Day: June 3, 2023

A 5.9-magnitude earthquake struck in the Gulf of Aden region on Saturday, the US Geological Survey said. The earthquake struck at a depth of 10 km (6.21 miles), the USGS said.

Source: National News Agency - Lebanon

Navy Commander Rear Admiral Shahram Irani revealed that Iran's navy and regional countries, including Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, and Iraq will establish a new naval coalition soon. During a televised interview, he added that the aforementioned countries have acknowledged that intra-regional cooperation can establish regional security. The top Iranian commander highlighted that almost all of the countries in the North Indian Ocean region have agreed to stand by Iran and exert strained efforts to establish security with significant synergy. In further detail, he stated that Oman, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, Iraq, Pakistan, and India are among these countries. This comes after seven years of strained diplomatic relations, prompting China to broker an agreement on the restoration of ties between Saudi Arabia and Iran and the reopening of their embassies and diplomatic missions. It is worth noting that Iran has constantly affirmed that relations with neighbors are a priority in the Iranian government's foreign policy

Source: National News Agency - Lebanon

Caretaker Minister of Culture Muhammad al-Murtada left Lebanon for Syria on an official visit at the invitation of his Syrian counterpart, Dr. Labna Mashouh. The two ministers will discuss ways to activate cultural cooperation between the two brotherly countries. They will also attend a choral evening performed

Source: National News Agency - Lebanon

The member states of the MENA Region of the Global Research Council (GRC) have voted to re-elect the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia as their representative on the GRC Governing Board. This decision was made during the council's 11th annual meeting in The Hague, The Netherlands.

The President of King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST) and the General Supervisor of the founding team of the Research, Development and Innovation Authority, Dr. Munir Eldesouki, will continue to represent Saudi Arabia at the GRC. The re-election of Eldesouki reaffirms the Kingdom's prominent position in the scientific and research fields and its commitment to fostering cooperation among research centers in the MENA region.

This achievement is a testament to the unwavering support of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, and His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince, Prime Minister and Head of the Higher Committee of Research, Development and Innovation.

During the annual meeting, which took place from May 29 to June 2, Eldesouki chaired a meeting of the heads of research councils from the MENA region. He also participated in a panel discussion on the funding of climate change research. Additionally, the Kingdom presented a working paper on the challenges and opportunities faced by the research councils in the MENA region.

The Saudi delegation actively engaged in various sideline meetings, including those of the GRC's Executive Committee and the International Consultative Committee

Source: Saudi Press Agency

The 119th regular session of the Executive Council of the Arab League Educational, Cultural, and Scientific Organization (ALECSO) commenced today in Tunis.

The meeting gathered representatives from member states, Arab and international bodies, and organizations in Tunisia, along with representatives from the Arab League. Leading the meeting was the Kingdom's representative and Chairman of the Executive Council, Hani bin Moqbel Al-Moqbel. Also present were the Director General of ALECSO, Mohamed Ould Omar, and the Secretary-General of the Saudi National Commission for Education, Culture, and Science (SNC), Ahmed bin Abdulaziz Al-Bulahid.

During the session, the Executive Board of ALECSO commended the success of the "Future of Education, Science, and Culture International Organizations Forum (FESCIOF)," held in Riyadh last March. They expressed appreciation to the Saudi leadership for hosting the conference for two consecutive terms and recognized the efforts of the SNC in ensuring its international success.

In his speech, Al-Moqbel stated that ALECSO and SNC organized the FESCIOF conference in Riyadh under the slogan "Together for impact in the 21st century." He emphasized that the Kingdom aimed for a new transformative phase characterized by an international perspective, a future-oriented framework, and a comprehensive vision. This made the initiative, tools, and leadership of the conference truly exceptional, particularly as it was the first of its kind since the inception of the organization over 50 years ago.

The two-day session will cover various agenda items, including monitoring the implementation of decisions made during previous sessions and assemblies. Additionally, discussions will focus on the educational, cultural, and scientific conditions in Palestine, the threats faced by Jerusalem, and the review of reports and recommendations from specialized ministerial conferences.

Furthermore, proposals from member states will be examined, including the Kingdom's proposal to launch the ALECSO Forum for Business and Partnerships, as well as the Arab Observatory Center for Translation project.

Source: Saudi Press Agency

Prince Fahd bin Mansour bin Nasser bin Abdulaziz has been appointed as the representative of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia at the G20 Young Entrepreneurs' Alliance (G20 YEA). G20 YEA is a global network comprising young entrepreneurs and the organizations that support them. It was launched during India's presidency of the G20.

The G20 YEA serves as the first official group specializing in startups. It convenes annually before the G20 Summit to emphasize the significance of young entrepreneurs to the G20 member states. Additionally, it shares recommendations with them to enhance the sector.

Prince Fahd bin Mansour highlighted the remarkable growth of the Kingdom's entrepreneurship sector and its substantial contributions to the national economy.

He credited this achievement to the unwavering support of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, and HRH Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, the Crown Prince.

Source: Saudi Press Agency

The head of the National Wisdom Movement, Ammar al-Hakim, affirmed that there is a will to pass the financial budget bill in Parliament.

Al-Hakim said in the Baghdad Diwan to the youth elites that "the youth segment is an important energy if it is used well, and also a dangerous challenge if we do not manage it well," stressing that "Iraq can only be compared to itself by virtue of the conditions and crises it lived through and the smooth transition from a totalitarian dictatorial regime to a pluralistic democratic system, and this transition between these two models of the two systems has a tax on the internal and external levels.

He indicated that sectarianism is not a societal product, but rather a political product to achieve political gains, adding that coexistence is a destiny and not a choice between a group of options, and that the Iraqis surrounded sectarianism in a record period, indicating that the first victim of terrorism is the true Islamic religion, which suffered from the consequences of terrorism ".

Al-Hakim praised the youth generation that is devoid of illnesses and sediments of the past and its desire for coexistence and harmony, adding that the National Wisdom Movement was established to express youth, their desires and aspirations, and that five generations of youth have graduated so far, and we support any youth success story.

He pointed out that "Iraq is experiencing unprecedented security, political, social, and even economic and service stability, due to the reconstruction and service revolution that the provinces are witnessing, as terrorism directly destroyed cities and stopped the reconstruction process in other regions, and that the budget represents a political development with a will to pass it."

He explained, "The development road project is a project that will cherish the interests of Iraq with other countries, making its stability part of its national security, and we call for preserving the role that Iraq played and is playing in bringing the views of the regional parties closer from the angle that any regional stability falls under the category of Iraq."

He stressed, "Efforts must be combined to confront the challenge of drugs and strange ideas to our society, and we also call on young people to be proud of their homeland, culture and identity, and to take the political initiative, either by forming entities that express them or merging with political forces close to their interests."

He continued: "Our visits to the provinces come to visit and learn about the reality of the provinces and to maintain relations with our people, pointing out that Tishreen is a youth movement that had true demands, and the owners of these true demands must be differentiated from agendas that entered the line to achieve political gains."

Al-Hakim called, according to the statement, to remove the contradiction between the age specified for forming parties and the age for nomination. It is not reasonable to allow granting a license to establish a party to a person at the age of 25, while the age for nomination is 30 years.

Source: National Iraqi News Agency

The head of al-Nasr Coalition, Haider Al-Abadi, received in his office today, Saturday, the Minister of Youth and Sports, Ahmed Al-Mubarqa'.

During the meeting, according to a statement by his media office, the ministry's plans to advance the status of youth and sports were reviewed, focusing on the role of youth and their development through programs designed for this purpose, as well as paying attention to the sports sector, which occupies a large space in society.

Source: National Iraqi News Agency