‘We condemn all killing of civilians’: Saudi FM joins Arab officials at UN Gaza meeting
‘We condemn all killing of civilians’: Saudi FM joins Arab officials at UN Gaza meeting/node/2396801/saudi-arabia
‘We condemn all killing of civilians’: Saudi FM joins Arab officials at UN Gaza meeting
Update
Ayman Al-Safadi (left), foreign minister of Jordan, Palestinian foreign minister Riyad Al-Maliki (C) and Saudi foreign minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan speak after a meeting of the United Nations Security Council. (AFP)
‘We condemn all killing of civilians’: Saudi FM joins Arab officials at UN Gaza meeting
“We are all here together with unified message that more violence is not the answer,” Prince Faisal said
High-level session addressed ongoing developments in Gaza and its surroundings
Updated 24 October 2023
Arab News
NEW YORK CITY: Prince Faisal bin Farhan condemned the killing of all civilians on Tuesday on the sidelines of a high-level meeting at the UN Security Council headquarters on the Gaza crisis.
Prince Faisal met with other Arab foreign ministers and offcials to discuss the evolving situation in the Middle East, with particular emphasis on the issue of Palestine.
“We are all here together with a unified message that more violence is not the answer,” Prince Faisal said.
“That all civilian life is deserving of protection and that includes the lives of Palestinian civilians in Gaza. And that's why we are all here, standing together, calling for an immediate cease-fire, for an immediate lifting of the blockade of Gaza and for a return to the peace process,” he added.
The foreign minister called for a return to a “true, serious approach” to resolving the grievances of the Palestinian people.
“Without the international community standing by its existing commitments to the resolution of the Palestinian situation, we will never see a just peace,” he said.
“Without that, we cannot have true security in our region, we are all on one message on this, and we hope the international community will come together to support those ideals.”
Prince Faisal was asked if he condemned Hamas, to which he answered: “We condemn all killing of civilians.”
Prince Faisal’s participation came at the invitation of Brazil’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Mauro Vieira, who currently presides over the Security Council.
The discussion aimed to address the ongoing developments in Gaza and the surrounding region and highlight the importance of achieving peace and stability, in compliance with international laws.
While in New York, Prince Faisal is scheduled to engage in several meetings on the sidelines of the high-level Security Council session.
Foreign Minister HH Prince @FaisalbinFarhan arrives in New York City to participate in the @UN Security Council High-level discussion session on the situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian issue. pic.twitter.com/isOPcWWmHg
“The Kingdom affirms its position rejecting violence, extremism, and the targeting of civilians,” a foreign ministry statement said
Updated 8 sec ago
Arab News
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia condemned and denounced on Saturday a terrorist attack that targeted the Somali capital Mogadishu, killing 37 people and wounding scores more.
An Al-Shabaab suicide bomber and gunmen attacked a busy beach in Mogadishu, officials said on Saturday, in one of the deadliest strikes in the East African country in months.
The Al-Qaeda-linked extremests have been waging an insurgency against the internationally backed federal government for more than 17 years and have previously targeted the Lido beach area, popular with business people and government members.
“The Kingdom affirms its position rejecting violence, extremism, and the targeting of civilians,” a foreign ministry statement said.
The ministry said the Kingdom affirms its support for the government and people of Somalia and offered its condolences to the families of victims. It also wished the injured a speedy recovery.
Kings of rock: Saudi heavy metal band makes history at German festival
Wasted Land become nation’s first to perform at Wacken Open Air
Landmark gig an ‘unforgettable moment,’ guitarist Ayman Al-Ghamdi says
Updated 03 August 2024
SALEH FAREED
JEDDAH: Saudi rockers Wasted Land made history on Saturday, when they became the first band from the Kingdom to appear at Wacken Open Air 2024, the world’s biggest heavy metal festival.
Vocalist Emad Mujallid, guitarists Ayman Al-Ghamdi and Ahmed Khoja, bassist Mahmoud Al-Tayeb and drummer Tameem Helmi raised the Saudi flag as they took to the stage and launched into their pounding set.
