Day: July 24, 2024

Eight sailors were killed when a fishing ship sank off the Falkland Islands in the South Atlantic Ocean. There were 27 people on board, including 8 Russian citizens and 10 Spaniards, according to Spanish media. A government delegation from Galicia, a region located in northwestern Spain, reported from the Falkland Islands maritime authorities that there were '14 survivors, eight dead and five missing.' For its part, the maritime authorities in the Falkland Islands have not yet announced any death toll following the sinking of the boat "Argus Georgia" due to a strong storm, which had 27 crew members on board. Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albarez said that "ten passengers of Spanish origin were on board," adding that "some of them were scientists." Two Spanish citizens were killed and two others were missing, according to the authorities of the Galicia region, from which the two deceased sailors came. The British newspaper "The Guardian" said, "Among the crew members were 10 Spanish citizens, inclu ding the captain, and local media reported that the boat was also carrying crew members from Russia, Indonesia, Uruguay and Peru." The government of the Falkland Islands, a small archipelago in the South Atlantic Ocean whose sovereignty is disputed by the United Kingdom and Argentina, announced that rescue operations were underway. The Galician authorities said that "all the survivors are in good health and only a small number of minor injuries were reported," noting that the survivors are on their way to Port Stanley, the capital of the archipelago, to be admitted to the King Edward VII Memorial Hospital. Source: National Iraqi News Agency

Riyadh will host the 12th session of the Gulf Municipal Works Conference on the theme of 'Sustainable Municipal Work' from October 6 to 8, 2024. The event will have official participation from the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries and representation from various government agencies, institutions, and companies related to municipal affairs. The conference is under the patronage of the Minister of Municipalities and Housing, Majed Al-Hogail. The main focus of the conference and the accompanying exhibition is to emphasize the role of urban planning and design in enhancing the sustainability of municipal work. Additionally, it aims to highlight the significance of economic resources in utilizing information technology and geographical applications to ensure the continuity of municipal work. The event will also showcase distinguished experiences, practices, partnerships, and notable research in the field of municipal work sustainability. Furthermore, it will help identify the necessary skills required for human resources to achieve sustainability in municipal business. The conference invites government agencies specializing in municipal affairs, municipalities in the GCC countries, city development bodies, universities, research centers, and relevant institutions to participate by submitting working papers via the following link: https://www.gmwconference.com/web/submi-entries. Source: Saudi Press Agency

The Undersecretary of the Ministry of Interior for Police Affairs, Lieutenant General Adel Abbas Al-Khalidi, discussed with the Czech Ambassador to Iraq, Petr Štepanek, the strengthening of bilateral relations between the two countries, especially security ones. The Ministry of Interior stated in a statement: 'The meeting discussed, in the presence of the Director of Arab and International Cooperation in the Ministry, Major General Alaa Ashour, strengthening bilateral relations, especially security relations between the two countries, as well as exchanging experiences in combating organized crime and others.' Al-Khalidi pointed out that the efforts of the Iraqi Ministry of Interior are focused on strengthening its relations with various friendly and brotherly countries and global security institutions, in a way that serves the interests of countries and strengthens global security. Source: National Iraqi News Agency

The National Competitiveness Center (NCC) has meticulously crafted four comprehensive guides for specialists and stakeholders involved in legislative undertakings in the Kingdom, designed to raise the quality of legislative and regulatory work. These guides aim to foster an environment conducive to progress by promoting collaborative efforts and helping the country's economy and development. One guide, disseminated via the "Estitlaa" platform", provides an extensive framework for drafting legislative proposals for systems or regulations. It includes detailed guidelines and prescribed tasks to be adhered to in the process of formulating a proposal, starting with the presentation of the initial idea, formulation of legal obligations, assessment of the status of the proposal, jurisdiction, initial framework, legislative structure, comparative analyses, anticipated impact of the proposal and strategies for submitting the proposal for public feedback, and to the relevant authority. The aim is to ensure the prop osal's quality and equip government agencies personnel with the necessary expertise to carry out these tasks proficiently. Another guide focuses on the provision of legal consultations. It aims to optimize the preparation and delivery of legal advice, which is a foremost responsibility of government agencies legal departments. It offers insights into the fundamental factors that should be deliberated upon while providing legal counsel, and delineates the various stages involved in its delivery. Helping conduct comprehensive studies on the subject matter and source relevant materials in preparation for the legal opinion, the guide also emphasizes the importance of preserving and archiving those materials, setting up a robust mechanism for providing counsel and adhering to industry best practices. The Guide to Judicial Representation for Government Entities focuses on the comprehensive representation of entities in a variety of litigations and disputes before pertinent authorities. It has two segments, one ta ckling representation before national and international judicial bodies, and arbitration and dispute settlement mechanisms, the other delving into an entity's dispute and incorporating a compilation of tasks, best practices, and suitable strategies tailored to the nature of the dispute. The fourth guide meticulously reviews draft laws and regulations and furnishes legal departments with a strategic methodology for articulating well-founded opinions. The objective is to empower government agencies legal departments to effectively review and express their points of view on draft laws and regulations, thus contributing to the improvement of the legislative environment. The guide also equips government departments with structured protocols and tools to extract and convey informed perspectives. The meticulous preparation of these guides is grounded in NCC's objectives of strengthening the Kingdom's legal environment and elevating its global standing in pertinent indicators and reports. Through comprehensive s tudies, identification of hurdles and challenges encountered by both public and private sectors, and the proposal of solutions and initiatives, NCC is committed to advancing the Kingdom's competitiveness by deploying best practices and methodologies. Source: Saudi Press Agency

