LONDON: Six people were killed, 16 injured, and three buildings were destroyed after a liquefied petroleum gas system exploded in Sulaymaniyah, Iraqi Kurdistan, the Iraqi News Agency reported.

“More than 20 people were present in the house in which the accident occurred, eight people were taken to hospital, and there are currently between 10-12 people, including children, under the rubble,” an eyewitness said.

Sulaymaniyah’s Civil Defense said 10 teams are working to rescue those trapped under the rubble of the buildings.

AMMAN: King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia of Sweden on Thursday visited Jordan’s Zaatari refugee camp for Syrians, the Jordan News Agency reported.

During their tour, the royals, who were escorted by Jordanian Princess Rym Ali, were briefed on the services provided to refugees by the camp administration, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, the UN International Children’s Emergency Fund, and the World Food Program, particularly in the areas of education and food.

AL-MUKALLA: Heavy fighting between Yemeni government forces and the Iran-backed Houthis broke out on Wednesday in the city of Taiz after the militia bombarded and attacked a strategic hilltop military base, local army officials said.
Abdul Basit Al-Baher, a Yemeni military official in Taiz, told Arab News that the Houthis shelled an air defense military base in northwest Taiz on Wednesday morning before sending ground troops to attack the base.
It sparked heavy fighting with government troops, and explosions rocked different neighborhoods.

AMMAN: Jordanian Minister of Energy Saleh Kharabsheh and UAE Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology Sultan Al-Jaber signed a memorandum of understanding on Wednesday to collaborate in renewable energy.

The agreement was signed on the sidelines of COP27 held in Sharm El-Sheikh, Jordan News Agency reported.

BEIRUT: Lebanon’s parliamentary blocs are pushing conflicting views over what should top the priority list of the crisis-hit country, with one MP warning of a “social explosion” if a policy of “patchwork solutions” remains unchanged.
Some blocs believe that electing a president is the most pressing issue, while others say that legislation should be prioritized.
This divergence reflects the depth of the political crisis that Lebanon is facing more than two weeks after President Michel Aoun’s departure from the presidential palace.