Abdiliya solar plants projects. Each project will have a joint production capacity of 3,500 megawatts, with the potential to increase to 5,000 megawatts, the Kuwait News Agency reported.
Shagaya Renewable Energy Park, which is in a desert zone near the Kuwait-Saudi border, plays an integral part in Kuwait’s plan to generate 15 percent of its energy from renewable sources by 2030.
Kuwait and China last month signed an agreement to develop the Mubarak Al-Kabeer port, which is part of China’s Belt and Road Initiative and will have a capacity to handle more than 8 million containers.
On March 22 the two countries will celebrate the 54th anniversary of establishing diplomatic relations.
Kuwait’s Ambassador to China Jassem Al-Najem and other Kuwaiti and Chinese officials were present during the agreement’s signing ceremony.
Israel’s president says worried over steps taken by Netanyahu’s government
Updated 3 sec ago
“It is impossible not to be deeply troubled by the harsh reality unfolding before our eyes,” Herzog said “It is unthinkable to resume fighting while still pursuing the sacred mission of bringing our hostages home”
JERUSALEM: Israel’s President Isaac Herzog on Thursday expressed concern over steps being taken by the government, hours before the cabinet was due to fire the domestic security chief in an unprecedented move. “It is impossible not to be deeply troubled by the harsh reality unfolding before our eyes,” Herzog said in a video statement, stopping short of mentioning Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu by name. Earlier this week, Netanyahu announced a return to the war in Gaza, sending in ground troops, after talks on extending the truce with Palestinian militant group Hamas reached an impasse. “It is unthinkable to resume fighting while still pursuing the sacred mission of bringing our hostages home,” said Herzog, whose role is largely ceremonial. His unusual statement also comes ahead of a state budget vote expected late this month, in which the government proposes raising taxes and cutting education and health funding while ramping up spending in the ultra-Orthodox Jewish sector — a plan that has drawn criticism as many ultra-Orthodox do not serve in the army. “Thousands of reserve duty call-ups have recently been issued, and it is inconceivable to send our sons to the front while simultaneously advancing divisive and controversial initiatives that create deep rifts within our nation,” Herzog said. Calling on decision-makers to “carefully weigh every step and assess whether it strengthens national resilience,” the president criticized the decision to resume fighting in Gaza while Israeli hostages, including some who are known to be alive, remain in Gaza. On Thursday, thousands of Israelis braved the rain and plunging temperatures in Jerusalem to protest the decision to return to war which they see as forsaking the hostages. The protesters also voiced opposition to Netanyahu’s bid to oust Ronen Bar, head of the Shin Bet internal security agency. Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara, the government’s legal adviser threatened by a separate bid to remove her from her watchdog role, said the plan to dismiss Bar was likely illegal. Bar was meant to end his tenure only next year, and if approved by the government, he would become the first Shin Bet chief in Israel’s history to be dismissed early. “Unfortunately, we are witnessing a series of unilateral actions, and I am deeply concerned about their impact on our national resilience,” Herzog said, calling on the government to take note of the thousands protesting.
Qatar helps in release of US citizen from Taliban’s detention in Afghanistan
George Glezmann arrived in Doha on Thursday
Release of US prisoner described as ‘gesture of goodwill’
Updated 14 min 51 sec ago
Arab News
LONDON: Qatar facilitated on Thursday the release of a US citizen in Afghanistan who had been in detention since December 2022.
George Glezmann is the third US citizen to be released by the Taliban government since January. The Taliban’s intelligence agency detained Glezmann, an airline mechanic from Atlanta, in December 2022.
He arrived in Doha on Thursday and will depart for his home country later, the Qatar News Agency reported. A date was not specified.
The Taliban government’s release of the detainee was a “gesture of goodwill,” reflecting its willingness to engage in dialogue with the international community, the QNA added.
The Taliban have been in control of Afghanistan since the summer of 2021, following the withdrawal of US and Western troops from the Central Asian country.
Qatar’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Mohammed Al-Khulaifi said that cooperation with the mediation process involving the US and the “Afghan caretaker government” had led to the release of Glezmann.
He added that Qatar was dedicated to mediation efforts to find peaceful solutions to conflicts, disputes, and complex international issues.
Qatar has taken a leading role in mediating during some of the most contentious conflicts, including its recent efforts to help end the Israeli conflict in the Gaza Strip and to facilitate the release of Israeli captives held by the militant group Hamas.
Lebanon committed to regaining confidence of Arab countries: Aoun
German foreign minister makes official visit to Beirut
Updated 12 min 42 sec ago
NAJIA HOUSSARI
BEIRUT: Lebanon is committed to regaining the confidence of Arab countries and the world through reforms, President Joseph Aoun said on Thursday.
He was speaking at a meeting of Lebanese businessmen based in Saudi Arabia.
The president thanked the Kingdom for embracing expatriates and their families.
Addressing the delegation of the Lebanese Executives Council in the Kingdom, Aoun said: “It is unacceptable to cover the repercussions of financial and economic mismanagement using depositors’ funds, which have been frozen in Lebanese banks since 2019.”
The issue requires a solution in cooperation with economic bodies, banks, the central bank, depositors and the state as soon as possible, Aoun said.
“Boosting the economic cycle and investment flow requires a trustworthy banking sector,” he added.
“This was a commitment in the oath speech and is at the core of the government’s work, and we look forward to helping the parliament by accelerating the process of issuing the necessary laws.”
