LONDON: On July 16, the people of Damascus awoke to the shocking news that fire had torn through the city’s historical district overnight, destroying the palace of Abdulrahman Pasha Al-Yusuf in the Old City’s Souk Sarouja.

The blaze had started in a house adjacent to the palace at around 3 a.m. local time before quickly spreading, according to state media agency SANA. Local reports suggested it was sparked by an electrical fault, but social media users have speculated it may have been arson.

AMMAN: Visitors are reportedly flocking in large numbers to the northern city of Ajloun in the highlands of northern Jordan, where a newly opened cable car ride is giving people the chance to experience stunning panoramic views of the mountainous forest landscape.
The Ajloun Teleferique, which was created by royal decree, is the first project of its kind in Jordan. Located about 70 kilometers northwest of Amman, it opened to the public in mid-June and immediately proved incredibly popular with visitors from across the country.

BEIRUT: The discovery of a newborn girl in a black plastic trash bag being carried by a stray dog near the municipality building in Tripoli on Wednesday morning caused shock across Lebanon.

A passerby reportedly saw the dog carrying the bag and heard a baby’s cries. He managed to take the bag from the dog and found the child inside. The infant, who had bruises all over her body, was taken to the Islamic Charity Hospital, then transferred to the Tripoli Governmental Hospital after security services and judicial authorities were informed.

JERUSALEM: Hundreds of Israeli reservists marched in Tel Aviv on Wednesday threatening to refuse their volunteer service if the government presses ahead with its controversial plan to curb the power of the Supreme Court.
The drive by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s nationalist-religious coalition to strip the court of some of its review powers has triggered mass protests across Israel and stirred deep concern among allies, including the United States.

CAIRO: Egypt is targeting a resumption of liquefied natural gas exports by October at the start of autumn, petroleum minister Tarek El Molla told reporters on Wednesday.
Most of Egypt’s production is consumed domestically in the summer when temperatures are high, but there are excess quantities available for export during winter, the minister said.
El Molla added that summer exports increased last year because the government switched from using natural gas in power stations to mazut fuel oil in order to bank on the higher natural gas prices.