Month: May 2023

Saudi astronauts Rayyanah Barnawi and Ali Alqarni bid farewell to the International Space Station (ISS) as they boarded their spacecraft, preparing to return to Earth after successfully accomplishing the objectives of the Kingdom’s scientific mission.

The primary aim of the Kingdom’s mission was to contribute to scientific research for the benefit of humanity, leveraging the opportunities provided by the global space sector and its industries while also developing national capabilities in manned spaceflights.

Departing the ISS alongside the crew of the Ax-2 mission, which includes astronauts Peggy Whitson and John Shoffner, the Saudi astronauts participated in an official farewell ceremony organized by the ISS crew to bid farewell to the Ax-2 mission team.

With their gratitude and appreciation, Barnawi and Alqarni thanked the ISS crew for their support and cooperation throughout their journey, enabling the Saudi astronauts to accomplish their planned mission successfully.

The Saudi astronauts expressed their pride and appreciation for being part of this unique scientific experience, which was made possible through the Saudi Astronaut Program initiated by the Saudi Space Commission (SSC). The program aims to fulfil the Kingdom’s aspirations in the field of space and align with the ambitious goals of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 in advancing the space industry.

As the farewell ceremony concluded, the Saudi astronauts took commemorative photos with the ISS crew.

The SCC announced today the successful separation of the spacecraft carrying the two Saudi astronauts from the ISS at 17:50 Makkah time. The spacecraft is set to land in the waters of the Atlantic Ocean tomorrow, Wednesday, at five o’clock in the morning.

With the completion of the Saudi astronauts’ mission aboard the ISS, the Kingdom embarks on a new phase of space exploration and investment in specialized sciences. This aligns with Saudi Arabia’s plans and ambitions in the field of space exploration, aiming to strengthen its position among nations engaged in space endeavours and enhance its independent research capabilities.

Source: Saudi Press Agency

The National Energy Services Company, TARSHID, and the Trade Center Company, owned by Kingdom Holding, have signed a contract to start the detailed study required for retrofitting the Kingdom Tower in Riyadh and its associated facilities. This aims to increase energy efficiency and reduce energy consumption in the tower, which is one of Riyadh’s prominent skyscrapers and a symbol of the capital’s cultural identity. The joint collaboration is intended to enhance energy conservation efforts and implement sustainable energy efficiency solutions in all buildings across the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, in line with the goals of Vision 2030.

TARSHID will conduct field surveys and technical studies for the targeted buildings and facilities. Based on the findings of the study, TARSHID will advise on the best solutions to save energy and reduce consumption in the Kingdom Tower. The energy efficiency retrofit project for the Kingdom Center will focus on five measures: lighting replacement, replacement of split-wall air conditioner units, retrofitting cooling systems (chillers), controlling of air conditioning units, installation of solar panels, and upgrading the building management systems (BMS). These measures will result in increased energy efficiency and reduced consumption in the Kingdom Center project.

TARSHID is actively involved in retrofitting buildings in both the public and private sectors to increase energy efficiency. The Kingdom Center project is one of TARSHID’s significant partnerships with the private sector, and the company encourages other private-sector companies to adopt a similar approach to environmental sustainability, resource preservation, and finding the best energy efficiency solutions for all buildings and facilities. The Kingdom Center’s commitment to this responsibility is a valuable contribution that aligns with TARSHID’s strategic goals of expanding its reach to keep pace with Saudi Arabia’s energy sustainability transition.

The Vice Chairman of the Trade Center Company, Nada Al Ateegi, expressed the company’s pride in this collaboration, stating, “We are proud of our partnership with TARSHID to achieve the goals of reducing energy consumption, increasing operational efficiency, improving energy efficiency standards, and promoting environmental sustainability principles in the Kingdom Tower Center, one of Riyadh’s important landmarks and a role model for similar places.”

The Chief Operating Officer of TARSHID, Eng. Rashed Al-Mehthel, announced that the company will conduct the necessary studies in cooperation with Kingdom Holding Company for the energy efficiency retrofit project in the Kingdom Center building. In his statement, he said, “We all strive to align with Saudi Vision 2030 in its goals of increasing energy efficiency and environmental sustainability.

