RIYADH  –  Syria’s top diplomat says he hopes to open a “new, bright page” with Saudi Arabia upon arriving in the kingdom, the first foreign visit for Syria’s new rulers. The visit, which began late last Wednesday, came less than a month after former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad was ousted by rebel forces on December 8. “I have just arrived in the sisterly Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, accompanied by the Minister of Defense Murhaf Abu Qasra and the Head of the General Intelligence Service Anas Khattab,” Asaad al-Shaibani posted on X.

“Through this first visit in the history of Free Syria, we aspire to open a new, bright page in Syrian-Saudi relations that befits the long shared history between the two countries,” he added. Al-Shaibani was appointed foreign minister on December 21 by Syria’s interim government, becoming the country’s first top diplomat since al-Assad’s overthrow. Earlier last Wednesday, Syrian state media said the delegation was visiting the kingdom “at the invitation of the Saudi foreign minister”. A statement shared by Syria’s Foreign Ministry said Saudi Arabia’s Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Waleed bin Abdulkarim El Khereiji received the delegation at the international airport in Riyadh.

The Syrian delegation includes Defense Minister Murhaf Abu Qasra and General Intelligence Chief Anas Khattab, underscoring the visit’s diplomatic and strategic significance. In an exclusive interview with Al Jazeera aired on Tuesday, al-Shaibani called for the lifting of all Western sanctions on Syria as he detailed the new administration’s plans for the country’s future. Adam Clements, a former US diplomat and Pentagon official, said Saudi Arabia is working to establish strong ties with Syria as Iran loses its influence over the country. “I think this is very significant,” he told Al Jazeera on Thursday. He said that from a “diplomatic standpoint”, Riyadh wants to forge stronger ties with the new Syrian administration.

“Saudi Arabia would have a big role as well … at the outset of construction and reconstruction. Syria is very dependent on Iran for oil and fuel, and so I think Gulf States could also support that as well,” he said. In an interview with Saudi-owned Al Arabiya television, Syria’s de facto leader Ahmed al-Sharaa, also referred to as Abu Mohammed al-Julani said Riyadh “will certainly have a large role in Syria’s future”, pointing to “a big investment opportunity for all neighbouring countries”. Al-Sharaa heads the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) group that led the rebel offensive that ousted al-Assad.

Syria’s economy and infrastructure have been devastated by more than 13 years of civil war that began with a crackdown on pro-democracy protests in 2011. Saudi Arabia severed ties with al-Assad’s government in 2012 and backed Syrian rebels seeking to overthrow him early in the country’s civil war. In 2023, the Arab League readmitted Syria after more than a decade of suspension. (Al Jazeera)

Photo: Syria’s newly appointed Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani and Saudi Deputy Foreign Minister Waleed El Khereiji shake hands in Riyadh. (Reuters)

BHOPAL  –  Indian authorities say they have moved hundreds of tonnes of hazardous waste remaining more than 40 years after the world’s deadliest industrial disaster struck the city of Bhopal. The waste from the site of the 1984 disaster, which killed more than 25,000 people and left at least half a million people with severe health issues, was sent to a disposal facility where it will take three to nine months to incinerate, officials said on Thursday.

In the early hours of December 3, 1984, methyl isocyanate gas leaked from a pesticide factory owned by American Union Carbide Corporation, poisoning more than half a million people in Bhopal, the capital of the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. More than 40 years later, on Thursday morning, a convoy of trucks transported 337 metric tonnes of that poison to a waste disposal plant in Madhya Pradesh’s industrial town of Pithampur, 230km (142 miles) from Bhopal. Swatantra Kumar Singh, director of the Bhopal Gas Tragedy Relief and Rehabilitation Department, told Reuters news agency the waste would be disposed of in an environmentally safe manner that would not harm the local ecosystem. The federal pollution control agency had carried out a trial run for the waste disposal process in 2015 with 10 metric tonnes of poison, finding that levels of resulting emissions were in line with national standards, the state government said in a statement.

However, activists claim the solid waste would be buried in landfills after incineration, contaminating the water and creating an environmental problem. “Why is the polluter Union Carbide and Dow Chemical not being compelled to clean up its toxic waste in Bhopal?” asked Rachna Dhingra, a Bhopal-based activist who has worked with survivors of the tragedy. Built in 1969, the Union Carbide plant, which is now owned by Dow Chemical, was seen as a symbol of industrialisation in India, generating thousands of jobs for the poor and manufacturing cheap pesticides for millions of farmers.

Disaster struck the factory in 1984 when one of the tanks storing the deadly chemical methyl isocyanate shattered its concrete casing, releasing 27 tonnes of the toxic gas into the air. About 3,500 people were killed instantly, with up to 25,000 estimated to have died overall. Hundreds of thousands were poisoned, condemned to a future of cancer, stillbirths, miscarriages, lung and heart disease. Testing of groundwater near the site in the past revealed that levels of chemicals causing cancer and birth defects were 50 times higher than what is accepted as safe by the United States Environmental Protection Agency.

Communities blame a range of health problems – including cerebral palsy, hearing and speech impairments and other disabilities – on the accident and the contamination of the groundwater. The order to clear the waste was made in December, following the 40th anniversary of the disaster, by the high court in Madhya Pradesh state, which set a one-month deadline. “Are you waiting for another tragedy?” said Chief Justice Suresh Kumar Kait, according to a report in The Times of India. (Al Jazeera)

Photo: The now-defunct Union Carbide factory located behind a slum in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh. (AFP)

Guyana’s population now has 98.3 percent access to potable water, marking a remarkable achievement for Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI) in 2024. At a year-end press conference held at State House on Tuesday, President Dr Irfaan Ali highlighted that this success is the direct outcome of substantial investments in the water sector, which included the development of water wells and treatment plants throughout the past year.

“The hinterland and riverain communities have seen an increase in access to water from 46 per cent in 2020 to 91 per cent by the end of 2024. During the year, we also saw the construction of seven large water treatment plants,” the president remarked. President Ali further revealed that six of these seven treatment plants are currently being tested and are expected to become fully operational by the end of January 2025. Together, these plants will supply treated water to over 134,000 residents. In 2024, the expansion and upgrading of 12 additional water treatment plants were planned. Four of these upgrades have already been completed, with the remaining plants set to finish by mid-February 2025. These improvements will provide enhanced water quality to more than 34,000 residents.

The president also noted that the construction of 15 small inline treatment plants is underway. These plants will serve over 70,000 residents in smaller communities along the coast. Two of these plants are already being installed and are expected to be finished before the first half of 2025. Altogether, these new treatment plants will benefit over 250,000 residents with access to treated water. “More than 126 new wells were drilled. Seventy new wells are projected to be completed in the first half of 2025,” President Ali added.

The government’s significant investment in the water sector is part of its commitment to providing 100 percent access to treated water for all Guyanese by the end of 2025. This initiative aligns with the country’s broader Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). (Newsroom/DPI)