JEDDAH: Saudi border guards rescued a French female tourist on Friday after she broke her leg on board a cruise ship in the Red Sea.
The 85-year-old was aboard the Costa Luminosa off the coast of south-west Saudi Arabia when the Maritime Rescue Coordination Center in Jeddah received an emergency call from the King Abdulaziz International Airport’s search and rescue center, saying the women needed emergency medical attention.The details of the message was passed to the Saudi Arabia Border Guards.
The border guard’s vessel Al-Lith was sent to meet the cruise ship near Al-Qahma, in the Kingdom’s south-western Asir region.
Lt Col. Misfer Bin Ghanam Al-Qarni, border guards spokesman, said the patient was transferred to Jazan, where she was then taken to Prince Mohammed Bin Nasser Hospital by ambulance.
The Costa Luminosa, which was traveling from Salalah in Oman toward Aqaba in Jordan, continued on its voyage.
Saudi border guards rescue French passenger from Red Sea cruise ship
Saudi border guards rescue French passenger from Red Sea cruise ship
Al-Qunfudah celebrates mango festival as production grows
- Several types of mangoes, including Tommy Atkins, Sensation and Langra, are grown locally in Al-Qunfudah
- Saudi mango production grew to 88,600 tons annually in 2023, with Al-Qunfudah producing a little over 50 percent of national output
RIYADH: The Saudi coastal city of Al-Qunfudah on the Red Sea is celebrating the 13th season of its mango festival this week.
Organized by the Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture’s branch in the Makkah region, the event began on Tuesday and will run for five days.
Through the festival, organizers hope to promote mangoes and other agricultural products, as well as help farmers with marketing and develop the Kingdom’s agricultural industry.
Several types of mangoes, including Tommy Atkins, Sensation and Langra, are grown locally in Al-Qunfudah.
Around the city, there are more than 3,000 farmers who own almost half a million mango trees, producing more than 45,000 tons of mango annually, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
Guests at the mango festival include Makkah Region Gov. Prince Khalid Al-Faisal, as well as Majid Al-Khalif, director general of the Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture’s branch in Makkah region.
“The mango festival is considered a marketing window, waited (for) by people every year because it attracts shoppers and those looking for high-quality agricultural products,” said Al-Khalif.
The festival includes activities for guests such as a heritage corner, games and prizes, and educational programs for farmers.
Farmers in Saudi Arabia have cultivated mangoes for more than 50 years. The production season begins in March, with harvest usually starting in May and lasting for three months.
Last year, statistics showed that Saudi mango production grew to 88,600 tons annually, with Al-Qunfudah producing a little over 50 percent of national output.
The seasonal fruit is grown in areas including Jazan’s Sabya, Abu Arish, Al-Darb, Samtah and Baish governorates.
Saudi crown prince meets with Arab leaders on sidelines of Manama summit
- Saudi Arabia’s crown prince urged international community to fulfil its responsibility by demanding an immediate end to Israeli aggression
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman met with Arab leaders on the sidelines of an Arab League summit taking place in Manama on Thursday.
The crown prince met with Kuwaiti Prime Minister Sheikh Ahmad Abdullah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, Jordan’s King Abdullah, Syria’s President Bashar Al-Assad, and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
The summit has been dominated by the Israel-Hamas war and the crown prince said in a speech that the Kingdom “emphasizes the need for continued collaboration to confront the brutal aggression against Palestine.”
He urged the international community to fulfil its responsibility by demanding an immediate end to Israeli aggression and ensuring the delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza.
The crown prince also stressed “the importance of pursuing a just and comprehensive solution to the Palestinian issue based on UN legitimate resolutions and the Arab Peace Initiative, guaranteeing the Palestinian people’s right to establish an independent state within 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.”
Financial transactions easier with fintech, but there are obstacles, says expert
- Rapid development of global markets makes corruption a major threat, Saudi business leader warns
- Investors should fund crime-fighting technologies, Arab Forum of Anti-Corruption Agencies and Financial Intelligence Units told
RIYADH: Financial transactions have been made easier by rapid and accelerating growth in technologies, but there are still obstacles to overcome, said Nabil Koshak, CEO of the Saudi Venture Capital Company.
“Investors should fund the development of technologies that help fight these obstacles and crimes,” said Koshak, a panelist at the Arab Forum of Anti-Corruption Agencies and Financial Intelligence Units on its second day on Thursday in Riyadh.
With the interconnectedness and rapid development of global markets, corruption represents a major threat and carries significant risks for investors.
