Arab-Islamic Ministerial Committee holds talks on Gaza with French foreign minister in Paris

Senior members of the Arab-Islamic Ministerial Committee met on Friday with French foreign minister Jean-Noel Barrot in Paris to discuss the ongoing crisis in the Gaza Strip and efforts to advance peace in the region. (SPA)
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Senior members of the Arab-Islamic Ministerial Committee met on Friday with French foreign minister Jean-Noel Barrot in Paris to discuss the ongoing crisis in the Gaza Strip and efforts to advance peace in the region. (SPA)
Senior members of the Arab-Islamic Ministerial Committee met on Friday with French foreign minister Jean-Noel Barrot in Paris to discuss the ongoing crisis in the Gaza Strip and efforts to advance peace in the region. (SPA)
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Senior members of the Arab-Islamic Ministerial Committee met on Friday with French foreign minister Jean-Noel Barrot in Paris to discuss the ongoing crisis in the Gaza Strip and efforts to advance peace in the region. (SPA)
Senior members of the Arab-Islamic Ministerial Committee met on Friday with French foreign minister Jean-Noel Barrot in Paris to discuss the ongoing crisis in the Gaza Strip and efforts to advance peace in the region. (SPA)
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Senior members of the Arab-Islamic Ministerial Committee met on Friday with French foreign minister Jean-Noel Barrot in Paris to discuss the ongoing crisis in the Gaza Strip and efforts to advance peace in the region. (SPA)
Senior members of the Arab-Islamic Ministerial Committee met on Friday with French foreign minister Jean-Noel Barrot in Paris to discuss the ongoing crisis in the Gaza Strip and efforts to advance peace in the region. (SPA)
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Senior members of the Arab-Islamic Ministerial Committee met on Friday with French foreign minister Jean-Noel Barrot in Paris to discuss the ongoing crisis in the Gaza Strip and efforts to advance peace in the region. (SPA)
Senior members of the Arab-Islamic Ministerial Committee met on Friday with French foreign minister Jean-Noel Barrot in Paris to discuss the ongoing crisis in the Gaza Strip and efforts to advance peace in the region. (SPA)
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Senior members of the Arab-Islamic Ministerial Committee met on Friday with French foreign minister Jean-Noel Barrot in Paris to discuss the ongoing crisis in the Gaza Strip and efforts to advance peace in the region. (SPA)
Senior members of the Arab-Islamic Ministerial Committee met on Friday with French foreign minister Jean-Noel Barrot in Paris to discuss the ongoing crisis in the Gaza Strip and efforts to advance peace in the region. (SPA)
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Senior members of the Arab-Islamic Ministerial Committee met on Friday with French foreign minister Jean-Noel Barrot in Paris to discuss the ongoing crisis in the Gaza Strip and efforts to advance peace in the region. (SPA)
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Updated 23 May 2025
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Arab-Islamic Ministerial Committee holds talks on Gaza with French foreign minister in Paris

Arab-Islamic Ministerial Committee holds talks on Gaza with French foreign minister in Paris
  • Delegation includes Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan and his Jordanian and Egyptian counterparts Ayman Safadi and Badr Abdelatty
  • Discussions focus on coordinated international efforts to end war in Gaza, ensure the uninterrupted delivery of humanitarian aid and halt ongoing Israeli violations

PARIS: Senior members of the Arab-Islamic Ministerial Committee held talks with French foreign minister Jean-Noel Barrot in Paris on Friday about the ongoing crisis in the Gaza Strip and efforts to advance peace in the region.

The delegation that visited the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs was led by the Saudi foreign minister, Prince Faisal bin Farhan, and included his Jordanian and Egyptian counterparts Ayman Safadi and Badr Abdelatty.

Their discussions with Barrot focused on coordinated international efforts to end the war in Gaza, ensure the uninterrupted delivery of humanitarian aid, and halt ongoing violations by Israeli occupation forces against the Palestinian people and the occupied territories, breaches that have been described as contraventions of international law and humanitarian norms, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

They also talked about ways in which joint diplomatic action might be intensified to promote a just and lasting peace, with an emphasis on the implementation of a two-state solution in line with international resolutions.

Other topics included the preparations for a high-level international conference on the two-state solution, which is scheduled to take place at the UN headquarters in New York in June and will be jointly chaired by Saudi Arabia and France.


