UK defense minister lauds ‘incredibly quick’ Saudi transformation

UK defense minister lauds ‘incredibly quick’ Saudi transformation
Britain’s Defense Secretary Grant Shapps arrives at the annual Conservative Party Conference in Manchester, northern England, on October 2, 2023. (AFP)
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Updated 02 October 2023
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UK defense minister lauds ‘incredibly quick’ Saudi transformation

UK defense minister lauds ‘incredibly quick’ Saudi transformation
  • ‘Forget everything you think you know about Saudi Arabia,’ says Grant Shapps
  • Kingdom has ‘women in the workplace at levels that would be unimaginable three or four years ago’

LONDON: Saudi Arabia’s “incredibly quick” transformation is seeing women join the workforce at “unimaginable levels,” the UK’s defense minister has said.

Praising the Kingdom as a “strong ally” of Britain at an event on the sidelines of the Conservative Party conference, Grant Shapps lauded societal change in Saudi Arabia, The Times reported on Monday.

“Forget everything you think you know about Saudi Arabia. Actually, the country is changing incredibly quickly,” he said, citing “women in the workplace at levels that would be unimaginable three or four years ago.”

He added: “What you can’t underestimate is the impact that is having on their society and the way they govern.”

Saudi Arabia’s “society is moving very much in a way we have always called for societies around the world to move,” Shapps said.


PIF’s Lifera, Centogene aim to deliver world-class multiomic testing in Kingdom

PIF’s Lifera, Centogene aim to deliver world-class multiomic testing in Kingdom
Updated 11 sec ago
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PIF’s Lifera, Centogene aim to deliver world-class multiomic testing in Kingdom

PIF’s Lifera, Centogene aim to deliver world-class multiomic testing in Kingdom
  • Strategic cooperation between Lifera and Centogene set to increase local and regional access to world-class multiomic testing in the Kingdom and the Gulf region
  • CEO of Centogene Kim Stratton: The vision is to have end-to-end diagnostics here in Riyadh and we will be the wet lab, setting up the wet lab, the wet lab capabilities

RIYADH: Centogene, a life science partner for data-driven answers in rare and neurodegenerative diseases based in Germany, and Lifera, a biopharmaceutical company owned by the Public Investment Fund, have announced Lifera Omics, their new joint venture.

Chairman of Lifera Ibrahim Al-Juffali, joined Kim Stratton, CEO of Centogene, and Peter Bauer, its chief medical and genomic officer, on the second day of the Global Healthspan Summit in Riyadh to discuss a new era of diagnosing patients, understanding diseases, and accelerating precision medicine.

Strategic cooperation between Lifera and Centogene was announced in June this year and is set to increase local and regional access to world-class multiomic testing in the Kingdom and the Gulf region.

Stratton said: “The vision is to have end-to-end diagnostics here in Riyadh and we will be the wet lab, setting up the wet lab, the wet lab capabilities. So that’s everything from sample entry to increasingly doing the diagnostic.”

Lifera Omics will look to transform the lives of people in the Gulf region by offering cutting-edge genomic and multiomic testing services to patients, health systems, biopharma companies, and research institutes.

Lifera Omics works by merging information from phenomics, genomics, transcriptomics, epigenomics, proteomics, and metabolomics to deliver a comprehensive clinical picture.

Bauer said: “It is a product from the patient back to the patient.”

The collaboration between Lifera and Centogene will also provide Saudis with training opportunities, while helping to nurture local and international talents.

Al-Juffali said: “We are going to have a team that is composed of local and international talents, and potentially be able to attract local talent, taking into consideration the diverse capacity of university research centers and educational institutions here that will be able to educate people interested in the field.”

Training will include opportunities for Saudis to travel to Germany.

Stratton said: “(This will) immerse (them) in the way we do (things). It is the incentive to help train them and then (they can) be taken back to Saudi so that they can train others.”

Lifera aims to create partnerships with leading local and international companies while attracting targeted investments to boost local capacity and drive domestic manufacturing in the sector.

Stratton said: “We should be able to attract pharma partners to come here to the region, and if you are developing a product for certain high-risk diseases here, we should be able to attract the clinical development of those products here.”

