Author: Mahdeehassan

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia has launched the first biological samples from the Middle East to space as part of the BioGravity-1 mission aboard a SpaceX resupply flight to the International Space Station, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported. The launch, led by the Saudi Space Agency (SSA) and King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), marks the first phase of a long-term research program aimed at advancing studies into Alzheimer’s disease, multiple sclerosis and other neurodegenerative conditions, according to SPA. The mission was carried into orbit aboard the SpaceX CRS-35 mission to the International Space Station with support from NASA.…

GENEVA: Saudi Arabia has reaffirmed its support for Syria’s recovery and reconstruction efforts, including initiatives aimed at facilitating the voluntary return of refugees, according to remarks reported by the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA). Speaking at the 77th session of the Executive Committee of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Saudi Arabia’s permanent representative to the United Nations and other international organizations in Geneva, Ambassador Abdulmohsen bin Khothaila, said the Kingdom supports efforts to create conditions that would allow Syrians displaced by years of conflict to return home voluntarily and safely, SANA reported. The ambassador highlighted cooperation between the…

RIYADH: The Italian foreign minister, Antonio Tajani, on Wednesday reiterated his country’s condemnation of recent Houthi attacks against Saudi Arabia. Speaking during a telephone conversation with his Saudi counterpart, Prince Faisal bin Farhan, Tajani expressed solidarity with the Kingdom as it defends itself against attacks on civilian infrastructure by the Iran-backed militia in Yemen. “I also thanked the Saudi authorities for continuing to ensure the safety of our compatriots present in the country,” he wrote in a message posted on social media platform X. “We want to promote a diplomatic solution to the Yemeni crisis, supporting the efforts of the…

Saudi Vice Minister of Human Resources and Social Development for Labor Dr. Abdullah Abuthnain met EU Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Christophe Farnaud at the ministry’s headquarters in Riyadh on Tuesday to discuss labor market priorities, skills development and employment. The meeting also covered training, the exchange of expertise and successful practices, and ways to strengthen cooperation between the ministry and the EU, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Wednesday. Abuthnain outlined the ministry’s efforts to protect the rights of all parties and align workforce skills with current and future labor market needs. Farnaud praised the ministry’s work and reaffirmed the…

RIYADH: Rajeh Al-Baqami, Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to Pakistan, on Wednesday presented his credentials to Pakistan’s President Asif Ali Zardari. Al-Baqami conveyed the Saudi leadership’s greetings to Zardari and its wishes for further progress and prosperity for the Pakistani government and its people. Zardari reciprocated the Saudi leadership’s sentiments and reaffirmed Pakistan’s longstanding support for the Kingdom, according to the Saudi Press Agency. The Saudi Embassy in Islamabad said on X that Al-Baqami “thanked the president for Pakistan’s positive and brotherly stance toward Saudi Arabia, and reiterated his firm commitment to further strengthening the deep, strong and strategic relations between the…

RIYADH: Four people were injured by falling debris in Riyadh after air defenses knocked down Houthi missiles in the Saudi capital. Loud explosions were heard in Riyadh just before midnight on Tuesday as Saudi air defenses engaged hostile targets above the city. Shrapnel from two intercepted cruise missiles landed around 15 residential homes and injured four people, the Saudi Civil Defense said on Wednesday. The authority released images of the damage to the civilian residences. Maj. Gen. Turki Al-Maliki, spokesman for the Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen, said early Wednesday that a cruise missile was destroyed in Al-Kharj governorate.…

ABUJA: Saudi Arabia’s King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSrelief) has launched a voluntary medical campaign in Nigeria to perform 108 open-heart surgeries and cardiac catheterization procedures. The campaign, launched in the capital Abuja on Tuesday in collaboration with the Al-Balsam Association for Health Training and Development, aims to carry out 28 open-heart surgeries and 80 diagnostic and therapeutic cardiac catheterization procedures. The procedures are being performed at Nizamiye Hospital in Abuja by a team of 10 Saudi volunteers, including specialist doctors, consultants, nurses, technicians and administrative staff. The team is working alongside local medical professionals to examine patients…

DAMMAM: Eastern Region Gov. Prince Saud bin Naif bin Abdulaziz received US Consul General Amy Smith at his office in Dhahran on Tuesday. During the meeting, they discussed bilateral relations and other topics of mutual interest, the Saudi Press Agency reported. Meanwhile, Consul General of the Republic of Uzbekistan Sirojiddin Shamsutdinov visited Taibah University in Madinah. He met the university’s president, Dr. Nawal Al-Rasheed, and discussed ways to strengthen academic and educational cooperation, as well as scientific expertise.

ALKHOBAR: When an emergency alert rang out on a mobile phone inside a house in Saudi Arabia, a young boy responded with a few words of reassurance: “We’re in Saudi Arabia, don’t be afraid.” The moment, captured in a video that circulated on social media on Tuesday, showed two children relaxing at home when a security warning sounded. Rather than appearing alarmed, the boy sought to reassure another child beside him. The video, shared on X by the account @labeebhubb, attracted more than 650,000 views within 12 hours, with users impressed by the child’s confidence and spontaneous words of reassurance.…

I watched Sky News UK’s Yalda Hakim’s excellent interview with Mohammed Al-Bukhaiti, a senior spokesperson for the Houthi militia. I say excellent because Hakim, a renowned journalist who does not need my endorsement, remained neutral, impartial and professional and, by doing that, she left the door wide open for Al-Bukhaiti to hang himself and expose the true colors of the evil cult he represents. In Arabic, we have a saying that translates to “the excuse is worse than the sin” — and this could not be more applicable than to what Al-Bukhaiti said in response to Hakim’s questions as to…