Saudi project clears 1,406 Houthi mines in Yemen/node/2522031/saudi-arabia
Saudi project clears 1,406 Houthi mines in Yemen
The explosives, which are planted indiscriminately by the Houthis across Yemen, pose a threat to civilians, including children, women and the elderly. (Supplied)
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Project Masam cleared 1,406 mines in Yemen — which had been planted by the Houthi militia — between May 25 to 31, according to a recent report.
Overseen by the Kingdom’s aid agency KSrelief, the project’s specialist teams destroyed 1,326 pieces of unexploded ordnance, 68 anti-tank mines, 10 anti-personnel mines, and two improvised explosive devices.
The explosives, which were planted indiscriminately by the Houthis across Yemen, posed a threat to civilians, including children, women and the elderly.
The demining operations took place in Marib, Aden, Jouf, Shabwa, Taiz, Hodeidah, Lahij, Sanaa, Al-Bayda, Al-Dhale and Saada.
A total of 444,858 mines have been cleared since the start of the initiative in 2018, according to Ousama Al-Gosaibi, the project’s managing director.
The initiative trains local demining engineers and provides them with modern equipment. It also offers support to Yemenis injured by the devices.
About 5 million people have been forced to flee their homes since the beginning of the conflict in Yemen, many of them displaced by the presence of land mines, according to the Project Masam website.
Masam teams are tasked with clearing villages, roads and schools to facilitate the safe movement of civilians and the delivery of humanitarian aid.
Qur’an contest participants laud Saudi efforts during Makkah cultural tour
The visit was part of the cultural programs organized by the Ministry of Islamic Affairs
Updated 17 August 2024
Arab News
MAKKAH: Several contestants in the 44th King Abdulaziz International Competition for the Memorization, Recitation and Interpretation of the Qur’an visited Makkah’s Clock Tower Museum.
The visit was part of the cultural programs organized by the Ministry of Islamic Affairs for this edition’s 174 contestants, who hail from 123 countries, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
The contestants expressed their gratitude and appreciation to King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for their efforts in serving Islam and Muslims, as well as for their care and attention to the Qur’an in printing, publishing, teaching and honoring Qur’an memorizers.
They praised the Kingdom’s efforts in expanding the Grand Mosque and serving visitors, including pilgrims, Umrah performers and worshipers.
Bilal Hassan, a contestant from New Zealand, said that the attention of the Kingdom’s leadership on serving Islam and Muslims, and their care for the Qur’an, was “unsurprising.”
The Kingdom is the land of Islam, the place where the message of Prophet Muhammad was revealed and the “center of its radiance,” he added.
Hassan said that the competition is evidence of the Kingdom’s commitment to Islam, and he prayed for Allah to reward the king and crown prince for their great efforts in serving Muslims.
Nihat Hamshimli, a contestant from Azerbaijan, expressed his pride in taking part in the competition, which is held within the precincts of the Grand Mosque.
He praised the Kingdom, represented by the Ministry of Islamic Affairs, in organizing the event and arranging spiritual programs for contestants.
Omar Abdullah, a contestant from Sweden, also expressed his gratitude to the king and the crown prince for their service to Islam and Muslims.
No mpox cases detected in Saudi Arabia: Health authority
The Kingdom is prepared to face all types of health threats: Health authority
The public was advised against traveling to countries where the mpox has been detected
Updated 17 August 2024
Arab News
RIYADH: No cases of mpox Clade 1b have been detected in Saudi Arabia despite the global outbreak, the Saudi Public Health Authority confirmed on Saturday.
The authority stressed that the Kingdom was prepared to face all types of health threats by implementing the necessary measures to monitor and curb the spread of the virus, ensuring the safety and well-being of both citizens and residents.
It urged the public to rely on information from official sources and to avoid being misled by rumors or unreliable reports.
The public was also advised against traveling to countries where mpox has been detected.
The World Health Organization earlier declared that the outbreak of mpox, specifically the more deadly and transmissible Clade 1b, in parts of Africa was now a public health emergency of international concern.
A total of 18,737 suspected or confirmed cases of mpox were reported in Africa since the beginning of the year. The hardest hit country, the Democratic Republic of Congo, where the new Clade 1b strain was first detected in September 2023, reported 1,005 cases (222 confirmed, 783 suspected) and 24 deaths in one week.
The first cases of mpox outside of Africa were recorded this week, in Sweden and Pakistan.
With over 3 million books and a growing digital archive, the library is a leading resource for researchers, scholars, and students worldwide
Updated 17 August 2024
Arab News
Riyadh: The King Abdulaziz Public Library in Riyadh is dedicated to preserving, documenting, and sharing Arab and Islamic heritage. Its extensive collection of rare books, manuscripts, and artifacts offers invaluable insights into Arab and Islamic civilization.
