DUBAI: The UAE has announced the establishment of a fund to support world heritage, document conservation, and capacity building projects at a number of sites across Africa, Emirates News Agency reported on Thursday.

The announcement was made during an event held by the Africa Group at UNESCO headquarters in Paris. The fund will be established in partnership with the International Alliance for the Protection of Heritage in Conflict Areas and the African World Heritage Fund.

PARIS: An Emirati ruling family member has called on tech firms and governments to include more women in policymaking to maximize the benefits and limit the dangers of new technology.
Sheikha Bodour Al-Qasimi, President of Sharjah Research, Technology and Innovation Park, told the 2nd Women in Tech Global Summit in Paris that offering leadership opportunities to women and including their perspectives in decision and policy-making would have a positive effect.

JEDDAH: The head of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation said on Wednesday that Israeli violations in occupied Jerusalem coincided with a steep rise in the frequency of crimes against the Palestinian people.

Speaking at an extraordinary meeting of the OIC Executive Committee in Jeddah to discuss the recent attacks on Al-Aqsa Mosque, Secretary-General Hissein Brahim Taha said it was “inconceivable” that Israel always acted as a state above the law, committing crimes against the Palestinian people, their land and holy sites.

RAMALLAH: The Islamic bloc affiliated with Hamas won the Bir Zeit University student council’s annual election on Wednesday, defeating their Fatah-backed rivals.

With a voter turnout of 76.7 percent, the Hamas-backed bloc won 25 seats with 4,481 votes, while the Fatah-supported bloc claimed just 20 seats with 3,539 votes.

The leftist students’ bloc gained 942 votes, winning six seats.

Deep divisions between Fatah and Hamas in the West Bank and Gaza Strip were highlighted by harsh criticism of each other’s policies during intense debates on May 23.

MUSCAT: Oman’s Sultan Haitham bin Tariq will embark on a two-day visit to Iran this week, Omani state media said Wednesday.
The visit which will kick off on Sunday follows a Chinese-brokered rapprochement deal between Saudi Arabia and Iran announced in March.
“Sultan Haitham bin Tariq will go on an official two-day visit to Iran… in response to an invitation from the Iranian president,” the official Oman News Agency said.
“The visit will also touch on means of promoting cooperation between Oman and Iran in different spheres.”