KSrelief Masam project clears almost 1,300 mines in Yemen

Nearly 1,300 mines planted by the Houthi militia in Yemen have been dismantled in the first week of 2023 by King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSrelief)’s Masam project. (SPA)
Nearly 1,300 mines planted by the Houthi militia in Yemen have been dismantled in the first week of 2023 by King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSrelief)’s Masam project. (SPA)
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Updated 08 January 2023

KSrelief Masam project clears almost 1,300 mines in Yemen

KSrelief Masam project clears almost 1,300 mines in Yemen

RIYADH: Nearly 1,300 mines planted by the Houthi militia in Yemen have been dismantled in the first week of 2023 by King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSrelief)’s Masam project. 

The mine-clearing team removed a total of 1,282 mines planted by the militia across Yemen, including 6 anti-personnel mines, 123 anti-tank mines, 1,151 unexploded ordnance and 2 explosive devices, Saudi Press Agency reported on Sunday.

Since the beginning of the KSrelief project, more than 380,000 mines have been dismantled.

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Meanwhile, on Sunday, Supervisor General of KSrelief, Dr. Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al-Rabeeah, met with the ambassador of Thailand to to Saudi Arabia Darm Boontham, SPA also reported.

During the meeting, they discussed the joint cooperation related to the humanitarian and relief affairs between the Kingdom and Thailand.




Supervisor General of KSrelief, Dr. Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al-Rabeeah, meeting with ambassador of Thailand to to Saudi Arabia Darm Boontham. (SPA)

 


French flair meets Saudi style at Riyadh event

French flair meets Saudi style at Riyadh event
Updated 17 sec ago

French flair meets Saudi style at Riyadh event

French flair meets Saudi style at Riyadh event
  • Two-day event at L’Art Pur in Riyadh opened doors for conversations and cultural exchange in the world of fashion

RIYADH: The Saudi Fashion Commission teamed up with the French Embassy and Alliance Francaise for an event in L’Art Pur in Riyadh.

The two-day France & Fashion event on Saturday and Sunday gathered fashion fans for exhibitions, panel discussions, and training workshops with leading French fashion experts.

Ambassador of France Ludovic Pouille and CEO of the Fashion Commission Burak Cakmak attended the official opening.;

“This is why the French Embassy wanted to bring to Saudi Arabia, French talents from embroidery, fashion history, creation, and training,” said Pouille.

“This is a unique moment to gather French and Saudi experts, at a very special time, when Saudi designers are now growing, and we can see their popularity inside and outside of Saudi Arabia.”

The event included workshops for aspiring fashion designers. (AN photo)

The Fashion Commission, established two years ago, has provided increased support for local designers with opportunities and initiatives to reach a global audience.

Cakmak said: “We are happy to see that our efforts in training and education are now going beyond and countries like France are very interested in supporting talent within Saudi Arabia.”

FASTFACTS

• The two-day France & Fashion event gathered fashion fans for exhibitions, panel discussions, and training workshops with leading French fashion experts.

• Saudi Arabia’s Fashion Commission, established two years ago, has provided increased support for local designers with opportunities and initiatives to reach a global audience.

The event began with a presentation by Barbara Jeauffroy, the associate curator of the Christian Dior Museum on the early years of one of French fashion’s biggest icons.

“Dior, a museum, a story” revisited the designer’s childhood and explored his parents’ grand villa and the influence it had on his designs.

The event included workshops for aspiring fashion designers. (AN photo)

Panel discussions were led by Saudi fashion designers including Mona Alshebil, Arwa Alammari, Haifa AlHumaid and Bander Hawsawi, and leading French fashion experts including professors and directors from the Institut Francais de la Mode, and Nadia Albertini, the French embroiderer and historian.

Panelists considered the Kingdom’s place in the global fashion industry, its cultural influence on local designs, female participation and the future of fashion. Challenges and opportunities for designers, technology and social media were also topics.

“I believe this is the perfect place, the perfect timing for anybody, especially women to be in Saudi Arabia,” said Alshebil. “Everybody is rooting for us, everybody is helping us, the government, the Fashion Commission, the population.”

This is a unique moment to gather French and Saudi experts ... when Saudi designers are now growing, and we can see their popularity inside and outside of Saudi Arabia.

Ludovic Pouille, Ambassador of France

Alammari said: “For a fashion industry to succeed, there should be an ecosystem, and this has started two years ago, with fashion schools, and the updated curriculum of fashion majors in universities, like in PNU.

“We need more know-how. We have the minds, we have the vision, but we need to learn more about the know-how and the new technology in the industry.”

We are happy to see that our efforts are now going beyond and countries like France are interested in supporting talent within Saudi Arabia, says
Burak Cakmak CEO of the Fashion Commission

Speaking on the international perception of the Saudi fashion industry, IFM associate professor Jean-Marc Chauve said: “We can see now in magazine articles the Saudi fashion designers and their collections and brands, which didn’t exist five years ago … we didn’t hear about Saudi fashion designers then.”

The event offered training for designers, including how to structure a fashion collection, creating a brand and embroidery.

As part of its ongoing efforts to support the local designers and the Saudi fashion industry, the Fashion Commission will be exhibiting 100 Saudi brands to Paris on June 20.

“We will have a big moment that is going to spread for two weeks, with pop-ups, fashion shows, and other experiences highlighting the best out of Saudi Arabia in the heart of the fashion capital in Paris to a global audience,” said Cakmak.

Nodah, a visitor, said that the event was well organized and the talk on the Dior museum “full of useful information.”

