An international operation led by the UAE to combat environmental crimes in Africa has resulted in the arrest of 58 suspects and the seizure of items worth about $11 million.
The 14-day operation, named Forest Shield, was carried out in collaboration with law enforcement agencies from Angola, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Congo, Gabon, South Sudan and Zambia.
Authorities seized 2.15 tonnes of illegal wildlife products, 180 pieces of equipment used in alleged environmental crimes and 32kg of gold linked to illegal mining. The operation also uncovered suspected illegal logging activities that resulted in 214,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide entering the atmosphere.
Sheikh Saif bin Zayed, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, said on X that UN and Kenyan organisations were also involved in the operation.
“In line with the UAE's commitment to fostering constructive international co-operation on climate action, and as part of the ongoing efforts of the International Initiative for Climate Law Enforcement, the UAE led the Forest Shield operation with the support of multiple international partners, including the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, the Environmental Systems Research Institute, and the Lusaka Agreement Task Force,” Sheikh Saif said.
Sheikh Saif emphasised that the success of the initiative demonstrates the pressing need for expanded international efforts to tackle environmental crimes. A video was also shared in his post on X, showing details of the activities and achievements of the operation.
In the video, Lt Ibrahim Al Abdullah, head of permanent alliances in the Ministry of Interior’s International Affairs Department, said advanced tools, including artificial intelligence, were used during the operation to develop a heatmap of global environmental crimes.
Brig Gen Kitenge David, deputy commander for operations and information in the DRC, praised the UAE-led mission for tackling wildlife crimes. The Lusaka Agreement Task Force, which has its headquarters in Kenya, thanked the Ministry of Interior for its support and for providing equipment and field maps that were key to the success of the operation.
Hili 2: Unesco World Heritage site
The site is part of the Hili archaeological park in Al Ain. Excavations there have proved the existence of the earliest known agricultural communities in modern-day UAE. Some date to the Bronze Age but Hili 2 is an Iron Age site. The Iron Age witnessed the development of the falaj, a network of channels that funnelled water from natural springs in the area. Wells allowed settlements to be established, but falaj meant they could grow and thrive. Unesco, the UN's cultural body, awarded Al Ain's sites - including Hili 2 - world heritage status in 2011. Now the most recent dig at the site has revealed even more about the skilled people that lived and worked there.
MATCH INFO
Leeds United 0
Brighton 1 (Maupay 17')
Man of the match: Ben White (Brighton)
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
THE SPECS
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cylinder turbo
Power: 275hp at 6,600rpm
Torque: 353Nm from 1,450-4,700rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch auto
Top speed: 250kph
Fuel consumption: 6.8L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: Dh146,999
'Ashkal'
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The Facility’s Versatility
Between the start of the 2020 IPL on September 20, and the end of the Pakistan Super League this coming Thursday, the Zayed Cricket Stadium has had an unprecedented amount of traffic.
Never before has a ground in this country – or perhaps anywhere in the world – had such a volume of major-match cricket.
And yet scoring has remained high, and Abu Dhabi has seen some classic encounters in every format of the game.
October 18, IPL, Kolkata Knight Riders tied with Sunrisers Hyderabad
The two playoff-chasing sides put on 163 apiece, before Kolkata went on to win the Super Over
January 8, ODI, UAE beat Ireland by six wickets
A century by CP Rizwan underpinned one of UAE’s greatest ever wins, as they chased 270 to win with an over to spare
February 6, T10, Northern Warriors beat Delhi Bulls by eight wickets
The final of the T10 was chiefly memorable for a ferocious over of fast bowling from Fidel Edwards to Nicholas Pooran
March 14, Test, Afghanistan beat Zimbabwe by six wickets
Eleven wickets for Rashid Khan, 1,305 runs scored in five days, and a last session finish
June 17, PSL, Islamabad United beat Peshawar Zalmi by 15 runs
Usman Khawaja scored a hundred as Islamabad posted the highest score ever by a Pakistan team in T20 cricket
Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
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RESULT
Manchester United 2 Tottenham Hotspur 1
Man United: Sanchez (24' ), Herrera (62')
Spurs: Alli (11')
