RIYADH: Dr. Binu Antony, assistant professor of date palm research at King Saud University (KSU), won the Khalifa International Award for Date Palm and Agricultural Innovation worth 1 million Emirati dirhams ($272,257).
Dr. Antony received the award in recognition of his research work on the red palm weevil, a global palm and date palm tree pest. “It lays eggs in the tree,” says Binu. “When the larvae come out, it feeds on the trunk. As a result, the tree will die within a year (the annual losses run to $8 million in the Kingdom).
Apart from the larvae, when adult weevils attack a tree, they emit a pheromone. “This can attract the other weevils in the area,” says Dr. Antony. “Soon, there will be a mass attack.” Through his research, Binu was able to identify a gene which is used for smelling (olfaction) located in the antennae. Dr. Antony, along with his team, came up with a method to knock it down, so that the insects cannot smell the pheromones. In this way, a mass attack is avoided.
For this five-year research, King Abdul Aziz City for Science and Technology-National Plan for Science and Technology (KACST-NPST) provided Dr. Antony with a grant (SR2 million) to set up a laboratory, which has become a center of excellence at the university, attracting many students from all over the world.
During his tenure at KSU, Dr. Antony acquired two major research grants worth SR4 million for the study on insect pheromones and olfaction. He has won nine fellowships, with the latest in May, being awarded by the Royal Entomological Society of London. Binu has also published more than 25 papers in scientific publications and regularly takes part in international seminars.
The Khalifa International Award For Date Palm And Agricultural Innovation was established under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, president of the UAE. Dr. Antony received the Khalifa International Award for Date Palm and Agricultural Innovation from Sheikh Nahayan Mabarak Al-Nahayan, Minister of Culture and Knowledge Development of the United Arab Emirates.
KSU professor wins highest award for date palm research
KSU professor wins highest award for date palm research
KSrelief, UN highlight key goals in 2026 humanitarian plan
- Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeeah meets UN Yemen coordinator for aid reviews
- German lawmakers praise KSrelief for humanitarian projects globally
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s aid agency KSrelief held a briefing session at its headquarters in Riyadh on the UN’s 2026 Global Humanitarian Overview, which is a diagnosis of the support needed by communities in crisis across the world.
The session was organized in cooperation with the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Monday.
The session included senior officials from KSrelief and the UN, as well as representatives from Saudi government agencies and nonprofit organizations.
The participants discussed mechanisms for preparing the 2026 Global Humanitarian Overview and highlighted key differences from previous years.
The participants also addressed the need for funding in crisis-hit areas including Yemen, Sudan, Gaza, the Syrian Arab Republic, and Afghanistan.
These measures aim to strengthen focus on critical priorities, enhance the efficiency of humanitarian responses, support localization efforts, and promote work based on humanitarian principles.
Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeeah, supervisor-general of KSrelief, met with UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Yemen Julien Harneis in Riyadh.
During the meeting, they discussed relief and humanitarian affairs, as well as updates on projects in Yemen. Harneis praised the efforts provided by the Kingdom through KSrelief to support communities in Yemen.
Separately, Al-Rabeeah also held a meeting with Sheikh Mohammed Belal, managing director of the UN Common Fund for Commodities, to discuss relief issues.
Belal commended Saudi Arabia for assisting those affected around the world, highlighted the center’s strong international reputation.
Meanwhile, a delegation from Germany’s parliament, headed by Alexander Radwan, a member of the nation’s foreign affairs committee, visited KSrelief’s headquarters in Riyadh.
During the visit, the German lawmakers met with several KSrelief officials to discuss relief efforts.
The German officials praised KSrelief for planning and implementing relief projects worldwide, and highlighted the agency’s reputation globally in the field.