National Defense University holds graduation ceremony

National Defense University holds graduation ceremony
Updated 24 sec ago
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National Defense University holds graduation ceremony

National Defense University holds graduation ceremony

RIYADH: A graduation ceremony for the graduates of the defense ministry’s National Defense University was held in Riyadh under the patronage of Saudi Minister of Defense Prince Khalid bin Salman.

Upon his arrival, the Saudi Press Agency reported, the defense minister was received by Vice Minister of Defense Prince Abdulrahman bin Mohammed bin Ayyaf; Chief of General Staff Lt. Gen. Fayyad bin Hamed Al-Ruwaili; adviser to the minister of defense for intelligence affairs Hisham bin Abdulaziz bin Seif; and director of the National Defense University, Maj. Gen. Mohammed Al-Ruwaili.

Prince Khalid watched a visual presentation about the university’s programs to train and qualify military and civilian leaders studying at the university. He also reviewed developmental activities and events reflecting the university’s institutional development plans.


King Abdulaziz University highlights academic programs, global partnerships at NAFSA 2025

King Abdulaziz University highlights academic programs, global partnerships at NAFSA 2025
Updated 6 min 17 sec ago
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King Abdulaziz University highlights academic programs, global partnerships at NAFSA 2025

King Abdulaziz University highlights academic programs, global partnerships at NAFSA 2025
  • San Diego event gathers more than 8,000 education professionals from over 100 countries

RIYADH: King Abdulaziz University is taking part in NAFSA 2025 in San Diego: The Association of International Educators’ Annual Conference and Expo.

It forms part of a Saudi Ministry of Education delegation featuring 12 universities.

Running until Friday, the event has gathered more than 8,000 education professionals from over 100 countries.

KAU is showcasing its academic programs, research achievements, and global collaboration initiatives, with a focus on innovation, talent attraction, and joint academic ventures.

The university is also promoting the Study in Saudi Arabia platform, which aims to establish the Kingdom as a top destination for international students.

Tareef Al-Aama, the president of KAU, said the Kingdom’s higher education sector was undergoing a transformative phase under Vision 2030, supported by strong leadership and strategic planning.

He also emphasized KAU’s commitment to global engagement, academic excellence, and expanding international partnerships.


How Saudi Arabia is leveraging AI to strengthen cybersecurity and combat cybercriminals

How Saudi Arabia is leveraging AI to strengthen cybersecurity and combat cybercriminals
Updated 22 min 38 sec ago
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How Saudi Arabia is leveraging AI to strengthen cybersecurity and combat cybercriminals

How Saudi Arabia is leveraging AI to strengthen cybersecurity and combat cybercriminals
  • Generative AI enables hyper-realistic phishing, voice cloning, and deepfakes, making scams harder to detect
  • Saudi Arabia’s National Cybersecurity Authority offers a toolkit to help bolster digital protection across sectors

RIYADH: As generative artificial intelligence reshapes industries and transforms daily life, it is also fueling a new generation of cybercrime — smarter, faster, and harder to detect. Across the Gulf region, governments and tech leaders are working hard to stay one step ahead. 

At the heart of this regional defense is Saudi Arabia’s National Cybersecurity Authority and its Cybersecurity Toolkit, which offers a template to shield critical infrastructure and public services from digital threats.

“The Cybersecurity Toolkit offers public and private sector organizations a comprehensive suite of tools to enhance cyber readiness and reduce cyber risks,” Zainab Alamin, vice president of national digital transformation at Microsoft Arabia, told Arab News.

Available in Arabic and English, the toolkit is part of the NCA’s mission to embed cyber resilience across the Kingdom.

But the NCA’s efforts go beyond templates. Its national cybersecurity portal, HASEEN, helps manage and develop cyber services, while the CyberIC Program cultivates homegrown expertise to defend Saudi systems from evolving threats.

“Recognizing the importance of public awareness, the authority also launched the National Cybersecurity Awareness Campaign, which aims to raise cybersecurity awareness among all segments of society,” said Alamin.

And the investment is substantial. “Saudi Arabia has significantly increased its investment in cybersecurity, with spending reaching SR13.3 billion ($3.5 billion) in 2023, underscoring the Kingdom’s commitment to safeguarding its digital infrastructure,” she added.

But while Saudi Arabia is stepping up, so are cybercriminals. Generative AI has made it drastically easier to forge realistic emails, clone voices, and generate deepfake videos, giving fraudsters a dangerous new edge.

