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Algiers– President Abdelmadjid Tebboune of the Republic of Algeria received here today the Prime Minister of Ethiopian Abiy Ahmed.
During the meeting, they discussed cooperation relations between Algeria and Ethiopia as well as a number of issues of common interest.
Source: Saudi Press Agency
Riyadh– Based on their religious and cultural status and their urban and Islamic dimensions, Mosques of the Madinah have received the attention of the Prince Mohammed bin Salman Project for Developing Historical Mosques in its second phase that included four mosques in the region with the aim of protecting them and restore them to the closest shape of their original status, in addition to maintaining their functional characteristics and restoring their old beauty.
Historical mosques in Madinah Region gain their importance from their close connection to Al-Sira Al-Nabawiyah (Prophetic biography) and the several sites that are related to the Islamic era, such as AlUla governorate that houses several archaeological sites.
Among the top targeted Madinah Mosques is Bani Haram Mosques that is only 1.68 kilometers away from the Prophet’s Holy Mosque, and it is a mosque that Prophet Mohammed, peace be upon him, prayed at its location. The development project seeks to match the changes in the mosque between old and new eras, where the pre-renovation area of the mosque stands at 266.42 square meters, which will be increased by 10 square meters after renovation with a total capacity of 172 worshipers.
Next to Mousa bin Nusair Historical Castle between AlUla and Hajrah, the project also includes Al-Itham Mosque, which also dates back to the era of Prophet Mohammed, peace be upon him, who identified the direction of Al-Qiblah with bones while on his way to Expedition of Tabuk in the ninth Hijri year. The area of the mosque stands at 773.34 square meters and will accommodate 580 worshippers after it was abandoned.
In the middle of Kheif Al-Huzami town at Wadi Al-Safra, affiliated with the Badr Governorate in Madinah Region, the Kheif Al-Huzami Mosque, also known as the Prince Radwan Mosque, will also undergo some developments, where the mosque was built by the Egyptian Hajj minister Radwan Al-Faqari in the middle of the 11th Hijri century, and its total area will increase from 527.94 square meters to 603.35 square meters after renovation and its capacity will go up from 150 to 180 worshippers.
The project will also head 102 kilometers to the north eastern parts of Madinah to the historical Castle Mosque, also known as Hamad bin Samihah Mosque after the ruler of the town, where the mosque dates back to over 100 years and gains its importance for being located in the center of the historical Castle neighborhood at Al-Hanakieh town. The pre-renovation area of the mosque stands at 181.75 square meters that will be increased to 263.55 square meters with a capacity of 171 worshippers after the mosque was abandoned.
A total of 30 mosques will be included in the second phase of the Prince Mohammed bin Salman Project for Developing Historical Mosques that covers all regions of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, where these mosques will be developed according to modern mechanism that guarantee the quality of good material and architectural designs after conducting an accurate assessment of the history, characteristics and features of every mosque.
Source: Saudi Press Agency
Riyadh– Riyadh will host the second edition of the Global Artificial Intelligence Summit from 13 to 15 September, the largest international AI event, with the participation of global policymakers and heads of technology, communications, and investment companies.
The Summit, themed “Artificial Intelligence for the Good of Humanity,” is being organized by the Saudi Authority for Data and Artificial Intelligence (SDAIA), and being held under the patronage of HRH Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince, who is the chairman of SDAIA’s board of directors and will be held at King Abdulaziz Conference Center.
In this report, SPA reviews the importance of this summit, in which lies the importance of data and artificial intelligence and their effective roles in building smart cities, improving the quality of life and serving humanity, and reaching limitless horizons in investing data technology and artificial intelligence to make a difference towards a better future. Hence, “SDAIA” was established to be the cornerstone in empowering young national potentials by creating digital solutions that contribute to facing obstacles, building a future based on data and AI, and achieving the goals of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030.
Mankind has invested AI in various life aspects and expanded investments in making difference towards a better tomorrow, and this can be seen clearly in the efforts of “NEOM”, where human genius, the beauty of nature, and the diversity of environments come together, which urban development experts describe as the right place to find new solutions to the challenges facing the world, through the use of modern technologies without harming the environment and the surrounding nature. NEOM is working diligently to make sustainability a fundamental pillar in all its efforts and actions to build a better future for upcoming generations.
The Global AI Summit, in its second edition, confirms the success achieved by “SDAIA” in organizing the first summit two years ago at a time when the wheel of life came to a pause triggered by the repercussions of the Corona pandemic, as it was held virtually in implementation of the directives of the competent authorities in Saudi Arabia to protect the participants and attendees from the risks of the Corona outbreak and in line with international efforts and precautionary measures that were applied in the rest of the world at the time.