Discussing ways in which businesses and financial institutions manage the dangers of market corruption, Koshak said: “Investing in this sector attracts capital from the world’s top venture capital and financial firms. These firms noticed a significant gap and difficulty that the authority, financial institutions, and governments face; as a result, as technology advances, investors will have more and bigger opportunities to invest.”
Based on the effects of corruption, and its repercussions on economic stability and sustainable development, there is an increasing trend among corporate and institutional investors to adopt proactive methods to confront these risks directly, he said.
“In 2016, Saudi Vision 2030 emphasized the importance of sectoral investment, innovation, and entrepreneurship, particularly among developing companies and small and medium-sized organizations. In 2023, funding and venture investment in the Kingdom were increased, and from 2018 to today it became the top Middle Eastern country to invest. The Saudi Venture Investment Company’s initiative prompted over 50 investment funds to invest in technology and emerging companies in general,” he added.
By prioritizing anti-corruption measures and integrating them into decision-making frameworks, investors are reshaping the standards of responsible investment and demonstrating a commitment to ethical business conduct.
“The digital economy is a strong regulatory framework for Saudi Arabia. Even to stimulate investment in technologies related to the field of combating digital crimes, we are proud of Saudi Arabia’s entrepreneurs and investors. Participation of startups and entrepreneurs to establish companies that contribute to developing technologies in combating crimes, such as Mozoon Company, Amwal Company, and others,” Koshak said.
He said that the significant changes that took place in this sector did not come out of nowhere. Vision 2030 was focused on innovation, entrepreneurship, and small and medium enterprises.
Koshak said that it is important to continue supporting and empowering entrepreneurs and innovators in order to find innovative solutions that keep pace with the challenges.
He added that It is critical to recognize that as the digital economic transformation accelerates, new and different challenges will emerge.
Innovation and creativity are important tools to find solutions that keep pace with this accelerating digital transformation in various sectors, the most important of which is the fight against financial crime, Koshak said.
Makkah scouts train to use digital quick-response tech to help pilgrims
- Scouts trained on smart application that provides route planning, navigation and guidance to pilgrims at holy sites
- Digital approach helps to protect the environment by eliminating the need for paper maps and signs
RIYADH: Saudi scouts are being taught how to use digital technology and quick-response codes on their smartphones to better help Hajj pilgrims with guidance, on-site navigation and route planning at the Kingdom’s holy sites.
The course, run by the Ministry of Education through the Saudi Arabian Scouts Association, began a 10-day training program in Makkah on Wednesday for scouts to help pilgrims during the annual Hajj, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
Thirty-two trainees from four scout vanguards are currently enrolled to receive training.
A smart application that provides route planning, navigation and guidance to pilgrims at the holy sites will be used.
Explaining the benefits of using digital technology and QR codes during scout trips to holy sites, scout leader Abdullah Alharthi said that this approach helps to protect the environment by eliminating the need for paper maps and signs, and avoiding visual clutter in sacred spaces.
Additionally, the digital system ensures the encryption of scouts’ messages.
SASA, which works with the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah to help pilgrims each year, plays an important role during Hajj season when, every year, scouts from all corners of the Kingdom gather to assist pilgrims during Hajj.
Regardless of age or gender, these volunteers devote their time and energy to enable pilgrims to fulfill the Hajj rituals with ease.
The scouts affiliated with the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah primarily focus on assisting lost pilgrims by providing guidance and directions, ensuring they reach their designated camps safely.
Last year, according to SASA, 3,500 scouts were stationed around the holy sites in Makkah.
The SASA volunteers told Arab News they are classified into two age groups: the advanced scout category and the ranger category. The advanced scout category is made up of scout members aged between 15 and 17. The ranger category comprises those from 18 to 22, including scout leaders (150 of whom last year were women) and friends and pioneers of SASA.
Saudi Arabia condemns assassination attempt on Slovakia’s prime minister
- The ministry wished speedy recovery of the prime minister
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia on Thursday condemned the attempted assassination of Slovakia’s prime minister, Robert Fico, the foreign ministry said.
“The Kingdom rejects all forms of violence, reaffirming its full solidarity with Slovakia against everything that threatens its security and stability,” the statement read.
The ministry wished a speedy recovery for the prime minister, who remains, according to his deputy, in a “very serious condition” after the attack in Handlova.
Fico was admitted to hospital on Wednesday where he underwent a five-hour emergency surgery after being shot five times.
The shooting was the first major assassination attempt on a European political leader for more than 20 years, and drew international condemnation, with political analysts and legislators saying it was indicative of an increasingly febrile and polarised political climate across the continent.