Investment aims at manufacturing lifesaving and essential pharma products, including insulins, vaccines, plasma therapeutics, monoclonal antibodies, cell and gene therapies, and innovative small molecules.


Saudi astronauts meet KAU students, share experiences from recent space trip

Saudi astronauts meet KAU students, share experiences from recent space trip
Updated 39 min 13 sec ago
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Saudi astronauts meet KAU students, share experiences from recent space trip

Saudi astronauts meet KAU students, share experiences from recent space trip
  • Astronauts were received by KAU acting president, Dr. Hana bint Abdullah Al-Nuaim, and other officials
  • Astronauts highlighted the importance of teamwork to successful research and development and reviewed 14 scientific experiments carried out in the ISS

JEDDAH: Astronauts shared with students from King Abdulaziz University their experiences and insights from a recent trip to the International Space Station.

Saudis Ali Al-Qarni and Rayyanah Barnawi who visited the ISS in May, along with Mariam Fardous and Ali Al-Ghamdi, met on Wednesday at the King Faisal Center with university officials and students.

Prior to their address to the students, the astronauts were received by KAU acting president, Dr. Hana bint Abdullah Al-Nuaim, and other officials.

They were given a tour of an accompanying exhibition and visited the university’s laboratories linked to space engineering and science projects and research.

As well as stories from their ISS trip, the astronauts also talked to the students about the Kingdom’s future goals in space science and how they could become involved in them.

They highlighted the importance of teamwork to successful research and development and reviewed 14 scientific experiments carried out in the ISS, including six in human medicine, four in biomedicine, three scientific awareness experiments with school students in a live broadcast, and a physics experiment about the artificial rain seeding process.


Hevolution announces multimillion-dollar research grants

Hevolution announces multimillion-dollar research grants
Updated 30 November 2023
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Hevolution announces multimillion-dollar research grants

Hevolution announces multimillion-dollar research grants
  • Foundation’s total contribution to research hits $100 million

RIYADH: Hevolution Foundation is giving $40 million in research grants, it announced on the final day of the Global Healthspan Summit.

This brings the foundation’s total contribution to $100 million. Other major funding includes $21 million for the Buck Institute for Research on Aging and $16 million to the American Federation of Aging Research, while $5 million will support 15 postdoctoral fellowships. The fellowships will advance the careers of early-stage scientists in Saudi Arabia and the Gulf region in the fields of aging biology and geroscience.

Hevolution Foundation CEO Dr. Mehmood Khan said: “Helping fast-track and supporting impactful healthspan science programs is a founding principle for us. Through collaborative partnerships, we are catalyzing the incredible potential in the aging biology field and paving the way for new solutions to improve healthspan for all.”

Princess Haya Khaled Al-Saud, the foundation’s vice president of organizational strategy and development, said: “As a Saudi scientist, I am enormously proud of how the Global Healthspan Summit has brought such diversity of thinking together in the Kingdom. It has forged new channels and connections that will shape and catalyze the healthspan sector for the benefit of all.”

She added: “This is a launchpad for a stronger, more engaged, and action-oriented global collaboration that will encourage the world’s best minds to work together to solve the universal challenge of unhealthy aging.”


Thousands of Ferrari fans gather at Jeddah circuit

Thousands of Ferrari fans gather at Jeddah circuit
Updated 30 November 2023
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Thousands of Ferrari fans gather at Jeddah circuit

Thousands of Ferrari fans gather at Jeddah circuit
  • Ferrari Festival combines sporting and entertainment elements to entertain fans of all ages

JEDDAH: Thousands of enthusiasts flocked to Jeddah circuit on Tuesday and Wednesday for the annual Ferrari Festival, which featured various activities, entertainment and displays. 

The Ferrari Festival combines sporting and entertainment elements to entertain fans of all ages. Apart from the action on the circuit, there was plenty of off-circuit entertainment, such as live music performances, games and an exhibition of modern and classic Ferraris.

The festival celebrated the spirit of motoring and provided enthusiasts with an opportunity to see some of the world’s most beautiful and exclusive sports cars in a safe and secure setting.

On track, with more than 100 cars, Ferrari owners displayed the performance characteristics of their vehicles to the fullest in track-day sessions, allowing fans to make the most of the experience and to take photos. 

