Biggest ‘Pharaoh Robe’ to be Showcased in Sharm el-Sheikh

Cairo-The biggest Pharaonic robe in the world is expected to be shown in Sharm el-Sheikh city in October after receiving a primary approval by the Guinness World Records a few days ago on including it in its records. The robe is expected to be 40 meters long and 22 meters wide.

The robe makers said that they don’t just seek distinction or marking a record in Guinness, which is considered the most sold book in the world, but they aim at supporting tourism in Egypt, by organizing a global celebration ceremony attended by representatives of ministers, the Egyptian Tourist Authority, and local, Arab, and international media outlet.

Makers have pointed that they aim at stimulating tourism that has witnessed a significant regression over the past months since Moscow suspended its flights to Egypt following the crash of a Russian plane over Sinai in October.

In a statement, they added that the robe will be showcased after the conclusion of details and preparations for the celebration, which will be entitled “Day to Support Egyptian Tourism.”

Makers also revealed that they will communicate with a number of Arab and foreign embassies in Cairo, and tourism and travel companies abroad to visit Egypt and attend the upcoming celebration in Salam City, Sharm el-Sheikh, that gathers the beauty of nature and the Pharaoh civilization.

The fashion industry appeared since the Pharaonic first era (old state), during which they also invented simple weaving tools and developed them to respond to their needs.

Biggest ‘Pharaoh Robe’ to be Showcased in Sharm el-Sheikh

U.S. Troops in Iraq Increasingly Active as Mosul Battle Nears

Iraq-based Kurdish Peshmerga forces retook a band of land in northern Iraq late last month from ISIS.

Days later, American forces appeared in the area, the latest sign of increasing U.S. military activity in the country.

U.S. troops, numbering about a dozen, were still there for most of this week and spent Wednesday supervising Iraqi army engineers repairing a bridge to help local forces cross the Great Zab river in their push towards Mosul, the militants’ de facto capital in Iraq which Baghdad wants to retake this year.

“We move around a lot. We’ve been all over the country,” one of the U.S. servicemen told Reuters on the bridge, about 45 km southeast of Mosul.

He said the Iraqis were advancing quickly in repairing the span, and that the American troops would leave the area within days.

Loath to become mired in another conflict overseas, the White House has insisted there will be no American “boots on the ground” in Iraq, but current troop levels are approaching 5,000.

That is still a fraction of the 170,000 deployed at the height of the nine-year occupation that toppled Saddam Hussein in 2003, sparking an al Qaeda-backed insurgency and throwing the country into a sectarian civil war.

President Barack Obama withdrew U.S. troops from Iraq but they returned in 2014 after the Iraqi army fled ISIS’ advance through a third of the country despite billions of dollars in U.S. aid and training.

The United States is conducting an extensive air campaign over Iraq and also covert special forces raids against the extremists behind their frontlines.

But Washington says the focus of its troops in the country is to train, advise and equip local forces – Iraqi military and police, Kurdish Peshmerga and Sunni tribal militias, which are both battling the hardline group, ISIS – and that U.S. servicemen there have no combat role.

Advisers from the United States and other countries from an international coalition fighting ISIS were initially confined to a few military bases across Iraq, but as the campaign progressed and Mosul comes into focus, Americans have inched closer to the action.

U.S. Troops in Iraq Increasingly Active as Mosul Battle Nears

Death Toll From Terrorist Attack in Mogadishu Rises to 15

Somali police yesterday announced that the death toll from a car bomb blast that targeted a hotel close to the presidential palace in the capital Mogadishu on Tuesday has risen. Fifteen people were killed in the attack and 45 others were wounded. The Minister of Health Mohammed Abdel Nour said that the government has decided to transfer the wounded who cannot be treated inside the country abroad so that they can receive intensive medical care.

The Somali National News Agency quoted the police chief of Mogadishu Colonel Bishar Abshir Gedi as saying that “The number of the people who died in the blast reached 15 and 45 others were wounded”. The death toll for the attack provided by a police source previously was at least five people dead, and at least thirty others were reported wounded. The extremist Al-Shabab group claimed responsibility for the attack.

The police chief said that the victims were “civilians and members of the security forces”. He added that security has been strengthened in the capital where reinforcements including dozens of soldiers and policemen have been deployed.

