Category: General

Washington– Saudi Doctor Yahya Mohammed Al-Qahtani, faculty member of Howard University, has invented modern technologies in manufacturing batteries for electric vehicles, directly supporting national plans to invest in electric vehicles.

Speaking to the Saudi Press Agency, Al-Qahtani reviewed details of these technologies that are the outcomes of a research project, saying: “The research managed to reduce the duration of electric vehicles batteries to 12 minutes after it used to take hours, and managed to reduce battery weight to 20%, which will reduce the cost and contribute to providing a local product that can support national plans in investment in electric vehicles.”

He added that the next step he aspires to realize is to localize his findings through research published by a team led by him and complete the first phase of his patent registration for a commercial product by establishing a local investment company to ensure having a Saudi product.

Al-Qahtani stressed that his project is an essential part of Saudi Arabia’s strategy to invest in electric vehicles, stressing that his product will contribute to the localization of the industry in this area, which is growing in an unprecedented way.

He added, “The production of electric vehicles has grown from 200,000 cars in 2012 to about 15 million cars in 2022.”

Source: Saudi Press Agency

Riyadh– The Permanent Committee of International Humanitarian Law has concluded its first three-day training course for 2023. The course was attended by more than 500 trainees and delivered by international and local experts. The course, entitled “Basic Rules of International Humanitarian Law,” was held at the King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz College of Command and Staff at the Ministry of National Guard. The College Commander, Maj. Gen. Dr. Mohammed Al-Qahtani, the Chairman of the Saudi Red Crescent Authority and Chairman of the Permanent Committee of International Humanitarian Law, Dr. Jalal bin Mohammed Al-Owaisi, were present.

Dr. Al-Owaisi stated that the committee is consistently working to intensify training programs in cooperation with the military and civil sectors in the Kingdom to increase awareness of international humanitarian law. He also praised the efforts made by the Ministry of National Guard, an active member of the permanent committee, in ensuring the success of the training programs.

Dr. Al-Qahtani commended the training courses and lectures provided by the Permanent Committee to spread knowledge and awareness of international humanitarian law. These courses targeted employees from various sectors in the country.

The course covered several topics, including concepts of international humanitarian law, historical development, sources, principles, the scope of application, key implementation mechanisms, and its main terms. In addition, it discussed the rights and duties of workers in the field of humanitarian services during armed conflicts. The course also delved into contemporary challenges to international humanitarian law in wars by proxy and cyber wars.

Source: Saudi Press Agency

Riyadh, The donor group supporting the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) held a meeting in Riyadh today. The meeting was chaired by Dr. Aqeel bin Juman Al-Ghamdi, Assistant Supervisor General of the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre (KSrelief), who is also the head of the group and the representative of the Kingdom to the group. The three-day meeting, which marks the fifth meeting under the Saudi presidency of the donor group for 2022-2023, was attended by more than 500 trainees.

The agenda of the meeting included a discussion on proactive work in the humanitarian field, a proposed visit by donor members to South Sudan from March 13 to 17, 2023, and a presentation on Yemen as a pivotal country by the OCHA organization.

Dr. Al-Ghamdi said that many stakeholders in the international arena have come to agree on the importance of proactive humanitarian action. He emphasized that there are great opportunities to protect lives and livelihoods, reduce human suffering and losses and that early intervention will reduce vulnerability before a disaster strikes and enhance preparedness for disaster response. He added that the development of the humanitarian approach among donors has taken a positive upward trend in recent years. More than 75 governments and more than 60 humanitarian relief agencies are working to mitigate the expected impact of humanitarian crises.

Dr. Al-Ghamdi reiterated the Kingdom’s continuous support for humanitarian and development efforts in Yemen. He mentioned that since 2015, the Kingdom has provided a total of $20.7 billion in humanitarian and development aid to Yemen. Of this amount, $14.2 billion was provided for humanitarian aid at the bilateral level, as well as through UN agencies and international and national non-governmental organizations, and in partnership with the private sector and civil society.

