Region

ASLAM, Yemen — Mohammed Manea has tended honey bees northeast of Sanaa for years, but despairs that the production of "Yemen's gold" is under threat as the war engulfing the country drags on.

The conflict has blighted millions of lives and brought the economy to the brink of collapse. Cottage industries such as beekeeping, coffee growing and artisan manufacturing have been hit particularly hard.

Beekeepers say clashes between the Saudi-supported government and Iran-backed rebels, alongside a humanitarian crisis that the United Nations has called the world's worst, have throttled their livelihoods.

"When we recently arrived in this part of Hajjah province on the front line between the aggressors [the Saudi-led coalition] and the Houthis, the trucks were hit by an air strike," Manea told AFP.

"One was carrying the honey, and the other was carrying the bees," he added as he used his bare hands to remove a honeycomb frame crawling with bees from a hive in the rural region of Aslam.

Yemen is renowned for its Sidr honey, named after the tree from which the nectar is gathered. The honey is referred to informally as "Middle Eastern manuka", a bow to its famed market rival from New Zealand.

Sidr honey is said to have medicinal properties and is a bestseller in the souks and bazaars of the Gulf where it retails at a premium.

It is also a natural product that is traditionally recommended to new mothers to augment breast milk production.

Manea's fellow beekeeper, Ali Kabsh, agreed that the business was suffering badly.

"Honey production has dropped," he said pointing to the challenges of exporting during wartime and the logistical difficulties of keeping bees.

He estimated that the number of hives had dropped from between 800 and 1,000 when the war broke out in 2014 to between 100 and 150 currently. There are no official statistics that highlight the full damage suffered by the country's once proud producers of honey.

Kabsh said that among the most significant problems he faced was travelling to find fresh flowers in bloom for his bees to harvest the nectar.

"A beekeeper's work depends on the seasons. Each region has its flowering season — so they have to move around to produce the honey," he told AFP.

In Abs, another region in Hajjah province, beekeeper Ahmed Ali Al Adili said he had struggled to export honey to Gulf states including Saudi Arabia.

The international airport in the capital Sanaa is under Houthi control and remains dormant, while most border crossings are closed, he said.

"My production has decreased by 90 per cent," Adili said.

Other traditional trades in Yemen have also suffered. The Al Shinayni market in third city Taez once overflowed with handicrafts, including products made by blacksmiths, potters and tailors. Now it is an arms bazaar in which a Kalashnikov assault rifle retails for little more than $1,000.

Tens of thousands of people, mostly civilians, have been killed since the Saudi-led military coalition intervened in the conflict to support the internationally-recognised government against the Houthis.

SAQQARA, Egypt — Egypt on Saturday unveiled a cache of 75 wooden and bronze statues and five lion cub mummies decorated with hieroglyphics at the Saqqara necropolis near the Giza pyramids in Cairo.

Mummified cats, cobras and crocodiles and scarabs were also unearthed among the well-preserved mummies and other objects discovered recently.

The Antiquities Ministry announced the find at the foot of the Bastet Temple, dedicated to the worship of cats among ancient Egyptians, in the vast necropolis.

Antiquities Minister Khaled El Enany described the discovery as “a [whole] museum by itself”.

He said initial archaeological studies showed that five of the mummies are lion cubs.

Other artifacts uncovered in the dig included statues of an Apis bull, a mongoose, an ibis, a falcon and the ancient Egyptian god Anubis in animal form.

The artifacts belong to the 26th Dynasty which dates back to the seventh century BC, Enany said.

The trove also boasts a collection of ancient Egyptian deities in the form of 73 bronze statuettes depicting the god Osiris, six wooden statues of Ptah-Soker and 11 statues of Sekhmet, the warrior goddess of healing.

Egypt has sought to promote its unique heritage as a way to revive its vital tourism sector, which has been badly hit by political insecurity and attacks.

However, critics say archaeological sites and museums suffer from negligence and poor management.

BAGHDAD — US Vice President Mike Pence avoided meeting Iraqi federal government leaders during a surprise trip Saturday to the country, where deadly anti-government protests have highlighted Washington's diminished influence.