The Somali Minister for Information Mohamed Abdi Heyr told the government’s radio station that a meeting attended by security officials was taking place session at the hotel at the time of the explosion. He added that one minister and some broadcasters were wounded in the attack. The hotel is frequented by government officials due to its close proximity to Villa Somalia; a complex that is surrounded by tight security measures and that houses the Somali presidential offices and those belonging to the prime minister.

Al-Shabab militants claimed responsibility for several recent bombings in Mogadishu including a car bomb attack on a popular seaside restaurant in the Somali capital that took place last week and killed at least ten people. This is the third time that the SYL hotel has been targeted. An attack at the beginning of last year claimed the lives of five Somalis. The attack took place whilst members of the Turkish delegation who were visiting the country as part of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s visit to Mogadishu were staying at the hotel.

Death Toll From Terrorist Attack in Mogadishu Rises to 15

Opinion: Yemen and the Idea of Fighting ISIS

ISIS has carried out another bloody suicide bombing in the city of Aden in which more than sixty fighters loyal to the legitimate government were killed. The bombing is part of a series of terrorist operations that is has carried out with its sister organisation Al-Qaeda there. The fighting illustrates the nature of alliances in the war in Yemen where the rebels, formed by the Houthis and those loyal to the ousted President Ali Abdullah Saleh, Al-Qaeda and ISIS are in one camp fighting against another camp formed of the legitimate government’s forces, tribes allied to the government and the Arab military coalition led by Saudi Arabia.

After the bloody attack in Aden, the Spokesman for the US State Department John Kirby said that “The attack underscores the urgency of a full and comprehensive settlement that will shrink the political and security vacuum that has been created by the civil war in Yemen”, and warned that “In the absence of a political solution, we remain concerned that ISIS and Al-Qaeda will continue to take advantage of the instability”.

There is no doubt that chaos nurtures terrorist groups and that a political solution is the best option for Yemen for all parties fighting there. Nonetheless, we must be cautious about giving into the Houthis and Saleh and handing over power to them, or allowing them to remain as an independent and influential power in any future agreement as this will be more dangerous.

Al-Qaeda and ISIS have been attacking the legitimate government in particular for the last two years. This is because the two terrorist groups have dealt with Saleh’s government and the Houthis in the past and continue to do so to this day. Even before the war, most Al-Qaeda operations targeting the United States and Europe were planned in Yemen, and were exposed and thwarted by Saudi security forces that have undertaken the task of pursuing the organisation during recent years.

During the last twelve months, the two terrorist organisations have mainly targeted Emirati and Saudi forces in Yemen and have tried to kill a number of Yemeni government officials in the provisional capital, including the former prime minister. Both of these terrorist organisations have played an influential role in obstructing coalition forces that are allied with the legitimate Yemeni government by systematically targeting it in areas liberated from Saleh and the Houthis.

There is an alliance between the terrorist groups and the rebels, and therefore the proposed reconciliation should not give Saleh and the Houthis considerable influence in the political project, otherwise it is certain that they will allow terrorists to target the legitimate government in order to weaken it and control the other pillars of the state after the proposed reconciliation.

Saleh did this in the nineties against his rivals within the unity government of the newly established republic of Yemen. He masterminded the assassination of dozens of leaders of southern Yemen and used Islamic extremists to do so. He repeatedly used Al-Qaeda over the past ten years, a matter which the Americans refused to believe until they obtained a large amount of information linking him to Al-Qaeda within the exploitation game which Saleh skilfully used to target his Yemeni opponents.

ISIS and Al-Qaeda knew that the Houthis and Saleh are the best allies for them in any future solution because those fighting terrorist groups in Yemen today are Saudi and Emirati forces, in addition to American forces that rely on drones.

The Saudis and Emiratis could have used the same tactic as Saleh and the Houthis, i.e. coming to an understanding with terrorist groups without objecting to them on the ground, leaving them to establish bases, recruit soldiers and train them at a time when the legitimate forces are devoting themselves to fighting Saleh and the Houthis.