Martin Griffiths, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, thanked Saudi Arabia for hosting the 5th high-level meeting and gave an overview of global events, especially concerning the earthquake disaster that occurred in Syria and Turkey. He stressed the need to develop and expand the scope of humanitarian teams, especially OCHA in Syria during the current time, citing obstacles that hinder the entry of aid to the stricken areas.

Meanwhile, several donors thanked the Kingdom and OCHA for their efforts in Yemen and the coordination with other partners and donors to provide humanitarian aid to Yemen. The next meeting of the donor group will be in Geneva at the expert level on the 27th and 28th of April.

Source: Saudi Press Agency

Taiz– King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSrelief) distributed 435 cartons of food aid in Taiz Governorate, Yemen, benefiting 1,015 people of 145 families yesterday.

This falls within the framework of the various projects provided by the KSrelief for the Yemeni people.

Source: Saudi Press Agency

Kabul– King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSrelief) distributed 1,000 food baskets to the families affected by the floods in Afghanistan, benefiting 6,000 people yesterday.

This comes within the framework of the efforts made by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, through the KSrelief, to alleviate the suffering of the people affected by the floods in various cities and provinces in Afghanistan.

Source: Saudi Press Agency

Riyadh– King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSrelief) Project (Masam) for clearing mines in Yemen, dismantled, during the second week of February 2023, a total of 1,269 mines planted by the Houthi militia across Yemen.

Since the beginning of the project, as many as 387,551 mines planted by the Houthi militias have been dismantled.

Source: Saudi Press Agency

Riyadh– Under the patronage of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, and on his behalf, Prince Faisal bin Bandar bin Abdulaziz, Governor of Riyadh Region, will attend the launch of the Riyadh International Humanitarian Forum (RIHF) in its third session on February, 20th, 2023. The RIHF is organized by King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSrelief) in partnership with the United Nations (UN) and its humanitarian organizations in Riyadh.

The RIHF will see the participation of many leaders from the Kingdom, the Gulf, other Arab countries, international governmental and non-governmental organizations, UN organizations working in the humanitarian field, and experts to discuss developments in humanitarian and relief issues in various countries around the world.

Source: Saudi Press Agency

Damascus, SANA- Foreign and Expatriates Minister, Dr. Fayssal Mikdad called for urgent condemnation of the Israeli aggression to deter it from killing civilians and violating the sovereignty of states.

Mikdad’s remarks came during a meeting with ambassadors and heads of diplomatic missions accredited to Syria on Sunday.

He called the Israeli aggression a crime against humanity, noting that Syria is racing against time to address the catastrophic consequences of the devastating earthquake.

The international community’s failure to stop Israel’s criminal acts will encourage it to commit further crimes, the minister added.

“The continuation of Israeli brutal attacks, and crimes against the Palestinian and Syrian people constitutes an explicit threat to peace and security in the region and beyond ,” Mikdad said.

Source: Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA)

Aleppo, SANA- The Cathedral of Our Lady for Melkite Catholics in the Old City of Aleppo held a Holy Mass for the peace of souls of the quake victims presided over by Archbishop George Masri, pastor of the Melkite Catholic Diocese of Aleppo.

Prayers were performed for the peace of the souls of the victims of the earthquake and for the recovery of the injured.

The holy mass was attended by Cardinal Claudio Gugerotti, Head of the Dicastery for Eastern Churches in Vatican, and Vatican Ambassador to Syria, Cardinal Mario Zenari as well as a crowd of clergymen.

“Today, I convey to you the blessing and love of His Holiness Pope Francis in the face of this catastrophe as we are sure that the Syrian people, who had experienced enormous hardships and overcame them, will overcome the consequences of the devastating earthquake, likewise.” Cardinal Gugerotti stated to journalists.

Source: Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA)

Damascus, SANA- “Syria expects the United Nations Secretariat and Security Council to condemn Israeli aggression and crimes, take the necessary measures to deter them, hold them accountable, punish their perpetrators and ensure they do not recur,” the Foreign and Expatriates Ministry said Sunday.