In his first visit as vice president, Pence visited American troops at Ain Al Asad base in western Iraq's Anbar province, but was not expected to travel to the capital.

His trip came after weeks of anti-government rallies across Baghdad and the south.

Iraqi officials told AFP that Pence spoke to Prime Minister Adel Abdel Mahdi by telephone.

"There won't be a meeting as they had a phone call. The prime minister isn't going to Anbar" to meet Pence, one source said.

President Barham Saleh's office told AFP it was not aware Pence was coming to Iraq and had no meeting planned. The US embassy said it had no details to share.

Pence did met Iraqi Kurdish President Nechirvan Barzani and his prime minister Masrour Barzani in Erbil, the Kurdish presidency said, publishing pictures of the encounters.

Pence tweeted images of himself and his wife speaking to US forces and carrying a roast turkey, traditionally served during the American Thanksgiving holiday celebrated next week.

“Happy Thanksgiving from Iraq. @SecondLady and I are so honoured to be with our Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, and Marines here in Iraq!” he tweeted.

The visit echoed President Donald Trump’s own surprise trip to Ain Al Asad a year ago, where he briefly met troops just after Christmas but controversially did not see officials in Baghdad.

Trump’s visit was veiled in such secrecy that there was speculation most Iraqi authorities had not been told he president was coming.

Pence’s trip came as the death toll from weeks of anti-government rallies across Iraq’s capital and the south rose even further.

One protester killed 

One protester was killed and 17 were wounded in clashes with security forces Saturday on the Al Ahrar Bridge in Baghdad, a medical source said.

Demonstrators have massed on three main bridges leading from their protest camp in Tahrir (Liberation) Square to the western bank of the river Tigris, where government offices and foreign embassies are based.

Since Thursday, nine protesters have been killed in skirmishes with security forces there.

Around 350 people have been killed and 15,000 wounded since demonstrations erupted on October 1 amid outrage over rampant government corruption and lack of jobs.

Protesters are demanding a total overhaul of the ruling system in place since the US-led invasion of 2003 that toppled then-dictator Saddam Hussein.

The US then dismantled Iraq’s security forces and tried to rebuild the country’s institutions by working closely with a newfound political class.

But ties are now at their “coldest” since 2003, American and Iraqi officials have told AFP.

Abdel Mahdi, in office for the past year, has yet to visit Washington amid frustrations in the White House that his office was “too close” to Tehran.

Tensions between the US and Iran have spiralled since Washington unilaterally pulled out of the 2015 deal over the latter’s nuclear programme and began imposing a series of crushing sanctions.

Baghdad, which has close ties with both countries, has feared being caught in the middle.

Washington has already slapped sanctions on Iraqi officials, military factions and institutions with ties to blacklisted Iranian organisations.

‘Not welcome in Iraq’ 

In July, the US singled out the leaders of two paramilitary groups in Iraq that Pence accused of being tied to Iran.

Rayan Al Kildani and Waad Qado — the former a Christian and the latter a member of the Shabak minority — were both sanctioned over “serious human rights abuse” by them or their organisations.

Kildani reacted to Pence’s visit on Saturday, tweeting: “To the American vice president who came to Iraq stealthily... You are not welcome on Iraqi territory.”

Kildani and Qado’s factions belong to the Hashed Al Shaabi, a powerful Shiite-majority paramilitary network that includes many groups with close ties to Tehran.

Hashed leaders and Iran have been widely criticised in the recent protests, accused of defending the very government the demonstrators want to bring down.

Many of their offices have been burned in Iraq’s restive south, the scene of new protests on Saturday.

BEIRUT — Kurdish-led fighters sought to fend off Turkish forces and their Syrian proxies near a key town in northern Syria on Saturday, a Britain-based war monitor said.

The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) said pro-Ankara fighters had launched an attack on Ain Issa, where they have bases and offices.

"Turkish forces launched attacks with tanks, artillery and a large number of mercenaries... to invade Ain Issa," they said in a statement on Twitter in English.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a monitoring group, said Turkish drones and artillery batteries were backing pro-Ankara fighters in clashes a kilometre from the town.

