Day: August 16, 2024

The King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSrelief) delivered a new shipment of essential hemodialysis solutions and supplies to the Fatima Babtain Medical Healthcare Center for kidney-failure patients in Sayoun District, Yemen. Yemeni Ministry of Health official Khaled Abdullah Al-Amri commended KSrelief's ongoing support for the Yemeni health sector. He emphasized the crucial role of such aid in improving healthcare services and alleviating the suffering of patients. The latest contribution is part of KSrelief's broader efforts to enhance healthcare infrastructure and provide life-saving treatments to vulnerable populations across Yemen. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia remains steadfast in its commitment to supporting the Yemeni people. Source : Saudi Press Agency

Riyadh will host the 24 Fintech Conference, the first edition of the international conference specialized in the financial technology sector. The conference will take place from September 3 to 5 at the Riyadh Front Exhibition and Conference Center, hosted by the Financial Sector Development Program, the Saudi Central Bank (SAMA), the Capital Market Authority, and the Insurance Authority. The conference is organized by Fintech Saudi and Tahaluf, a joint project between the Saudi Federation for Cybersecurity, Programming and Drones, Informa PLC, and the Events Investment Fund. The 24 Fintech Conference is set to focus on supporting the thriving financial technology community and review a number of specialized topics to develop the global banking and financial services sector, which includes AI, machine learning in financial operations, integrated finance, the development of open banking services, and green finance, to inspire regulators, policymakers, investors, technology experts, entrepreneurs and acade mics to advance cooperation in the financial technology sector. The 24 Fintech Conference aims to make a mark in the financial technology sector. It designates a space to support startups and investors under the "FinTech Innovation Center," which includes the best 80 modern and innovative startups and more than 200 investors. The conference integrates with Saudi Arabia's orientations to enhance the prosperity of the entrepreneurship system and support startups and its efforts to become one of the booming financial technology centres in the Middle East and North Africa region, in line with the goals of Saudi Vision 2030 in developing the sector. Source : Saudi Press Agency

At least one village was evacuated, and some houses have burned down after a wildfire spread near the residential centre of Turkiye's third largest city, Izmir, on Friday, the authorities have stated. According to dpa, no casualties have been reported as yet. Over 1,000 personnel are joining efforts to extinguish fires in the Dogancay neighbourhood of Bayrakli district, some 15 kilometres north of central Izmir, Sleyman Elban, Izmir Governor told reporters. The governor of Izmir added that strong winds have hindered firefighting from the air. Earlier on Friday, Irfan Onal, the mayor of Bayrakli, urged locals on the X platform to "evacuate their homes as soon as possible." The fire "unfortunately reached residential areas due to the wind," Irfan added. A dpa correspondent in the area reported plumes of thick smoke over central Izmir. Source : Saudi Press Agency

The Imam and Preacher of the Grand Mosque and Member of the Senior Scholars Council, Dr. Bandar bin Abdulaziz Balila, has visited the Abu Bakr Al-Siddiq Centre for Islamic Sciences and Modern Studies in Kampong Chhnang Province, Cambodia. This visit is part of his official visit to Cambodia, organised by the Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Dawah, and Guidance in collaboration with various official entities. Dr. Balila toured the centre's facilities, including auditoriums, classrooms, and an Islamic library, while he was briefed on the educational and cultural services it offers to the people of Cambodia. The director of the centre, Sheikh Hassan bin Saleh, expressed gratitude to the Kingdom's leadership for their ongoing efforts to support Islam and Muslims globally. He also acknowledged the development aid given to Cambodia and the opportunity for students to study through the scholarship program at Saudi universities. He highlighted that over 50 students pursue their education in Cambodia's official univ ersities or through the scholarship program at Saudi universities each year. He emphasised that this visit signifies the magnitude and depth of the relationship between the two countries and serves as a message to the people of Cambodia to promote the principles of tolerance and peace that originate from the Two Holy Mosques, which are the birthplace of divine revelation and the origin of the message. Dr. Balila commended the efforts of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and HRH the Crown Prince's commitment to serving Islam and supporting Muslims globally. He emphasised the crucial role played by Islamic centres in disseminating Islam's principles and inclusive teachings, which have greatly contributed to the religion's expansion. At the end of the visit, the Imam of the Grand Mosque presented a copy of the Holy Quran issued by the King Fahd Complex for the Printing of the Holy Quran in Madinah. Source : Saudi Press Agency