Jeddah’s German Consul-General Eltje Aderhold was among the crowd of thousands of headbanging metalheads from all over the world.
“Standing onstage, playing to a crowd of heavy metal fans (at) the biggest metal festival in the world … and on top of that, you’re officially representing Saudi Arabia … it was really a different experience and unforgettable moment,” Al-Ghamdi told Arab News from the small town of Wacken in northern Germany.
“After 20 years, the chance to play the biggest metal festival in the world was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”
The band earned the right to play after seeing off the challenge of five other groups to win Wacken Metal Battle Middle East 2024 in Jeddah in May.
Describing what it was like to perform in front of such a big crowd, Al-Ghamdi said: “It was a mix of excitement, nervousness and pride. It was overwhelming at first but once we got to the stage things got easy for us.
“We performed and enjoyed our set to the best that we could and we didn’t expect the positive reactions we received from those who we didn’t know.
“Many of them were very surprised that we are from Saudi Arabia … they really showed us their support and we’re really, really grateful for that.”
Saudi Arabia is not known as a hotbed for heavy metal, so to play at Wacken was an “honor” for Wasted Land and a chance to “showcase what Saudi Arabia has to offer,” Al-Ghamdi said.
“After playing at Wacken Open Air, even though we didn’t win, we are grateful just to have played there. We’re proud that we gave our all and represented Saudi Arabia at the biggest metal festival in the world.”
The 2024 festival lineup also included The Scorpions, Amon Amarth, In Extremo, Blind Guardian and Beast Black, among others.
More than 300 publishers exhibit at Madinah Book Fair
Visitors can attend seminars, poetry evenings, discussion groups, workshops, and activities
A dedicated area for children offers educational and skill-based activities and workshops
Updated 03 August 2024
Arab News
RIYADH: The third Madinah Book Fair is experiencing a high turnout of visitors “eager to explore Arab and international publications,” according to the Saudi Press Agency.
More than 300 Arab and international publishing houses and agencies are participating in the event, which is organized by the Literature, Publishing and Translation Commission, and showcases a wide range of publications over 200 pavilions.
Visitors can also attend seminars, poetry evenings, discussion groups, workshops, and activities. A dedicated area for children offers educational and skill-based activities and workshops.
Visitors can navigate the fair by scanning QR codes on their mobile devices.
Mohammed Alwan, CEO of the commission, emphasized the fair’s significance in showcasing Madinah’s cultural heritage and its contribution to culture, enhancing the Kingdom’s position in the publishing industry.
Alwan said the fair aims to foster “a culture of reading and showcase Saudi writers and creators while attracting prominent writers and publishers from around the world.”
The Year of the Camel initiative highlights camels’ historical and cultural significance in the Arabian Peninsula. Organized by the Ministry of Culture, the pavilion offers educational content on camels’ unique characteristics, historical significance, and economic value.
The Saudi Ministry of Islamic Affairs is showcasing its electronic applications through smart devices. Visitors can experience Hajj and Umrah virtually using 3D technology at the ministry’s booth.
The Rushd app provides services including an electronic Qur’an, prayer times, Qibla direction, and educational resources for pilgrims.
The Correct Citation app — available in Arabic, English, Urdu, and French — enables users to search the Holy Qur’an and Hadith texts and ensure accurate transcription in their preferred language.
The Islamic Electronic Library contains more than 1,000 e-books and audio books available in 51 languages, as well as 2,000 educational slides.
The fair runs daily until Aug. 5 at the King Salman International Convention and Exhibition Center from 2 p.m. until midnight.
RIYADH: The popular Buraidah Dates Carnival is keeping its momentum, with constant purchasing and marketing of more than 50 date varieties.
The event has attracted a significant number of farmers and traders to this city renowned for its date production, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Saturday.
Sukkari dates remain a popular choice among buyers, with prices ranging from SR30 ($8) to SR100 for a 3 kg package. Other date varieties, including sagai, wanan, khalas, and red sukkari, are priced competitively based on quality.
