Saudi-Greek air drill launches across the Mediterranean sky

Saudi-Greek air drill launches across the Mediterranean sky
Saudi and Greek aircrafts take part in joint training flights. (SPA)
Short Url
Updated 12 November 2022

Saudi-Greek air drill launches across the Mediterranean sky

Saudi-Greek air drill launches across the Mediterranean sky
  • Maneuvers cover offensive, defensive counterair operations and electronic warfare training

RIYADH: The Falcon Eye 3, a joint training exercise with the Royal Saudi Air Force and its Greek counterpart, was launched from the Souda Air Force Base in Crete, Saudi Press Agency reported.

The drill began with a ground study, which organized and unified the tactics of the Saudi and Greek air crews, and was followed by joint training flights in the sky above the Mediterranean Sea.

The Falcon Eye 3, which is among several bilateral air exercises for the Saudi and Greek air forces, aims to achieve an exchange in military experiences. 

Col. Khalifa Al-Enezi, commander of the RSAF group participating in the exercise, said that the Falcon Eye 3 exercises focus on implementing several operations, including offensive and defensive counterair and air support missions. They also focus on training in advanced electronic warfare environments, which play a significant role in air battles. 

 


Tenth Saudi aid plane arrives in Sudan

Tenth Saudi aid plane arrives in Sudan
Updated 21 sec ago

Tenth Saudi aid plane arrives in Sudan

Tenth Saudi aid plane arrives in Sudan
  • The plane carried 30 tons of food and medical supplies

RIYADH: The tenth Saudi plane carrying aid for the Sudanese people arrived at Port Sudan International Airport on Tuesday.

The plane, carrying 30 tons of food and medical supplies, is part of a Saudi initiative to provide $100 million in humanitarian aid to Sudan.

Sudan’s army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces agreed to extend a week-long ceasefire deal by five days just before it was due to expire late on Monday.

The truce was brokered and is being remotely monitored by Saudi Arabia and the United States, which say it has been violated by both sides but has still allowed for the delivery of aid to an estimated two million people.


Saudi Cabinet says it is following developments in Sudan

Saudi Cabinet says it is following developments in Sudan
Updated 22 min 25 sec ago

Saudi Cabinet says it is following developments in Sudan

Saudi Cabinet says it is following developments in Sudan
  • Cabinet also discussed a draft MoU between the governments of the Kingdom and the UK to cooperate in the field of research, development, and innovation

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Cabinet said on Tuesday that it is following developments in Sudan and the course of negotiation talks in Jeddah.

The Cabinet also said it was following the agreements that resulted in a short-term ceasefire and the provision of humanitarian arrangements.

Saudi Arabia and the US, which previously brokered a week-long ceasefire deal and have been monitoring it remotely, announced shortly before it was due to expire on Monday evening that Sudan’s warring military factions had agreed to extend it.

Although the ceasefire had been imperfectly observed, it had allowed the delivery of aid to an estimated two million people, the two countries said in a joint statement.

“The extension will provide time for further humanitarian assistance, restoration of essential services, and discussion of a potential longer-term extension,” the statement added.

The Cabinet also discussed a draft memorandum of understanding between the governments of the Kingdom and the UK to cooperate in the field of research, development, and innovation.

It also discussed a draft agreement between the Transport General Authority in the Kingdom and the Suez Canal Authority in Egypt for cooperation in developing transportation of cruise ships and cargo ships through the Suez Canal.


Dive in… world’s biggest floating water park open in Saudi Arabia

Dive in… world’s biggest floating water park open in Saudi Arabia
Updated 30 May 2023

Dive in… world’s biggest floating water park open in Saudi Arabia

Dive in… world’s biggest floating water park open in Saudi Arabia

RIYADH: Beat the heat this summer in Jeddah with a visit to the world’s biggest floating water park, recently opened by German company Wibit Sports and local Saudi partner Blue Limits.

Speaking to Arab News at the Saudi Entertainment and Amusement summit and expo in Riyadh, Witbit founder Robert Cirjak said that the layout of Pure Beach in King Abdullah Economic City spelled out the letters Saudi Arabia, adding: “We are more than proud to have broken a record again and we are so happy that it is in Saudi Arabia.” 

“Try to think of our floating water park as a floating playground where you can climb, slide, swing, crawl, chase after your best friend and then jump and dive into the water.”

He said the Pure Beach is 600 meters wide and 120 meters long. “It accommodates 600 people at the same time. That’s a lot of smiles, selfie moments and exhilaration all at the same time. And it is for people of all ages,” he said.

Cirjak said the floating park is made out of PVC material, “similar to a Zodiac boat. It contains a valve, you fill it with air and it stays inflated for the whole summer.

“You are more than welcome to come to Pure Beach and enjoy the fun. Just bring your towel and bathing suits, and that’s all you need. Falling in the water is not only fun, it is exhilarating.”

Cirjak said he was “super happy” with the relationships built with Blue Limits and the Saudi government.

