Barkah News

 Health workers from Indonesia protest for Gaza's medical professionals' safety.                                                                                           Source arabnews.com JAKARTA: On Friday, medical professionals from Indonesia staged a demonstration in Jakarta to urge that the World Health Organization defend Palestinian medical personnel who are treating injured civilians in Israeli attacks and to demand a ceasefire in Gaza. At least a hundred medical professionals from ten medical associations in Indonesia took part in the Medical Emergency Rescue Committee's solidarity demonstration. They hoisted Palestinian flags and banners with the words "Stop Genocide" and shouted "Free Palestine." Since October, Israeli violence has escalated, resulting in almost 18,600 Palestinian deaths in Gaza. More than 250 Palestinian medical professionals have also died as a result of Israel's ongoing attacks on the besieged enclave's infrastruc

 Amidst tensions, Biden's national security advisor talks with Netanyahu in Israel. Michael Williams from CNN                                                                       Source edition .cnn.com CNN in Washington —  Over the next two days, top Israeli officials will meet with President Joe Biden's national security adviser as the White House presses Israel to be more exacting in its operations against Hamas in Gaza. Jake Sullivan's visit coincides with a public divide between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Vice President Joe Biden on differing views on what the future of the Palestinian people should look like when combat operations conclude and the growing number of civilian casualties in Gaza. Sullivan will also talk about the initiatives being taken to free the eight American hostages who are still in the hands of Hamas. Sullivan is meeting with Netanyahu on Thursday and Friday, in addition to Israeli President Isaac Herzog and senior military off

Staying close to six-month lows, oil prices Through Robert Harvey December 13, 2023                                                                            Source reuters.com December 13, London (Reuters) - Following a more than 3% decline in the previous session, oil prices stabilized on Wednesday but were close to six-month lows as investors expressed concern over oversupply and declining demand. At 1437 GMT, February's Brent crude futures were up 15 cents, or 0.2%, at $73.39 per barrel. The January contract price for U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude increased by 18 cents, or 0.26%, to $68.79 a barrel. Tuesday saw Brent futures close at $73.24 a barrel, the lowest level since late June. This resulted in a $2.79 per barrel daily loss. Wednesday saw Brent futures hit a new six-month low of $72.29 per barrel at their intraday low. "Concerns around the global economy next year, a weak commitment to output cuts from OPEC+ and higher output elsewhere, including record levels

 The number of endangered species rises by 2,000. One aspect of the issue is climate change. Author: Michael Phillis | AP December 11, 2023                                                                    Source washingtonpost.com An worldwide body that monitors the health of species claims that climate change is exacerbating the planet's biodiversity crises, increasing the risk of extinction for thousands of species, and hastening the sharp fall in the number of plants and animals on Earth. Salmon and turtle species are among those that are in decline due to global warming. Although the population of Atlantic salmon isn't in danger of becoming extinct just yet, it did decline by about 25% between 2006 and 2020, according to data released on Monday by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, an organization that monitors biodiversity worldwide. It's currently regarded as being in danger. They are less mobile and must contend with problems caused by humans, such

 As COP28 considers phase-out of oil and gas, Arab OPEC ministers convene in Doha.                                                                                 Source reuters.com December 11, DOHA (Reuters) - As nations battle at the UN's COP28 climate summit over a potential agreement to phase-out fossil fuels, OPEC's top Arab energy ministers arrived in Doha on Monday for the 12th Arab Energy Conference. In a letter dated December 6 that was seen by Reuters, OPEC Secretary General Haitham Al Ghais pleaded with the organization's members to oppose any COP28 agreement that targets fossil fuels rather than emissions. Approximately 80% of the world's proven oil reserves are held by members of the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), the majority of which are in the Middle East. Since oil revenue constitutes the primary source of income for most of those countries, every message emanating from COP28 geared at curbing the demand for oil and gas becomes a

 400 Rohingya people arrive in Indonesia, contributing to the recent wave of migration.                                                                                 Source reuters.com Dec. 10, Jakarta (Reuters) - According to the head of a regional fishing community, dilapidated boats carrying an estimated 400 ethnic Rohingya arrived in Indonesia's Aceh province on Sunday, adding to the recent influx of Muslims from Myanmar. The United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) reported that 1,200 Rohingya, a minority group fleeing Myanmar that faces persecution, had arrived in Indonesia as of Sunday. Two boats, one in each of the districts of Pidie and Aceh Besar, arrived in the province early on Sunday morning, according to Miftah Cut Ade, the head of the fishing community in Aceh. He added that each boat held about 200 Rohingya. Around 180 Rohingya arrived in Pidie at 4 a.m. (2100 GMT), according to Andi Susanto, a local military official, and officers were coordinating in the field to g

In five years, the Makkah Route serves 618,000 pilgrims .                                                                                 Source arabnews.com Riyadh: Saudi Arabia's Makkah Route project, which expedites travel and entry procedures for guests from partner nations, is helping an increasing number of Hajj pilgrims. According to the Saudi Press Agency, the program has helped 617,756 Hajj pilgrims from Morocco, Indonesia, Malaysia, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Turkiye, and the Ivory Coast so far. The program, which was introduced in 2019 in nations with a majority of Muslims, enables pilgrims to complete all visa, customs, and health formalities at the airport where they originated, saving hours of waiting both before and after arriving in the Kingdom. The method starts with the issuance of electronic visas and the gathering of personal data, and it ends with expedited passport procedures prior to departure. Each pilgrim's flight details and place of residence are marked wi