The 51-day carnival, which started on Aug. 1, is expected to display the produce of more than 11.2 million palm trees.
In addition to the marketplace, the event includes a range of cultural, awareness-raising, social and entertainment programs, starting in September.
The event will receive more than 2,000 vehicles daily, loaded with hundreds of tonnes of dates in Buraidah. More than 4,300 young men and women will participate in various fields.
The National Center for Palms and Dates is overseeing the carnival in cooperation with the Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture.
The center and the ministry also launched a digital system to improve the quality, efficiency and sales management of the carnival.
Consisting of two sections that align with agriculture regulations and public benefit market rules, the system covers broker-farmer contracts, date supply, auctions, sales and financial settlements, as well as broker-buyer contracts, auctions, sales and payments.
The digital platform offers streamlined sales tracking, robust control, financial security, rapid data access, transparent contract documentation, protection of the rights of farmers, brokers and buyers, innovative sales approaches, revitalized date markets, investor attraction, job creation, and the possibility to develop financial solutions in partnership with relevant agencies.
The Buraidah Dates Carnival is also known for its purchasing power and for recording the region’s most robust revenues. This year, it aims to exceed last year’s figures.
In 2023, the number of farmers’ vehicles that entered the market exceeded 60,000, carrying more than 7 million packages, which is close to 300,000 tonnes. Additionally, last year’s carnival had more than 400,000 visitors.
The number of palm trees in the Kingdom exceeds 34 million, distributed across all regions, with the Qassim region accounting for 11.2 million palm trees.
Date production in Qassim amounts to more than 528,000 tons, representing about 35 percent of the Kingdom’s date production of 1.6 million tonnes.
How a newly classified species of snake was discovered in Saudi Arabia’s ancient AlUla oasis
The vibrant reptile is completely new to science, underscoring the rich biodiversity of AlUla and the value of conservation efforts
Its discovery is viewed as pivotal for understanding the ecological dynamics of the region and the adaptive strategies of desert wildlife
Updated 03 August 2024
Jasmine Bager
DHAHRAN: Scientists working in northwestern Saudi Arabia’s ancient oasis of AlUla were thrilled earlier this year to discover a new species of snake. With its striking red hue and chic black collar, the reptile is perfectly adapted to camouflage against the sand and rock of the Hejaz.
Laszlo Patko, who for the past two years has worked as the applied research lead at the Royal Commission for AlUla, inventorying the biodiversity of the region, was part of the team that discovered the charismatic new and non-venomous species.
“The snake species, Rhynchocalamus hejazicus, is not just new to the region or the country — it’s new to science,” the Hungarian academic told Arab News.
Institutions involved with the discovery include the RCU, the University of Ha’il, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, and the Prince Mohammed bin Salman Royal Reserve Development Authority.
These Saudi institutions worked alongside experts from Portugal’s Universidade do Porto, Egypt’s Suez University, Yemen’s University of Aden, and Malaysia’s Natural History Collective Ventures.
Together with his Saudi, Czech, and Portuguese colleagues, Patko compiled the findings into a paper. Within just a matter of months, it was published in the prestigious international, peer-reviewed life science journal Zoosystematics and Evolution.
Laszlo Patko, Applied Research lead at the Royal Commission for AlUla. (RCU)
It was very, very quick, because it was a thorough, high-quality paper with substantial scientific results,” said Patko. “It was quickly accepted and published.
“For me, that was the real happiness to see that it’s not just an important discovery for us, but for the entire international scientific community.”
The published paper describes the new species as “a small, secretive snake, with distinctive coloration and a melanistic morph. The new species occurs in the northwestern Hejaz region of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and fills a large part of the existing distribution gap of the genus in the Arabian Peninsula.”
Stephen Browne, vice president of wildlife and natural heritage at the RCU, said the unearthing of this new species demonstrated the vital importance of the Kingdom’s conservation efforts.
