RIYADH: Three universities in the Kingdom have received top positions in the QS University Rankings for the Arab Region.
The three universities which received five-star plus rankings include King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals (KFUPM), King Saud University (KSU) in Riyadh and King Abdul Aziz University (KAU) in Jeddah.
Dr. Thurayya Arrayed, one of the first 30 women on the Shoura Council, said: “I am very proud of every scientific indication that our established universities are doing well and congratulate them. I am sure other universities such as KAUST are shining too.”
She said that every step Saudi Arabia takes toward excellence in its educational endeavors will be positive, and it is the need of the hour in this age of technology and research. “It is expected that our higher educational institutions should show signs of growing success in aligning their plans, performance, and projects with the National Transformation Program (NTP) 2020 and Vision 2030,” she concluded, saying that she expects better results in the near future.
Shoura Council member Dr. Fayez Al-Shehri told Arab News that the remarkable performance of the three universities bears eloquent testimony to the contributions made by the government toward higher education.
He pointed out that there are 35 universities which include 25 government institutions that receive the best support from the government to produce erudite citizens.
Describing it as excellent news, Spanish Ambassador Alvaro Iranzo Gutiérrez, who holds a degree in law said: “Education is the cornerstone of the economic development and social program.”
Bangladesh Ambassador Golam Moshi, a lawyer turned diplomat said that the achievement demonstrates a clear signal toward the road of a knowledge-based society. “The Kingdom, has been giving top priority to education for both males and females, and now it is bearing fruits,” the envoy added.
A Saudi journalist based in Dubai, Musad Al-Zayani, who follows the region for his newspaper, said this is a sign of the forward march of Saudi Arabia. “It’s a matter for rejoicing when three universities from the same country receive five-star plus ratings,” Al-Zayani, who was a product of the King Abdul Aziz University said, adding that it is because of the integrated Vision of the Kingdom, which is planned by the leadership to forge ahead in the years to come.
Congratulating the management of the three universities, Saudi writer Abdulhadi Habtor said it’s a remarkable achievement, and it clearly portrays the hard work rendered by these academic institutions.
Habtor, who was also a student at the King Abdul Aziz University said it reflects the developmental strides in Saudi Arabia toward Vision 2030. “Let us not be complacent with this situation; we should focus on other universities in the country too,” he concluded.
3 Saudi universities receive top positions in QS rankings
3 Saudi universities receive top positions in QS rankings
Saudi Border Guard arrest 4 attempting to smuggle qat
JAZAN: The Kingdom’s Border Guard in Al-Ardah, Jazan, recently arrested four Yemeni nationals attempting to smuggle 80 kg of qat into the country, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Monday.
Mostly chewed by users, Qat is a mild stimulant and illegal across most of the Arab world.
The government has urged citizens and residents to report any information they have regarding drug smuggling or sales to the General Directorate of Narcotics Control. Reports can be made by calling 911 for Makkah, Riyadh and the Eastern Province, and 999 for other regions. Alternatively, information can be emailed to [email protected]. All reports are treated confidentially.
KSrelief distributes food in Pakistan, drills solar-powered wells in Nigeria
DUBAI: KSrelief, Saudi Arabia’s aid agency, recently distributed 370 food baskets in the flood-hit Shangla district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, Pakistan, benefiting 2,590 individuals.
The aid was a part of the fourth phase of the Kingdom’s Food Security Support Project in Pakistan 2024.
Last week, KSrelief, in collaboration with a civil society organization, initiated a project to drill six solar-powered medium-depth water wells in Kwara State, Nigeria. The wells, each at a depth of about 80 meters and equipped with tanks holding 5,000 liters, are for the benefit of 30,000 individuals.
The beneficiaries lauded Saudi Arabia for addressing their vital water needs.
Saudi anti-corruption authority reveals details of recent cases
- Spokesman said legal procedures had been initiated against all perpetrators
RIYADH: A spokesman for Saudi Arabia’s Oversight and Anti-Corruption Authority, also known as Nazaha, revealed on Sunday details of a number of criminal cases it recently investigated and prosecuted.
Outlining 20 of the most prominent corruption cases, he said legal procedures had been initiated against all perpetrators.
In one case, two Central Bank employees were arrested for receiving sums of money from a resident, who was also arrested, in exchange for depositing more than SR7.3 million ($1.95 million), without verifying the source, into bank accounts belonging to commercial entities over a two-year period.
In another case, a security officer working at the General Department of Traffic was arrested for receiving SR387,000 from the owner of a public services office, who was also arrested, in exchange for illegally amending the essential data of a group of vehicles.
One of the cases also highlighted involved an employee working at a university hospital who was arrested for receiving SR100,000 from citizens in exchange for a promise to employ them at the university.
Nazaha said it continues to work to identify and prosecute anyone in the Kingdom involved in the embezzlement of public funds, guilty of abuse of power and position for personal gain, or otherwise harming the public interest.
It stressed that guilty parties will be pursued and held accountable, and that there is no statute of limitations on such crimes.
Saudi, Bahraini public prosecutor meet in Manama
- Al-Mujeb highlighted the unwavering support the Kingdom's public prosecution receives from its leadership
RIYADH: Saudi Public Prosecutor Sheikh Saud bin Abdullah Al-Mujeb met with his Bahraini counterpart Ali bin Fadl Al Buainain in Manama, Saudi Press Agency reported on Sunday.
Al-Buainain welcomed Al-Mujeb and his accompanying delegation and expressed his delight at the visit, which he said signified the ongoing exchange of visits between the judicial bodies of the two nations and the sustained collaboration in combating transnational crime.
During the meeting, Al-Mujeb emphasized the deep-rooted historical ties between the Bahrain and the Kingdom and their continued advancement across various sectors, particularly in parliamentary cooperation and the exchange of information to ensure regional security.
He highlighted the unwavering support the Kingdom's public prosecution receives from its leadership, which he said enhanced the efficiency of its judicial processes.
Conjoined Filipino twins arrive in Riyadh for surgery
- Parents convey appreciation to King Salman, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman
RIYADH: Conjoined Filipino twins arrived in Riyadh from Manila on Sunday following a Saudi evacuation plan coordinated by the Ministry of Health, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
Akhizah and Ayeesha Yusoph were born in Panabo City in the Davao del Norte province on the southern island of Mindanao in December 2022. Their bodies share one liver.
The two 16-month-old girls arrived at King Khalid International Airport and traveled to the King Abdullah Specialized Children’s Hospital to be assessed to determine the feasibility of separation surgery.
Abdullah Al-Rabeeah, supervisor general of the Saudi aid agency KSrelief, thanked the Kingdom’s leadership for their support of the flagship Saudi Conjoined Twins Program.
The program, which is spearheaded by Al-Rabeeah, has operated on more than 130 children from 25 countries since 1990. The children were born sharing internal organs with their twin.
Al-Rabeeah spoke of the program’s global significance which marks a milestone in the field of medicine, while aligning with the ambitious goals of Saudi Vision 2030 to elevate the Kingdom’s healthcare services.
The parents of Akhizah and Ayeesha conveyed their heartfelt appreciation to King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for the warm welcome and generous hospitality extended to them following their arrival in the Kingdom.