 


Saudi deputy foreign minister meets Mexican counterpart

Waleed Elkhereiji meets with Carmen Moreno Toscano in Riyadh. (Supplied)
Waleed Elkhereiji meets with Carmen Moreno Toscano in Riyadh. (Supplied)
Updated 8 min 31 sec ago

Saudi deputy foreign minister meets Mexican counterpart

Waleed Elkhereiji meets with Carmen Moreno Toscano in Riyadh. (Supplied)
  • The meeting was also attended by Faisal Al-Mandil, the director of South American department affairs at the Saudi Foreign Ministry, and Anibal Gomez Toledo, the Mexican ambassador to the Kingdom

RIYADH: Saudi Deputy Foreign Minister Waleed Elkhereiji met his Mexican counterpart Carmen Moreno Toscano at the ministry’s headquarters in Riyadh, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Monday.

The two sides looked at bilateral relations between the countries and the means of enhancing them. They also discussed regional and international developments.

The meeting was also attended by Faisal Al-Mandil, the director of South American department affairs at the Saudi Foreign Ministry, and Anibal Gomez Toledo, the Mexican ambassador to the Kingdom.

The Saudi minister also held talks with the newly appointed US Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Michael Ratney, with Al-Khuraiji welcoming him and wishing him success in his role.

The parties focused on relations between the two countries and talked about how they could be developed in the future.

 

 


Who’s Who: Areej Naqshbandi, senior director at the Public Investment Fund

Areej Naqshbandi
Areej Naqshbandi
Updated 15 min 52 sec ago

Who’s Who: Areej Naqshbandi, senior director at the Public Investment Fund

Areej Naqshbandi

Areej Naqshbandi has been the senior director and head of the project management office at the Public Investment Fund since 2021.

As part of PIF’s rapid growth over the last few years, Naqshbandi has contributed to the operational transformation across different aspects of the business to establish consistency, efficiency and best practice.

She is leading the PMO, a centralized department within the PIF that upholds the highest standards of project management.

It governs operating models, methodologies and tools to ensure best-in-class project management standards and improve delivery.

Naqshbandi’s oversight ensures that the PMO provides support and guidance to project managers and teams across PIF and its portfolio companies.  

In her 23-year career, Naqshbandi has held several executive positions such as director and head of the enterprise project management office within the public and private sectors, including leading government, financial, investment and retail institutions.

Before joining PIF, she established and develop several EPMOs.

Naqshbandi won the PMO Leader of the Year Award by the Project Management Institute in 2022.

She is also a holder of Six Sigma belt certificates, a strategy management certificate in the public sector and an international project management certificate.

Naqshbandi holds a bachelor’s degree in computer science from King Saud University and an executive master’s degree in business administration from HEC Paris.

 


Lebanon minister: Following kidnapping of Saudi citizen in Beirut with security forces

Lebanon’s Interior Minister Bassam Mawlawi. (File/AFP)
Lebanon’s Interior Minister Bassam Mawlawi. (File/AFP)
Updated 27 min 8 sec ago

Lebanon minister: Following kidnapping of Saudi citizen in Beirut with security forces

Lebanon’s Interior Minister Bassam Mawlawi. (File/AFP)
  • “With an iron fist, we work to liberate any citizen who is exposed to any harm on Lebanese soil,” Mawlawi tweeted

RIYADH: Lebanon’s Interior Minister Bassam Mawlawi said he has been following the kidnapping of a Saudi citizen in Beirut with internal security forces since Sunday.

A Saudi citizen was kidnapped on the road to Beirut airport after midnight on Saturday, Lebanese media reported on Monday.

The Saudi citizen works for Saudia, the Kingdom’s flag carrier, and the kidnappers sent a message from the southern suburbs of Beirut demanding a ransom of $400,000, Al-Ekhbariya reported.

Mawlawi said he is also in contact with the Kingdom’s ambassador to Lebanon Waleed Bukhari regarding the incident.

“With an iron fist, we work to liberate any citizen who is exposed to any harm on Lebanese soil,” Mawlawi tweeted.

“What happened affects Lebanon’s relationship with its brothers, and the perpetrators will be punished harshly,” he added.

The Saudi embassy said it had received a report from relatives of the citizen who had lost contact with him at dawn on Sunday, adding that it was communicating with Lebanese security authorities at the highest level to uncover circumstances of the disappearance, Al-Ekhbariya also reported.


Mishkat kicks off ‘Renewable’ energy event 

Mishkat kicks off ‘Renewable’ energy event 
Updated 29 May 2023

Mishkat kicks off ‘Renewable’ energy event 

Mishkat kicks off ‘Renewable’ energy event 
  • Center launched ‘Renewable’ on May 26 in Riyadh, one of a series of activities that come as a part of Mishkat Evenings
  • Mishkat was established in April 2010 with the goal of leading the drive for sustainable energy

RIYADH: The Mishkat Interactive Center for Atomic and Renewable Energy is hosting an event with the aim of educating visitors on the importance of renewable energy, energy science, and Vision 2030’s sustainable development goals, which intend to supply the Kingdom with clean energy sources.

The center launched “Renewable” on May 26 in Riyadh, one of a series of activities that come as a part of Mishkat Evenings. The center opens its doors from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m., and the event will last until June 1.

Mishkat is an initiative of the King Abdullah City for Atomic and Renewable Energy, an independent scientific, research, and governmental organization led by the Saudi Ministry of Energy. It was established in April 2010 with the goal of leading the drive for sustainable energy.

Abeer Al-Rasheedi, a public relations specialist at Mishkat, said that the goal of “Renewable” is to raise community awareness about the “importance of renewable energy and how it affects the Kingdom.”

Other similar events that took place at the center included “Zero,” also dedicated to sustainability, which highlighted the importance of sustainable energy to achieve carbon neutrality by 2060.