Saudi crown prince meets with Blinken in Riyadh

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US Secretary of State Antony Blinken meets Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, February 5, 2024. (Saudi Press Agency/Handout via REUTERS)
Update Saudi crown prince meets with Blinken in Riyadh
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US Secretary of State Antony Blinken disembarks from the plane upon arriving at King Khalid International Airport in the Saudi capital Riyadh on February 5, 2024. (AFP)
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Updated 05 February 2024
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Saudi crown prince meets with Blinken in Riyadh

Saudi crown prince meets with Blinken in Riyadh
  • Blinken is later expected to visit Israel, Egypt and Qatar
  • Will meet with senior Saudi officials and discuss Gaza war

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman met with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Riyadh on Monday, Saudi Press Agency reported.

Blinken arrived in Riyadh earlier on in the day, on the first stop of his fifth regional tour since the beginning of the Israel-Gaza war. Blinken is later expected to visit Israel, Egypt and Qatar.

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan and the Kindom’s ambassdor to the US Princess Reema bint Bandar attended the meeting. 

Ahead of the trip, Blinken stressed the need for “urgently addressing humanitarian needs in Gaza,” after aid groups have repeatedly sounded the alarm over the devastating impact nearly four months of war have had on the besieged territory.

The health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza said at least 27,478 people have been killed in the territory in nearly four months of war between Palestinian militants and Israel.

A ministry statement said 66,835 people have been wounded since fighting erupted on Oct. 7.


King Salman undergoes medical tests due to lung infection

King Salman undergoes medical tests due to lung infection
Updated 13 sec ago
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King Salman undergoes medical tests due to lung infection

King Salman undergoes medical tests due to lung infection

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s King Salman will undergo some medical tests on Sunday evening due to a lung infection, Saudi Press Agency reported.

The tests were based on the recommendations of the Royal Clinics, SPA added. 


Saudi and Ukrainian foreign ministers discuss Russia-Ukraine conflict

Saudi and Ukrainian foreign ministers discuss Russia-Ukraine conflict
Updated 06 October 2024
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Saudi and Ukrainian foreign ministers discuss Russia-Ukraine conflict

Saudi and Ukrainian foreign ministers discuss Russia-Ukraine conflict
  • Discussion came amid escalating hostilities in Ukraine, with Russian forces launching overnight attack involving 87 Shahed drones

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister held a phone call on Sunday with his Ukrainian counterpart Andriy Sybiha to discuss relations and the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, Saudi Press Agency reported.

Prince Faisal bin Farhan and the Ukrainian minister exchanged views on developments in the war and efforts to resolve the crisis, as well as other matters of mutual interest, SPA added.

The discussion came amid escalating hostilities in Ukraine, with Russian forces launching an overnight attack involving 87 Shahed drones and various types of missiles.

The assault followed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s announcement of a “victory plan,” which he plans to present at the Oct. 12 Ramstein group meeting, where nations supplying arms to Ukraine will gather.

Zelensky’s plan, which includes Ukraine’s NATO membership and the provision of long-range missiles, was shared with US President Joe Biden last week.

Zelensky praised Ukraine’s troops for their resilience, stating that their capabilities were enhanced with sufficient weaponry. He urged Ukraine’s allies to take more decisive action to accelerate the end of the conflict.

“(The troops) demonstrate what Ukrainians are capable of when they have enough weapons and sufficient range,” he said in a statement on social media.

“We will keep convincing our partners that our drones alone are not enough. More decisive steps are needed — and the end of this war will be closer.”


Saudi FM meets with Solomon Islands officials in Riyadh

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan receives the Prime Minister of the Solomon Islands Jeremiah Manele. (SPA)
Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan receives the Prime Minister of the Solomon Islands Jeremiah Manele. (SPA)
Updated 06 October 2024
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Saudi FM meets with Solomon Islands officials in Riyadh

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan receives the Prime Minister of the Solomon Islands Jeremiah Manele. (SPA)
  • An agreement on mutual exemption from short-stay visa requirements for holders of diplomatic, special, and official passports was signed between the two countries

RIYADH: Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan received the prime and foreign ministers of the Solomon Islands Jeremiah Manele and Peter Shanel Agovaka in Riyadh on Sunday.

