Day: August 23, 2024

Bahrain's national esports team excelled at the Arab Esports League in Riyadh on 20-21 August. Aisha Sami Bukhmas won gold in eFOOTBALL, defeating Jordan 2-0 in the final. Hashim Ahmed Khalil earned bronze in Tekken 8, finishing third in a competitive field. The tournament included participants from 19 Arab countries. Source: Bahrain News Agency

Her Royal Highness Princess Sabeeka bint Ibrahim Al Khalifa, Consort of His Majesty the King and President of the Supreme Council for Women (SCW), received a cable of congratulations from Her Highness Shaikha Hessa bint Ali bin Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa on the 23rd anniversary of the establishment of the SCW. HH Shaikha Hessa bint Ali commended the achievements of Bahraini women over the years, attributing their progress to the leadership of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa and the support of His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister. She acknowledged HRH Princess Sabeeka bint Ibrahim's role in advancing women's participation in Bahrain's development and guiding the SCW to significant milestones. Source: Bahrain News Agency

During the recent summer holiday, the gardens and parks of the Hail Region attracted thousands of families, visitors, and tourists. The region's 168 parks and green areas span an area of 3.8 million square meters. They are a unique entertainment attraction due to their diverse locations and views along Mount Aja in Hail City. The municipality of the Hail region organised summer entertainment festivals in these parks, including the "Hail Summer" festival in Prince Abdulaziz bin Saad Park and Prince Saud bin Abdulhmohsen Park. Over the course of 30 days, these events attracted over 550,000 visitors. During the summer vacation, visitors from different age groups participated in a diverse array of entertainment activities, including a stage for artistic and musical performances, a children's zone, food and shops, a theatre for exhibitors and performers, an adventure tower, colour balls, karting, and a photo booth. These events have garnered the praise and admiration of visitors and tourists. The official s pokesman of the Hail municipality, Saud bin Fahd Al Alim, explained that these festivals are part of the region's ongoing endeavours to improve the urban environment and the quality of life for citizens and visitors. This is achieved by investing in parks and urban interventions to be a primary focus for public welfare, enhancing community communication and physical activity, and creating opportunities for more vibrant gatherings and more prosperous communities. Additionally, this investment contributes to the enhancement of tourist attractions and environmental sustainability. Source: Saudi Press Agency

His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa sent a cable of congratulations to His Excellency Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of Ukraine, on his country's Independence Day. Source: Bahrain News Agency

- The King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture (Ithra) announced the dates of the seventh annual Tanween creativity conference, which will take place October 31 to November 6 under the theme "Fail Forward." The conference will be held at the Ithra Center in Dhahran and will feature 60 participants from around the world. Ithra explained that this year's conference will feature workshops, training sessions, exhibitions, and other events aimed at achieving tangible results in the field of design. It added that the conference seeks to change the perception of failure by making setbacks a natural part of the design process. The conference also aims to embrace failure as part of the creative process, in which each experience offers lessons leading to innovative discoveries and valuable experiences that help the creative community continue to advance and turn challenges into opportunities for growth and success, Ithra said. Ithra calls on creators and innovators to develop design solutions that enhance and enr ich the Hajj experience through three main tracks: "Communication" to improve and develop guidance and direction services, "Waste Management" to reimagine the process during the Hajj season, and "Health" to find new ways to reduce pilgrims' fatigue. The center invites interested parties to submit their projects before October 24 via the website: https://www.ithra.com/ar/special-programs/tanween/tanween-2024-fail-forward/tanween-mega-challenge-enriching-pilgrims-journey. Source: Saudi Press Agency

The Israeli occupation authorities released more than 40 prisoners from several prisons who had completed their sentences, some of whom were administrative detainees. They were released from in front of the Dhahiriya checkpoint, from in front of Ofer prison, and from in front of the Salem military checkpoint. The Prisoners Club stated that some of those released suffer from skin diseases, specifically those released from the Negev prison, as the Negev prison is the most prominent prison that witnessed torture crimes, and this is what was reflected in dozens of testimonies documented by the relevant institutions. Their first photos after their release showed their bodies that had changed as a result of the systematic crimes committed against them by the occupation. Their photos reflect part of the impact of these crimes on them. A number of them were transferred to hospitals after their release. It is noteworthy that in return for these releases, the occupation continues its arrest campaigns on a daily bas is, as the number of arrests after October 7th reached more than ten thousand and 200 detainees from the West Bank, and thousands of citizens from Gaza. It is noteworthy that the number of prisoners in the occupation prisons reached more than 9,900 by the beginning of August, and this data does not include all the detainees from Gaza, who are being held in the camps affiliated with the occupation army. Source: Maan News Agency

The spokesman for the Supreme Committee for Securing the Arbaeen Pilgrimage, Brigadier General Muqdad Miri, announced that about 3.3 million visitors from outside the country have entered to perform the Arbaeen Pilgrimage so far. He pointed out that two million visitors have left the country so far. The committee had announced earlier yesterday, Thursday, the start of the reverse transporting of visitors from Karbala Governorate to the governorates and borders. Source: National Iraqi News Agency

The river police of Babylon Police Command retrieved today, Friday, from the Euphrates River passing through the city of Hilla the body of a young man from the Arbaeen pilgrims who drowned after swimming. The Director of Media of Babylon Police, Brigadier General Adel Al-Hussaini, said, "A report reached the police about the drowning of a young man while swimming, who is one of the Arbaeen pilgrims in the city of Hilla, and the river police were able to retrieve him. He added that the police transferred the body to the forensic medicine and that an investigation was opened into the incident." Source: National Iraqi News Agency

The Russian Foreign Ministry expressed its frustration on Thursday over the failure to implement UN Security Council resolutions on stopping the fighting in the Gaza Strip. The Russian Foreign Ministry said in a press statement: "Israel is obstructing the work of humanitarian organizations in the Gaza Strip, and has no intention of stopping military operations. Russia expresses its frustration over the failure to implement UN Security Council resolutions." Source: Maan News Agency

A young man was electrocuted to death southwest of Baqubah, the center of Diyala Governorate. A security source told the correspondent of the National Iraqi News Agency / NINA /: "A young man was electrocuted inside his home in Al-Muradiyah area on the outskirts of Bani Saad district, southwest of Baqubah, which led to his immediate death." He added: "The young man's body was transferred to the forensic medicine, while the security services opened an investigation into the incident." Source: National Iraqi News Agency