Princess Reema bint Bandar: Walking in her father’s footsteps
Princess Reema bint Bandar: Walking in her father’s footsteps/node/1524796/saudi-arabia
Princess Reema bint Bandar: Walking in her father’s footsteps
This combination picture shows Prince Bandar bin Sultan (left) at his office in the Saudi Arabian Embassy in Washington D.C. 35 years ago, and his daughter, Princess Reema bint Bandar, on her assumption of the post on July 4, 2019. (Supplied photo)
Princess Reema bint Bandar: Walking in her father’s footsteps
Sworn in as Saudi Arabia's top diplomat to the US on April 16, Princess Reema is the Kingdom's first female ambassador
Some 35 years earlier, her father performed the same oath, holding the prestigious post from 1984-2005
Updated 18 July 2019
Rawan Radwan
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Ambassador to the US, Princess Reema bint Bandar, caused a stir on social media after an image of her standing in her new office in Washington DC became public, taken in the same office as was occupied by her father, Prince Bandar bin Sultan, 35 years ago.
The prince had a similar portrait taken of himself when he was appointed ambassador, and many Twitter and Instagram users reposted the two images side by side. Some commented on how the newly appointed ambassador was “walking in her father’s footsteps” with one adding “like father, like daughter.” Young Saudis continued to repost the images with messages of good luck, as the ambassador started her new role.
Prominent Saudi writer Hussein Shobokshi wrote: “Her father’s daughter … Ambassador Rima bint Bandar bin Sultan.”
Three of soccer’s top clubs need a new coach. Unai Emery off the market after Aston Villa extension
Updated 1 min 39 sec ago
“We are enjoying our way together with Villa fans, the club owners, management and this great group of players that we are proud of,” Emery said Tuesday The field of candidates for the jobs at Barcelona, Liverpool and Bayern is shrinking
DUBAI: Ahead of a summer when three of the biggest jobs in world soccer are up for grabs, Unai Emery became the latest top coach to decide to stay put. The Aston Villa manager extended his contract until 2027 on Tuesday to stay in Birmingham at a time when Barcelona, Liverpool and Bayern Munich all have looming vacancies. In recent weeks, candidates Xabi Alonso and Julian Nagelsmann took themselves off the market by committing their futures to Bayer Leverkusen and Germany, respectively. Emery was reportedly on the radar of Bayern and Barcelona after establishing himself as one of the shrewdest coaches in the sport with his work at Villa over the past two seasons. Having taken over a team that were in danger of relegation in October 2022, he has guided Villa to fourth in the Premier League and into the semifinals of the Europa Conference League. “We are enjoying our way together with Villa fans, the club owners, management and this great group of players that we are proud of,” Emery said Tuesday. “Ambition already is, and must always be, the motto of this project.” The field of candidates for the jobs at Barcelona, Liverpool and Bayern is shrinking. Alonso was the favorite for Liverpool and Bayern, having played for both teams during a storied career. But he announced last month that he would remain at Leverkusen, the team he has gone on to lead to their first German title at the expense of Bayern. “This is the right place for me to be, to develop as a coach,” Alonso said. Nagelsmann, fired by Bayern last season, was a contender to return to the German giant until last week when he extended his contract with the national team through to the 2026 World Cup. He was also considered a possibility for Liverpool, which faces the daunting task of replacing Jurgen Klopp at the end of the season. Klopp said in January he would step down after a trophy-laden spell of more than eight years on Merseyside. Alonso seemed like a natural fit as an ex-player who has made a remarkable start to his coaching career with Leverkusen. Sporting Lisbon coach Ruben Amorim replaced Alonso as the favorite for the Liverpool job, while Roberto De Zerbi has impressed at Brighton. Bayern need a replacement for Thomas Tuchel, who is stepping down at the end of the season. His reputation has taken a hit after failing to win the title this year, but he could yet walk away a Champions League winner after leading Bayern to the semifinals of European club soccer’s elite competition. The Champions League trophy could yet see Tuchel in the running for one of the other two top jobs available this summer. Barcelona need a new coach after Xavi Hernández said in January that this would be his last season. Speculation that Emery was on the Catalan club’s radar had increased in recent days. Emery’s reputation has only grown since taking over from Steven Gerrard when Villa was above the relegation zone only on goal difference. Emery, who joined from Villarreal, led Villa to a seventh-place finish and qualified the team for Europe for the first time since 2010. Villa did not say at the time of his appointment in 2022 how long his original contract would run. The 52-year-old Emery has won four Europa League trophies — three times with Sevilla and once with Villarreal — and won the French league title with Paris Saint-Germain. He previously coached in England with Arsenal from 2018-19. “We are thrilled and are building a sporting operation around Unai to support him with a view of returning Aston Villa, a co-founder of the English Football League as we prepare to celebrate our 150th anniversary, to its historic levels of greatness,” club chairman Nassef Sawiris said.