“As AI models improve, the output becomes more authentic, contextually accurate, and emotionally manipulative — making it increasingly difficult for traditional detection systems and even well-informed users to distinguish real from fake,” said Alamin.

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Gone are the clumsy phishing emails littered with typos. Today’s scams are polished and personalized. “AI is transforming impersonation scams by making them more convincing, more scalable, and harder to detect,” said Alamin.

Microsoft Arabia’s latest Cyber Signals report revealed the extent to which criminals are exploiting generative AI.

“In this new wave of fraud, AI is being used to produce everything from hyper-realistic images and fake videos to cloned voices, personalized phishing messages, and even entire fraudulent websites,” said Alamin.

The threat is not theoretical. “Imagine receiving a voicemail that sounds exactly like your manager asking you to urgently transfer funds, or an email that looks and reads just like one from your bank, complete with branding and a personalized message,” said Alamin.

“These are no longer far-fetched scenarios; they are happening right now.”

Deepfakes can hijack video calls. Voice clones mimic family members or executives. Even phishing links now use language models to tailor tone and content.

“Thousands of phishing emails can now be tailored with just a few prompts, mimicking tone, language, and even regional nuances,” said Alamin.

In response, Microsoft is deploying its own AI-powered defenses. From April 2024 to April 2025, its systems blocked $4 billion in fraud attempts and prevented over 49,000 fraudulent partnership enrolments.

“We also work closely with law enforcement and industry partners to share threat intelligence and combat criminal misuse of AI,” said Alamin. “Scammers are evolving fast, but so are we.”

Microsoft’s platforms, such as Defender for Cloud and Entra, use AI to detect and neutralize cyber threats across email, chat, and cloud infrastructure.

DID YOU KNOW?

• Generative AI enables hyper-realistic phishing, voice cloning, and deepfakes, making scams harder to detect.

• Gulf nations are aligning cybersecurity strategies with global standards amid rising risks and shared digital ambitions.

• Saudi Arabia’s National Cybersecurity Authority offers a toolkit to help bolster digital protection across sectors.

Edge, the company’s browser, now offers typo and domain impersonation protection, as well as a “Scareware Blocker” to shut down alarming pop-up scams.

“In addition, our identity and access management tools, like Microsoft Entra, help organizations enforce Zero Trust principles, ensuring that no one is trusted by default, whether human or AI-generated,” said Alamin.

Yet the battle is not just technical — it’s also behavioral. “In the age of AI-assisted scams, both individuals and organizations need to adopt a more proactive, layered approach to cybersecurity. This means combining technology, awareness, and policy to build digital resilience.”

Education remains key. “Scammers often try to short-circuit your judgment with fear or pressure. A perfect example of this is ‘limited-time’ deals and countdown timers when online shopping,” said Alamin.

Other signs of AI-generated deception include overly formal language, generic greetings, or unusual phrasing. “If something ‘feels’ off, trust your instincts and immediately stop engaging,” she added.

For deepfakes and voice clones, look for unnatural lip-sync, poor lighting, or glitchy visuals. Subtle typos in domain names or email addresses can also be giveaways. And always verify communications that involve sensitive information — especially money.

“If you receive a call, video, or email that seems unusual — even from someone you know — double-check it via another trusted channel,” said Alamin. “Also, avoid direct bank transfers or cryptocurrency payments, which lack fraud protections.”

Saudi Arabia is not alone in its response. Gulf nations, from the UAE to Oman, are advancing cybersecurity frameworks aligned with global standards. The UAE recently launched its Green Bond and Sukuk Framework, with cybersecurity embedded in its digital finance architecture. 

Microsoft’s regional partnerships reflect this shared urgency to modernize defenses without stifling innovation.

“Tools that generate text, synthesize voice, or create hyper-realistic imagery can empower innovation in education, accessibility, and customer service,” said Alamin. “However, in the wrong hands, they can be weaponized for scams, misinformation, and manipulation.”

That dual-use challenge is at the heart of the cybersecurity conundrum. “A key challenge is intent. AI doesn’t have ethics, but its users do.”