The importance of the second summit lies in the fact that it deals with modern AI-related topics and its multiple uses in human life in the 21st century, and the Kingdom seeks to achieve international leadership to become among the data and AI-based economies. This renewed file gained the interest of the whole world and the United Nations and made them pace it within the sustainable development goals for the year 2030 due to its positive role in developing the present and the future.
Data and AI have become among the world’s top priorities and the world is developing AI national strategies to benefit from its techniques in developing the public and private sectors and boosting the level of the national economies through joint efforts and enhancing this field with the tributaries of innovation and knowledge, as AI is expected to boost global gross domestic product (GDP) by 14% by 2030, or nearly $15 trillion.
Therefore, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has been keen to shed light on these modern technologies by organizing the second edition of this global summit, which includes more than 100 sessions in which more than 200 speakers will participate, working with more than 3,000 participants to enhance knowledge exchange via a rich dialogue on how to harness AI technologies to provide appropriate solutions to the complex problems in their application, empower enterprises, and shape the future image to transform society from local and regional visions to the unified economic framework.
The summit seeks to enhance the Kingdom’s position as a global destination for decision-makers and investors in the artificial intelligence technology sector, aiming to exchange expertise with AI experts from around the world, raise the level of investment in data and artificial intelligence technologies, form alliances and launch initiatives that transform intelligence ideas to projects on the ground.
The summit will discuss a number of topics that show the implications of the AI on the most important sectors, such as: smart cities, human capacity development, health care, transportation, energy, culture and heritage, environment and economic mobility, with the aim of finding solutions to the current challenges and maximizing the use of the AI technologies.
The summit will reformulate the dialogue between technology, policies, and systems to find a unified application of artificial intelligence per human pillars centered around: smart cities, capacity development, health care, transportation, energy, culture, environment, and digital economy. The summit will include a review of modern AI technologies through an accompanying exhibition, let alone the launch of several of initiatives and agreements between the largest global companies in the world, and the establishment of the NEOM Challenge for Artificial Intelligence competition.
The first summit discussed a set of topics related to artificial intelligence distributed over four tracks: We Draw a New Era, Artificial Intelligence and Governments, Artificial Intelligence Governance, and the Future of Artificial Intelligence. These were presented during keynote speeches, discussion sessions, dialogues, and interactive activities.
The summit coincided with the Kingdom’s hosting of the G20 Summit, in the context of the Kingdom’s endeavor to achieve its aspirations for global leadership through a (data, AI-based economy), emphasizing the importance of international cooperation for the use of artificial intelligence for the benefit of humanity, and its role in achieving sustainable development goals as well as discussing SDAIA’s role of in the strategic leadership of the alternative economy in cooperation with many relevant authorities to contribute to meeting the goals of Vision 2030.
The first summit included 30 sessions, in which nearly 60 speakers and entrepreneurs from 20 countries participated, and aimed to find a global destination for artificial intelligence activities, which is the capital Riyadh, during which strategic agreements were signed with international companies in addition to signing a memorandum of understanding with the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) to develop a global framework that supports international cooperation in artificial intelligence.
SDAIA also cooperated with the World Bank on a joint initiative in the context of the Kingdom’s endeavor to enhance the digital economy in developing countries and enable them to accelerate the development of artificial intelligence technologies and turn them into engines of economic development, in addition to hosting a special consultative session in cooperation with the United Nations to establish an advisory body on global cooperation in artificial intelligence to address issues around integration, coordination and capacity building.
At the conclusion of the first summit, the winners of the “NEOM Challenge” and the “Artificial Intelligence Artathon” were announced, and the winners received prizes worth more than SR1 million.
Source: Saudi Press Agency
The executive board of the International Monetary Fund approved almost $1.2 billion for Pakistan Monday, providing much-needed relief as the country grapples with an economic crisis worsened by massive floods.
“Pakistan’s economy has been buffeted by adverse external conditions, due to spillovers from the war in Ukraine, and domestic challenges,” Antoinette Sayeh, IMF deputy managing director and acting chair said in a statement.
Criticizing government policies that caused “uneven and unbalanced growth,” Sayeh stressed Pakistan must implement “corrective policies and reforms” to regain economic stability, and inclusive and sustainable growth.
The loan approval comes as Pakistan’s foreign exchange reserves stand at a mere $13.5 billion, as of August 19 according to the State Bank of Pakistan. Weekly inflation touched 45% in August, according to government data, with prices of food and fuel skyrocketing.
Announcing the board’s decision on Twitter, Miftah Ismail, Pakistan’s finance minister, congratulated the nation and thanked prime minister Shahbaz Sharif, “for taking so many tough decisions and saving Pakistan from default.” The $1.17 billion is part of a $6 billion loan program agreed upon in 2019.