Fishermen in the Eastern Province are preparing for the launch of the 2024 shrimp season, which begins on August 1 and lasts for six months. The shrimp fishing will take place along the Arabian Gulf coasts of the Eastern Province, stretching some 1,000 kilometers from Khafji Governorate in the north to Uqair Governorate in the south. For the 2024 season, 710 fishing boats have been authorized, including large and small fishing boats. These are distributed as follows: 30 fishing boats at the Manifa port, 20 fishing boats at the Safaniya port, 330 fishing boats at the Jubail port, 160 fishing boats at the Qatif port, and 170 fishing boats at the Darin Island port. The Director of the Eastern Province Branch of the Ministry of Environment, Water, and Agriculture, Eng. Fahd bin Ahmed Al-Hamzi, stressed to the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) that the Eastern Province welcomes the shrimp season starting on August 1 each year and lasting for six months. He noted that the ministry has provided all services for fishermen, facilitated their tasks, reduced the time required to issue shrimp fishing permits, and made it possible to access these permits through any electronic means. Al-Hamzi pointed out that the projects and initiatives by the ministry for Saudi fishermen in the Eastern Province include an initiative to establish and develop fishing ports in the region, a project to supply and install engines for fishing boats, and a project to supply Emergency Position-Indicating Radio Beacons (EPIRB) for small fishing boats operated by Saudi fishermen. Source: Saudi Press Agency

Turkish intelligence announced the killing of a prominent leader of the Kurdistan Workers' Party and two of his companions using a drone on the outskirts of the city of Sulaymaniyah in northern Iraq. Turkish intelligence stated in a media circular today, Wednesday, that the leader of the Workers' Party organization called Omar Firat, nicknamed Tolhildan, was in charge of the organization in Sulaymaniyah Governorate, and while he was touring the city of Sulaymaniyah, he was accompanied by Irfan Zandi, an Iranian national, nicknamed 'Raman Rinas,' and Hidayat Rasoul, nicknamed ' Ganjavar Michael, was pursued with the aim of getting rid of him outside the city. Turkish intelligence indicated that it used one of the drones when Omar Furat and his two companions left the city of Sulaymaniyah in a special vehicle. The target was hit and Furat and his two companions were killed in that strike. Turkish intelligence confirmed that most of the PKK militants withdrew to Sulaymaniyah Governorate as a result of Turkish intelligence and armed forces operations in northern Iraq. Source: National Iraqi News Agency

The King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSrelief) provided treatment services to 17,543 children suffering from acute malnutrition in Kandahar Province, Afghanistan, from May 2023 to May 2024. These treatments were provided in cooperation with the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) and the Afghanistan Humanitarian Trust Fund (AHTF), which is managed by the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB). The project involved distributing ready-to-use therapeutic foods to children aged between six months and five years through health centres across Kandahar Province at the cost of $953,301. The Afghanistan Humanitarian Trust Fund, managed by the Islamic Development Bank, delivers humanitarian aid, meets basic needs, and promotes self-reliance and development in Afghanistan. The fund was created following a decision by the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation at its 17th extraordinary session held on December 19, 2021, in Islamabad, Pakistan. These efforts are part of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's ongoing support for the Afghan people in various humanitarian areas through the centre. Source: Saudi Press Agency

A pharmacist assistant was killed by gunfire in front of his house in the Nimrud district, southeast of Mosul. A source in the Nineveh Police told the National Iraqi News Agency (NINA) that 'a civilian working as a pharmacist's assistant was killed last night by shooting from a Kalashnikov rifle in front of his house in the village of Kani in the Nimrud district (southeast of Mosul),' noting that 'the victim is called Mahmoud Fathi Al-Nuaimi and works in a hospital.' Fever in Mosul He added, "The security forces arrested the perpetrator hours after the crime occurred and handed him over to the police for investigation and to present him to the Iraqi judiciary. Source: National Iraqi News Agency

The Saudi Stock Exchange main index ended trading lower today, losing 4.33 points to close at 12101.21 points. The total value of trading reported was SAR6 billion. The Saudi Parallel Market Index (NOMU) ended the day by gaining 173.13 points to close at 26337.13 points, valued at SAR69 million. The total number of shares traded was 4 million. Source: Saudi Press Agency

Civil defense teams in Nineveh Governorate announced the recovery of two bodies belonging to two children who were victims of ISIS under the rubble of Al-Jumhawi Hospital in right side of Mosul. A source in the Nineveh Police told the National Iraqi News Agency (NINA) that 'rescue teams affiliated with the Civil Defense in Nineveh were able to find the bodies of two children from under the rubble of Al-Jumhuri Hospital during the removal of the rubble from the hospital to begin its reconstruction,' noting that 'the security forces handed the two bodies over to the forensic medicine office in Mosul with an official report.' Source: National Iraqi News Agency