 


Saudi Arabia unveils robotic surgery and PET-CT scanner to boost Hajj healthcare services

Saudi Minister of Health Fahad Abdulrahman AlJalajel visits King Abdullah Medical City in Makkah. (Supplied)
Saudi Minister of Health Fahad Abdulrahman AlJalajel visits King Abdullah Medical City in Makkah. (Supplied)
Updated 29 May 2025
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Saudi Arabia unveils robotic surgery and PET-CT scanner to boost Hajj healthcare services

Saudi Minister of Health Fahad Abdulrahman AlJalajel visits King Abdullah Medical City in Makkah. (Supplied)
  • Developments are in line with the Kingdom’s Vision 2030, which emphasizes innovation and excellence in healthcare, ministry said

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia has introduced robotic surgery at King Abdullah Medical City in Makkah, the Kingdom’s Ministry of Health said on Thursday.

The new robotic system marks a major advancement in healthcare services provided to Hajj pilgrims and will support procedures in thoracic surgery, urology, and oncology, enabling greater surgical precision and faster recovery for patients.

The initiative is part of the Ministry of Health’s efforts to leverage technology to improve the quality and efficiency of care delivered during the annual pilgrimage.

The hospital has also launched the first-ever PET-CT scanner within the ministry’s hospitals in the western region.

The diagnostic tool allows for early detection of cancers, cardiovascular diseases, and neurological disorders, significantly enhancing diagnostic capabilities.

These developments are in line with the Kingdom’s Vision 2030, which emphasizes innovation and excellence in healthcare, the ministry said.

The expansion of high-tech medical services during Hajj reflects Saudi Arabia’s continued commitment to ensuring the health and safety of pilgrims from around the world.


India’s parliamentary delegation meets Saudi officials, underscores strong position against terrorism

India’s parliamentary delegation meets Saudi officials, underscores strong position against terrorism
Updated 29 May 2025
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India’s parliamentary delegation meets Saudi officials, underscores strong position against terrorism

India’s parliamentary delegation meets Saudi officials, underscores strong position against terrorism
  • Delegation met a cross-section of political dignitaries, government officials, thought leaders and members of the Indian community
  • Delegation held an extensive interaction with the Indian diaspora organized by the Indian Embassy in Riyadh

RIYADH: An all-party parliamentary delegation from India visited Riyadh to convey the country’s firm stance against terrorism and its continued efforts to combat it.

The delegation is visiting various countries to convey India’s response to terrorism in the aftermath of the military campaign, “Operation Sindoor.”

During the Riyadh visit, from May 27-29, the delegation met a cross-section of political dignitaries, government officials, thought leaders and members of the Indian community.

Led by BJP MP Baijayant Panda, the delegation held an extensive interaction with the Indian diaspora organized by the Indian Embassy in Riyadh on Thursday. The delegation shared with them the national consensus in the fight against terrorism.

Praising the Indian community, Panda said: “Our Indian diaspora in Saudi Arabia continues to make India proud through its success, contributions and standing in local society. Today, we are here with you to share India’s united national stance, the success of Operation Sindoor, and our unwavering commitment to combat cross-border terrorism with a zero-tolerance approach.”

On Wednesday, the all-party delegation had discussions with Adel Al-Jubeir, minister of state for foreign affairs, and underscored India’s position.

The Indian delegation appreciated the support received from the political leadership in Saudi Arabia in condemning the terrorist attack in Pahalgam.

Delegates reiterated India’s policy of zero tolerance toward terrorism, highlighting what Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in his speech earlier this month: “This is certainly not the era of war but this is also not the era of terrorism.”

It also held a meeting with Dr. Mishaal Al-Sulami, deputy speaker of the Shoura Council, and Maj. Gen. Abdulrahman Alharbi, chairman of the Saudi-India Parliamentary Friendship Committee of the Shoura Council, and conveyed India’s strong position against terrorism.

It expressed deep gratitude for Saudi Arabia’s strong condemnation of the terrorist attack in Pahalgam.

The delegation also met Dr. Mushabab bin Ayed Al-Qahtani, director general of the Prince Saud Al-Faisal Institute of Diplomatic Studies, and held discussions with the Institute on India’s approach to countering terror.

In all the meetings, the Indian delegation underlined that India has received unwavering support from Saudi Arabia on issues related to counter-terrorism. Both countries will continue to work together in their efforts toward de-radicalization and curbing extremism.

On Wednesday night, the Indian Embassy hosted a dinner interaction with distinguished personalities from Saudi civil society, which gave an opportunity for further discussions on countering terrorism as well as broader topics related to the India-Saudi bilateral partnership.