Coalition denies allegations of handing over Houthi leader's brother's body

Update Coalition denies allegations of handing over Houthi leader's brother's body
The official spokesman for the coalition forces, Brigadier General Turki Al-Maliki. (File/SPA)
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Updated 03 December 2024
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Coalition denies allegations of handing over Houthi leader's brother's body

Coalition denies allegations of handing over Houthi leader's brother's body

The official spokesman for the coalition forces, Brigadier General Turki Al-Maliki, refuted on Tuesday claims regarding the handover of the body of a Houthi leader's brother.

In a press statement, Al-Maliki emphasized that the coalition treats the issue of prisoners, detainees, and the recovery of fighters' bodies as a strictly humanitarian matter. He urged all parties to refrain from politicizing such issues.

Al-Maliki described the Houthi leader's allegations, which were circulated by Houthi-affiliated websites, as inaccurate and lacking credibility. He clarified that the process of recovering and handing over bodies occurred in June 2023. During this operation, the coalition recovered the remains of nine Saudi soldiers and 20 Yemeni army personnel, while returning the bodies of 57 Houthi fighters killed along the border.

He further stated that such misleading claims may have been made for internal reasons related to the Houthis. Al-Maliki also noted that the name mentioned in the Houthi statement was not included in negotiations to recover bodies and suggested it is possible the individual in question was killed in regional conflicts unrelated to the coalition.


KSrelief sends urgent aid to Pakistan’s flood-hit province

KSrelief sends urgent aid to Pakistan’s flood-hit province
Updated 51 sec ago
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KSrelief sends urgent aid to Pakistan’s flood-hit province

KSrelief sends urgent aid to Pakistan’s flood-hit province

RIYADH: The Kingdom’s humanitarian agency KSrelief has sent urgent aid to Pakistan in response to the recent floods in the nation’s northwest Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Thursday.

The convoy had set off on Wednesday from Islamabad in the presence of Saudi Arabia’s Ambassador to Pakistan Nawaf bin Said Al-Malki, Pakistan’s Minister for Inter-Provincial Coordination Rana Sanaullah Khan, and other officials.

Al-Malki said King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman had ordered the aid to help needy people in the crisis-hit region.


Reef Saudi backs Al-Ahsa lime exhibition Lomi Hasawi

Reef Saudi backs Al-Ahsa lime exhibition Lomi Hasawi
Updated 49 min 53 sec ago
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Reef Saudi backs Al-Ahsa lime exhibition Lomi Hasawi

Reef Saudi backs Al-Ahsa lime exhibition Lomi Hasawi
  • The Sustainable Agricultural Rural Development Program supports farmers and other producers

RIYADH: The agricultural development program Reef Saudi is backing Lomi Hasawi, an exhibition dedicated to the lime fruit that grows in the Al-Ahsa region of Saudi Arabia.

Reef Saudi, formally known as the Sustainable Agricultural Rural Development Program, which is participating as a gold sponsor, is a government entity supporting the industry’s development in the Kingdom.

The lime is grown widely in the Eastern Province, particularly in the Al-Ahsa Oasis, and locals have been farming it for centuries.

The Lomi Hasawi Exhibition, organized by the Al-Ahsa Chamber, runs from Aug. 21 until Sept. 6.

Reef Saudi spokesman Majed Al-Buraikan said the program, which supports producers, had provided SR342,000 ($91,000) to the lime sector in the province, benefiting 89 farmers.

And that support has boosted production to over 122,400 tonnes, he told the Saudi Press Agency recently.

The fruit sector is a key focus for the program, which aims to diversify local agricultural production, raise efficiency, and contribute to achieving self-sufficiency, in line with the goals of Saudi Vision 2030, according to the SPA.


Saudi Arabia’s Jubail Industrial City operates world’s largest smart irrigation network

Saudi Arabia’s Jubail Industrial City operates world’s largest smart irrigation network
Updated 21 August 2025
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Saudi Arabia’s Jubail Industrial City operates world’s largest smart irrigation network

Saudi Arabia’s Jubail Industrial City operates world’s largest smart irrigation network
  • Jubail irrigation network has pipelines running over 11,600km
  • Protects environment and combats climate change, says official

JUBAIL: Jubail Industrial City operates the world’s largest integrated smart irrigation system, which is helping to protect the environment, the Saudi Press Agency reported recently.

Citing information from the Royal Commission for Jubail and Yanbu, the report stated that the system is managed by a unified control center that includes more than 12,200 smart devices, and processes about 1.2 million signals daily.

Safar Alnutayfat, the RCJY’s operation and maintenance manager, said:  “The system serves as a national model aligned with the goals of Saudi Vision 2030 for environmental sustainability, advancing digital transformation in resource management, and activating smart cities with high efficiency.”

Alnutayfat explained that the commission manages a vast irrigation network extending over 11,600 km of pipelines.

RCJY's unified control center that manages the irrigation system has more than 12,200 smart devices, processing about 1.2 million signals daily. (SPA)

With the use of the smart system, the commission has reduced operation and maintenance costs by over 35 percent, while recycling treated water for irrigation at about 2.8 million cubic meters per month, he said.

Alnutayfat said the system, which is in line with the goals of the Saudi and Middle East green initiatives, rationalizes consumption of natural resources, increases vegetation cover, and combats climate change in the area.

RCJY's unified control center that manages the irrigation system has more than 12,200 smart devices, processing about 1.2 million signals daily. (SPA)

 


Saudi FM speaks to Emirati, Qatari, and Bahraini counterparts

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan. (SPA)
Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan. (SPA)
Updated 20 August 2025
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Saudi FM speaks to Emirati, Qatari, and Bahraini counterparts

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan. (SPA)

RIYADH: Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan held separate phone calls with his counterparts from the UAE, Qatar, and Bahrain on Wednesday, Saudi Press Agency reported.  

During the phone calls with UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani, and Bahraini Foreign Minister Abdullatif bin Rashid Al-Zayani, Prince Faisal discussed the latest regional and international developments and issues of common interest. 


Mental health center emphasizes importance of psychological support for students

Mental health center emphasizes importance of psychological support for students
Updated 20 August 2025
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Mental health center emphasizes importance of psychological support for students

Mental health center emphasizes importance of psychological support for students
  • Family’s role, school’s institutional responsibility, students’ proactive steps also crucial

RIYADH: Eradah Mental Health Complex has emphasized the critical need for psychological support for students returning to classrooms in the coming weeks, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Wednesday.

Eradah identified several factors crucial to good mental health: the family’s role, the school’s institutional responsibility, and proactive steps from students themselves.

Families must help cultivate reassurance through structured home environments, the center said.

Parents should also involve children in preparations for school and exhibit enthusiasm for learning, while encouraging independence and social connections, it added.

Schools also bear equal responsibility in creating psychologically safe environments in which mistakes are treated as natural learning components rather than grounds for punishment, Eradah added.

The Riyadh-based center said that educators needed to praise effort regardless of outcomes, and deploy interactive teaching methods to reduce academic stress.

Another important responsibility included monitoring behavioral changes for early intervention, it said.

Family partnerships should be established for student support and comparisons that foster negative competition should be rejected and learning differences respected, Eradah added.

Students are urged to approach the academic year as a new opportunity by setting realistic goals, maintaining positive relationships with peers and teachers, and balancing studies with recreation through organized schedules.

Eradah emphasized that schools and teachers now hold unparalleled influence over the mental health of students, describing their role as fundamental and no less important than families in building resilient personalities.