Author: Mahdeehassan

The King Abdulaziz and His Companions Foundation for Giftedness and Creativity (Mawhiba), in cooperation with the Ministry of Education, has opened registration for the 2026 Bebras Mawhiba Informatics Competition. Registration is open from October 6 to November 22, targeting students from third grade of primary school through third grade of secondary school. The competition will be held remotely through an online test available in both Arabic and English. More than 4 million students from 78 countries participate Bebras is a global competition in informatics and computational thinking, attracting more than 4 million students from 78 countries. It focuses on developing…

MAKKAH: Umm Al-Qura University has registered a new patent with the Saudi Authority for Intellectual Property, related to the invention of a technology to extract nano-iron oxide compound from steelmaking slag, in a step that promotes the use of industrial waste in the production of advanced materials that serve the petrochemical, water treatment and mining sectors, in addition to universities and research centers. The innovation came as a result of the work of a research team from the College of Science, including Dr. Saleh Al-Luqmani, Abdulrahman Al-Bishri, Fayez Al-Fayez, and Musaed Hakami, who developed a sustainable methodology based on an…

RIYADH: Saudi air defenses shot down a Houthi ballistic missile north of Riyadh, the coalition to support Yemen’s sovereignty said early Wednesday. Maj. Gen. Turki Al-Maliki, the coalition’s spokesperson, said on X that the launch platform was being tracked by the Coalition’s intelligence system in the skies above Yemen’s capital Sanaa, and would be destroyed. The Iran-backed group is engaged in a battle with Coalition forces to gain control of the strategic Bab Al-Mandab strait, and have threatened to attack Saudi shipping through the Red Sea route. Yemen’s government said early Wednesday that the militia group targetted Aden’s international airport…

PARIS: Saudi Arabia’s new ambassador to France, Faisal Al-Mejfel, presented his credentials to the French president, Emmanuel Macron, during a reception at the Elysee Palace on Tuesday. The envoy conveyed the Saudi leadership’s greetings to Macron, along with their best wishes for the progress and prosperity of the French Republic, the Saudi Press Agency reported. Al-Mejfel replaced Fahad Alruwaily in the post, and arrived in Paris in July to assume his diplomatic duties, which also include serving as the nonresident ambassador to Monaco. Macron said he wants relations between France and Saudi Arabia to continue to strengthen. The countries signed…

RIYADH: Saudi Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman held a telephone call on Tuesday with his Italian counterpart Guido Crosetto. During the call, the two ministers discussed areas of military and defense cooperation between the Kingdom and Italy and ways to enhance them, the Saudi Press Agency reported.  They also reviewed the latest regional developments and efforts addressing shared issues and challenges, with the aim of supporting regional and international security and stability.

ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES — 16 September 2026 — Foloosi, a UAE-born payments technology company, today announced that it has received In-Principle Approval (IPA) from the Central Bank of the United Arab Emirates (CBUAE) for a Category III licence under the Retail Payment Services and Card Schemes (RPSCS) Regulation. Foloosi founded by Omar Bin Brek and Mohan K The milestone represents an important step in Foloosi’s regulatory journey as it works towards obtaining its final licence, subject to fulfilling the remaining requirements and conditions prescribed by the Central Bank of the UAE. Foloosi has built its business around helping…

MANAMA: The 31st meeting of the Gulf Cooperation Council Electricity and Water Cooperation Committee was held in Manama on Monday, chaired by Bahrain’s Minister of Electricity and Water Affairs Yaser bin Ebrahim Humaidan, with the participation of GCC member states, including Saudi Arabia. GCC Secretary-General Jasem Albudaiwi said the electricity and water sectors are a strategic priority and a cornerstone of joint GCC action, the General Secretariat noted in a statement. He also stressed the importance of water security and emergency preparedness, as well as exploring multilateral water interconnection projects to strengthen Gulf resilience. The meeting was held under Bahrain’s…

LONDON: Saudi Arabia is to begin rectifying the status of Yemeni nationals living in the Kingdom without legal residency documents, the Interior Ministry said on Monday. The move follows a directive from King Salman after Rashad Al-Alimi, chairman of Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council, requested that Saudi authorities address the status of Yemenis residing in the country through irregular means, the Saudi Press Agency reported. The Interior Ministry said it would carry out the initiative with the Foreign Ministry, the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development, and the Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority. Saudi officials described the effort as…

BRUSSELS: The secretary-general of the Muslim World League, Mohammed Al-Issa, met leaders and other figures from Belgium’s Muslim community in Brussels on Monday. Al-Issa, who also chairs the organization’s Association of Muslim Scholars, praised the contributions of the country’s Muslim community to the promotion of coexistence and social cohesion, in particular mutual respect. During the meeting, the League said, Al-Issa emphasized the importance of obtaining from trusted local scholars religious rulings and guidance that are relevant to the particular circumstances of each country. Those who are most familiar with their communities are the ones best placed to understand the social…

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkiye on Monday agreed to immediately implement collective-defense commitments under the previously agreed Makkah Defense Alliance, including the swift deployment of agreed forces and other military capabilities to the Kingdom amid ongoing threats. The decision was announced following an emergency meeting of the alliance’s Strategic Political and Defense Committee in Riyadh to discuss security developments and threats Saudi Arabia is facing during the regional conflict with Iran and its proxies. The alliance was formed by an agreement signed on Aug. 7. In a message posted on the social media platform X, the Saudi defense minister,…