THIQAH Company participated in the Arabic Natural Language Processing Conference (ArabicNLP, 2024) hosted in the Thai capital, Bangkok, on August 16. The company presented a research paper in collaboration with King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) that reports new standards for evaluating the capabilities of language models to understand legal complexities. A press release by THIQAH outlines that this study is of significant importance given the rapid development of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies and the increasing need to develop tools capable of understanding different natural languages. It is expected that this study will contribute to enhancing the use of the Arabic language in scientific research and the development of AI applications that meet the needs of the Arab world. The study developed a new benchmark dataset named "ArabLegalEval," designed to assess large language models' abilities in comprehending Arabic legal texts. This new development represents a signif icant achievement in the field of linguistic research, as it will improve the performance of language models and the development of smarter applications. During the conference, THIQAH presented the standards established by the study and the expected significant advancements in evaluating the performance of AI systems that work on legal texts in Arabic. These standards allow developers and researchers to assess their models' ability to understand complex legal terms, extract relevant information from lengthy legal texts, and accurately answer legal questions. In December last year, KAUST and THIQAH signed a memorandum of understanding to revolutionize industries and unlock the potential for digital solutions. This partnership reflects THIQAH's commitment to fostering growth and business success in an ever-evolving digital age. The ArabicNLP 2024 conference, now in its second edition, is the premier annual event in the field of Arabic natural language processing. The conference was attended by a distingui shed group of researchers from around the world. It came in light of rapid developments in AI and the increasing need for digital solutions that accurately handle the Arabic language. Source : Saudi Press Agency

The AlUla Skies Festival will return for its third edition from September 26 to October 6, 2024, organizers announced today. The event, which blends natural beauty, historical significance, and celestial observation, is part of the broader AlUla Moments calendar. Known for its innovative programming, the festival has established AlUla as a global destination where ancient heritage and modern experiences converge. This year's event, organized by AlUla Moments and presented by Saudia Airlines, will feature a diverse range of activities, from hot air balloon rides to stargazing workshops. In addition to traditional festival offerings such as drone shows and light displays, visitors can participate in night walks, workshops for photographing the night sky, dining under the stars or relaxing with wellness treatments. The AlUla Skies Festival will also offer visitors a unique opportunity to explore AlUla's promising potential as a leading destination in the field of astronomical tourism, by highlighting the u pcoming AlUla Manara Observatory. The project will provide an immersive experience that showcases the splendor of the night sky and the allure of astronomy through the planetarium, which will be held for a limited period. AlUla Manara Observatory seeks to transform AlUla into a global center for astronomical observation in cooperation with local and international partners. Interested parties can find out all the details about the AlUla Skies Festival by visiting the designated link: experiencealula.com. Source : Saudi Press Agency