During the meeting, the officials reviewed relations between the Kingdom and the Solomon Islands and ways to enhance and develop them in various fields.

They also discussed intensifying joint coordination on many issues of interest to the two countries.

An agreement on mutual exemption from short-stay visa requirements for holders of diplomatic, special, and official passports was signed between the two countries during the meeting.

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan receives  Commonwealth Secretary-General Patricia Scotland in Riyadh on Sunday. (SPA)

Prince Faisal also met with Commonwealth Secretary-General Patricia Scotland separately on Sunday.

During the meeting, the officials discussed opportunities to enhance Saudi-Commonwealth cooperation and topics of common interest.


Riyadh hosts forum on Arabic language computing

Riyadh hosts forum on Arabic language computing
Updated 06 October 2024
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Riyadh hosts forum on Arabic language computing

Riyadh hosts forum on Arabic language computing
  • The event drew participants from local, regional, and international institutions, along with researchers from 22 countries
  • he conference aims to foster collaboration between computational experts and linguists

RIYADH: The King Salman Global Academy for Arabic Language launched its third international conference on Sunday in Riyadh, called “Arabic Language Computing and Linguistic Data Enrichment.”

The event drew participants from local, regional, and international institutions, along with researchers from 22 countries, who focused on computational linguistics, computer science, and the Arabic language.

The conference aims to foster collaboration between computational experts and linguists, bridging knowledge gaps and showcasing key projects in Arabic language computing.

It seeks to enrich Arabic language datasets to enhance artificial intelligence models and support Arabic language processing.

Abdullah Al-Washmi, the academy’s secretary-general, spoke of the need to improve academic practices in the Arab world and provide a platform for discussing challenges and opportunities in linguistic data quality and accessibility.

Topics include machine learning, speech-to-text conversion, and automated text recognition, as well as the use of computational linguistics in Arabic language learning, digital dictionary techniques, and linguistic corpus analysis.

Dr. Abdulaziz Al-Mahyobi, an associate professor of computational linguistics at Imam Mohammad ibn Saud Islamic University, said that research would result in more objective and precise language analysis results.

He noted that automation eliminated subjective guesswork, leading to reliable and verified outcomes.

Al-Mahyobi added that automating language processing could revolutionize machine translation, error detection, speech recognition, and text compression and indexing.

He said that Arabic’s structured morphological, syntactical, and lexical systems made it particularly suited for advanced digital processing.


Saudi woman transforms Arabic learning for children with interactive calligraphy game

Saudi woman transforms Arabic learning for children with interactive calligraphy game
Updated 06 October 2024
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Saudi woman transforms Arabic learning for children with interactive calligraphy game

Saudi woman transforms Arabic learning for children with interactive calligraphy game
  • Lujain Abulfaraj established “Akwan” (universes in Arabic) to enrich language learning for children a

RIYADH: Driven by her passion for the Arabic language, Saudi woman Lujain Abulfaraj has embarked on a mission to make it more engaging for children. After noticing her son’s disinterest in Arabic, she sought a solution.

In 2015, Abulfaraj enrolled in a design program dedicated to exploring the beauty of Arabic calligraphy and its potential as an educational tool, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Sunday.

Realizing its ability to be both entertaining and instructive, she created a game featuring large Arabic letters that could be arranged into words for play.

This led her to establish a venture aimed at enriching language learning for children. In 2020, she introduced “Akwan” (universes in Arabic), a set of magnetic bricks inspired by Arabic calligraphy, designed to make learning interactive and enjoyable for children.

At the Riyadh International Book Fair, Abulfaraj highlighted the boundless creative possibilities “Akwan” offers children, SPA reported.

She praised the Ministry of Culture for its efforts in revitalizing Saudi culture, particularly the language, and for supporting young talent in the country.

In recognition of her dedication, the Ministry of Culture nominated Abulfaraj for the 2023 Cultural Awards in architecture and design, where she became one of the top three finalists in the Kingdom.

Her work also earned the “Designed in Saudi” seal.