RIYADH: An outbreak prompted the Kingdom to temporarily ban imports of poultry products from bird flu-affected Zimbabwe.
The Saudi Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture said that a temporary ban is in place on the import of live birds, hatching eggs and chicks from Zimbabwe after the highly virulent bird flu was reported.
The decision to ban poultry imports is based on a warning issued by the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE), which includes the outbreak of bird flu in Zimbabwe, said Bakr Al-Tarif, deputy director general of the Department of Risk Assessment of Livestock.
The OIE is an inter-governmental organization which coordinates and supports animal disease control, and cautions governments on outbreaks in different parts of the world. Such bans are periodically reviewed and lifted when the situation returns to normal, ministry sources said.
Earlier, Zimbabwean authorities said they had placed a privately owned farm under quarantine after bird flu killed 7,000 birds. Later, another 140,000 birds were culled to prevent the spread of the disease from the farm located on the outskirts of Harare. Zimbabwe identified the strain as H5N8, a highly pathogenic and lethal virus causing bird flu.
The Kingdom, the second-largest importer of chicken broiler meat in the world, previously imposed similar bans on poultry imports from countries experiencing bird flu outbreaks. These bans were lifted when the countries became disease-free.
Saudi Arabia bans poultry imports from Zimbabwe after bird flu outbreak
Saudi Arabia bans poultry imports from Zimbabwe after bird flu outbreak
Saudi Arabia celebrates Flag Day with displays, special events
- Nation goes green in show of unity, belonging
- Current design of the flag, which represents unity and sovereignty, was adopted in 1937
RIYADH: A new art exhibition has opened at King Abdulaziz Public Library in Riyadh, as the country celebrates Flag Day, which fell on Wednesday.
The event, titled “In Love with Green,” is being held in collaboration with the Saudi Art Association and features 20 fine art paintings inspired by the Saudi flag, as well as other cultural and contemporary images and landmarks.
The current design of the flag, which represents unity and sovereignty, was adopted in 1937. It features the Shahada and a sword symbolizing justice and safety, representing the unification of the Kingdom during the reign of King Abdulaziz Al-Saud.
The exhibition, at the library’s services branch and reading halls on Khurais Road, was opened by the library’s Director General Bandar Al-Mubarak and the association’s board chair Hanaa Al-Shibly.
Visitors can attend from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m.
Elsewhere in the country, public spaces and buildings have become a sea of green for Flag Day.
In Al-Baha, government buildings, squares and main roads were decorated with green lighting and national flags were hoisted in public squares.
It was a similar picture in Makkah, where people celebrated the annual show of pride and belonging against a green backdrop.
In Tabuk, authorities installed more than 7,000 flags along roads, squares and bridges, while the region’s landmarks and tunnels were illuminated with green and white lights.
More than 10,000 Saudi flags were also hoisted in Jazan, where Souk Al-Awalin in Jazan City is set to host a range of events and performances to mark the special occasion.
