In June 2022, the world witnessed a number of unexpected environmental developments and disasters, including heavy rains and floods in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Pakistan and China, deadly landslides in Bangladesh and India, and wildfires in Afghanistan and Türkiye as well as extreme heat in the US and Spain and dust storms in Iraq.

Below is a timeline compiled by Anadolu Agency:

June 1:

- At least 11 people are believed dead and 33 missing in the southern state of Oaxaca after Hurricane Agatha slams into Mexico.

- A wildfire in a forest in eastern Afghanistan continued to rage for a fourth day as officials said strong winds were hindering firefighting operations.

- At least 106 people have been killed due to landslides and floods caused by heavy rains in northeastern Brazil.

June 3:

- At least 126 people have died from landslides and floods caused by heavy rains in northeastern Brazil since May 25.

June 4:

- A massive fire rages through a high-altitude forest in northwest Pakistan, killing at least four people.

June 10:

- Spain’s first official heatwave this year is coming down hard, meteorologists warned Friday.

June 13:

- Iraq temporarily suspends flights from Baghdad airport due to a new dust storm.

- More than 120 schools in the Spanish region of Extremadura are allowing students to go home due to extremely hot temperatures.

June 14:

- Extreme weather events exacerbated by climate change erupt across the US this week, bringing excessive heat, flooding and fires to various parts of the country.

- At least 30 families in Bosnia and Herzegovina are left homeless due to flooding.

June 15:

- A total of 80 people have died and 10 have gone missing in heavy rains and landslides in Colombia since the beginning of March.

June 16:

- High temperatures and humidity kill at least 2,000 cattle in the US state of Kansas.

- Spanish firefighters are scrambling to control more than a dozen forest fires as a heatwave continues to grip most of the country.

June 17:

- Today marks day seven of Spain’s abnormally intense pre-summer heatwave, and the unrelenting heat is only getting worse in large swathes of the country, where more than 33 million people -- around 70% of the population -- have recently coped with extreme heat.

- At least five people are killed and several others wounded when a house roof collapses due to heavy rain in northeastern Pakistan.

June 18:

- At least four people are killed and several others injured in separate landslides at a hilly site in Bangladesh's southern port city of Chattigram.

June 19:

- Pre-monsoon rains kill at least seven people, flooding large parts of Pakistan, where flash floods wash away several bridges and roads and submerge farmlands.

- A wildfire in the Spanish province of Zamora chars at least 25,000 hectares (61,776 acres), making it one of the country's largest forest fires in several decades.

- Floods in Bangladesh are exacerbated by heavy rains and an onrush of water from hills upstream in India, affecting millions of people.

June 20:

- Floods and landslides in India's northeastern state of Assam kill nine more people in the last 24 hours.

June 21:

- The eighth and last body of a group of miners who were reported missing following heavy rains in April has been found, bringing to an end more than two months of searching in a zinc mine.

June 22:

- Floods that sweep across most of Bangladesh’s low-lying areas due to heavy rains kill at least 42 people and spread waterborne diseases in the affected regions, with calls mounting for food and potable water.

- Firefighters and other personnel intervene by land and air to control a wildfire that breaks out overnight in a forest in southern Türkiye.

June 23:

- Greece was hit with its first heatwave for the season this week, with temperatures soaring above 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit), according to the National Observatory of Athens.

- Monsoon floods and an onrush of upstream water from India have claimed at least 68 lives in Bangladesh amid a rising number of waterborne diseases along with food and potable water crises.

June 24:

- The death toll from floods in India's northeastern state of Assam rises by 10 in the last 24 hours.

June 27:

- Normal life for thousands of people in China’s 12 regions is badly affected by torrential rains in the country.

June 28:

- At least 19 people die after a residential building in India’s financial capital Mumbai collapses due to heavy rains.

June 30:

- Eight people are killed and more than 50 others missing after a massive landslide hits the northeastern Indian state of Manipur.

- Devastating monsoon floods in the northeastern Sylhet region of Bangladesh displace around 3 million people and claim the lives of 92 people, with the situation still precarious./aa

ISESCO decided to apt Kuwait’s Naif Palace as an Islamic Heritage Site during the Heritage Committee’s 10th session on the Islamic World. Dr Walid Al-Saif advisor to secretary-general of Kuwait’s National Council for Culture, Arts and Letters (NCCAL), said that prompting Naif Palace amongst ISESCO’s Heritage index is of “great importance historically, as it is one the most significant Islamic castles.”