Alhamdolillah the IMF Board has approved the revival of our EFF program. We should now be getting the 7th & 8th tranche of $1.17 billion. I want to thank the Prime Minister @CMShehbaz for taking so many tough decisions and saving Pakistan from default. I congratulate the nation.
However, the funding may not be enough to pull Pakistan out of its deep economic crisis, as the country is dealing with some of the worst floods in over a decade. Since June, according to disaster managements agencies, countrywide rains and flooding have killed over 1,136 people, “badly affected” more than 33 million others and devastated crops.
The extent of the monsoon disaster, estimated to have caused around $5 billion in damage, prompted the government to declare a national emergency and appeal to the international community for aid last week.
The IMF statement did not make any mention of the economic fallout of the floods. It welcomed Pakistan’s plan to achieve a small budget surplus, calling it critical to contain spending and generate more tax revenues.
The loan approval from the IMF’s executive board comes after tough negotiations between the Fund’s staff and Pakistani officials. Before staff-level approval in July, the global lender had demanded Pakistan raise electricity and fuel rates, do away with many subsidies, let the open market determine the value of its currency which sent the rupee into a tailspin, and fill a budgetary shortfall of nearly $4 billion.
Drama at home
While Pakistan took austerity measures and managed to secure billions in financial commitments from friendly countries like China, Saudi Arabia, UAE and Qatar, last-minute developments at home created concerns about Pakistan’s ability to unlock the IMF’s aid.
Under the IMF deal, all four provinces of Pakistan agreed to show a budget surplus this year. However, in a letter to finance minister Ismail, the finance minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), a province run by ousted prime minister Imran Khan’s PTI party, refused to meet the condition, citing flood damages and other outstanding financial issues with the federal government. Ismail called it a “conspiracy against Pakistan.”
On Monday, two audio clips began circulating in the media in which Khan’s former finance minister is allegedly heard asking the current finance ministers of Punjab and KP, both provinces run by PTI, to decline to show budget surplus in a bid to pressure Sharif’s government.
While the authenticity of the leaked audio clips is yet to be established, PTI leadership defended the conversations in a news conference Monday, calling it “advice.” In a separate news conference, finance minister Ismail criticized the PTI, saying “after God, [the] IMF program is the one support” for Pakistan that is drowned in floodwaters.
The IMF granted Pakistan’s waivers for nonobservance of some performance criteria. In a tweet Ismail thanked China, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and UAE for helping bridge funding gaps to revive the IMF program. He also thanked the U.S., Turkey, EU and others for their support.
Source: Voice of America
Riyadh– Adviser at the Royal Court and Supervisor General of King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSrelief) Dr. Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Rabeeah has inaugurated, at KSrelief’s headquarters in Riyadh, the second phase of the emergency intervention to provide relief to the Somali people to help reduce the effects of the drought and famine currently facing the Republic of Somalia.
In a speech he delivered at the inauguration, Dr. Al Rabeeah explained that based on Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s commitment to stand with affected peoples who need great humanitarian aid, and in continuation of the role of KSrelief in preventing the spread of famine in Somalia, which led to the displacement of the population due to drought and severe food shortages, the first phase provided SAR 27 million to address the famine and limit its effects.
He added that under the generous directives of the leadership of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to stand with the needy and affected countries, we are launching the second phase of urgent intervention to contribute to cover the humanitarian needs of people affected by drought in Somalia, with SAR 47,214,000 to support food and nutrition programs for children, provision of water and shelter for displaced people and emergency programs to save lives.
These efforts are in line with the Kingdom’s support to countries and peoples that are exposed to disasters and humanitarian crises. It shows the care given by the Custodian of the two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and HRH the Crown Prince to support noble humanitarian action and relieve the suffering countries and peoples.
Dr. Al-Rabeeah extended thanks and appreciation to all donors and supporters, asking Allah Almighty to reward them and to protect this country, its leadership and people.
This support also comes as an extension of the Kingdom’s humanitarian efforts toward other countries in times of crises and adversities.
Source: Saudi Press Agency
Jeddah– The Independent Permanent Human Rights Commission (IPHRC) of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) deeply regrets the loss of precious lives and destruction of infrastructure and livelihoods due to ongoing calamitous flooding across Pakistan, Afghanistan and Sudan.
According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs around 1000 people have lost their lives, over 200,000 houses are destroyed causing widespread damage to crops and livestock affecting 33 million people in Pakistan.
In Afghanistan, regrettably, the death toll from flooding stands at around 200 affecting communities which were already devastated by the earthquake in June this year. Likewise, torrential rains have wreaked havoc in Sudan causing death of around 100 people and forcing thousands to abandon their flooded homes.
The humanitarian situation is expected to worsen as communities and infrastructure will struggle to cope with ongoing heavy rainfall and its devastating aftermath due to imminent food shortages and spread of water borne diseases, the Commission added.
