AlUla Dates Festival Auction continues its festivities

AlUla Dates Festival Auction continues its festivities
The festival provides date farmers with an opportunity to showcase their products to buyers and investors from within the Kingdom and around the world. (SPA)
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Updated 19 September 2024
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AlUla Dates Festival Auction continues its festivities

AlUla Dates Festival Auction continues its festivities

ALULA: The AlUla Dates Festival Auction enters its second week on Friday as the annual event gets into full swing.

Organized by the Royal Commission for AlUla in partnership with government and private entities, the weekly auctions are held near Al-Iskan Stadium, south of AlUla, and run until Nov. 9.

The festival provides date farmers with an opportunity to showcase their products to buyers and investors from within the Kingdom and around the world. It also aligns with AlUla Vision and Saudi Vision 2030, which aims to establish the Kingdom as the world’s leading exporter of dates.

Farmers taking part in the festival are also competing for the AlUla Auction Award for Dates 2024, which offers a prize of SR75,000 ($20,000) to the winner, SR50,000 to the runner-up and SR30,000 for third place.

The winners will be chosen based on the quantity and value of their sales and other criteria.


Saudi Arabia condemns Israel’s decision to confiscate UNRWA headquarters

Saudi Arabia condemns Israel’s decision to confiscate UNRWA headquarters
Updated 50 sec ago
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Saudi Arabia condemns Israel’s decision to confiscate UNRWA headquarters

Saudi Arabia condemns Israel’s decision to confiscate UNRWA headquarters
  • Kingdom’s stressed the support for UNRWA’s humanitarian mission to provide relief to Palestinian refugees.

Riyadh: Saudi Arabia condemned the illegal decision by the Israeli authorities to seize the land housing of the headquarters of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) in East Jerusalem and to transform the site into a colonial outpost.
In a statement issued on Sunday, the Saudi foreign ministry called the move illegal and reiterated the Kingdom’s rejection of the “blatant Israeli violations of international laws and resolutions without deterrence, and its systematic political and military targeting of the UN agencies, its aid organizations and workers.”
It stressed the Kingdom’s support for UNRWA’s humanitarian mission to provide relief to Palestinian refugees.
Israel’s Land Authority was reportedly in the preparatory stages of a plan to confiscate UNRWA’s site and build 1,440 settlement units.


Saudi Arabia opens ‘air bridge’ to fly aid to Lebanon

Saudi Arabia opens ‘air bridge’ to fly aid to Lebanon
Updated 13 October 2024
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Saudi Arabia opens ‘air bridge’ to fly aid to Lebanon

Saudi Arabia opens ‘air bridge’ to fly aid to Lebanon

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia launched an “air bridge” to transport medical supplies and food aid to Lebanon on Sunday.

The plane that left from King Khalid international airport in Riyadh carried more than 40 tons of relief materials to support those affected by the war in Lebanon.

The Saudi aid plane is also accompanied by a relief team for rescue operations.

Since September 23, Israel has launched an intense air campaign mainly targeting Hezbollah strongholds in Lebanon, killing more than 1,150 people and displacing upwards of a million people.

The United Arab Emirates, Turkiye, Iraq, Egypt, Jordan, Romania and France are also among the countries that have sent aid to Lebanon.


Saudi Arabia participates in G7 health ministers’ meeting in Italy

Saudi Arabia participates in G7 health ministers’ meeting in Italy
Updated 12 October 2024
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Saudi Arabia participates in G7 health ministers’ meeting in Italy

Saudi Arabia participates in G7 health ministers’ meeting in Italy

ANCONA: Saudi Arabia took part in a meeting of health ministers in Ancona, Italy, focusing on global health priorities this week at the invitation of the Group of Seven (G7) countries.

Topics included antimicrobial resistance, the intersection of health and climate, and prolonging human life, all aimed at strengthening international efforts to tackle these challenges, Saudi Press Agency reported on Saturday.

Rakan bin Khalid bin Duhaish, Assistant Undersecretary for International Cooperation, who was representing the Saudi delegation, emphasized the urgent need to address antimicrobial resistance, calling for increased international collaboration.

He also announced that the Kingdom would host the fourth high-level ministerial conference on antimicrobial resistance in Jeddah on Nov. 15 and 16.

Duhaish further highlighted the impact of climate change on public health, stressing the Kingdom's commitment to working with global partners to enhance the resilience of health systems.

Saudi Arabia’s participation at the G7 underscores its pivotal role in shaping global health strategies and reflects international trust in its initiatives to promote public health and health security worldwide.


Saudi Arabia leads Arab environmental talks in Jeddah

Saudi Arabia leads Arab environmental talks in Jeddah
Updated 12 October 2024
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Saudi Arabia leads Arab environmental talks in Jeddah

Saudi Arabia leads Arab environmental talks in Jeddah
  • The Kingdom’s hosting of these meetings highlights “its leading role in promoting joint Arab environmental action at national, regional and international levels”

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia will host the 35th session of the Council of Arab Ministers Responsible for the Environment from Oct. 13 to 17 in Jeddah.

The event is organized by the Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture in cooperation with the Arab League.

The agenda for the 35th session includes discussions on environmental challenges and nature-based solutions, the implementation of decisions taken in previous sessions, and international environmental agreements.

It will also address Arab cooperation on desertification, biodiversity and climate issues, cooperation with the G20 Global Land Initiative, progress on the Middle East Green Initiative, Arab participation in the COP16 conference in Riyadh, and various environmental topics submitted by participating countries.

The Kingdom’s hosting of these meetings highlights “its leading role in promoting joint Arab environmental action at national, regional and international levels,” according to the Saudi Press Agency.

 


Saudi Arabia expands cloud seeding for water security

Saudi Arabia expands cloud seeding for water security
Updated 12 October 2024
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Saudi Arabia expands cloud seeding for water security

Saudi Arabia expands cloud seeding for water security
  • New aircraft and tech aim to enhance rainfall, sustainability, combat drought

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Environment, Water and Agriculture Abdulrahman Al-Fadhli launched new programs in Dammam on Saturday, focusing on localizing knowledge, aircraft, and advanced technologies for the Regional Cloud Seeding Program.

The event highlighted the program’s achievements since its first phase in 2022 and introduced new aircraft and technologies for rain enhancement, soon to be operational.

These advancements aim to strengthen technical and human capacities, in line with the Saudi and Middle East Green initiatives for sustainability.

Al-Fadhli, chairman of the National Center of Meteorology, emphasized that the program aims to develop local expertise, ensure sustainability, expand coverage, and enhance cloud seeding efficiency.

The program also focuses on reducing aircraft operating costs and increasing the effectiveness of cloud seeding operations.

Ayman Ghulam, CEO of the National Center of Meteorology and general supervisor of the program, stressed that the program is crucial for water security and natural resource sustainability by utilizing global technologies to improve climate conditions and rainfall.

Ghulam noted significant milestones, including the first rain-seeking flight in April 2022, and ongoing research to optimize weather elements in Saudi Arabia, complementing the Saudi and Middle East Green initiatives.

Ayman Al-Bar, executive director of the program, reviewed its objectives, progress, and research, highlighting the impact on water content and vegetation cover.

The program has completed six phases, with 444 flights and over 1,400 flight hours, deploying 8,753 rain-seeding flares to generate 5 billion cubic millimeters of rainfall.

Launched as an outcome of the Middle East Green Initiative Summit, the program aims to increase rainfall, expand vegetation cover, and address climate challenges, desertification, and drought. Initial operations began in Riyadh, Hail and Qassim.