The Lebanese president on Wednesday had informed German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock that Israel’s occupation of areas in the south of the country hindered the implementation of UN Resolution 1701 and contradicted the agreement reached last November.
His remarks came during the German official’s visit to Beirut.
Germany's Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, left, arrives at the government palace to meet with Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, in Beirut, Lebanon, on March 19, 2025. (AP Photo)
Baerbock was then to head to Damascus on Thursday to reopen the German Embassy in Syria.
Aoun said that the Lebanese army, which has been deployed in all areas vacated by Israeli forces, was carrying out its duty to enforce security and seize weapons.
He told the German minister that Israel had rejected all Lebanese proposals to evacuate the five hills it still occupies and replace its forces with international troops.
Diplomatic efforts and negotiations are continuing in a bid to find a solution to the issue, the president said.
Aoun also told Baerbock that Israel continues to hold several Lebanese prisoners and had only released five nationals, an issue that the government is “determined” to resolve.
Also on Thursday, Hezbollah reacted to Foreign Minister Youssef Rajji’s statements a day earlier, accusing the party of “reneging on the ceasefire agreement between it and Israel, despite the agreement being clear on which groups are allowed to bear arms.”
During a meeting with the Maronite League, Rajji highlighted “diplomatic efforts to end the Israeli occupation,” and said that “Lebanon’s goal is to return to the 1949 Armistice Agreement, and the only solution is international pressure, particularly from the US.
“The conditions are clear: The full implementation of Resolution 1701 and the cessation of military operations. These are tough conditions caused by the party that entered the war and delayed acknowledging the necessity of a ceasefire,” he added.
However, Rajji said that Lebanon “will not accept any direct political negotiations with Israel.”
In response, Hezbollah MP Ibrahim Al-Moussawi said on Thursday that the foreign minister’s remarks harmed national interests and distorted facts, “ultimately providing Israel with additional justifications for its aggression.”
Al-Moussawi added that Hezbollah remained committed to “what the Lebanese government agreed upon through UN Resolution 1701.”
He said the foreign minister should have condemned Israel’s crimes and highlighted them to the international community, instead of directing accusations at Hezbollah.
Al-Moussawi urged the government to correct the “irresponsible statements” made by Rajji.
Similarly, Hezbollah Secretary-General Sheikh Naim Qassem accused the foreign minister of “providing Israel with an excuse to continue its aggression, a stance that is inappropriate for any Lebanese government official.
“We have adhered to the agreement while Israel continues to violate it,” he added.
Israel says struck military sites in east, south Lebanon
Lebanese state media on Thursday reported Israeli strikes on the country’s south and east
Four missiles were fired in the Nabatiyeh area of southern Lebanon
Updated 58 min 13 sec ago
AFP
JERUSALEM: Israel’s military said it struck military sites in east and south Lebanon on Thursday, in its latest attack despite a November ceasefire that ended a war against militant group Hezbollah.
“A short while ago, the IDF (military) struck a military site containing an underground terrorist infrastructure site in the Bekaa area in Lebanon, as well as a military site containing rocket launchers in southern Lebanon in which Hezbollah activity has been identified,” the military said in a statement.
Lebanese state media on Thursday reported Israeli strikes on the country’s south and east.
The state-run National News Agency said “enemy aircraft” struck “the eastern slopes of the mountain range within the town of Janta in the Bekaa,” as well as “the outskirts of the town of Taraya, west of Baalbek,” also in the east.
Four missiles were fired in the Nabatiyeh area of southern Lebanon, NNA said.
No casualties were immediately reported.
The November 27 truce largely halted more than a year of fighting between Iran-backed Hezbollah and Israel, including two months of open war during which Israel sent in ground troops.
Hezbollah had said it was acting in support of Hamas militants fighting Israel in Gaza.
Israel has continued to carry out strikes on Lebanese territory since the truce agreement took effect.
Under the agreement, Israel had been expected to withdraw from Lebanon by February 18 after missing a January deadline, but it has kept troops at five locations it deems “strategic.”
The ceasefire also required Hezbollah to pull back north of the Litani River, about 30 kilometers (20 miles) from the border, and to dismantle any remaining military infrastructure in the south.
Fight against disinformation to continue, says Turkish official
Updated 20 March 2025
Prof. Dr. Fahrettin Altun
ANKARA: Following the decision to detain Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality officials and other suspects within the scope of a series of investigations conducted by the Istanbul Public Prosecutor's Office, we note that some parties, especially leaders of the main opposition party, are making efforts to undermine the integrity of the investigations with political and ideological motives.
Among the political and ideological assessments made without familiarity with the content and details of the investigations that have begun, we are also witnessing irrational slanders against our president.
We will continue to stand firmly against such endeavors aimed at undermining the independence of our judiciary, which exercises its authority on behalf of the Turkish nation, as well as putting our president under suspicion, and will continue to protect the rights of our president against these ideological slander campaigns.
We emphasize our belief that all decisions of an impartial judiciary should be respected by all groups, and we would like to state that we will continue our fight against disinformation as the Communication Directorate in this process.
We ask our valued citizens to support this fight by dealing cautiously with unconfirmed and suspicious content and, as always, please rely on the statements of official institutions and authorities.
Prof. Dr. Fahrettin Altun is Head of the Communications Directorate of the Republic of Turkiye.