With over 3 million books and a growing digital archive, the library is a leading resource for researchers, scholars, and students worldwide, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
Since opening in 1987, the library has prioritized digitization for accessibility and preservation. It has published extensively on the Kingdom’s history and that of the broader Arab and Islamic world, while also hosting international seminars on heritage.
The Arabic Union Catalog, an online platform launched by the library, supports research and cultural exploration. The library houses over 8,000 manuscripts, 32,000 rare books, and 700 ancient maps, including Latin versions of Arabian Peninsula maps from 1482.
Its holdings also include 7,600 rare coins and a vast photographic archive with works by renowned photographers.
The library’s commitment to Islamic heritage includes preserving over 350 rare copies of the Holy Qur’an. Exhibitions showcasing these treasures are a key part of its outreach efforts.
Aligned with Saudi Vision 2030, the King Abdulaziz Public Library continues to innovate. By digitizing its collections and hosting exhibitions globally, the library is not only preserving the past but also shaping the future of cultural understanding.
A total of 12,608 people were arrested for violations of residency laws
Updated 17 August 2024
Arab News
RIYADH: Saudi authorities arrested 19,989 people in one week for breaching residency, work and border security regulations, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Saturday.
According to an official report, a total of 12,608 people were arrested for violations of residency laws, while 4,519 were held over illegal border crossing attempts, and a further 2,862 for labor-related issues.
The report showed that among the 913 people arrested for trying to enter the Kingdom illegally, 65 percent were Ethiopian, 32 percent Yemeni, and 3 percent were of other nationalities.
A further 34 people were caught trying to cross into neighboring countries, and nine were held for involvement in transporting and harboring violators.
The Saudi Ministry of Interior said that anyone found to be facilitating illegal entry to the Kingdom, including providing transportation and shelter, could face imprisonment for a maximum of 15 years, a fine of up to SR1 million ($260,000), as well as confiscation of vehicles and property.
Suspected violations can be reported on the toll-free number 911 in the Makkah and Riyadh regions, and 999 or 996 in other regions of the Kingdom.
Ghana hospital inaugurates rehab project backed by Saudi Fund for Development
The project is funded by SFD in two phases with a total value of $32 million through development loans
Specialized medical departments, emergency services, maternity and pediatric wards, and emergency units to be modernized
Updated 17 August 2024
Arab News
RIYADH: Work on the Saudi-backed rehabilitation and expansion project of Ghana’s Bolgatanga Regional Hospital has begun.
Ghana President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo led the inauguration of the project on Friday, with Saudi and other officials of the west African republic in attendance, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
Representing the Kingdom were Saudi Ambassador Sultan bin Abdulrahman Al-Dakhil and Director General Mohammed bin Adhan Al-Shammari of the Saudi Fund for Development’s Department of Africa Operations.
A view of the Bolgatanga Regional Hospital in Ghana. (SPA)
The project is funded by SFD in two phases with a total value of $32 million through two development loans, according to the report.
“The project includes the construction and equipping of various buildings, including specialized medical departments, emergency services, maternity and pediatric wards, and emergency units. This aims to help reduce the spread of diseases and epidemics and enhance the level of integrated health care,” the report said.
SFD has supported 10 development projects and programs in Ghana through concessional development loans amounting to more than $124 million, aimed at enhancing sectors such as education, health, transport, energy and agriculture.
Under the project, the hospital will be supplied with modern medical facilities and equipment. (SPA)
About SFD
Since it started operating in 1975 and up to the end of 2020, the SFD had provided 730 development loans to finance 692 development projects and programs for 84 developing countries worldwide, according to the fund’s website.
SFD has also contributed to the signing of two financing agreements with the International Development Association, with a total amount of SR905.01 (more than $240 million), to bring the total amount provided by the SFD to SR69 billion.
Many countries in Africa have benefitted from the SDF’s soft loans. During the Saudi-Arab-African Economic Conference in Riyadh last November, the fund signed 14 new development loan agreements worth more than $580 million with 12 African ministers.
The amount is to fund projects in health care, water, education and transportation sectors in Angola, Burkina Faso, Benin, Burundi, Cabo Verde, Guinea, Malawi, Mozambique, Niger, Rwanda, Sierra Leone and Tanzania.
One of SFD’s projects for the continent is the Saudi Program for Drilling of Wells and Rural Development in Africa, which aims to sustain livelihoods by providing sustainable access to water resources.
Some 2,000 residents of two villages in rural Gambia had relied on this well for their water supply for more than three decades. (SFD photo)
Among the most enduring projects of this program are water wells in Gambia’s rural communities.
Safiya Saidi, a 50-year-old Mandinka woman from Gambia who has served as a caretaker of one of the SFD-funded water wells, said that her family and nearly 2,000 other residents of two villages had relied on the well for their water supply for more than three decades.
“Most people rely on this water well for years; it’s a source of water and food security for all of them,” she said.