The Commission is also distressed by the reports of a prolonged debilitating drought in Somalia which has caused displacement of around 1 million people and exposed 7 million to imminent hunger exacerbating the humanitarian crisis.
The Commission highlights that, in recent decades, climate change and environmental degradation has adversely affected millions of people and ecosystems, natural resources, and physical infrastructure upon which they depend . The OIC Member States, as a group, are highly vulnerable to environmental changes.
The situation is particularly alarming in low income developing Member States where it even represents an existential threat for many communities who are at the fore front of experiencing severe impacts of climate change. Accordingly, mitigating climate change effects and protecting vulnerable communities is crucial to ensuring fundamental rights to life, health, food and an adequate standard of living for individuals and communities in these affected areas. Therefore, these issues are not only environmental issues, but they have become human rights issues.
The Commission, in dealing with the immediate and long-term impacts of such environmental disasters urges the Member States, international community and civil society to immediately collaborate in supporting national and international humanitarian relief efforts and contribute towards long term rehabilitation of the affected people.
Source: Saudi Press Agency
Tokyo– Asian shares declined Monday after the head of the U.S. Federal Reserve indicated high interest rates will continue for some time to curb inflation, the Associated Press reported.
Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 dipped 2.7% in afternoon trading to 27,881.87. Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 dropped 2.0% to 6,965.50. South Korea’s Kospi slipped 2.2% to 2,427.28. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng slid 0.8% to 20,004.49, while the Shanghai Composite recouped earlier losses to inch up less than 0.1% at 3,237.82.
In energy trading, benchmark U.S. crude rose 67 cents to $93.73 a barrel. Brent crude, the international standard, added 36 cents to $101.35 a barrel.
In currency trading, the U.S. dollar rose to 138.80 Japanese yen from 137.75 yen. The euro was little changed at 99 cents.
Source: Saudi Press Agency
Riyadh– Secretary General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) for Arab States Dr. Nayef Falah Mubarak Al-Hajraf praised the State of Kuwait’s support for all efforts exerted to end the crisis and to enhance security and stability in Yemen, recalling Kuwait’s contributions and standing with the Yemeni people and their legitimate government to end the war in Yemen in accordance with international references.
This came during his meeting here today with the new Ambassador of the State of Kuwait to the Republic of Yemen Falah Badah Al-Hajraf.
The GCC Secretary General congratulated Ambassador Al-Hajraf on his accreditation as the new ambassador of Kuwait to Yemen, wishing him success, stressing the firm stances of the GCC countries in supporting efforts to end the crisis in Yemen, preserve its unity and achieve security and stability in all its regions so that the brotherly Yemeni people enjoy prosperity development and peace.
Source: Saudi Press Agency
Jakarta– A 6.4-magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Indonesia’s Sumatra island, the third tremor to rattle the area since early Monday, Reuters quoted to the country’s geophysics agency as said.
Indonesia’s meteorology and geophysics agency (BMKG) recorded the shallow quake off the Mentawai islands, off Sumatra’s west coast just before 10.30 a.m. and said it did not trigger a tsunami warning.
Three consecutive earthquakes struck the area with increasing intensity since the early hours of Monday, with a 5.2-magnitude tremor recorded before dawn, followed by a 5.4-magnitude quake less than an hour later.
The 6.4-magnitude earthquake was felt strongly for several seconds by residents in the Mentawai islands, in the provincial capital of Padang, and in the surrounding mountainous area of Bukitinggi, the disaster agency said in a statement.
The agency said there were no reports of casualties but there was minor damage to buildings on Siberut island.
Source: Saudi Press Agency
Riyadh– Secretary General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) for Arab States Dr. Nayef Falah Mubarak Al-Hajraf met here today with Secretary General of the Hague Conference on Private International Law (HCCH) Dr. Christophe Bernasconi.
During the meeting, they discussed ways to enhance cooperation in the judicial and legal field between the GCC and the Hague Conference on Private International Law, in addition to reviewing the activities and seminars carried out by the conference related to its agreements and private international law in general.
Source: Saudi Press Agency
Riyadh– The Saudi Youth Volleyball Team achieved the ninth place in the 21st Asian Men’s U20 Volleyball Championship.
This achievement came after the Saudi team beaten the Iraqi team today at Isa Sports City in Manama, Bahrain.
Source: Saudi Press Agency
Riyadh– Saudi National Volleyball Team defeated its Uzbekistan counterpart, by three sets to two, in the opening match of the Men’s Volleyball AVC Asian Challenge Cup 2022, hosted by Kyrgyzstan.
The Saudi National Volleyball Team will play the next match against Mongolia tomorrow, as the first-placed team in the preliminary round will face the fourth-placed team, while the second-placed team will play against the third-placed team. The winners will qualify for the final match of the tournament.
Source: Saudi Press Agency