Outer Edge Summit in Riyadh explores AI, digital futures
Experts highlight issues in data ownership and the revolutionary Web3
Updated 9 min 58 sec ago
Sulafa Alkhunaizi Hajar AlQusayer
RIYADH: By owning our data, we will be empowered and safe, says Krista Kim at Outer Edge Innovation Summit on April 23 at The Garage in Riyadh.
Kim spoke in one of the summit’s panel discussions, titled “Web3 and AI for business and smart cities,” which included guest speakers Naif Al-Rabeah, director of Web3 and spatial reality portfolio at NEOM; Eric Pulier, founder & CEO at Vatom Corporation; and Kamal Youssefi, president at the Hashgraph Association.
Outer Edge Innovation Summit brought together some of the biggest names in the blockchain, AI, and gaming ecosystems from all over the world. (AN photos by Abdulrhman Bin Shalhoub)
The Korean Canadian artist has a goal to raise awareness of the importance of each person owning their data: “I believe that data is power. You need to allow people to be empowered by owning their own data and to give them a choice of what projects they want to be involved in.”
Kim highlighted that data ownership “is one of the greatest human rights issues in the 21st century.
HIGHLIGHTS
• Topics at the Outer Edge Innovation Summit in Riyadh include smart cities, gaming, esports, art, culture, and more.
• The panel discussion titled ‘Web3 and AI for business and smart cities’ included guest speaker Naif Al-Rabeah, the director of Web3 and spatial reality portfolio at NEOM.
• Last month, Krista Kim presented ‘Heart Space,’ the first collaborative generative AI biometric artwork in history, commissioned by Julius Baer at Art Dubai.
“Right now, in the Web2 system, our data is taken for free. The companies practice surveillance capitalism and they take your data and they monetize on your free data.”
Scott Lawin, CEO of Candy Digital, a gaming and fan engagement company focused on sports and entertainment, attended the summit to support Web3: “Web3 really gives people that opportunity to authenticate their data and share it in a selective way where necessary. And also benefit from the contribution of that data.”
Krista Kim, Contemporary artist
Lawin attended the panel discussion highlighting the importance of the harmony of web3 and smart cities. Web3 is a term used to describe an idea for the next stage of internet development, which incorporates concepts such as decentralization, blockchain technologies, and token-based economics.
I’m really excited about the Kingdom’s push forward and support for Web3. And I wanted to come and sort of see it here at first hand and meet the community here.
(Data ownership) is one of the greatest human rights issues in the 21st century.
Krista Kim, Contemporary artist
“As it relates to smart cities, (they) are designed and built around data. And understanding how the personalization of that data can help improve citizens’ lives,” he explained. “But ownership of that data and giving each individual the ability to sort of turn on and turn off the way that data is utilized is also quite important. From a privacy perspective and just a self-determination perspective.”
Meanwhile, Kim hopes to raise awareness of the global issue through personal projects and artistic efforts.
Last month, she presented “Heart Space,” the first collaborative generative AI biometric artwork in history, commissioned by Julius Baer at Art Dubai.
Within the exhibition, visitors take their heartbeat measurements with an app that will create a heart signature to be used an artwork in the immersive space.
