Category: General

The Secretary-General of the Badr Organization and head of Al-Fateh Alliance, Hadi Al-Amiri, commented today, Friday, on the voices betting on the return of the Baath Party to the political arena again.

Al-Amiri said in a speech to him, “We are still on alert and our hand is on the trigger against anyone who bets on the return of the Baath Party under any pretext.”

He added, “We will be harsh this time on those who want to try their luck in betting on the return of the buried Baath.”

Source: National Iraqi News Agency

The Kurdistan Regional Government described the changes made by some members of the Parliamentary Finance Committee to the draft budget law as “unconstitutional,” stressing that it will not abide by any other decision outside the scope of the agreement with the government of Prime Minister Muhammad al-Sudani.

The Kurdistan Regional Government stated in a statement, “The changes introduced by some members of the Finance Committee in the Iraqi Parliament in the draft general budget law on 5/25/2023 against the Kurdistan Region are unconstitutional.”

It stressed, “These changes clearly contradict the agreement signed between the regional government and the federal government, as well as constitute a violation of the principles of the state administration government agreement and contradict the essence of the ministerial program that the House of Representatives voted on.”

The KRG stressed that it would not accept “at all” with “this injustice and violation of the rights of the people of Kurdistan.”

It added, “we will not abide by any other decision outside the scope of the agreement signed with the government of Muhammad al-Sudani.”

Source: National Iraqi News Agency

A force from the Popular Mobilization Forces carried out a security operation in the areas adjacent to the Tigris River crossing in Kirkuk.

A statement by the Popular Mobilization Authority stated: “A force from the 9th Brigade of the Popular Mobilization Forces affiliated to the Kirkuk and East Tigris Operations Command carried out a reconnaissance and inspection operation within the sector of responsibility.”

He added: “The operation included a field survey and clearing of the areas adjacent to the Tigris River crossing to search for the wanted persons and secure the area.”

Source: National Iraqi News Agency

Zakat, Tax and Customs Authority has foiled an attempt to smuggle 460,000 Captagon tablets via the Saudi Red Sea port of Dhuba.

The authority said that the drug consignment was found hidden in the cavities of machine shipment.

Accordingly, the authority said two suspects were apprehended and were referred to the competent authority.

Source: Saudi Press Agency

Saudi Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Cabinet Member and Climate Envoy, Adel bin Ahmed Al-Jubeir, has met in Bogota, with Colombia’s Deputy Minister of Trade, Industry, and Tourism, Luis Felipe Quintero, during a visit to Colombia.

During the meeting, the two sides discussed issues of common interest.

Source: Saudi Press Agency

Saudi Arabia participated in the first ministerial meeting of the Science, Technology, and Innovation Forum of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), which was held virtually today, in Almaty, Kazakhstan, chaired by the Minister of Science and Higher Education, Sayasat Nurbek, and the participation of several senior officials from the OIC members countries.

The Kingdom’s delegation was headed by the President of King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology, who supervises the team establishing the Research, Development, and Innovation Development Authority, Dr. Munir bin Mahmoud El-Desouki, who highlighted the Kingdom’s celebration of its second space mission to the International Space Station to conduct 14 scientific experiments to serve humanity.

Dr. El-Desouki stressed that this historic event establishes a new era for science, technology, and innovation in the Kingdom, whose objectives were formed mid-last year with the announcement of HRH, the Crown Prince of the Kingdom’s aspirations and national priorities for the research, development, and innovation sector, in which the Kingdom committed itself to spend 2.5% of its GDP on the sector by 2040.

He said: “We see the early stages of this ambition, and its indicators have begun to appear, as the Kingdom advanced 15 ranks in the Global Innovation Index in 2022, and winning prizes and first ranks in international competitions has become an annual habit for the Kingdom’s students and talents, including winning 27 awards at the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) 2023 conference as the second country in the world in terms of the number of awards.”

Dr. El-Desouki expressed hope that the forum would be an opportunity to exchange knowledge and experiences among the OIC members, stressing the Kingdom’s readiness represented by the Research, Development, and Innovation Development Authority to explore and activate prospects for this cooperation to serve all citizens of all Muslim countries, and to draw an honorable image that reflects the status of Arabs and Muslims in science and technology.

During the meeting, the participants discussed the importance of harnessing the technologies of the fourth industrial revolution in the OIC member states to improve their readiness for artificial intelligence, exchanging specialists in this field, and sharing data. They also approved the Forum’s objectives, governance, and technical committees, including new technologies, health and medicine, food security, water, climate change, environmental challenges, education, technology incubators, and science parks.

