RIYADH: The Gulf Cooperation Council’s new Secretary General Jassem Mohamed Albudaiwi met with the British ambassador to Riyadh Neil Crompton on Wednesday.

During the meeting, the two officials discussed the latest regional and international issues, and Albudaiwi highlighted the importance of the strategic partnership between the GCC and the UK.

The head of the Gulf bloc also pointed out that he was looking forward to the success of the third round of Free Trade Agreement negotiations which will be held in Riyadh in March.

ABU DHABI: The UAE announced on Wednesday the opening of the region’s first dedicated marine research, rescue and rehabilitation center, Yas SeaWorld Research and Rescue, in Abu Dhabi.
Emirates News Agency reported that the announcement was made by Miral, and SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment.
Located on Yas Island, the 8,602 sq. meters center will be a key contributor to marine-life conservation in both the UAE and the wider region, conducting integrated research, rescue, rehabilitation, and education programs.

JERUSALEM: Israel’s Supreme Court on Tuesday approved a new delay to the controversial demolition of a Bedouin village in the occupied West Bank.
The Khan Al-Ahmar community, which lies on a strategic highway east of Jerusalem, was slated for demolition in 2018 after a ruling that it was built without Israeli permits.
Right-wing Israeli group Regavim had taken the government to court in order to force officials to raze the village, whose 200 residents have drawn international support.

JINDERIS, Syria: Residents digging through a collapsed building in a northwest Syrian town discovered a crying infant whose mother appears to have given birth to her while buried underneath the rubble from this week’s devastating earthquake, relatives and a doctor said Tuesday.

GENEVA: The sole border crossing used to shuttle life-saving aid from Turkiye into conflict-ravaged Syria has seen its operations disrupted by the deadly earthquake that struck the two countries, the UN said Tuesday.
The 7.8-magnitude quake and its aftershocks struck Turkiye and Syria on Monday and killed more than 5,400 people.
“The cross-border operation has itself been impacted,” Jens Laerke, spokesman for the UN humanitarian agency OCHA, told reporters in Geneva.