TARSHID was established to promote energy sustainability and forming partnerships with private-sector companies. The Trade Center Company, owned by Kingdom Holding, is a crucial private sector player to achieve our goals and transform buildings in Saudi Arabia to become more energy efficient. Through this collaboration, we aim to become the private sector’s strategic partner for all energy efficiency solutions.”

TARSHID’s mission is to serve the strategic sustainability goal of the Kingdom, derived from Vision 2030, which aims to achieve significant energy savings and reduce carbon emissions. TARSHID primarily works to improve energy efficiency in public buildings and facilities, targeting 14,753 structures. From its establishment in 2017 until the end of 2022, the company has achieved a reduction of 5.5 terawatt-hours per year in various projects, equivalent to 8.8 million barrels of oil equivalent (BoE), avoiding 3.1 million metric tons of harmful emissions, which is equivalent to the environmental impact of planting more than 50 million trees.

Source: Saudi Press Agency

The Municipal Council of North Al Sharqiyah Governorate today held its 5th meeting for 2023 under the chairmanship of Sheikh Ali Ahmed Al Shamsi, Governor of North Al Sharqiyah, Chairman of the Council.

The meeting discussed the matter of providing fiber optics services in residential areas in the Wilayat of Wadi Bani Khalid. It also reviewed the matter of increasing car accidents in the Wilayat of Al Mudhaibi, among other topics.

The council proposed several recommendation and submitted several matters to authorities concerned

Source: Oman News Agency

Caretaker Information Minister, Ziad Makary, on Tuesday said via his Twitter account that he will be holding a press conference at 3:00 pm on Wednesday to set the record straight about ‘Tele Liban’s administrative and financial file after several inaccuracies have been disseminated by a number of local media outlets.’

Source: National News Agency – Lebanon

As the world celebrates the Environment Day on 5th of June, the UfM calls for urgent action from all stakeholders to safeguard the delicate ecosystem of the Mediterranean. The Mediterranean, a sea that holds 1% of the worlds waters but concentrates 7% of all global microplastics, is estimated to be polluted by 570,000 tonnes of plastic waste a year. This is equivalent to over 50 Eiffel Towers’ weight of plastic debris being thrown into our sea each year. The annual leakage of plastic is projected to quadruple by 2050, under a business-as-usual scenario.

The scale of the problem requires urgent commitments and actions at a regional level, and from source to sea, to achieve the necessary long-term reduction of waste produced on land. In recent days, the UfM has endorsed the project, TouMaLi, which contributes to the reduction of waste flows into the sea caused by tourism while promoting circular economy solutions such as the reduction and reuse of unavoidable waste in Morocco, Tunisia and Egypt.

The UfM-supported project, Plastic Busters, has been active since 2013 and aims to enhance the knowledge about the origins of marine plastics to provide policy recommendations to UfM countries while raising awareness among civil society. The project emphasizes the need to urgently tackle single-use plastics, which represent 8 out 10 plastic debris found in the Mediterranean. The project has analyzed 4 protected marine areas in the Mediterranean and 40 species, finding traces of these debris not only on the surface and seabed but also in the digestive systems of many aquatic organisms, from marine turtle species to whales and mollusks. Additionally, the project has created a digital platform for sharing data on marine litter across the Mediterranean. It has trained 250 professionals and individuals in marine litter management, involving 30 municipalities in a network of coastal cities against marine litter. It has also published reports with policy recommendations and good practices to improve marine litter management and governance. Currently, 50 civil society organisations are involved in beach clean-up campaigns.

UfM Secretary General, Nasser Kamel, highlights that fighting plastic pollution shall be at the centre of the political agenda in the region as ‘it kills aquatic wildlife, damages natural systems, and contaminates marine food chains. Since the Mediterranean is a closed sea, any environmental impact in the North has consequences for the South, and vice versa. The UfM firmly believes that effective reduction of marine litter in the Mediterranean can only be achieved through collective efforts and cooperation among all Mediterranean countries and civil society.’