Now, the State Department wants a peaceful solution because it is the best option. This is true but it must not come at the expense of the solution adopted by the United Nations which is based on holding elections, and not on the concept of the quota system which gives the Houthis and Saleh seats and greater influence just because they carry guns. The concept of the quota system which Iran promotes in Iraq and Lebanon ruined these countries and led to the chaos that we see there today. If the threat of Al-Qaeda and its sister organisations in Yemen is the main motive for US enthusiasm, they have to adopt the concept of one strong central state that will be able to fight terrorism tomorrow, instead of allowing the establishment of a militia state as is currently being proposed in the name of a reconciliation.

Opinion: Yemen and the Idea of Fighting ISIS

Militias Vandalize Airbus at Mitiga Airport

Cairo-A Tripoli militia slashed on Wednesday the tires of an Afriqiyah Airways A330 Airbus at Mitiga International Airport to prevent it from taking off. Sources said that vandalizing the airplane was to prevent it from taking off following rumors that it might be heading towards Turkey.

Mitiga Airport administration announced that flights were resumed around 12 hours after the accident while Fayez al-Sarraj’s national accord government, supported by the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL), remained silent.

Like all airports in Tripoli, Mitiga Airport is controlled by an armed group that has links with Islamists and has seized the Libyan capital after fierce battles. Foreign airlines suspended flights to Libya mid-2015 when Fajr Libya Forces took over the main airport in Tripoli.

The European Union expressed its determination to expand military operations known as Sophia, after a statement issued in Brussels said the first one hundred fighters from Libyan forces started to receive training.

Germany also proposed to participate in the training program. The EU is in a quest to put an end to weapons smuggling to Libya and to suppress illegal immigration from Africa to Europe.

French President François Hollande invited Sarraj to visit Paris in the coming days. Hollande stated that the solution to stop chaos in Libya is to support the national unity government.

Sarraj’s government is managing the country’s affairs but it seems that it is failing to impose its authority over all areas especially due to the presence of a second government that controls the country’s east.

Militias Vandalize Airbus at Mitiga Airport

Socotra’s Governor: Iranian Vessels Captured, Will Always Remember Gulf States’ Support

Riyadh- Meeting with Brigadier Salem Abdullah Alsaqatri, Governor of Yemen’s Socotra Archipelago, also named “The Wonder Land of Socotra” by the New York Times in 2010 proved to be a fairly difficult task to be achieved.

Two days after a scheduled appointment, discussing Socotra’s latest news was made possible.

Alsaqatri, who graduated Aden’s military academy in 1989, managed to portray the strategic significance of the archipelago which had unfortunately made it into a chief target of bandits and paralegal traffickers.

Lying some 240 kilometers east of the Horn of Africa and 380 kilometers south of the Arabian Peninsula, the island had long been a part of the Yemen, making its own governorate.

The nature’s wonder had also made the 2008 UNESCO list for world heritage sites.

Alsaqatri revealed that a group of Iran-sent vessels had been seized after illegally sailing within Yemeni waters. Violating internationally maritime boundaries, the crews were apprehended and are currently being investigated with.

Alsaqatri expressed his hopes that after Yemeni President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi had granted the archipelago its label as its own and independent legal governorate in 2013, that the location will one day become a globally recognized tourist attraction.

The island of Socotra is about 95 percent of the landmass of the whole archipelago, which includes another two islands, Abd al Kuri and Samhah.

Mostly inhabited by fishermen and shepherds, the archipelago hosts a dashing population of 130,000 over a total land stretch of 3671 km sq.

Socotra, rich with a unique plant life which cannot be found elsewhere on the planet, is occupied mostly by a village-styled life. Tribes and villages spread evenly across mountains and valleys.

The island’s shore is partially populated, with most population densities being focused on mountains, said Alsaqatri.

Alsaqatri highlighted European love for the attraction, with at least 4,000 tourists visiting during what is considered a high season-usually at the end of each year. Commenting on tourism customs in effect on the island, the governor explained that taking back home samples of the island’s exotic plant life.

He also clarified that tourists are usually put under touristic police when experiencing the archipelago’s wild and sea life.

Despite Yemen’s ongoing war, the Mayor explained that the island enjoys stability and a state of calm. Overcoming the archipelago’s poor capacities, the collective effort put by locals provides a backbone that bolsters the island’s security capabilities.