The Forum’s idea started in 2017 as a dialogue and consultative platform among the leading OIC countries in science, technology, and innovation to discuss ways to boost innovation in the OIC countries and adopt science and technology to serve development goals

Source: Saudi Press Agency

The land patrols of the Border Guard in the Jizan region have thwarted an attempt to smuggle 140 kilograms of Khat. The seized narcotics were handed over to the competent authority, and preliminary legal procedures were completed.

Security agencies call on the public to report any information concerning drug smuggling or trafficking by calling 911 in Makkah, Riyadh, and the Eastern regions and 999 in the rest of the Kingdom’s regions.

They can also contact the General Directorate of Narcotics Control at 995 or through email: 995@gdnc.gov.sa. All reports will be treated with strict confidentiality.

Source: Saudi Press Agency

The Saudi delegation participating in the 19th session of the World Meteorological Congress (Cg-19) has held a reception for presidents and members of delegations participating in the congress in Geneva, Switzerland.

During the reception, the Kingdom’s delegation presented the Saudi regional programs related to weather and climate.

The Kingdom has worked to enhance its capabilities and potential in the field of weather and climate on local, regional, and international levels, said the head of the Saudi delegation and CEO of the National Center for Meteorology (NCM), Dr. Ayman bin Salem Ghulam.

Dr. Ghulam affirmed that Saudi efforts to enhance its capabilities in the two fields came in close partnership with the U.N. World Meteorological Organization (WMO), as the Kingdom has adhered to the WMO’s standards, outcomes, and decisions.

Meanwhile, Dr. Ghulam reviewed the Kingdom’s efforts in this regard, including restructuring of the meteorological and environmental sector and the establishment of a NCM with high capabilities to achieve best practices in this field.

Such efforts stem from the Kingdom’s pivotal role and geographical location, which necessitates further attention, given the challenges that Saudi Arabia faces, the NCM chief said.

Such challenges are represented in the lack or absence of monitoring systems in the countries of the region despite the different weather phenomena affecting them, Dr. Ghulam explained.

Source: Saudi Press Agency

A girl killed her father in one of the districts of Babylon.

Media Director of Babylon Police, Brigadier General Adel Al-Husseini, said: “A twenty-year-old girl killed her father by hitting him with a sharp object, in their home in Al-Qasim district, south of Hilla, without knowing the reasons.”

He added: “The police transferred the body to the forensic medicine department, and the girl was arrested.”

Source: National Iraqi News Agency

A fire broke out inside the Engineering Technical College building in Maysan.

A security source told the correspondent of the National Iraqi News Agency / NINA /: “The fire consumed an entire hall on the second floor of the building, as a result of an electrical fault,” indicating that the civil defense teams rushed to put out the fire.

Source: National Iraqi News Agency

SANA reporter: Quneitra Governorate Council member, Secretary of Ghadir al-Bustan partisan division, Quneitra southern countryside, Hamad al-Kumeh, killed by unknown gunmen fire at dawn on Thursday.

A medical source at Martyr Mamdouh Abaza Hospital in Quneitra, said to SANA reporter that al-Kumeh was admitted to the emergency department today dawn, who was martyred due to being shot by unknown persons.

Source: Syrian Arab News Agency

Activities of a scientific workshop titled “Visions and Methodologies of Restoration and Reconstruction of Arch of Triumph in Palmyra” kicked off Thursday. The workshop is held in cooperation between General Directorate for Antiquities and Museums, Syrian Trust for Development, and Institute of History of Material Culture of Russian Academy of Sciences in the presence of experts from UNESCO.

The two-day workshop discusses the foundations and methodologies for the reconstruction and rehabilitation of the archaeological monument of Arch of Triumph in Palmyra, which was destroyed by Daesh (ISIS) terrorist organization in 2015.

“During the years of war on Syria, the hand of dark terrorism targeted it, destroying as much of its remains as it could to undermine the national identity, the most important of which is the Arch of Triumph in Palmyra, which is one of the most prominent historical symbols of Syria that we are proud of,” Minister of Culture, Lubana Mshaweh said in a speech during the opening ceremony of the workshop.

Mashouh added that the first phase of the project was successfully completed, and then the project, due to its national importance, gained the support of the leaderships in Syria and Russia.

Director of The State Hermitage Museum, Professor Mikhail Piotrovsky, for his part, stressed the importance of working in accordance with international standards in order to reach the main goal, which is the return of Palmyra and the restoration of its historical site.

Source: Syrian Arab News Agency