JEDDAH: Saudis living in Qatar have 14 days to leave the country effective Monday, following the Kingdom’s decision to cut relations with Qatar.
Some students are sitting their finals until June 22, which marks the end of the academic year in most private schools and universities in Qatar.
Saudi academic Hatoon Al-Fassi, who teaches at Qatar University, told Arab News that the situation is still unclear.
“I woke up to this news… Do I need to pack up all my stuff?” she asked, adding that the only source of information is the government statement. She had not yet received a statement from the university.
The UAE and Bahrain have also banned their citizens from vising Qatar, and are demanding that residents there leave within 14 days.
The three Gulf countries have told Qataris to leave within the same period.
The Kingdom said the move is due to “security reasons and as a precautionary procedure,” the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported.
Al-Fassi said she hoped things will become clearer in the next few days, or that there will be an extension of the 14-day period.
She pointed out that there are Saudis who are married to Qataris, and questioned what they and their children will do and whether they will be separated.
There is also ambiguity regarding people’s work and businesses. Al-Fassi wondered if people will be compensated for the expenses of moving country and getting new homes. “I see this as a nightmare at a people’s level, regardless of the dispute between countries,” she said.
The Saudi Foreign Ministry posted an infograph on its official Twitter account directed to the people of Qatar, describing it as “a letter of affection and love after severing relations with Qatar for our national security.”
The infograph states: “Saudi Arabia will remain supportive to the security and stability of the people of Qatar. Saudi Arabia is committed to providing services and Haj and Umrah facilitations to Qatari pilgrims.” It added that Qataris are “an extension to their siblings in Saudi Arabia.”
Saudis in Qatar try to readjust following severing of ties
Saudis in Qatar try to readjust following severing of ties
Leading Saudi science, engineering students to compete in world fair
- 35 students selected from 210,000 candidates this year
- Mitigating dust build-up on solar panels is a top project
RIYADH: Thirty-five Saudi Arabia students will compete in the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair 2024 in Los Angeles from May 10 to 18, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Friday.
They will join 1,700 other participants from 70 countries in the ISEF, which is recognized as a pre-college competition in scientific research and innovation. The Kingdom will be led by representatives from the King Abdulaziz and His Companions Foundation for Giftedness and Creativity, or Mawhiba, and the Ministry of Education.
The Kingdom’s team was selected from over 210,000 candidates earlier this year by experts and specialists linked to Mawhiba. Their projects underwent rigorous evaluation during the “Ibdaa” National Olympiad for Scientific Creativity, culminating in the selection of 180.
Thirty-five talented students were nominated to represent the Kingdom in the ISEF from the 45 students whose projects qualified for the Olympiad’s finals, the SPA reported.
Among these students is Areej Al-Qarni, who will showcase her research focused on mitigating dust accumulation on solar panels. This is a problem that leads to energy and financial losses amounting to millions of dollars.
Al-Qarni explained that her research is aimed at developing sustainable solutions to this global issue, to conserve energy and ensure financial viability for crucial projects.
Mawhiba has emphasized that the students chosen to represent the Kingdom underwent rigorous training conducted by both local and international academics and experts across various disciplines, the SPA reported.
The Kingdom is a primary sponsor of the ISEF 2024 exhibition, offering prizes for innovative projects in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, or STEM. These prizes include full scholarships for undergraduate studies at King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, and participation in the Mawhiba Universal Enrichment Program.
This year marks the Kingdom’s 18th-consecutive participation in the ISEF. Saudi Arabia students have at previous fairs won 133 awards, including 92 grand prizes and 41 special distinctions.
KSrelief sends food and shelter aid to Pakistan and Sudan
RIYADH: The Kingdom’s aid agency KSrelief has sent food and shelter aid to Pakistan and Sudan, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Friday.
A total of 450 shelter bags were distributed in Sudan’s El-Gadarif state, benefiting 2,588 individuals.
In Pakistan’s Pakhtunkhwa province 710 food baskets for 4,970 individuals were handed to vulnerable families in flood-affected areas. This was a part KSrelief’s Food Security Support Project in Pakistan 2024.
World Red Cross, Red Crescent day marked with conferences, exhibitions
- Event is celebrated worldwide every May 8 to highlight the life-saving role played by the organizations
RIYADH: The Saudi Red Crescent Authority marked World Red Cross and Red Crescent Day this week with various events, exhibitions and conferences in the Kingdom.
The SRCA’s activities included marches on the main roads of several governorates as well as lectures and training courses to raise community awareness.
The day is celebrated on May 8 every year to emphasize the importance of alleviating the suffering of people worldwide, especially in countries afflicted by conflict and natural disasters.
In the Eastern Province, the SRCA in collaboration with Alasala College in Dammam, held a series of awareness events on the vital humanitarian work carried out by both organizations.
Those attending had the opportunity to observe medical workers undertake a drill using ambulances for emergencies under difficult circumstances.
There was also an exhibition featuring the latest emergency medical equipment and information provided when using the hotline number 997.
Lectures were delivered on topics including risks associated with overcrowding, the importance of allowing unimpeded access for ambulances, and guidelines for handling different emergency situations.
Visitors were also introduced to volunteering opportunities, training programs, and the Family Links initiative.
In the northwestern province of Tabuk, the SRCA’s Director-General Nawaf bin Mayah Al-Anazi led the celebration, with awareness programs and skills training at Tabuk Park Mall.
(With SPA)
Saudi Ministry of Tourism closes 40 facilities in Asir region for various violations
- Tourism operators had been warned of heavy penalties if they do business before obtaining the necessary licenses.
ABHA: The Saudi Ministry of Tourism recorded more than 350 violations during its inspection tours of hospitality facilities in the Asir region, closing 40 of them.
It addressed about 270 complaints regarding the services provided in facilities such as hotels and serviced apartments, as part of the Our Guests Are A Priority campaign during the first quarter of 2024.
The ministry’s supervisory teams conducted about 650 supervisory and inspection tours of hospitality facilities.
The tours were part of ongoing efforts to enhance the tourism sector in all regions of the Kingdom, in addition to ensuring the quality of services provided by various types of hospitality facilities to visitors and tourists.
The ministry said it would impose the strictest penalties on those who engaged in activities before obtaining the necessary licenses. It also said it would not be lenient in imposing regulatory penalties on violators, the closure of the facility in question, or both penalties in some cases.
KSrelief provides free eye treatment in Sri Lanka
- 8-day mission in cooperation with the International Sight Foundation
COLOMBO: The Kingdom’s aid agency KSrelief has provided 200 eye surgeries in its ongoing campaign in the Sri Lanka town of Kattankudy, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Thursday.
Staffers of the “Saudi Noor Volunteer Program to Combat Blindness” have also examined 2,000 individuals so far.
The campaign, in cooperation with the International Sight Foundation, started May 4 and will conclude on May 11, the SPA stated.
The mission is a part of KSrelief’s aid efforts in several countries worldwide.
