Saudi aid agency sends food to Sudan, clears mines in Yemen

Saudi aid agency sends food to Sudan, clears mines in Yemen
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Updated 18 February 2025
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Saudi aid agency sends food to Sudan, clears mines in Yemen

Saudi aid agency sends food to Sudan, clears mines in Yemen
  • 30,000 food baskets to Sudan’s Sennar state, 536 mines cleared from war-ravaged Yemen

RIYADH: The Kingdom’s aid agency KSrelief has sent 30,000 food baskets to vulnerable people in Sudan’s Sennar state, the Saudi Press Agency reported recently.

The program seeks to support those displaced by the civil war, which is now approaching the two-year mark.

KSrelief’s food-security program helps people returning to their homes in the states of Gezira, Khartoum, Red Sea, Sennar, and White Nile.

Separately, the Saudi Project for Landmine Clearance, known as Masam, removed 536 mines from war-ravaged Yemen during the second week of February.

The cleared ordnances included nine anti-personnel mines, 48 anti-tank mines, 478 unexploded ordnance, and one improvised explosive device, the SPA reported.

“Up to 5 million people are estimated to have been forced to flee their homes since the beginning of the conflict in Yemen — many of them displaced by the presence of landmines on their land,” stated the project in a release on Monday.

A total of 481,766 explosive devices have been removed from Yemeni territory since the project’s inception in 2018.


Muslim World League chief meets Afghan ministers in Kabul

Updated 11 sec ago
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Muslim World League chief meets Afghan ministers in Kabul

Muslim World League chief meets Afghan ministers in Kabul
  • Officials emphasize that religious tolerance must be reflected in Muslim conduct

KABUL: Dr. Mohammed bin Abdulkarim Al-Issa, secretary-general of the Muslim World League and chairman of the Organization of Muslim Scholars, conducted high-level meetings with senior Afghan officials during his visit to Kabul.

Al-Issa met Afghan Foreign Minister Mawlawi Amir Khan Muttaqi. Discussions centered on strengthening solidarity and promoting Islamic values worldwide. Key topics included the imperative to present Islam’s true character through its principles of justice, rights protection, moderation and universal compassion.

The officials emphasized that religious tolerance, as outlined in the Qur’an, Sunnah and prophetic traditions, must be reflected in Muslim conduct at both individual and community levels.

The dialogue addressed contemporary challenges facing these objectives, particularly conflicting scholarly interpretations on critical issues that should unite the Muslim community.

Officials referenced the significance of the “Makkah Document” and the “Document for Building Bridges Between Islamic Schools of Thought,” while highlighting the crucial role of the league’s Islamic Fiqh Council as the premier jurisprudential body serving the Islamic nation’s muftis and senior scholars.

The meeting stressed the importance of promoting religious awareness through wisdom and sound guidance, while preventing those who exploit such discrepancies — whether deliberately or through ignorance — from damaging Islam’s image and fueling Islamophobic sentiments.

Al-Issa commended the Afghan government’s counter-terrorism efforts during the talks.

In a separate meeting, Al-Issa held discussions with Afghan Interior Minister Khalifa Sirajuddin Haqqani, focusing specifically on Afghanistan’s fight against terrorist organizations.

Both officials underscored that Islamic unity carries profound significance, while division and discord threaten Muslim solidarity and tarnish Islam’s reputation. They agreed that such damage far outweighs any perceived benefits some scholars might identify in jurisprudential matters that rank below this paramount Islamic goal, adhering to the established principles of weighing benefits against potential harm recognized across all Islamic schools of thought.

 


Saudis make electronic chips at KACST

Saudis make electronic chips at KACST
Updated 24 July 2025
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Saudis make electronic chips at KACST

Saudis make electronic chips at KACST
  • Chips are distinguished by their potential applications in various fields, such as electronics, wireless and high-frequency communications
  • Design of the chips involved researchers from the national laboratory, along with a number of students from four Saudi universities

RIYADH: King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology has designed and produced 25 advanced electronic chips which had been developed in laboratories by Saudis for training, research, and development purposes. The achievement is part of the establishment’s efforts to support and empower the semiconductor ecosystem in the Kingdom.

The chips are distinguished by their potential applications in various fields, such as electronics, wireless and high-frequency communications, integrated circuits, energy-efficient lighting, and miniaturized sensing systems, in addition to industrial and research applications in measurement and testing.

The design of the chips involved researchers from the national laboratory, along with a number of students from four Saudi universities. It formed part of the initiatives integral to the Saudi Semiconductors Program, which aims to qualify national talents in this vital field.


Saudi FM holds telephone call with Eritrean counterpart

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan and his Eritrean counterpart Osman Saleh Mohammed. (File/AFP)
Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan and his Eritrean counterpart Osman Saleh Mohammed. (File/AFP)
Updated 24 July 2025
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Saudi FM holds telephone call with Eritrean counterpart

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan and his Eritrean counterpart Osman Saleh Mohammed. (File/AFP)

RIYADH: Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan held a telephone call with his Eritrean counterpart Osman Saleh Mohammed on Thursday, Saudi Press Agency reported. 

During the call, the two ministers reviewed relations between their countries and ways to enhance them. They also discussed regional and international issues of common interest.