He also pointed out the historical, political, and cultural relevance of the place, as well as its architectural construct that prompt the place for such an addition to ISESCO’s heritage index. The Palace covers an area of 28,882 square meters, consisting of 214 rooms that were used for storing weapons and artillery while other rooms were used to host guards and soldiers, as the palace is located near the city walls and main gate. It’s a marvel of Kuwait’s first quarter of the 20 century’s antiquities, with wide open courtyards and large hand-crafted wooden doors in addition to the Islamic style arches surrounding the internal design of the building.

Ramadan is when this palace is publicly significant as it is used for the firing of the iftar cannon that is a tradition in Kuwait ever since the city walls were erected. “Standing in the middle of the courtyard, you can see the long liwan from both the northern and eastern side with arches and columns of Islamic architectural design.” In 1950, the Palace became headquarters of Public Security Directorate to serve as a place to settle issues, difference, as well as unlawful cases, under the auspices of Sheikh Abdullah Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah and Sheikh Abdullah Ahmad Al-Sabah. The decision finally came following two days of sanctioned meetings as the committee closely examined the historical relevance of the palace. – KUNA

The Scientific Center (TSCK), one of the centers of Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Sciences (KFAS), announced a major global scientific achievement, with the successful breeding of the endangered sand tiger shark and the successful care of the newborn sharks – under the umbrella of a carefully mapped out strategy to ensure their continued health and wellbeing. A first of its kind achievement for the center, this new milestone sets TSCK apart as one of a few centers globally to have successfully bred this endangered species.

To celebrate the scientific feat, TSCK held a press conference on Tuesday in the presence of a number of representatives of major institutions, entities, and key figures in the world of environmental sciences, preservation, biodiversity and sustainability. At the conference, the attended were able to see the baby sharks for themselves, who have now become part of the impressive group of sand tiger sharks that the Center has cared for now for more than 20 years – becoming one of the most popular marine creatures at TSCK.

The famed sand tiger shark Bibi, who is estimated to be more than 20 years old herself, gave birth to the new baby sand tiger sharks, one male and one female, on January 23, 2022, at TSCK Aquarium. The baby sharks were named Bader and Badriya, a choice made by the public via a vote held on TSCK’s Instagram account.

Suitable environment

Dr Salem Al-Ablani, a biologist and a former member of the TSCK Board of Directors, said that over the course of 22 years, the Scientific Center was able to provide and maintain a suitable environment for sand tiger sharks that enabled them to reproduce naturally and continuously without any artificial interference during those years. According to scientific studies, this type of shark is one of the rarest species that breeds in aquariums, due to various stressors such as crowding, diet, and water temperature. The gestation period of females ranges from 12 to 14 months, and it is difficult to maintain her pregnancy for this length of time under all the factors inside an aquarium’s environment. The successful birth of two baby sharks is a clear indication of the good conditions that characterize TSCK’s aquarium’s environment. The birth of healthy youngsters also indicates that the nutritional value of the sharks’ diet is very high, “which is reflected very positively on the excellent breeding practices of the staff of the Marine and Wildlife Department and their expertise, not to mention the excellent management of the scientific center,” Ablani said.

Ablani further noted: “The biggest challenge for the Scientific Center was to safeguard the lives of the young sharks after their birth, as the fact is that sand tiger sharks babies need extreme care to be able to survive. Therefore, we find it very difficult to reproduce this breed of sharks, and the survival of this type of sharks is considered rare, and very successful models are few and far in between.

“Once the birth took place safely, the Aquarium team, led by Global Consultant Andrew Clarke, rushed the youngsters out of the main tank in time, where they were transferred to the nursery ponds to ensure their safety – and where they were closely monitored for all aspects, especially their feeding. The team then performed a CT scan of the youngsters to ensure their health. The team also put in place a strategy to take care of the newborns and ensure their proper growth, by providing the right amount of food they need at the right time.”

About Bader and Badriya’s condition, Ablani said: “The baby sharks are in excellent health. Each one of them weighed about 3.5 kg at birth and began to feed about five days after birth, which is the norm for this type of shark given that they are born with egg yolks and the remains of the fetuses they ate during the gestation period in their stomachs. At the age of four months, the youngsters weighed about 9.5 kg and reached a length of about 130 cm. Currently the Center’s specialized staff carefully weighs the amount of food they are fed, to be able to track how much each of them consumes, and we use this information to determine their growth rates. We also collect morphometric measurements (weight and height) monthly.”

Ablani continued: “These sharks have great ecological importance and value in maintaining the marine bio-balance, as well as scientific value in terms of what they mean for the field of scientific research. With this information, we will learn more about sand tiger sharks, and will help other facilities around the world that struggle to breed and nurture them. We can also use this information to better understand their natural history and help provide vital information about some of the environmental threats to which these animal populations are exposed to in nature – such as poaching, bycatch, and other threats, which are thankfully in decline. Our daily observations also give us insight into their natural and reactive behaviors.”