UfM Deputy Secretary General for Water, Environment and Blue Economy, Almotaz Abadi, states: ‘The UfM operates on three levels to combat plastic litter and protect the Mediterranean. Firstly, as a political platform through its member states, which adopted two ambitious ministerial declarations on environment and climate action and on sustainable Blue Economy in 2021. Secondly, by promoting a Mediterranean policy dialogue to harmonize and strengthen environmental regulations and actions. And thirdly, by establishing operational partnerships as well as supporting and providing technical assistance to regional projects such as the Plastic Busters initiative or the TouMali project.

Source: National News Agency – Lebanon

Caretaker Justice Minister Henri Khoury on Tuesday stressed that he did what’s needed to ‘preserve the Lebanese state’s rights,’ amid a row with caretaker PM Najib Mikati over hiring lawyers to represent the Lebanese state in the case of the Paris-held assets of Central Bank chief Riad Salameh.

Speaking at a press conference, Khoury denied that there is a lack of information surrounding the lawyers.

‘This is incorrect and we have sent the information to the Premiership,’ the minister said.

‘The lawyer Emmanuel Daoud is not a Jew but rather a Catholic from an Algerian father and a French mother. He had been hired in a lawsuit against Israel to the benefit of Palestinian activist Salah Hammouri and he had previously filed a lawsuit against the CIA for bombing Iraq,’ Khoury said.

‘We are ready to submit information regarding the CVs of the lawyers Emmanuel Daoud and Pascal Buffet,’ the minister added.

‘The CVs of the two lawyers have been deliberately distorted and the aim is to delay the files that the French courts are looking into,’ Khoury went on to say.

‘We have signed the contracts and they are still in effect. I’m clinging to them and will not back down,’ he emphasized.

Informed sources have told Asharq al-Awsat newspaper that Mikati was dismayed after ‘the justice minister unilaterally hired the lawyers Emmanuel Daoud and Pascal Buffet without following the legal channels that are used in such cases.’

The procedures ‘should have started with a suggestion with the names of the lawyers from Justice Ministry Director General Judge Mohammed al-Masri to get the minister’s approval before referring the file to Cabinet to issue an appointment decree,’ the source said.

Mikati had invited Khoury and the rest of ministers to a Cabinet session on Wednesday to discuss the appointment of the lawyers as a sole topic. Khoury, however, said that he would continue to boycott Cabinet sessions in line with the Free Patriotic Movement’s decision and the premier announced a postponement of the session in the wake of Khoury’s press conference

Source: National News Agency – Lebanon

Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati on Tuesday announced the postponement of a council meeting which had been initially scheduled for Wednesday.

Mikati urged Khoury to rethink his position, asserting that public posturing in the media could not replace definitive decision-making within the Council of Ministers.

In response to Khoury’s recent statements in a press conference, Mikati’s office issued a detailed statement. It emphasized Mikati’s commitment to Lebanon’s supreme interests and preserving its rights, especially regarding the case currently before the French courts.

The statement further referred to Decree No. 2252 issued on 1-8-1992, which stipulates the operational protocol of the Council of Ministers, notably Article 9, granting the Prime Minister the authority to summon relevant individuals for hearing during a session.

The bone of contention during Khoury’s press conference was his claim that the issue necessitated thorough scrutiny within the Council of Ministers. Mikati asserted that Khoury’s obligation was to attend the proposed session to discuss the matter, present his standpoint, and share his reasons.

Given Khoury’s announcement about his non-attendance at the scheduled meeting, Mikati declared the postponement of the session to a future date. He called on the Justice Minister to reassess his position, emphasizing that media sound bites cannot replace decisive discussions within the Council of Ministers.

In light of the current stalemate, Mikati stressed that Khoury’s obstructionist approach could lead to personal liability for any detriment to the state’s supreme interests. He highlighted that there was still an opportunity for making an appropriate decision, away from fruitless disputes.

Source: National News Agency – Lebanon