Saudi Border Guard, SCIHL drive humanitarian progress at Riyadh event

Saudi Border Guard, SCIHL drive humanitarian progress at Riyadh event
Updated 24 July 2025
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Saudi Border Guard, SCIHL drive humanitarian progress at Riyadh event

Saudi Border Guard, SCIHL drive humanitarian progress at Riyadh event
  • Introduction to International Humanitarian Law course was organized by SCIHL
  • Three-day course took place at the Border Guard headquarters and included a series of specialized lectures

RIYADH: A course aiming to promote awareness of international humanitarian law and enhance its implementation in Saudi Arabia took place on Wednesday in Riyadh.

The Introduction to International Humanitarian Law course was organized by the Kingdom’s national Standing Committee of International Humanitarian Law, or SCIHL, in partnership with the General Directorate of Border Guard, with the participation of more than 500 military and civilian personnel.

The three-day course took place at the Border Guard headquarters and included a series of specialized lectures addressing key topics such as cyber operations within the framework of international humanitarian law and the role of civilian and military media in times of armed conflict.

The program also featured a high-level panel discussion titled “The Importance of Enforcing International Humanitarian Law at the National Level,” delivered by a select group of experts.

SCIHL secretary-general counselor, Abdullah Al-Ruwaili, told Arab News that the diverse attendance reflected the high level of confidence participants place in the professionalism of the organizing bodies, particularly the SCIHL and the General Directorate of Border Guards.

Al-Ruwaili said that the relevance and timing of the course — amid escalating challenges related to conflicts and emerging technologies — were key factors behind the significant turnout.

The diversity of the course’s themes — encompassing legal, cyber and media aspects — played a key role in drawing a wide audience of practitioners and stakeholders, according to the secretary general. The interactive approach and the participation of prominent experts fostered a rich environment for dialogue and the exchange of expertise, Al-Ruwaili said.

He said that confidence in the professionalism of the organizing bodies and their commitment to the quality of content and outcomes were among the key factors behind the engagement and positive feedback from participants.

The joint organization of the course by the SCIHL and the Border Guard stands as a distinguished example of national institutional synergy in the implementation of international humanitarian law, he added.

By combining the committee’s legal and academic expertise with the directorate’s provision of a practical, field-based setting for in-depth dialogue, the initiative successfully integrated theoretical frameworks with real-world application — substantially enhancing the quality and impact of the training content, Al-Ruwaili said.

“This collaboration stands as a testament to the Border Guard’s dedication to strengthening its capabilities in accordance with international humanitarian values and principles. It represents a leading example of synergy between legal and security institutions — one that holds potential for broader application across various sectors,” Al-Ruwaili said.


Is it a bird, is it a plane? No — it’s a Saudi aviation athlete

Is it a bird, is it a plane? No — it’s a Saudi aviation athlete
Updated 24 July 2025
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Is it a bird, is it a plane? No — it’s a Saudi aviation athlete

Is it a bird, is it a plane? No — it’s a Saudi aviation athlete
  • What started as a hobby earned Faisal Al-Olayan a place in the national paragliding team

RIYADH: Most people live their lives on the ground, but Faisal Al-Olayan chose the sky.

The Saudi aviation athlete, this week’s guest on The Mayman Show, is an aerospace engineer, pilot, skydiver and a member of the Kingdom’s national paragliding team. Most of us travel, but he chases storms, soars above mountains and dives into clouds in ways most of us only dream about. 

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From experiencing rain that “almost stops the heart” mid-flight to emotional moments when he completed his wingsuit training in Russia, Al-Olayan lives life one adrenaline rush at a time. His story is not so much about escaping gravity, as about finding freedom within it.

“I started having fun in flying because my mom, when I was young, she was telling me (I was) half bird. And when I started with this mentality, I started to do all of my activities in the sky. I started from graduating with sports until I am here with the national team,” said Al-Olayan.

He began paramotoring in 2019, a form of ultralight aviation using a paraglider wing and a motor worn as a backpack.

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“I started to train (in) paramotoring here in Riyadh,” he recalled. “A paramotor is basically a parachute, but you have an engine (on) your back and you can foot-launch from anywhere.”

He then planned to do his pilot training in the US, but the global pandemic and resulting lockdowns put paid to that.

Al-Olayan loves to travel and has visited 67 countries to date.

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“I started to take my paraglider with me to fly from mountains, I was getting more experience with this sport as a paraglider. And this is what makes me continue in all of those aerial sports,” he said.

His role as an aerospace engineer also plays a big part in his experiences in the air.

“If you want to start to fly, you have to know aerodynamics … you have to know how the wind (is) flying and all of those things,” he explained.

It also helped him become a fast learner and understand what was happening when he flew.

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“There are two kinds of pilots. There is an experienced one and there is (an) experience and no physics one … it’s like driving … you know how to drive the car, but you don’t know anything about the car, you don’t know about the engine,” he said.

Al-Olayan added that was what made him fall in love with paramotoring and other sports.

“I even built my own paramotor. I was designing it, everything with my specifications and things like that,” he said. “And all of that happened when I studied at KFUPM (King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals) in Dhahran.”

For five years, he did nothing but study until he obtained his degree in aerospace engineering. After that, he started taking part in competitions, doing well enough to earn his place in Saudi Arabia’s national paragliding team, run by the Saudi Paragliding Federation.

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“Shaheen (is) the name of the paragliding organization. And that was like … a new chapter for me because to compete is something — you’re holding your name — but now you compete with the Saudi name … bringing your flag and your clothes, and everyone is seeing you as a Saudi athlete,” he explained.

“It’s not like Faisal, the old one, is coming to compete. In the competitions that I was in, (I) was less nervous and less pressured. But when I was going with the national team, it was much, much more pressure. But for me, I enjoyed it a lot because it was more exciting.”