Saudi Arabia urges UN Security Council to take action on Gaza violence, forced displacement

Update Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan addresses the 78th UN General Assembly in New York City on Sept. 23, 2023. (AFP)
Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan addresses the 78th UN General Assembly in New York City on Sept. 23, 2023. (AFP)
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Updated 14 October 2023
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Saudi Arabia urges UN Security Council to take action on Gaza violence, forced displacement

Saudi Arabia urges UN Security Council to take action on Gaza violence, forced displacement

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan on Friday made a series of diplomatic calls to urge members of the UN Security Council to fulfill their responsibility to maintain international peace and security and Israeli stop military operations in Gaza, the foreign ministry said.

His comments came as relentless Israeli strikes have killed about 1,900 people in the Gaza Strip over the past week, with more than half being under the age of 18, or women, while the territory has also been cut off from food, water and medical supplies, and is living under a total power blackout.

During calls with his counterparts from the UK, Brazil, Malta, Albania, India, Norway and Sweden, Prince Faisal stressed the importance of implementing Security Council resolutions on the Palestinian issue to establish a just and comprehensive solution in accordance with relevant international laws.

He also stressed the need for Israel to adhere to international humanitarian law, including allowing food and relief supplies to reach Gaza and lifting the siege.

The officials discussed the latest developments in Gaza and its surroundings, and international efforts made to resolve the crisis. Prince Faisal called for a halt to all forms of targeting civilians and preventing the forced displacement of the population of Gaza.

Prince Faisal also made calls to his counterparts from Indonesia and Gabon, as well as EU Foreign Policy Chief Josep Borrell. The officials held similar discussions on protecting civilians, the flow of aid, the need for the international community to help stop the violence and prevent forced displacement of Gazans, and for Israel to adhere to international humanitarian law to ensure regional and global security and stability.


King Salman undergoes medical tests due to lung inflammation

Saudi Arabia’s King Salman. (File/SPA)
Saudi Arabia’s King Salman. (File/SPA)
Updated 25 min 28 sec ago
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King Salman undergoes medical tests due to lung inflammation

Saudi Arabia’s King Salman. (File/SPA)

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s King Salman will undergo some medical tests on Sunday evening due to a lung inflammation, Saudi Press Agency reported.

The tests were based on the recommendations of the Royal Clinics, SPA added. 


Makkah deputy governor receives US consul general in Jeddah

Prince Saud bin Mishal bin Abdulaziz holds talks with Dao Le in Jeddah. (Supplied)
Prince Saud bin Mishal bin Abdulaziz holds talks with Dao Le in Jeddah. (Supplied)
Updated 10 sec ago
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Makkah deputy governor receives US consul general in Jeddah

Prince Saud bin Mishal bin Abdulaziz holds talks with Dao Le in Jeddah. (Supplied)
  • The parties discussed topics of common interest

JEDDAH: Makkah’s Deputy Gov. Prince Saud bin Mishal bin Abdulaziz received US Consul General Dao Le in Jeddah on Sunday.

The parties discussed topics of common interest, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

The American Chamber of Commerce recently held its annual general meeting in Jeddah, where Le affirmed his country’s commitment to ensuring it remained Saudi Arabia’s largest trading partner.

 


Saudi and Ukrainian foreign ministers discuss Russia-Ukraine conflict

Saudi and Ukrainian foreign ministers discuss Russia-Ukraine conflict
Updated 06 October 2024
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Saudi and Ukrainian foreign ministers discuss Russia-Ukraine conflict

Saudi and Ukrainian foreign ministers discuss Russia-Ukraine conflict
  • Discussion came amid escalating hostilities in Ukraine, with Russian forces launching overnight attack involving 87 Shahed drones

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister held a phone call on Sunday with his Ukrainian counterpart Andriy Sybiha to discuss relations and the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, Saudi Press Agency reported.

Prince Faisal bin Farhan and the Ukrainian minister exchanged views on developments in the war and efforts to resolve the crisis, as well as other matters of mutual interest, SPA added.