In conjunction with Saudi Arabia's submission of the bidding file to host the 2034 World Cup, the Saudi Arabian Football Federation (SAFF) has developed a roadmap to equip a generation to join the 2034 World Cup, which encompasses diverse projects and initiatives concerning team and technical management, to formulate Saudi teams that can attain the goals set over the next decade, and to advance the technical, physical, tactical and mental aspects of future generations involved in the sport. The SAFF announced last week the participation of the Saudi national team (born in 2008) in the Saudi Premier League under 17 years (born in 2007) as an additional team starting from the 2024-2025 sports season, under the supervision of the technical staff of the Green Juniors, in preparation for the 2025 AFC U-17 Asian Cup, which qualifies for the 2025 World Cup, and to participate in many regional tournaments such as the FIFA Arab Cup and the West Asian Football Federation Cup. The decision to have an additional team participate will not affect the points balance of the existing participating teams. The team training and some matches will be held at the Mahd Academy in Riyadh, taking into account the players' educational and family commitments. The SAFF also sent 27 talented under-16-year-old players from the Saudi national team to Spain to attend a traineeship for two seasons as part of the SAFF scholarship program to develop footballers, 'The Future Falcons', to equip them professionally through participation in friendly international tournaments, with the hope of developing professional level players to play in clubs abroad. Last July, Taif saw the conclusion of the first edition of the Regional Teams Championship under 13 years, which involved players born in 2010. Fourteen regional teams participated, represented by 258 players selected from public and private clubs, accredited academies, and regional training centres. The championship aimed to discover talented young players by selecting the most technically p rominent players at the youngest ages in the teams and working on their participation in many friendly tournaments and courses. This selection process provided promising players with the opportunity to hone and develop their skills. The first participation will be at the end of August in Spain, while the SAFF technical committee will hold the Regional Teams Championship for the following sports season for four age groups, from 11 to 14 years old, to reach the largest number of talented players of different age groups. In addition, four regional leagues for beginner players from 11 to 14 years old will be launched in the following sports season to recruit players born between 2010 and 2013. Through these leagues, regional teams will be formed to participate in the regional team championships in their new age groups for the next sports season. The SAFF Competitions Committee has worked on restructuring its competitions for age groups, targeting players from 11 to 18 years old to participate in 64 competit ions as part of the Saudi Football Transformation Strategy 2021. The committee has also worked on spreading competitions more broadly and ensuring the participation of different age groups in a larger number of matches to support national teams. As part of the talent discovery strategy, the SAFF carried out several talent festivals in various regions, supported by technical and team management, in coordination with the Ministry of Education. The SAFF has increased the number of regional training centres from 13 to 17 centres in various regions of the Kingdom to include players born between 2011 and 2014. To discover more talent in Saudi football, the SAFF is working to establish a FIFA program for schools. This program will register talented players in training centres and qualify school teachersin cooperation with the Ministry of Education. In continuation of developing players, the SAFF approved an initiative to support various age groups for the third consecutive season, with a budget estimated at SAR 75 million for public and private clubs and accredited academies. The initiative aims to cope with the changes in the structure of age group competitions, ensure steadfast progress in the work of clubs and academies, and improve outcomes. Source : Saudi Press Agency

Saudi Ambassador to Niger Zaid bin Makhlid Al-Harbi met today with Niger's Minister of Communication, Posts and Digital Economy Sidi Mohamed Raliou. During the meeting, they discussed topics of mutual interest. Source : Saudi Press Agency

The Jordanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates denounced the ongoing terrorist attacks on Palestinians by Israeli settlers, the most recent of which took place yesterday in the village of Jit, east of Qalqilya, leaving dozens injured as well as serious damage to Palestinian property, according to the Jordan News Agency Petra. Ambassador Sufian Qudah, the ministry spokesperson, blamed Israel for the attack on the village of Jit and for allowing settlers to carry out terrorist attacks. He emphasized that Israel, as the occupying power, is solely accountable for these violations and attacks because of its ongoing, aggressive, and unilateral measures that target the Palestinian people, their lands, and their homes by evicting Palestinians from their homes and building settlements. In keeping with the dangerous escalation seen in the Palestinian territories occupied by extremist settlers since the start of the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip, Ambassador Qudah reaffirmed Jordan's total rejection of these attacks and the escalation of settler terrorism against the Palestinian people. In a repeat of his appeal to the international community to accept responsibility and adopt a united front against Israel's persistent transgressions of international law, Qudah called on the international community to enact punitive measures to put an end to the terrorism of racist settlers. He also called for protection for the Palestinian people, meeting their rights to a sovereign state on June 4, 1967 lines, with east Jerusalem as its capital. Source : Saudi Press Agency

The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) issued a statement today in which it strongly denounced the escalating crimes carried out by extremist settlers in the occupied West Bank and is calling for those responsible to be held accountable. The OIC condemned the acts of organized terrorism and daily criminal activities perpetrated by extremist settler groups, who operate with the backing of Israeli occupation forces. The most recent appalling incident took place in the village of Jit, east of Qalqilya, where civilians were indiscriminately shot at, their properties destroyed, and homes, vehicles, and agricultural lands set ablaze, resulting in numerous casualties. Describing these actions as a 'continuation of the blatant aggression against the Palestinian people, their territories, and sacred sites', the OIC holds the Israeli occupation fully liable for the grave outcomes of these reprehensible deeds, said the statement. The organization urged the international community, particularly the United Nati ons Security Council, to fulfill its obligations by ensuring the provision of international protection for Palestinians and by promptly halting the ongoing Israeli aggression in Gaza Strip and the occupied West Bank, which also encompasses Jerusalem. Reiterating its appeal to the international community, the OIC demanded that Israel, as the occupying authority, dismantle all illegal settlements along with their associated militant groups in the occupied Palestinian lands. Source : Saudi Press Agency