The Ministry said, in a statement, that at the time when Syria was trying to heal its wounds, bury its martyrs, and receive condolences, sympathy and international humanitarian support in facing the devastating earthquake, the Israeli entity launched an air aggression today targeting the civilian-populated residential neighborhoods in Damascus, causing, in a primary toll, the martyrdom of 5 civilians and injury of 15 others and the destruction of a number of houses.

The ministry added, “The aggression comes in the context of the systematic Israeli attacks against the Syrian civilian targets, including homes, service centers, airports, and ports, intimidating the Syrians who are still suffering from the catastrophic effects left by the earthquake and working to support those affected by it.”

The ministry noted that the hostile action also coincides with the attacks carried out by Daesh (ISIS) terrorist organization, claiming the lives of dozens of innocent civilians in the eastern countryside of Homs province.

The ministry stressed that “the continuation of these brutal attacks and crimes against the Palestinian and Syrian people constitutes an explicit threat to peace and security in the region and requires urgent international action to stop the Israeli aggressive actions on Syrian territory.

Source: Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA)

Damascus, SANA- Five people were martyred and 15 others were wounded in an Israeli air aggression, with waves of missiles, targeting areas in Damascus and its vicinity, including residential neighborhoods.

“At 00:22 a.m. Sunday at dawn, the Israeli enemy carried out an air aggression with waves of missiles from the direction of occupied Syrian Golan, targeting some points in Damascus city and its surroundings, including residential neighborhoods, our air defenses intercepted the missiles and downed most of them”, a military source told SANA.

The source added that the aggression caused, as a preliminary toll, the death of five people, among them a soldier, and wounded 15 civilians, some of critical cases.

The source stressed that the Israeli aggression also destroyed a number of civilian houses and caused material damage to several neighborhoods in Damascus and its vicinity.

Source: Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA)

The Middle East Conference and Exhibition for Oil, Gas and Geosciences (MEOS GEO 2023), opened today at the Exhibition World Bahrain Center in Sakhir.

On behalf of His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister, the Deputy Prime Minister Shaikh Khalid bin Abdulla Al Khalifa inaugurated the event.

The Deputy Prime Minister stressed the importance attached to the oil and gas sector, in light of the comprehensive development march led by His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa.

He expressed thanks and gratitude to HRH the Crown Prince and Prime Minister for patronising this vital event that has been held in the Kingdom of Bahrain every two years since 1979.

He noted th Government’s support to the oil sector, given the great importance of energy which spurs growth and yields the prosperity of countries in the world.

He commended the efforts of Oil and Gas Holding Company (Nogaholding), headed by His Highness Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Representative of HM the King for Humanitarian Work and Youth Affairs, Nogaholding Chairman, to further the development of the oil and gas sectors.

“The conference) is an opportunity to exchange information and experiences, learn about the latest studies and successful experiences in exploration for oil and gas, find appropriate solutions aimed at achieving commercial benefit”, he said.

The conference is held this year under the slogan “Today’s Facts… Tomorrow’s Energy”, with the participation of more than 15,000 senior officials, engineers, specialists and academics who will discuss the current challenges facing the oil and gas industry, and explore solutions to achieve sustainable energy development.

Minister of Oil and Environment and Special Envoy for Climate Affairs Dr. Muhammad bin Mubarak bin Daina extended sincere thanks and gratitude to HRH the Crown Prince and Prime Minister for patronizing the event.

He said that the oil companies, under the umbrella of Nogaholding, headed by HH Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa, always strive to achieve the strategic goals aimed at strengthening Bahrain’s national economy development projects.

He noted that plenary discussions will contribute to examining the challenges facing the oil industry during the coming period, pointing to the importance of the topics that will be presented at the conference.

More than 200 exhibitors from various international oil companies representing 40 countries are participating in exhibition, including Oil and Gas Holding Company, Saudi Aramco, Chevron, Shell, Baker Hughes, Halliburton, Kuwait Petroleum Corporation, ExxonMobil, Nesser, ADNOC, the Italian company Eni, and other firms from the GCC countries, Australia, Canada, China, France, India, Italy, the USA, and others.

Source: Bahrain News Agency