Author: Mahdeehassan

CAIRO: Saudi Arabia called for stronger regional cooperation on health-related issues, and greater investment in prevention, public health and primary care, during a three-day World Health Organization meeting that concluded on Thursday in Cairo. Health ministers and senior representatives from the 22 countries and territories in the WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region who gathered for the regional committee’s 73rd session discussed ways in which health systems could be strengthened amid protracted emergencies and diminishing resources. Nouf Alnumair, Saudi Arabia’s deputy minister for international cooperation at the Ministry of Health, led the Kingdom’s delegation. She outlined healthcare reforms that have taken place…

Bandar Al-Khorayef, Saudi Arabia’s minister of state and acting governor of the General Authority for Military Industries, recently delivered a lecture at King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Command and Staff College of the Ministry of National Guard on military industries, localization and building sustainable national capabilities in the Kingdom. The lecture was attended by Maj. Gen. Abdullah bin Saleh Al-Anazi, the college’s commander, and several ministry officials, the Saudi Press Agency reported. Al-Khorayef reviewed the development of the military industries sector under Saudi Vision 2030, including efforts to localize industries and technologies and build sustainable defense capabilities, strengthening the Kingdom’s strategic…

RIYADH: Japan’s foreign minister, Toshimitsu Motegi, on Thursday offered his condolences for the loss of lives in recent Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia. During a call with his Saudi counterpart, Prince Faisal bin Farhan, Motegi said that attacks on civilians were intolerable, as he affirmed Japan’s condemnation of a series of strikes against the Kingdom this month by the Iran-backed militia in Yemen, which have killed at least 20 people and injured more than 350. He “strongly called on the Houthis to immediately stop escalating the situation and has directly called on Iran to urge the Houthis to exercise restraint…

BEIRUT: The UN Security Council on Thursday condemned “in the strongest terms” the escalating Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia, and affirmed the Kingdom’s “inherent right” to self-defense. The presidential statement highlighted in particular the deadly strikes against Riyadh’s main airport this month. Council members condemned “the reckless strikes” on Oct. 10 and 11 targeting King Khalid International Airport, which killed 14 people and wounded more than 300. They also cited “multiple strikes on other airports and Saudi Aramco facilities” across the Kingdom, which they said had hit civilian aviation and energy infrastructure and killed and injured civilians. The comments marked…

RIYADH: Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan Al-Shaibani arrived in Riyadh on Thursday for talks with Saudi officials on strengthening bilateral relations and the latest regional developments, the Saudi Press Agency reported. He was received upon arrival by Saudi Deputy Foreign Minister Waleed Al-Khuraiji. “The visit aims to strengthen consultations and develop bilateral relations between Syria and Saudi Arabia,” according the Syrian Arab News Agency. The visit comes as Houthis intensified attacks on the Kingdom in recent weeks. Saudi Arabia and Syria continue efforts to strengthen diplomatic and economic ties following the fall of Bashar Assad’s regime in December 2024. The…

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…