King Salman pays sacrificial animal expenses for 3,322 pilgrims

Saudi Arabia’s King Salman. (File/SPA)
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Updated 17 June 2024
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King Salman pays sacrificial animal expenses for 3,322 pilgrims

  • The pilgrims are all guests of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Program for Hajj, Umrah and Visit and are from 88 countries

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s King Salman has paid the expenses for the sacrificial animals of 3,322 Hajj pilgrims at his own expense, Saudi Press Agency reported on Monday.

The pilgrims are all guests of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Program for Hajj, Umrah and Visit and are from 88 countries.

Most pilgrims are required to slaughter an animal as a reminder of the sacrifice that Prophet Ibrahim was prepared to offer — of his son, Ismail — as a mark of absolute submission to God.

The Minister of Islamic Affairs, Dawah, and Guidance Sheikh Dr. Abdullatif bin Abdulaziz Al Al-Sheikh considered the gesture an extension of the king’s generosity toward all Muslims.


How Saudi Arabia is helping the developing world cook clean and breathe easy

Updated 09 August 2025
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How Saudi Arabia is helping the developing world cook clean and breathe easy

  • Nearly 4 million people die each year from diseases linked to indoor air pollution caused by cooking with dirty fuels
  • Saudi Arabia launched a $2 billion fund to provide clean alternatives to 750 million people, saving lives and cutting emissions

RIYADH: In many parts of the world, the simple act of cooking dinner can be deadly. Across sub-Saharan Africa and parts of Asia, millions of families rely on open fires and traditional stoves that burn wood, charcoal, or kerosene — methods that fill homes with toxic smoke, worsen environmental degradation, and contribute significantly to global greenhouse gas emissions.

While such practices are rare in Saudi Arabia, the Kingdom is taking a leading role in tackling this silent crisis abroad. With nearly 4 million premature deaths each year linked to indoor air pollution from cooking, the stakes could not be higher.

According to the World Bank, traditional cooking fuels contribute 2 percent of all global carbon dioxide emissions and a staggering 58 percent of black carbon emissions — pollutants known to accelerate climate change and damage human health.

The problem is particularly acute in sub-Saharan Africa, where the International Energy Agency says 960 million people — nearly three-quarters of the population — lack access to clean cooking alternatives. Globally, more than 2 billion people still cook using polluting methods, exposing themselves and their families to harmful smoke on a daily basis.

“A third of people on the planet lack access to clean fuels, instead cooking on polluting open fires or simple stoves fuelled by kerosene, biomass (wood, animal dung and crop waste) and coal,” according to the World Economic Forum.

“Inhaling these toxic fumes kills more people than malaria — and women are disproportionately affected.”

DID YOU KNOW?

• In many developing countries, women and children spend around 10 hours each week gathering firewood for household cooking.

• Efficient stoves can cut fuel consumption by up to 60 percent, significantly lowering indoor pollution and carbon emissions.

• The Clean Cooking Alliance says cleaner cooking technology reduces the risk and severity of respiratory illness in young children.

The health risks are severe. The World Health Organization estimates that household air pollution from cooking causes respiratory infections, heart disease, stroke, and cancer — all leading to early mortality.

“Millions of people are dying of heart disease, stroke, cancer, pneumonia, because they still rely on dirty fuels and cooking technologies,” Dr. Maria Neira, director of the environment, climate change and health department at the WHO, told Equal Times.

“Women and children are particularly at risk. They spend most of their time in and around the home.”

An Indian woman cooks food for the family as they take refuge in a railway compartment of a goods train as they lost all household items due to floods in Maliya town, Ahmedabad, India, on July 23, 2017. (AFP/File)

Beyond the human cost, the environmental toll is immense. Firewood and charcoal harvesting drive deforestation, while incomplete combustion releases methane and other potent greenhouse gases.

The IEA estimates that expanding access to clean cooking solutions could eliminate up to 1.5 gigatons of carbon dioxide emissions in just five years — and 900 million tons of that could come from sub-Saharan Africa alone.

“Provision of clean cooking for all is recognized as a critical cross-sectoral development issue,” Dr. Yabei Zhang of the World Bank Clean Cooking Fund said in a report for the World Bank’s Energy Sector Management Assistance Program.

From the the 2022 study by the Sahel Adaptive Social Protection Program and World Bank Group titled "Determinants of Childhood Undernutrition in the Sahel."

“The potential societal benefits are enormous, particularly for public health, women’s productivity and empowerment, and the environment.”

To help bridge this gap, Saudi Arabia has stepped up. At the 2021 Future Investment Initiative, held shortly after the launch of the Middle East Green Initiative, Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman unveiled plans for a $2 billion fund to provide clean cooking fuel to over 750 million people worldwide.

“This stems from the idea of creating a fund where we aim to mitigate health issues of people who use biomass to cook food,” he said, according to Saudi financial news outlet Argaam.

That vision has since taken shape through various international projects to promote cooperation on sustainable fuel solutions.

One of these is the Empowering Africa initiative, a Saudi program, announced during the MENA Climate Week conference in Riyadh in 2023, focused on providing clean energy, connectivity, e-health, and e-education solutions to communities across Africa.

Launched by Saudi Arabia’s Oil Sustainability Program with the support of the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology and the Ministry of Health, the initiative builds on the Middle East Green Initiative’s Clean Fuel Solutions for Cooking Program.

It aims to improve lives and promote sustainable development in Africa by addressing energy access, digital inclusion, and healthcare challenges, and includes the provision of electric stoves to rural communities.