“So, you are contributing through your heartbeat to the experience of the artwork, and you have the opportunity to create the NFT of your heart signature on the app,” the artist explained. “This is a project that I'm creating for people to take the first step to create your heart signature and then from that first step, you can start the movement toward that privacy and identity on the chain.”
The line between real and fake is being blurred further, creating ramifications in various fields. “AI can now create fake articles and they can fake your identity ... in three years, AGI (artificial general intelligence) is going to automatically just create stories,” Kim said. “So, we need to differentiate between what is real and what is fake, and also what is made by a human being who is what is made by the machine.”
Technology can be used to its advantage. Blockchain provides a solution of creating verification for newspapers, journalists and online media outlets, Kim says.
Speaking about how it works, she added: “On-chain media is very important, so that you can see the verification of this story on the blockchain. To bring it a step further — biometrics. So, your heart signature that I spoke about, as a journalist, you can use your heart signature to sign your story online.”
Outer Edge Innovation Summit brought together some of the biggest names in the blockchain, AI, and gaming ecosystems from all over the world.
In partnership with Animoca Brands and King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology, the summit highlights advances in Web3 and the gaming ecosystem development in Saudi Arabia.
Topics at the summit will include smart cities, gaming, esports, art, culture, and more.
For more information about the Outer Edge Innovation Summit in Riyadh, visit outeredge.live/riyadh.
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and China on Tuesday signed multiple memorandums of understanding (MoUs) that focused on flood rehabilitation, information and communication technologies, and development, Pakistani state media reported.
The agreements were signed during a meeting between a high-level delegation of the Chinese International Development Cooperation Agency (CIDCA), led by Luo Zhaohui, and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in Islamabad.
The MoUs pertained to flood rehabilitation, information and communication technologies, Juncao technology to address soil erosion and desertification, and China-Pakistan Development Cooperation Planning (2024-2028).
“Welcoming the delegation, the Prime Minister said China is Pakistan’s most trusted friend and appreciated China’s steadfast support to Pakistan,” the state-run Radio Pakistan broadcaster reported.
“Acknowledging CIDCA’s pivotal role in bolstering Pakistan’s economic development, the Prime Minister specifically commended CIDCA for its vital support during the 2022 floods and for its relief, rehabilitation, and reconstruction efforts in Pakistan.”
In 2022, downpours swelled rivers and at one point flooded a third of Pakistan, killing 1,739 people. The floods also caused $30 billion in damages, from which Pakistan is still trying to rebuild.
The prime minister witnessed the signing of agreements alongside a Letter of Exchange on the establishment of a First Aid Center in Balochistan and Protocol on Cooperation in Human Resources Development under the Global Development Initiative.
“These agreements signify the deepening cooperation between Pakistan and China across various sectors,” the report read.
The meeting was also attended by China’s Ambassador to Pakistan Jiang Zaidong, members of PM Sharif’s cabinet and senior officials of Pakistan.
Beijing has been one of Islamabad’s most reliable foreign partners in recent years, readily providing financial assistance to bail out its often-struggling neighbor.
In July last year, China granted Pakistan a two-year rollover on a $2.4 billion loan, giving the debt-saddled nation much-needed breathing space as it tackled a balance-of-payments crisis.
China has inked more than two trillion dollars in contracts around the world under its Belt and Road investment scheme, with billions pouring into infrastructure projects in Pakistan.
US calls on Iraq to safeguard US troops after new attacks
“These attacks put coalition and Iraqi personnel at risk,” Air Force Major General Patrick Ryder told a news briefing
Updated 18 min 20 sec ago
Reuters
WASHINGTON: The US military called on Iraq’s government on Tuesday to take steps to safeguard American troops in both Iraq and Syria after failed attacks on Monday by Iran-aligned militia.
“These attacks put coalition and Iraqi personnel at risk. We call on the government of Iraq to take all necessary steps to ensure the safety of US forces in Iraq and Syria against attacks from these groups,” Air Force Major General Patrick Ryder told a news briefing.
“If these attacks continue, we will not hesitate to defend our forces, as we have done in the past.”
