Transport fleet ready for new academic year in Saudi Arabia

A picture taken March 18, 2020 shows school buses parked in an open area after closure of schools in Riyadh amid measures to combat the novel COVID-19 coronavirus disease. (AFP)
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Updated 16 August 2021
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Transport fleet ready for new academic year in Saudi Arabia

  • Tatweer serves more than 1.2 million students at 21,000 schools, via more than 30,000 vehicles and buses making more than 69,000 trips a day

RIYADH: Tatweer Educational Transportation Services Co. (TTC), the Ministry of Education’s school transport provider, has completed preparations for the new academic year to transport students to schools in line with the highest standards to ensure the quality of operational, supervisory and regulatory operations.

The company has announced an integrated plan for school transport for students to provide them with safe and comfortable services, in cooperation with education directorates across the Kingdom.

Tatweer has taken several measures to increase operational efficiency and ensure optimal use of seats. This is to avoid having seats reserved by groups that do not use them and instead provide seats for the most needy due to the increasing demand on services.

These efforts aim to expand the school transportation services and develop the fleet’s performance across the Kingdom.

Tatweer serves more than 1.2 million students at 21,000 schools, via more than 30,000 vehicles and buses making more than 69,000 trips a day.

The company has also stepped up efforts to provide these services to about 30,000 students with disabilities, via more than 3,200 buses and vehicles making 6,400 trips daily and covering 2,890 schools across the Kingdom.

The company has cooperated with contractors to provide drivers trained in safe driving and enhance the mechanism of choosing them in line with strict requirements and specifications, where more than 25,000 bus drivers have been trained. This is in addition to securing modern equipment, systems and technology.

The company has developed training materials on enhancing safety and security measures in school transport services for field monitors, benefiting more than 207 field employees.

 


Saudi Ministry of Media, Microsoft Arabia sign memorandum of understanding

Updated 5 sec ago
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Saudi Ministry of Media, Microsoft Arabia sign memorandum of understanding

  • Deal aims to advance media sector in the Kingdom

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Media signed a memorandum of understanding with Microsoft Arabia in Riyadh on Tuesday covering several areas of cooperation, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

The signing ceremony was witnessed by the Assistant Minister of Media Abdullah Al-Maghlouth, and Ziad Mansour, Microsoft’s executive vice president of data and artificial intelligence.

Bassem Al-Hazmi, the general manager of digital transformation and information technology and the general manager of cybersecurity, was also present, along with the President of Microsoft Arabia Turki Badhris.

Cooperation will include developing technical aspects in the areas of data analysis, self-learning, AI, security and privacy solutions, and various software and service development solutions.

It will aim to raise the quality of local media content and keep pace with global transformations to serve the future goals of the Ministry of Media.

The memorandum also bids to advance the media sector in the Kingdom, enabling it to contribute to the local economy while benefiting from the developments of AI and its multiple applications in the field of media.


Who’s Who: Mansour Al-Babtain, VP of commercial partnerships and liaison at World Defense Show

Updated 2 min 29 sec ago
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Who’s Who: Mansour Al-Babtain, VP of commercial partnerships and liaison at World Defense Show

Mansour Al-Babtain is the vice president of commercial partnerships and liaison at the World Defense Show.

A former fighter pilot, Al-Babtain has extensive experience working with high-level government figures and private-sector leaders.

He joined the WDS in April 2021. His current role is to oversee the sales, sponsorship and customer experience divisions, in addition to maintaining his liaison responsibilities with Saudi government entities including the General Authority for Military Industries and international delegations.

The department links WDS business owners with the appropriate government entities, ensures the security of the location and people prior to, during and following the show, and manages WDS committees.

From the initial show license to security support, Al-Babtain effectively manages the challenges of ensuring the smooth entry and exit of military supplies, technology, and personnel.

Having graduated from King Faisal Air Academy, he served 12 years in the Royal Saudi Air Force as a fighter pilot, squadron leader and tactical intelligence officer before moving to the Ministry of Defense and later to several government entities.

In addition to his degree in aerial sciences, Al-Babtain holds a master’s degree in strategic studies from Air University in Alabama and a diploma in diplomatic and political relations from the International Arbitration Commission in Cairo.
 


AI and intellectual property in the spotlight at Arab League meeting

Updated 10 min 5 sec ago
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AI and intellectual property in the spotlight at Arab League meeting

RIYADH: Intellectual property and artificial intelligence will be discussed at a regional meeting of the Arab League’s Intellectual Property and Competitiveness Department on Wednesday.

The virtual gathering, which will be hosted via video link, will include experts from the World Intellectual Property Organization and governmental intellectual property offices from several Arab nations, reported Saudi Press Agency.

Key topics on the agenda are optimizing intellectual property frameworks for AI development, the impact of AI on patenting processes, legislative efforts to address legal challenges, and implications of AI for copyright regulations.

Minister Plenipotentiary Dr. Maha Bakheet, director of legal affairs at the Intellectual Property and Competitiveness Department, said the meeting aimed to safeguard AI models through intellectual property mechanisms and enhance services.

It also hopes to drive service delivery and management progress within regional intellectual property offices.


Saudi recruiters to face heavy fines for visa violations

Updated 23 min 29 sec ago
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Saudi recruiters to face heavy fines for visa violations

RIYADH: The General Directorate of Public Security announced that recruiters who postpone reporting the departures of employees as soon as their entry visas expire will be subject to a fine of about SR50,000 ($13,300), imprisonment for up to six months, and deportation of recruitees if they are expatriates.

The directorate called for reporting residency, work and border security regulation violations by dialing the numbers (911) in Makkah, Riyadh and the Eastern Province, and (999) in the rest of the Kingdom.

According to the Saudi Press Agency report, the directorate said that from May 23 until June 21, anyone holding a visit visa of any type is not permitted to enter or remain in Makkah.

A visit visa of any type and name does not entitle its holder to perform the Hajj pilgrimage, added the directorate.


Kawin Incubator Program looks to empower Saudi culinary talents

Updated 37 min 56 sec ago
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Kawin Incubator Program looks to empower Saudi culinary talents

  • Event supports talented chefs, entrepreneurs

RIYADH: The Culinary Arts Authority is hosting the fourth Kawin Incubator Program from June 11 to Aug. 15. The initiative aims to boost culinary skills by supporting talented chefs and entrepreneurs in the food and beverage sector, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Tuesday.

The incubator consists of three main programs. The first is the Kawin Culinary Arts Incubator, featuring six courses. Each course starts with a three-day virtual competition for 80 participants, followed by a two-month, in-person incubation phase for 40 projects, concluding with the graduation of 120 projects.

Participants must be Saudi nationals — aged 18 or above — and passionate about the culinary arts and able to attend the entire program. They must also have an innovative recipe or product.

Kawin, which means create, aims to raise standards in the culinary sector by nurturing startups with innovative concepts, fostering a supportive entrepreneurial environment.

It aims to empower both male and female entrepreneurs in the culinary arts while enhancing the Kingdom’s global reputation in gastronomy.

Those Interested can learn more at https://engage.moc.gov.sa/kawn/.