Locals despise violence and crime, highly prioritizing their security, said Alsaqatri.

Cut off from its main supply route, Alsaqatri says that the island remains a safe haven to all those who come to it, despite all hardships going on in Yemen.

The archipelago was chiefly held back by the national budget cut due to the given circumstances. Alsaqatri also stressed that should the proper investment go into Socotra it would evolve into a major stabilizer and supporter for national economy.

Even though Yemen’s support of its wonder island is put on hold by a savage war, the archipelago is receiving a highly valued support from Gulf countries. The United Arab Emirates is currently supporting a port expansion project that will upgrade the harbor’s capacities, said Alsaqatri.

He also added that Kuwait is also currently in the process of studying a project on establishing an academic institution for the island.

Alsaqatri also lauded the humanitarian effort put by the King Salman Center for Relief and Humanitarian Aids, especially after the island suffering two hurricanes that left untold damage to its infrastructure and power station.

Two cargo jets packed with food and medical aid along with other necessities were sent to the island, said Alsaqatri.

Concluding the interview, Alsaqatri extoled the Saudi-led Arab coalition’s efforts that saved Yemen from Iranian greed and agenda on styling the Gulf country’s future.

Socotra’s Governor: Iranian Vessels Captured, Will Always Remember Gulf States’ Support

Venice Star-Studded Film Festival

Since the seventies, when director Terrence Malick was at the beginning of his cinema journey, he dreamed of a movie that required massive capabilities to be implemented; a movie that speaks of the universe since its first creation to the modern era of contemporary woman.

He tackled this topic few years ago when he directed the “Tree of Life” movie, and dedicated a part of it to reflect his thoughts on this philosophical aspect, but with his new movie “Voyage of Time: Life’s Journey”, he introduced a film that completely talks about creation, life, entourage, and life of planets, earth, and sky. He spent many years and loads of money on the movie that shall be featured for the first time in Venice Film Festival on Wednesday.

*The Strangest Movie

The movie is expected to steal the lights from “2001: A Space Odyssey” directed by Stanley Kubrick; two versions of the movie will be showed: one at the IMAX Theatres and the another during Venice Film Festival.

According to Venice film festival’s director Alberto Barbera, Maleck’s film is the strangest among movies featured before in the festival. However, this doesn’t mean that it will steal all the lights, given that the new edition of the festival comprises many anticipated works by many directors.

20 movies from the United States, Mexico, France, Germany, Holland, and Chili, will partake in the festival, in addition to many movies of partnered production.

Some of the movies showed during the Italian festival tackle topics from the past like critical wars, characters who lived disturbed lives, others feature aliens that came seeking to settle on earth.

Other movies participating in the festival include:

Nocturnal Animals

A movie by Tom Ford is based on Austin Wright’s novel that stars Amy Adams and Jake Gyllenhaal in the lead to play the roles of a woman who thinks that her ex-husband plans to kill her.

*Frantz

For the French director Francois with his new movie in black and white and story from the World War I, talking about a lady who discovers that her beloved was not loyal to her.

* Hacksaw Ridge

By Mel Gibson, who introduced a movie with a story from the World War II featuring the biography of the U.S. Army medic Desmond Doss, who was the first soldier to receive the honorary medal.

*The Untamed

A horror science-fiction movie directed by the Mexican director Amat Escalante that discusses an emotional crisis that ends with a disaster caused by the intervention of an alien between a husband and his wife.

*Arrival

It is another science-fiction movie for the Canadian director Denis Villeneuve that features the story of a family of aliens landing on earth and seeking to settle in one of the planet’s villages.

*The Age of Shadow

A movie directed by the Japanese director Kim Jee-woon featuring a story that happens during the Japanese occupation of Korea on a Korean man who decides to work as a double spy on both Korean and Japan.

*Brimstone

It is a western-kind movie directed by the Dutch Martin Koolhoven.

*The Magnificent Seven

The story of the movie, which is directed by the talented Antoine Fuqua, takes place in the Old West of the United States.

*Jackie

It is a movie featuring the biography of the former first lady of the White House Jackie Kennedy; the film which stars Natalie Portman, is directed by Pablo Larraín.

Venice Star-Studded Film Festival