Impressive achievement

Meanwhile, Rana Al-Nibari, TSCK’s General Manager, said: “We are proud of this impressive achievement, which confirms our full commitment to the environment and our eagerness to do everything possible to achieve our mission and vision of contributing to the preservation and sustainability of the environment. This is not simply through awareness efforts, but by playing an active and effective role in driving action and fostering a culture of preservation. Our success in breeding sand tiger sharks is attributable to our high-quality facilities, the experience of our specialized staff and our world class consultants.”

The Scientific Center continues to contribute scientific information that is set to help other aquarium centers around the world to preserve the survival of sand tiger sharks, which are one of the species listed on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species. Nibari further added: “We are pleased to share our experience with all aquarium centers in the world to help contribute to saving these sharks from extinction and ensure their populations sustainability. We also hope to continue to produce later generations of them in the Scientific Center’s Aquarium.”

It is worth mentioning that, since opening its doors in 2000, the Scientific Center has been relentless in its efforts towards environmental and wildlife preservation. The Center has continued to develop its facilities over the course of the past 22years, ensuring they are maintained in accordance with the highest possible international standards, which has led TSCK to obtain accreditation by the European Association of Zoos and Aquariums (EAZA). To date, the center remains among a select handful that have obtained this accreditation in the Arab world, due to the high standards required by the association to obtain this particular honor. This is especially important as this accreditation allows international centers to benefit from and exchange the necessary experiences that would contribute to preserving the environment and sustaining the lives of animals.

At the conclusion of the conference, Nibari thanked all the attendees and invited shark lovers and those interested in conservation issues to come to the Mijbil Al-Mutawa Aquarium to watch the newborns, Bader and Badriya. during its annual Shark Week event, which takes place this year during the Eid Al-Adha holiday./Kuwait Times

KUWAIT(agencies): HH the Crown Prince Sheikh Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah held talks on Tuesday with current and former National Assembly speakers and prime ministers as part of customary consultations before naming a new premier. HH the Crown Prince met National Assembly Speaker Marzouq Al-Ghanem and former speaker Ahmad Al-Saadoun. He also met HH the Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled Al-Sabah, who has resigned, and ex-premier HH Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammad Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah. He also held phone talks with former premier HH Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah, who is outside the country.

Under the Kuwaiti constitution, HH the Amir or his deputy should hold consultations with current and former speakers and premiers before naming a personality to form a new Cabinet. Sheikh Sabah submitted his resignation in early April following a grilling by opposition MPs and after 26 lawmakers, two more than the required quorum, said they will support a motion to declare non-cooperation with the premier.

The resignation was accepted by HH the Amir and Sheikh Sabah and the Cabinet were asked to continue as a caretaker government to run emergency matters. In a national speech last month, HH the Amir announced plans to dissolve the National Assembly and call for fresh polls to end ongoing political disputes between the government and opposition MPs that had effectively paralyzed the functioning of the government and the Assembly for months.

Forming a new Cabinet is important to issue the Amiri decree dissolving the Assembly. HH the Crown Prince Sheikh Mishal can rename Sheikh Sabah to form a new Cabinet or can name a new personality to form the government.

Sweden’s foreign minister slammed one of the country’s socialist political parties Tuesday for promoting the PKK terrorist organization during Almedalen Week, an annual political festival being held on the island of Gotland.

“This is completely unacceptable. The PKK was branded a terrorist organization as early as 1984 by Olof Palme’s government. And with good reason. The PKK has many innocent human lives on its conscience,” Ann Linde said on Twitter, tagging Justice Minister Morgan Johansson.

Linde called on the Left Party to immediately stop supporting the PKK terror group.

Johansson also warned the Left Party by posting the same statement on Twitter.

The statement came after Left Party lawmakers Daniel Riazat, Momodou Malcolm Jallow and Lorena Delgado Varas posed with flags of the PKK, YPG and YPJ during the Almedalen political forum.

The forum is an event that sees each of the leaders of Sweden's main political parties give speeches and present policy suggestions.

Sweden and Finland shunned neutrality and applied to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) military alliance in May, a decision spurred by Russia's war on Ukraine.

But Türkiye, a longstanding member of the alliance, voiced objections to their membership bids, criticizing the countries for tolerating and even supporting terrorist groups.

Ahead of a NATO summit in Madrid last week, Türkiye, Sweden and Finland signed a memorandum after four-way talks that included the alliance.

The agreement allows the two Nordic countries to become NATO members but on the condition that they take steps over Türkiye's terrorism concerns and lift an arms embargo on Ankara.

Following the trilateral deal, NATO formally invited Sweden and Finland to join the 30-member military alliance./aa