Faris Fatani, 22, was spotted posing with the Ferraris along with his brother and their friend.

“We came to Jeddah circuit with our family and friends just for this Ferrari show,” he told Arab News. “We love these cars and they look even more beautiful parked all in a row. This is something that we will not forget.”

Ferrari-fan Saeed Al-Amoudi brought along his family, who were busy taking photographs with their mobiles.

He said: “This is a great event, and I am enjoying the amazing cars. It’s really a great feeling to be out here with the Ferraris.”

“It is a wonderful opportunity to see Ferraris of all ages, from the earliest road cars through to the very latest in one place,” said Tariq Al-Faratani, a Lebanese resident.

During the two-day festival, Ferrari enthusiasts were able to see many Formula 1 drivers, including the Ferrari F1 star drivers, Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz, who made their appearance alongside members of Ferrari’s WEC HypercarDriving Roster, including former F1 driver Antonio Giovinazzi, Alessandro Pier Guidi and James Calado.

Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al-Faisal, Saudi minister of sport, and Prince Khalid bin Sultan Al-Abdullah Al-Faisal, chairman of the board of directors of the Saudi Motor and Motorcycle Federation and the Saudi Motor Sports Company — who both have a passion for car racing and previously competed in the series, winning numerous races and championships with the Al-Faisal team — were among the Ferrari enthusiasts.

Prince Khalid told the media: “We are pleased to welcome the Ferrari Festival in Jeddah to celebrate this famous and very beloved brand in the Kingdom and around the world,” he said. “We also begin the countdown to the fourth consecutive weekend of Formula 1 racing in Jeddah.”


Argentinian ambassador bids farewell to Kingdom

Argentinian ambassador bids farewell to Kingdom
Updated 30 November 2023
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Argentinian ambassador bids farewell to Kingdom

Argentinian ambassador bids farewell to Kingdom
  • Former oil company boss Guillermo Nielsen to leave after 2 years
  • Says visiting ‘fantastic’ AlUla among his fondest memories

RIYADH: After two years as Argentine ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Guillermo Nielsen will bid farewell to the Kingdom on Sunday. Before packing his bags, he spoke to Arab News about his time in the country.

When asked about his fondest experiences, the envoy said it was difficult to narrow it down to just one.

“It’s difficult to choose one in general but I would say what I found is really a connection of things,” he said.

“I would like to stress that when you get to Riyadh and you look at the people, you look at the way people dress, the way women dress, you see differences, and this is very different from Argentina, this is totally different.

“But through time and through interaction you realize that we have more in common than we think. Maybe that’s because we have Arab roots.”

Nielsen said he found many similarities between the Arabic and Argentinian cultures.

“There are many, many more things in common and especially the importance of the family, the way we gather, the way we live, the relationship within the family.

“Those are the things you only realize with time and talking and interacting with Saudi friends and Saudi people.”

Nielsen said that he had not traveled as much as he would have liked during his time in the Kingdom, though he did visit Jeddah, Khobar and AlUla.

“I couldn’t miss AlUla, which was a fantastic, fantastic place.”

The ambassador also explained how he came to get the job of his country’s envoy to the Kingdom, saying an old friend with whom he played polo planted the idea of living in Saudi Arabia in his mind.

“He started talking about Vision 2030 and how things are going in Saudi Arabia. ‘You have to come and see,’ he told me.

“At the time I was head of YPF, the largest oil and gas company in Argentina. I left the presidency and was offered an embassy in Europe. And much to the surprise of our president and minister of foreign affairs, I said I didn’t want to go to Europe, I wanted to go to Saudi Arabia.”

Nielsen said that during his time as ambassador he worked mostly on the economic and cultural side of relations.

On the trade side, he said Argentina exported beef and alfalfa to the Kingdom — the latter is used to feed Saudi dairy cows — while the two nations were also working together in the field of information technology.

One of the main areas of concern for the outgoing ambassador is food security.

“Food security is a big issue,” he said. “It has shown to be very important with the problems we had in Ukraine with the Russian invasion.

“I think that’s a major subject we have to tackle together and a major area of cooperation between Saudi Arabia and Argentina.”