https://arab.news/j48fr
WASHINGTON: Saudi Minister of Communications and Information Technology Abdullah Al-Swaha on Saturday met US Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo in Washington.
The two sides discussed strengthening the strategic partnership between their countries to support the growth of the digital economy in the region, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
The Kingdom’s Ambassador to the US Princess Reema bint Bandar was also present at the meeting.
RIYADH: Members of Saudi Arabia’s Project Masam removed 536 explosive devices from various regions of Yemen last week.
The total included nine anti-personnel mines, 48 anti-tank mines, 478 unexploded ordnances and one explosive device, according to a recent report.
Ousama Al-Gosaibi, the initiative’s managing director, said a total of 481,776 mines had been cleared since its inception in 2018.
The explosives were planted indiscriminately and 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.
The initiative trains local demining engineers and provides them with modern equipment. It also offers support to Yemenis injured by the devices.
Teams are tasked with clearing villages, roads and schools to facilitate safe movement for civilians and the delivery of humanitarian aid.
MOSCOW: Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov visited Saudi Arabia on Sunday ahead talks between Russia and the United States in the Kingdom scheduled for next week.
Siluanov was speaking at an event called AlUla Conference for Emerging Market Economies, organized by the Saudi Ministry of Finance and the International Monetary Fund.
US and Russian officials will meet in Saudi Arabia in the coming days to start talks aimed at ending the nearly three-year war in Ukraine, a US lawmaker and a source familiar with the planning said on Saturday.
Russian First Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov along with Siluanov and the central bank’s governor Elvira Nabiullina held talks with President of United Arab Emirates Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan on February 15.
Speaking at an event, Siluanov highlighted Russia’s willingness to restructure the debt of foreign countries.
“During the last 25 years we restructured debt of 22 countries for the amount of almost $30 billion. A similar amount we had restructured through bilateral agreements,” Siluanov said.
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia expressed its full support for measures taken by the Lebanese government to confront attempts to tamper with the security of Lebanese citizens, and to deal firmly with the perpetrators of an attack on the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL).
“The Kingdom renewed its support and confidence in the measures taken by His Excellency President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam in this regard, and the national tasks carried out by the Lebanese Army that contribute to achieving security and stability,” read a statement by the foreign ministry on Sunday.
Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam has pledged to bring the assailants behind the criminal attack on a UN peacekeeping force to justice.
A UNIFIL deputy commander was wounded on Friday when the convoy he travelled in was attacked by protesters who set his UN vehicle on fire.
Salam had directed the Lebanese interior minister to take immediate action to identify the assailants, arrest them, and refer them to the judicial body.
Supporters of the Lebanese Shiite Islamist movement Hezbollah have clashed with the Lebanese Army amidst a Hezbollah-organised rally to block the road to Beirut International Airport over a decision to bar two Iranian flights from landing there.
Several videos shared online show a group of young men, carrying yellow flags affiliated with Hezbollah, chase and beat what appear to be peacekeepers in a white UN vehicle as they attempt to flee.
JAZAN: The Jazan region of Saudi Arabia is a haven for a wide variety of birdlife, including the sandgrouse, a species admired for its striking crowned and striped beauty, remarkable desert adaptation, and its deep roots in Arab folklore and literature, inspiring poets and writers for generations.
From pre-Islamic poetry to modern works, the squawking sandgrouse has symbolized patience, endurance, loyalty, departure, and longing. Poets have drawn parallels between the bird’s arduous desert journeys and human experiences. One poet expresses a sense of shared hardship, comparing their own sorrow with the sandgrouse’s search for water.
In Saudi literature, the sandgrouse has also become a symbol of the free spirit, constantly on the move yet ultimately drawn back to its homeland, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
Jazan poet Mohammed bin Ali Al-Sanousi, a prominent figure in the region’s poetic tradition, often incorporated imagery from the local environment, including the sandgrouse, into his work. He reflects on a sense of displacement and yearning for home, echoing the sandgrouse’s migratory nature.
Beyond literature, the sandgrouse appears in popular proverbs and oral traditions, frequently noted for its speed and ability to locate water in arid landscapes. The saying, “If you see a sandgrouse, know that water is near,” illustrates its practical significance as a guide for those crossing the desert.
Jazan welcomes the sandgrouse, especially during migration seasons. These birds, capable of reaching flight speeds of 60 to 70 kilometers per hour, travel up to 50 kilometers each day in search of sustenance. Their remarkable ability to carry water in their feathers, transporting it long distances to their young, exemplifies their dedication to nurturing their offspring.
The sandgrouse is an integral part of Jazan’s cultural heritage, inspiring artists and writers, and serving as a powerful reminder of the beauty and biodiversity of Saudi Arabia’s natural environment.
RIYADH: Saudi Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman held a telephone call with US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Sunday.
Prince Khalid congratulated Pete on the occasion of his appointment as Secretary of Defense of the United States.
Their conversation focused on Saudi-American relations and strategic cooperation in the defense field, as well as ways to develop the cooperation for mutual benefit, as well as the efforts to establish the foundations of international peace and security.