"The SDF are trying to prevent Turkish forces and their Syrian proxies from advancing towards the town," Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman said.

Ankara and its Syrian proxies on October 9 launched a cross-border attack against Kurdish fighters in northern Syria after the United States said it would be withdrawing troops from the region.

The invasion and a subsequent Russian-Turkish accord saw Turkey seize control a strip of land roughly 120 kilometres long and 30 kilometres deep on the Syrian side of the border.

Ain Issa lies on the southern edge of that strip of land, on the key M4 highway that runs east to west across the northern part of the war-torn country.

Ankara said it would suspend the military operation after the October 22 deal with Moscow, but forces have continued to inch forward ever since, the observatory says.

Kurdish fighters have been a key ally of the United States in fighting the Daesh terror group in Syria, but Turkey sees them as a “terrorist” organisation.

Meanwhile, a car bomb killed nine people including four civilians in a Turkish-held border town in northern Syria on Saturday, the observatory said.

Two children were among those killed in Tal Abyad, the group said.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the bombing.

But Ankara’s defence ministry in a statement blamed Kurdish forces who controlled the town before Turkish troops and proxy fighters overran it last month.

An AFP photographer saw smoke billow from the twisted burnt remains of a pick-up truck inside the town, and a bright red blood stain on the road nearby.

Pro-Turkey fighters and men in civilian clothes carried away human remains in a waterproof cover, he said.

The area has been shaken by repeated such bombings since Turkish troops carried out a cross-border operation last month.

BEIRUT — Lebanon marked 76 years of self-rule Friday, with protesters joining festivities nationwide instead of a military parade to mark what they say is a first year of "real independence".

Christians and Muslims from across the political spectrum have for weeks marched together united in their rejection of a governing class they deem inept and corrupt.

The youth-led movement has boosted a new cross-sectarian pride in the small Mediterranean nation that was torn by a bloody 1975-1990 civil war — a fresh sense of optimism that was on full display Friday.

“We’re all here together to build a new Lebanon,” said one reveller in the crowds in Beirut’s central Martyrs’ Square, Karl, a middle-aged cyclist with a national flag draped on his bicycle.

As night fell, dance music boomed out from loudspeakers and thousands waved lighters, mobile phone torches and candles, while others lighted balloon lanterns and released them into the sky.

Throughout the day, tens of thousands had massed across the country for outdoor festivities — the upbeat mood in stark contrast to the sober state ceremonies held in the morning.

The street movement brought down the government last month, though a new Cabinet has yet to be formed.

‘Organic’ independence 

The demonstrations have brought together people from different religious and political backgrounds, who share the hope of sweeping out a system they say is broken and often unable to provide even basic services.

“It’s the first time Lebanese from all religious communities have protested en masse without a political party calling for it, and against all parties,” said 21-year-old university student Tamara.

“That’s real independence — one that’s organic.”

Lebanon achieved independence on November 22, 1943, after 23 years under a French mandate, following an earlier wave of demonstrations that brought together the country’s Christians and Muslims.

But the country was ripped apart in the 1975-1990 civil war.

A post-war accord sought to share out power between Lebanon’s various religious communities, but the country remained deeply divided along sectarian lines.

Many Lebanese however now feel united by the new protest movement, whatever their backgrounds.

In a sign of defiance on Friday, demonstrators in Beirut replaced an iconic symbol of the protests, less than 24 hours after it was burnt down by an unknown perpetrator.

After dark, dozens of demonstrators in Martyrs’ Square hauled into place the giant cutout of a clenched fist, inscribed with the word “revolution”.

‘Turning point’ 

In the afternoon, huge crowds cheered on an alternative civil society parade representing various groups, from students and farm workers to scouts, hikers and bikers.

A team celebrating nature clutched flowers and tree branches, while elsewhere women were clanging saucepans, as they have done every evening to protest against the government.

And a troop of expatriates — the Lebanese diaspora being famously widespread — pushed suitcases in front of them.