“This discovery is not merely about cataloging a new species; it reflects the ongoing commitment to safeguarding the lush, diverse ecosystems of AlUla,” Browne said in a statement. “It’s a symbol of our dedication to preserving this unique oasis.
Opinion
This section contains relevant reference points, placed in (Opinion field)
A spokesperson for the RCU concurred there was clearly still much to learn about the adaptability of desert animals.
“This find is pivotal for understanding the ecological dynamics of the region and the adaptive strategies of its desert wildlife, enhancing AlUla’s reputation as a sanctuary for both historical and natural treasures,” the spokesperson said in a statement.
The project that led to the snake’s discovery began with a region-wide wildlife inventory, which kicked off in November 2022, centered around documenting the area’s biodiversity.
With its striking red hue and chic black collar, the reptile is perfectly adapted to camouflage against the sand and rock of the Hejaz. (RCU)
“We never had this kind of rigorous, scientific knowledge-gathering before,” said Patko. “In the framework of this project, we ‘accidentally’ found this new species.
“It was an accident in the sense that we thoroughly surveyed all our nature reserves and described all the species we could find. We knew some species existed in the reserve but didn’t know their exact numbers or locations.”
Scientists had an inkling that the region could be home to new species. Between 2017 and 2022, geckos and snakes had been observed in the area, but had never been collected and rigorously described. The inventory offered the perfect opportunity to fill in these blanks.
In 2023, the team dedicated their time in the desert to observing animals based on morphology, including the study of their external characteristics, color, scale pattern, and DNA.
DID YOUKNOW?
• Roughly half of AlUla’s territory is taken up by six nature reserves, including the Sharaan Nature Reserve, which spans 1,500 sq. km.
• These reserves are home to more than 1,580 animals from four species that have been successfully reintroduced to the region.
• Through habitat restoration, native species reintroduction, and sustainable practices, AlUla aims to create thriving and harmonious ecosystems.
“Of course, there are occasional ad hoc observations, but if you are out in the field, you work really hard,” said Patko.
“You get up in the desert, you sleep in the desert. You work in the desert with 10-15 different experts. Then, this hard work pays off. It’s a very cool way to get proof of why it’s important to be in the field.”
Using online databases, the team expected to find species like Walterinnesia aegyptia, also known as the desert cobra or desert black snake — indigenous to nearby Khaybar, where the reptile is well camouflaged against the volcanic landscape.
The Walterinnesia aegyptia, also known as the desert cobra or desert black snake, is indigenous to nearby Khaybar, where the reptile is well camouflaged against the volcanic landscape. (Wikimedia Commons)
“Harrat Khaybar is mostly black and gray because of the basalt and the old volcanic activity,” said Patko. “The first individual we found was melanistic — a completely black snake.”
The newly discovered snake, by contrast, is a vibrant red, having evolved to blend in with AlUla’s distinctive red, orange, and yellow color palette. “It was very obvious that this is indeed a new species,” said Patko.
Like many desert dwellers, the snake is nocturnal. “During the day, because of the very hot weather, Rhynchocalamus hejazicus probably hides under rocks,” said Patko. “At night, they come out to hunt for invertebrates, small insects.”
And although it has tiny fangs with which to strike its prey, the snake does not carry venom. It is also relatively small. “It’s a very cool snake; a small snake about 20-30 centimeters long, easy to handle,” said Patko.
According to Patko, there are fewer than 20 snake species known in AlUla, perhaps closer to 18. There remains much to learn about this latest addition to the reptile community.
With its striking red hue and chic black collar, the reptile is perfectly adapted to camouflage against the sand and rock of the Hejaz. (RCU)
“We actually don’t know much about their ecology because we just recently described the species. So we can only guess,” said Patko.
“All the snakes we found were alone. Some snakes can gather in one place during winter, but not these.”
One thing Patko believes is clear, however, is the value of AlUla as a thriving natural habitat, making conservation efforts in the region all the more important in the interests of science and biodiversity.
“What’s quite exceptional in this story is how the AlUla deserts can hold these hidden gems,” he said.
