ROME: The US military covered up 2019 airstrikes in Syria that killed up to 64 women and children, a possible war crime, during the battle against Daesh, the New York Times reported on Saturday.
The two back-to-back airstrikes near the town of Baghuz were ordered by a classified American special operations unit tasked with ground operations in Syria, according to the report. The newspaper said that US Central Command, which oversaw US air operations in Syria, acknowledged the strikes for the first time this week and said they were justified.
In a statement on Saturday, Central Command reiterated the account it gave the newspaper that 80 people were killed in the strikes including 16 Daesh fighters and four civilians. The military said it was unclear if the other 60 people were civilians, partly because women and children could have been combatants.
In Saturday’s statement, the military said the strikes were “legitimate self-defense,” proportional and that “appropriate steps were taken to rule out the presence of civilians.”
“We abhor the loss of innocent life and take all possible measures to prevent them. In this case, we self-reported and investigated the strike according to our own evidence and take full responsibility for the unintended loss of life,” Central Command said.
The number of civilians among the 60 fatalities could not be determined because “multiple armed women and at least one armed child were observed” in video of the events, it said, adding that the majority of the 60 were likely combatants. Central Command said the strikes took place while Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) were under heavy fire and in danger of being overrun and the SDF had reported the area clear of civilians.
The Defense Department’s inspector general launched an inquiry into the March 18, 2019, incident, but its report was ultimately “stripped” of any mention of the bombing and a thorough, independent probe never took place, according to the Times.
The newspaper said its report was based on confidential documents and descriptions of classified reports, as well as interviews with personnel directly involved.
An Air Force lawyer present in the operations center at the time believed the strikes were possible war crimes and later alerted the Defense Department’s inspector general and the Senate Armed Services Committee when no action was taken, the Times said.

DUBAI: The Muslim World League has launched an exhibition on the lives of the prophets at its Expo 2020 Dubai pavilion.

“The Prophets As If You See Them” uses the latest technology to present the biographies of Islam’s prophets and messengers.

It sheds light on the messages of peace, love, affection, tolerance, coexistence, and humanity that they brought to the world.

It also highlights the noble morals of Prophet Muhammad and the comprehensiveness and beauty of Islam’s global message.

The 25 prophets and messengers mentioned in the Qur’an will be introduced in five different languages: Arabic, English, French, Hebrew, and Indonesian.

Visitors can learn about the prophets’ titles, nicknames, characteristics, morals, childhoods, relatives, the books that were revealed to them, the miracles they performed, and the languages they spoke.

The exhibition employs digital technology in different languages to transport visitors to another world, providing a cinematic experience enhanced by LED screens that take visitors to the heart of the action, as if they were accompanying the prophets through their lives.

It includes a campaign called “Islam is a Religion of Peace” and focuses on the humanitarian behavior of the prophets, especially Prophet Muhammad.

An interactive LED wall – “Your Message to Humanity” – is aimed at removing racial divides, overcoming negative cultural conflicts, and deepening the concept of people’s right to live in dignity and freedom, emphasizing the importance of coexistence.

Visitors can leave a video message that will be part of an interactive mural. It will bear the signatures of visitors and messages of love, tolerance, and acceptance of others.

The second floor of the MWL pavilion contains models of Makkah and Madinah, among other exhibits.

CAIRO: The Egyptian Minister of Trade and Industry, Nevin Gamea, said that her country’s Expo 2020 pavilion has become a major destination for visitors to the global event.

Since the opening of Expo 2020 Dubai in early October, the Egyptian pavilion has received about 220,000 visitors of various nationalities.

The minister said that the pavilion is popular as it presents to the public a miniature version of Egypt, with its natural, tourist, industrial, architectural and historical components, in an interesting trip of less than half an hour.

She said that the activities of Egypt’s National Day at its Expo pavilion at the end of October had a pivotal role in introducing visitors to the pavilion through cultural and folklore performances that conveyed the special qualities of the Egyptian character throughout history.

Gamea noted that the Egyptian pavilion has received many official visits and tours of high-ranking and public figures from different countries. Ahmed Maghawry, Head of Commercial Representation and General Commissioner for Egyptian participation in Expo 2020 Dubai, said that the pavilion received Saleh Al-Rasheed, Governor at the General Authority for Small and Medium Enterprises (Monsha’at) in Saudi Arabia, as well as eight tourism companies affiliated with the Colombian Ministry of Trade, Industry and Tourism.

Other visitors included Omar Fayad Meneses, Governor of Hidalgo State in Mexico, Munira Suleiman Al-Huwaidi, Commissioner-General of the State of Kuwait Pavilion at Expo 2020, and former football player and Egyptian national team star Mohamed Zidan.

Maghawry said the pavilion organizes activities and interactive discussions on the most important developments in various fields in Egypt.

Since the beginning of this month, the pavilion has hosted a symposium entitled “Education in Egypt from Kindergarten to the Labor Market,” one on the initiative for a decent life, another on the Suez Canal economic zone and sessions on investment opportunities in Port Said Governorate and in Upper Egypt. Further symposia covered the Human Development Report for Egypt 2021 and the companies affiliated with the Suez Canal Authority.

CAIRO: The sixth edition of Food Africa 2021 will be held from Dec. 12-14 at the Egypt International Exhibition Center.

The Export Council for Food Industries explained that Food Africa is the largest specialized food exhibition on the African continent, with the participation of more than 250 of the largest companies operating in the food and agriculture industries.

The council is participating as a main partner in the exhibition, within the framework of its vision to develop Egyptian food exports, which amounted to $3.5 billion in 2020, representing 14 percent of total Egyptian non-oil exports.

It also highlighted international exhibitions specialized in the field of export development as being one of the most important tools of international marketing.

The council carried out a promotional campaign for the exhibition in cooperation with the Egyptian Commercial Representation and the Foreign Office to invite and host importers of processed foods in various markets of importance to the Egyptian food sector, according to the results of a study prepared by the council.

The council indicated that it is working with international partners and development programs to support the presence of small and medium-sized companies in the exhibition with the aim of increasing the export base.

Food Africa ​​is an ideal opportunity to train export cadres in these companies so that they may participate effectively in specialized international exhibitions and come into direct contact with importers.

The council indicated that major international participation is expected this year with the presence of pavilions from 22 foreign countries, the most important of which are India, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Kuwait, Jordan, Lebanon, Poland, Pakistan Belarus and Russia, which is participating for the first time with a large pavilion involving 30 Russian companies.

The exhibition has achieved wide local and international fame during its past editions and is considered the largest gathering of food producers in Africa.

DUBAI: Two strong earthquakes struck southern Iran near the port of Bandar Abbas on Sunday, prompting residents to flee their homes and killing at least one person, state TV reported.
The quakes measured 6.3 and 6.4 magnitude, jolting the province of Hormozgan, state TV said, and the tremors were felt across the gulf in Dubai.
“One person died after an electricity pole fell on him,” Iranian state TV said, citing local officials.
Iran is crisscrossed by major geological fault lines and has suffered several devastating earthquakes in recent years.
The European Mediterranean Seismological Centre put the magnitude of one of the quakes at 6.5 at a relatively shallow depth of 10 km (6 miles).
“The quake was felt in several southern Iranian cities in Hormozgan province,” an official told state TV, adding that rescue teams had been sent to the area.
State TV showed residents in Bandar Abbas fleeing their homes in panic. Iran’s state news agency IRNA said there was no structural damage to homes in the area.
The quakes were also felt across the gulf in Dubai, according to some residents.
“It was felt in northern and eastern side of the United Arab Emirates without any effect,” the UAE’s National Centre of Meteorology said in a tweet.