About 600 Lebanese expatriates were expected to be travelling in, from the Gulf, Europe, north America and as far afield as Australia, to join the party.

“I hope this independence day will be a turning point,” said Leila, a woman carrying cymbals in both hands.

“Our pockets are still empty but we’ve found a new dignity,” she told AFP, before zipping back into the crowd.

Wajed, a 26-year-old activist, also said this year’s independence day gave him fresh hope.

“We want to emancipate ourselves from the corrupt people governing us,” he said.

A revised version of the national anthem is making the rounds online to pay tribute to Lebanese women, many of whom have played a central role in the protests.

Two people have so far been killed during the protests, a far cry from the hundreds dead in similar demonstrations in Iraq.

MITAR CHECKPOINT, occupied West Bank — It is well before dawn when the first work deprived Palestinians arrive to sneak through a two-metre hole cut in the metal fence that is supposed to keep them out of Israel.

The men are among the thousands of Palestinians working in Israel, risking bad working conditions, exploitation and jail for a chance of employment.

On the morning AFP visited, Yunis, from Dahariya in the southern occupied West Bank, was one of hundreds running the gauntlet as police patrolled the area.

They play a cat and mouse game with Israeli forces — sometimes making several attempts before crossing without being spotted.

"I got here at 3:00 am and found police patrols ahead of us," said the bearded and wrinkled 55-year-old.

"I know I am leaving my house and I may not come back but this bitter life drives us to adventure."

Around a kilometre or so away, Palestinians lucky enough to have permits queue in a long line at the Mitar crossing between Beersheba in southern Israel and the West Bank, waiting for their documents to be checked and their bags and bodies to be searched.

Visibly tired, they wear winter jackets and carry small bags containing food and work clothes.

Around 70,000 Palestinians have official work permits, according to the Bank of Israel.

While reliable numbers are hard to come by, thousands more are estimated to be working illegally in the country — mostly in construction and other manual labour.

They can earn far higher salaries than in the West Bank, but can be arrested or exploited by employers.

'Just want dignity' 

Amir, 20, who like others didn't want to give his full name, comes from the town of Yatta near Hebron in the southern West Bank.

He sneaks through the separation barrier to make money to help his family.

"The police arrested me four times," said Amir, saying that he was held for several hours and beaten.

He also said that he and his peers had been chased by occupation forces dogs.

Even if he avoids Israeli forces at the fence and finds work, Amir has to be careful, knowing he could still be arrested on the street.

“We worked for months on the site without washing,” he said. “We just want to live with dignity.”

On the Israeli side of the crossing, taxis line up to ferry the men to nearby cities — both those with permits and those without.

Tayseer, 38, had snuck across and avoided Israeli forces searches by mingling successfully with those who had permits.

“We make 130 shekels [less than $40, 35 euros] each day and pay 50 getting across. We stay on the work site a week or more and after that return home.”

He said employers often pay far less than they initially promise.

“They don’t give us the rest because they know we are working without permits.”

‘No alternative’ 

Khaled Amro from near Hebron did not realise when he dodged through the fence in October it would be his last time.

The 50-year-old was employed without a permit, but fell from a height and died.

The report said he fell from an open elevator while going up to sleep on the roof of a building site near Ramle in central Israel, his brother Muntaser told AFP.

Khaled had been arrested in the late 1980s so was refused a permit, Muntaser said.

“He was the head of the family with three kids to support. There is no work in the West Bank,” Muntaser said.

Dakhil Abu Zaid Hamid of the Israeli trade union federation Histadrut said most of the 81 people killed during work incidents this year were Arab.

Of these 42 died while working on construction sites, according to Kav LaOved, a hotline for workers rights.

It says the rate of deaths of construction workers is 2.5 times higher than in the European Union, and blames a lack of proper monitoring of work sites.

Even those with permits face potential exploitation.

A recent Bank of Israel study found that 20,000 Palestinian workers paid a total of 480 million shekels to middlemen and employers to obtain work permits in Israel.

It recommended cancelling a requirement that Palestinians work only for a predefined employer.