The initiative reflects the Kingdom’s commitment to tackling global environmental and social challenges, while fostering public engagement and strengthening international regulatory cooperation in the pursuit of a more sustainable future.

While the road ahead is long, the message from Riyadh is clear: Clean cooking is not just a matter of convenience — it is a public health imperative, a climate solution, and a human right. And Saudi Arabia is determined to help light that fire.
 

 


Saudi foreign minister discusses planned Israeli escalation in Gaza with counterparts

Updated 08 August 2025
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Saudi foreign minister discusses planned Israeli escalation in Gaza with counterparts

  • Prince Faisal bin Farhan speaks to France, Egypt, EU

RIYADH: Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan held a series of calls on Friday with his counterparts in France, Egypt, and the EU to discuss the worsening situation in Gaza, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

In talks with French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot, and Kaja Kallas, the EU’s foreign policy chief, Prince Faisal stressed the need to halt Israeli violations and starvation tactics against Gaza’s population.

During his call with Egypt’s Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty, Prince Faisal highlighted the urgent need to stop ongoing Israeli attacks and bring an end to the humanitarian catastrophe unfolding in the area.

The calls came amid mounting regional concern over the deepening crisis in Gaza.

Saudi Arabia on Friday strongly condemned Israel’s declared intention to consolidate its military occupation of Gaza, calling it a blatant violation of international law and a continuation of “barbaric practices and ethnic cleansing” against Palestinians.

In a statement on Friday, the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs denounced Israel’s systematic displacement, inhumane policies, and what it described as war crimes.

The Kingdom warned that such actions further destabilize the region and undermine global efforts to achieve lasting peace.

The condemnation follows Israel’s approval of a plan to assume full control over Gaza City, a move that marks a new phase in its military campaign, now in its 22nd month following the Hamas-led attack on Oct. 7, 2023.


Saudi deputy foreign minister receives Chinese ambassador

Updated 08 August 2025
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Saudi deputy foreign minister receives Chinese ambassador

  • A wide range of mutually beneficial topics were discussed between the two parties, including ways to strengthen and develop Saudi-Chinese relations

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia's Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Waleed bin Abdulkarim Elkhereiji met with China’s ambassador to the Kingdom, Chang Hua, in Riyadh on Thursday.

Both parties reviewed Saudi-Chinese relations, explored ways to further strengthen and develop them in line with the aspirations of their respective countries, and discussed many topics of mutual interest.

 


Saudi authorities thwart massive Captagon smuggling attempt at Al-Haditha

Updated 08 August 2025
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Saudi authorities thwart massive Captagon smuggling attempt at Al-Haditha

  • Over 400,000 pills seized hidden in livestock shipment
  • Border Guard also confiscated 100,800 pills in Jazan

RIYADH: The Zakat, Tax and Customs Authority at Al-Haditha border crossing successfully thwarted an attempt to smuggle 406,395 amphetamine pills, under the brand name Captagon, concealed in a livestock shipment.

In an official statement posted on X on Friday ZATCA explained: “Upon customs procedures and inspection using security techniques and live equipment, the pills were found hidden inside the sheep’s fur.”

After the seizure, coordination was made with the General Directorate of Narcotics Control to ensure the arrest of the intended recipients of the contraband in the Kingdom who were subsequently apprehended, added the authority.

ZATCA affirmed its commitment to tightening customs control over the Kingdom’s imports and exports and to confronting smuggling attempts.

This is in line with the most prominent pillars of its strategy, which is to enhance the security and protection of society by limiting attempts to smuggle such pests and other prohibited items.

The authority called on citizens and residents to contribute to combating smuggling and protect society and the national economy by contacting it on the dedicated security reporting number (1910), via email (1910@zatca.gov.sa), or by calling the international number (009661910).

Through these channels, the authority receives information related to smuggling crimes and violations of the provisions of the Unified Customs Law with complete confidentiality, and a financial reward is granted to those providing the tip-off if the information provided is accurate.

Meanwhile the Border Guard land patrols in the Ad-Daer sector in Jazan region also thwarted the smuggling of 100,800 Captagon pills. The seized contraband handed over to the relevant authorities. 

Security authorities urged people to provide information they may have about smuggling by calling (911) in Makkah, Madinah, Riyadh, and the Eastern Province, (999) and (994) in the rest of the Kingdom, or by calling the General Directorate of Narcotics Control’s reporting number (995), or by email (995@gdnc.gov.sa). All reports will be handled with complete confidentiality.


KSA society committed to reviving extinct art forms

Updated 08 August 2025
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KSA society committed to reviving extinct art forms

  • In the Al-Baha region, a rich artistic heritage is being brought to life
  • It reflects their aspirations to connect with an authentic civilization

AL-BAHA: In the southern regions of the Kingdom, folk arts differ from one area to the next, with the region’s cultural and geographical diversity fostering a rich array of styles and expressions unique to each area.

In the Al-Baha region, a rich artistic heritage is being brought to life, blending culture and tradition in a way that resonates with the tastes of both visitors and residents.

It reflects their aspirations to connect with an authentic civilization that has flourished through the ages, passed down from generation to generation, from fathers to grandfathers.

The Director of the Cultural Society branch, Ali Khamis Al-Baydani, said that the region is home to 12 folklore groups, bringing together more than 350 members and participants from across its governorates.

He added that the society is committed to documenting and reviving extinct art forms such as Al-Harmooj, Al-Mahshoush, Al-Samer, Al-Laab, Al-Mashabani, Tariq Al-Jabal and Al-Majlisi.

He added that the branch organizes dedicated festivals for these arts, ensuring their presence in the region’s national, social and tourism events.