The discussion came amid escalating hostilities in Ukraine, with Russian forces launching an overnight attack involving 87 Shahed drones and various types of missiles.

The assault followed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s announcement of a “victory plan,” which he plans to present at the Oct. 12 Ramstein group meeting, where nations supplying arms to Ukraine will gather.

Zelensky’s plan, which includes Ukraine’s NATO membership and the provision of long-range missiles, was shared with US President Joe Biden last week.

Zelensky praised Ukraine’s troops for their resilience, stating that their capabilities were enhanced with sufficient weaponry. He urged Ukraine’s allies to take more decisive action to accelerate the end of the conflict.

“(The troops) demonstrate what Ukrainians are capable of when they have enough weapons and sufficient range,” he said in a statement on social media.

“We will keep convincing our partners that our drones alone are not enough. More decisive steps are needed — and the end of this war will be closer.”


Saudi FM meets with Solomon Islands officials in Riyadh

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan receives the Prime Minister of the Solomon Islands Jeremiah Manele. (SPA)
Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan receives the Prime Minister of the Solomon Islands Jeremiah Manele. (SPA)
Updated 06 October 2024
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Saudi FM meets with Solomon Islands officials in Riyadh

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan receives the Prime Minister of the Solomon Islands Jeremiah Manele. (SPA)
  • An agreement on mutual exemption from short-stay visa requirements for holders of diplomatic, special, and official passports was signed between the two countries

RIYADH: Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan received the prime and foreign ministers of the Solomon Islands Jeremiah Manele and Peter Shanel Agovaka in Riyadh on Sunday.

During the meeting, the officials reviewed relations between the Kingdom and the Solomon Islands and ways to enhance and develop them in various fields.

They also discussed intensifying joint coordination on many issues of interest to the two countries.

An agreement on mutual exemption from short-stay visa requirements for holders of diplomatic, special, and official passports was signed between the two countries during the meeting.

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan receives  Commonwealth Secretary-General Patricia Scotland in Riyadh on Sunday. (SPA)

Prince Faisal also met with Commonwealth Secretary-General Patricia Scotland separately on Sunday.

During the meeting, the officials discussed opportunities to enhance Saudi-Commonwealth cooperation and topics of common interest.


Riyadh hosts forum on Arabic language computing

Riyadh hosts forum on Arabic language computing
Updated 06 October 2024
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Riyadh hosts forum on Arabic language computing

Riyadh hosts forum on Arabic language computing
  • The event drew participants from local, regional, and international institutions, along with researchers from 22 countries
  • he conference aims to foster collaboration between computational experts and linguists

RIYADH: The King Salman Global Academy for Arabic Language launched its third international conference on Sunday in Riyadh, called “Arabic Language Computing and Linguistic Data Enrichment.”

The event drew participants from local, regional, and international institutions, along with researchers from 22 countries, who focused on computational linguistics, computer science, and the Arabic language.

The conference aims to foster collaboration between computational experts and linguists, bridging knowledge gaps and showcasing key projects in Arabic language computing.

It seeks to enrich Arabic language datasets to enhance artificial intelligence models and support Arabic language processing.

Abdullah Al-Washmi, the academy’s secretary-general, spoke of the need to improve academic practices in the Arab world and provide a platform for discussing challenges and opportunities in linguistic data quality and accessibility.

Topics include machine learning, speech-to-text conversion, and automated text recognition, as well as the use of computational linguistics in Arabic language learning, digital dictionary techniques, and linguistic corpus analysis.

Dr. Abdulaziz Al-Mahyobi, an associate professor of computational linguistics at Imam Mohammad ibn Saud Islamic University, said that research would result in more objective and precise language analysis results.

He noted that automation eliminated subjective guesswork, leading to reliable and verified outcomes.

Al-Mahyobi added that automating language processing could revolutionize machine translation, error detection, speech recognition, and text compression and indexing.

He said that Arabic’s structured morphological, syntactical, and lexical systems made it particularly suited for advanced digital processing.