Back by the fence, Yunis admits failure for the day — Israeli forces are out in force and in daylight his chances of crossing undetected are slim.

In total around 80 people were arrested that morning, according to Israeli forces figures.

Yunis said he had little choice to try again another day.

“I am not afraid of death, there is no alternative.”

BEIRUT — Several hundred school pupils protested Thursday in Lebanon against what they described as an outdated curriculum that makes no mention of the multiconfessional country's 15-year civil war.

The protest outside the education ministry in Beirut was the latest in a nationwide anti-government street movement to have gripped Lebanon since October 17.

"Our history books need to be thrown out," 16-year-old Jana Jezzine said as around her protesters waved the national flag and one woman made a show of burning a schoolbook.

History lessons in school textbooks stop with the withdrawal of French troops in 1946 — three years after the end of France’s 23-year mandate over Lebanon.

But a lack of consensus over a common version of the 1975-1990 civil war in the country has led to it being completely omitted from the curriculum.

Likewise, textbooks make no mention of key events afterwards, such as the withdrawal of Israeli troops from southern Lebanon in 2000 or the mass protests that ended Syria’s military presence in 2005.

Eighteen-year-old Aya Haider said she had endlessly studied World War I and World War II, but had been taught almost nothing of her country’s recent history.

“I know nothing about the civil war,” she told AFP, in a country where each religious community has its own version of historical events.

“My parents and friends told me that people would get stopped because of their identity cards,” she said, referring to militiamen singling out members of certain religious sects at checkpoints during the conflict.

The rest, she says, she learned in dribs and drabs through acquaintances during the recent anti-graft protests.

Since last month, Lebanese from all religious backgrounds have taken to the streets en masse to cry out against what they view as an incompetent and corrupt ruling class.

School pupils and university students have emerged as a leading force during the demonstrations in recent weeks, saying they will gladly lose a year’s schooling to help rebuild their country.

Lebanon’s economy is under severe strain after a series of political crises compounded by the eight-year war in neighbouring Syria, and youth unemployment stands at more than 30 per cent.

BAGHDAD — Four protesters were killed and dozens wounded in overnight clashes with security forces in Iraq's capital Baghdad, security and medical sources told AFP on Thursday.

Anti-government demonstrators have spread from their main protest camp in Tahrir (Liberation) Square onto three bridges linking the banks of the river Tigris.

Security forces have erected concrete barriers on the bridges to hold protesters back, and late on Wednesday they fired tear gas and live ammunition at crowds gathering on Al Sinek and Al Ahrar bridges.

One protester was shot dead by a live round and three died from wounds sustained by tear gas canisters.

Rights groups have slammed security forces for firing the military-grade gas grenades directly at protesters instead of into the air.

When shot at close range, the canisters can pierce skulls or chests, and advocacy groups have documented around two dozen deaths from such injuries among Iraqi protesters.

The overnight confrontation also injured more than 50 people, including at least six who sustained gunshot wounds.

Authorities fear crowds could use Al Sinek Bridge to reach the Iranian embassy, or cross the adjacent Al Ahrar Bridge further north to protest at the central bank and other government buildings.

Protesters in Tahrir have rebuked Tehran for propping up an Iraqi government they see as corrupt and inefficient, even accusing Iran of backing the use of violence against them.

More than 330 people have been killed since the protests broke out on October 1, according to an AFP toll, as authorities have stopped providing updated or precise figures.

The grassroots protests are the deadliest in decades but also the most widespread, with sit-ins at schools, outside government offices and public squares in Baghdad and across the Shiite-majority south.

In many areas, students and teachers have been at the forefront of demonstrations. Protest hotspots like Nasiriyah, Kut, Hillah and Diwaniyah have not seen steady school attendance in weeks.

But on Thursday, a security source told AFP that Baghdad’s joint operations command authorised security forces to check school rosters in the capital to identify who may have skipped class to strike, particularly among teachers. 

A spokesman for the education ministry confirmed security forces had deployed around schools in the capital to prevent sit-ins or road closures.