He added that he hoped to expand operations in the Kingdom. “We are in current negotiations. We are very excited. We can’t disclose everything but we are looking at a very special project in Neom.”

Wibit also runs the world’s biggest inflatable aqua park, Aqua Dreamland in Gilimanuk, Bali. Its layout spells “Indonesia.”


Saudi astronauts Earth-bound after 8 days in space

Saudi astronauts Earth-bound after 8 days in space
Updated 30 May 2023

Saudi astronauts Earth-bound after 8 days in space

Saudi astronauts Earth-bound after 8 days in space
  • Rayyanah Barnawi is the first Saudi Arabian and Arab woman to go into space

DUBAI: Saudi astronauts Rayyanah Barnawi and Ali AlQarni are scheduled to return to Earth late Tuesday after spending eight days on the International Space Station (ISS), where they conducted a series of science experiments.

Barnawi, the first Saudi Arabian and Arab woman to go into space, and AlQarni arrived at the space station on May 22 as part of the private AX-2 mission launched by Axiom Space.

TIMELINE: AX-2 mission’s return to Earth

“The four-member multinational astronaut crew is scheduled to undock no earlier than 3:05 p.m. (GMT) Tuesday, May 30, from the space-facing port of the station’s Harmony module in a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft to begin the journey home and splashdown off the coast of Florida,” a NASA statement said.

“Ax-2 Commander Peggy Whitson, Pilot John Shoffner, and Mission Specialists Ali Alqarni and Rayyanah Barnawi, both representing the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, will complete approximately nine days in space at the conclusion of their mission. Their SpaceX Dragon will return to Earth with more than 300 pounds of cargo, including NASA hardware and data from over 20 different experiments,” the statement added.

NASA will provide live coverage of the undocking and departure of AX-2 mission from the ISS, while Axiom Space will livestream the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft’s re-entry and splashdown on the company’s website.

The Axiom Mission-2 and Expedition 69 crew members pose for a portrait together during dinner time aboard the International Space Station. (NASA)

During their eight-day stay at the space station, the Saudi astronauts did a series of experiments, among them a heat transmission study with Saudi students across the Kingdom concerning the space station’s microgravity and earth.

“Results have shown that heat travels slower in space than it does on earth,” a report from state news agency SPA said.

A space kite experiment that involved 12,000 11- to 13-year-old middle school students from 47 schools across Saudi Arabia was also conducted through a live video feed with the space-bound Saudis.

The Ax-2 astronauts on Monday joined the Expedition 69 crew members for a joint farewell ceremony.

In 1985, air force pilot Prince Sultan bin Salman bin Abdulaziz took part in a US-organized space voyage, becoming the first Saudi in space.


King Abdulaziz Foundation, Boutique Group sign deal to preserve Saudi heritage and history

King Abdulaziz Foundation, Boutique Group sign deal to preserve Saudi heritage and history
Updated 30 May 2023

King Abdulaziz Foundation, Boutique Group sign deal to preserve Saudi heritage and history

King Abdulaziz Foundation, Boutique Group sign deal to preserve Saudi heritage and history
  • Focus on research, holding summits, exhibitions, workshops
  • ‘Aim to boost Kingdom as global tourist, culture destination’

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s King Abdulaziz Foundation for Research and Archives and the Boutique Group, owned by the Public Investment Fund, have signed a memorandum of understanding to preserve the Kingdom’s “captivating history and legacy,” the group announced on Monday.

The agreement will cover research and the holding of various events, including on culture, literature and geography, at Tuwaiq Palace in the Diplomatic Quarter, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

The memorandum was signed by CEO Turki Al-Showair on behalf of the foundation, also known as Darah, and CEO Mark DeCocinis, for the Boutique Group.

It includes collaboration on “scientific studies and research on the history of palaces and the essence of royal hospitality,” the Boutique Group said in a statement.

The deal includes holding summits, exhibitions and workshops, and spreading awareness through advertising, media campaigns and artworks.

Al-Showair said: “The Kingdom is proceeding on the path of rapid and deliberate development and progress, in accordance with the goals of the Saudi Vision 2030 and its inspiring programs.”

 

 

The agreement “aims to support the Boutique Group by providing reliable and steady historical content, in a way that contributes to preserving the Kingdom’s heritage.”

He said the pact was part of the Darah foundation’s commitment to fulfill its mission of serving the Kingdom through the preservation and publication of all relevant documentation.

Al-Showair said it would serve to introduce the country’s “glorious history and heritage rooted in the national identity that everyone cherishes.”

DeCocinis said the Kingdom has a rich, largely unexplored cultural history, which the deal would now make more widely available to the world.

The Boutique Group was set up to provide an authentic Saudi experience that contributes to supporting the local economy. Its mandate is to further enhance the Kingdom’s position as a global tourist destination by developing “historic and cultural palaces, and royal residences, into ultra-luxury boutique hotels.”