Suhail: A star that heralds the end of scorching summer

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Suhail, a star Arabs look forward to sighting, as it marks the end of Summer heat. (SPA)
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Astronomers sighting Suhail star that marks the end of searing heat in Arab countries. (Supplied)
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Updated 25 August 2024
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Suhail: A star that heralds the end of scorching summer

  • Sighting the Suhail star is said to coincide with the approach of cooler weather in the Arabian Peninsula

RIYADH: Arabs are on the lookout for Suhail, a star whose sighting is said to herald in cooler weather, as temperatures hit 50 degrees Celsius amid this summer’s searing heat.

Historically, the star signaled the onset of cooler days in the desert. According to Arab folklore, the night “cools down” when “Suhail rises.”

Abouazza Elmhamdi, in the Physics and Astronomy department at King Saud University, told Arab News: “Suhail is one of the most important stars for the people of the Arabian Peninsula. Throughout history, it has attracted the interest of astronomers, as well as the region’s residents and farmers. It is associated with a noticeable drop in temperatures after a long period of searing heat. It is also associated with the season of some local crops in the region (such as palm trees).”

Listed in the International Astronomical Union catalog of star names under the Latin name Canopus, Suhail is located around 310 lightyears from the sun. Its luminosity is over 10,000 times that of the sun, while its mass is around eight times greater. It appears to be the brightest star in the southern constellation of Carina and the second-brightest star in the night sky after the famous Sirius star, Elmhamdi explained.

“This year, Suhail will rise in the Arabian Peninsula around Aug. 24, although the exact time can vary slightly depending on a person’s location within the region,” he said.

Suhail can be spotted next to Sirius from the constellation Canis Major and can be observed with the naked eye in the southern half of the Arabian Peninsula. It becomes visible in Jazan on Aug. 7, the center of Saudi Arabia on Aug. 24, and the north of the Kingdom on Sept. 8.

The Suhail season lasts for 52 days. The weather becomes pleasant at night while remaining hot during the early part of the day.

By the end of the season, daytime temperatures become more comfortable.

The UAE’s Al-Sadeem Astronomy, an observatory based in the capital Abu Dhabi, posted on X that the Suhail star was a reliable navigation tool for early Arabs, especially sailors and travelers.

In Emirati culture, the appearance of Suhail symbolized abundance, which is why many fishermen, pearl hunters and farmers based their activities on its presence.

One of the signs coinciding with Suhail’s emergence is the decline in the angle of the sun’s rays. The days get gradually shorter and cool down significantly toward the end of the night.

With the effects of climate change, the drop in temperature may not be as immediately perceptible as in the past, but the weather will become more bearable, especially around October when the rainy season starts and temperatures settle around 30 C.

Decoder

What's Suhail?

Suhail is one of the most important stars for the people of the Arabian Peninsula, according to Abouazza Elmhamdi, an associate professor on astrophysics at King Saud University in Riyadh. He said that the sighting of Suhail, whose luminosity is over 10,000 times that of the sun, is associated with a noticeable drop in temperatures after a long period of searing heat. The star became visible on Aug. 24 in the center of Saudi Arabia. The Suhail season lasts for 52 days, with the weather becoming pleasant at night while remaining hot during the early part of the day. By the end of the season, daytime temperatures become more comfortable.


Souk Wonders event brings art, culture in Diriyah

Updated 9 sec ago
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Souk Wonders event brings art, culture in Diriyah

  • Running until Feb. 28 at Mayadeen Venue, the souk is one of the season’s premier artistic and entertainment programs

RIYADH: The Souk Wonders event, part of Diriyah Season, launched on Thursday.

The vibrant indoor market offers an immersive experience blending imagination, performing arts, and live entertainment, according to the Saudi Press Agency.

Running until Feb. 28 at Mayadeen Venue, the souk is one of the season’s premier artistic and entertainment programs.

The market features two daily shows with creative performances, including magic tricks, trampoline acts, high-wire stunts, and the traditional Saudi dance, Samri.

Visitors enter an enchanting atmosphere, welcomed by hosts in folklore attire matching the event’s theme, the SPA reported.

The venue includes a lively plaza with vivid colors and music, VIP lounges with premium hospitality, and a diverse culinary scene featuring local and international flavors.

Shopping experiences also spotlight the region’s diverse offerings.


Saudi Arabia condemns Orebro attack

Updated 06 February 2025
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Saudi Arabia condemns Orebro attack

  • Eleven people have been killed in a shooting at an education centre in central Sweden

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia condemned on Thursday a deadly shooting at a school in Orebro, Sweden, that left several people dead.

At least 11 people died and many people were wounded in an attack at the Risbergska adult education center in Orebro, central Sweden, on Tuesday.

A Saudi Foreign Ministry statement expressed the Kingdom’s rejection and denunciation of all forms of violence.

It also expressed Saudi Arabia’s solidarity and sincere condolences to the families of the victims.


Former Saudi ambassador to US condemns Trump’s ‘mad ethnic cleansing plan’ for Gaza

Former Saudi ambassador to the US Prince Turki Al-Faisal speaks to CNN international anchor Christiane Amanpour. (Screenshot)
Updated 06 February 2025
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Former Saudi ambassador to US condemns Trump’s ‘mad ethnic cleansing plan’ for Gaza

  • Prince Turki Al-Faisal says proposed resettlement of Palestinians would lead to more bloodshed
  • Warns US leader will receive ’an earful’ from Saudi leadership if he visits Kingdom

LONDON: Donald Trump’s plan for the US to take control of Gaza and force Palestinians to leave the enclave would be “ethnic cleansing” that would spark conflict and bloodshed, Prince Turki Al-Faisal, Saudi Arabia’s former ambassador in Washington, said on Wednesday.

In an interview with CNN, Prince Turki, who is also a former head of the Kingdom’s intelligence services, angrily rejected the US president’s comments, which included a threat to send US troops to help turn Gaza into the “Riviera of the Middle East.”

Prince Turki said he expected Arab and Muslim countries, along with other nations and Europe, to take up the issue at the UN to show that the world opposed “this mad ethnic cleansing plan.”

“It is a fantasy to think that ethnic cleansing in the 21st century can be condoned by a world community that stays on its behind, and does not respond to that,” Prince Turki told presenter Christiane Amanpour. “The problem in Palestine is not the Palestinians. It is the Israeli occupation. And this has been clear and understood by everybody.”

Prince Turki said Trump’s comments upended previous US policy that favored a two-state solution based on land for peace.

He said Trump’s plan was based on the position of Israeli extremist politician Itamar Ben-Gvir, “the ultimate ethnic cleanser,” who recently resigned as national security minister over the Gaza ceasefire.

Trump’s words were a “total acceptance of the Israeli position by the American government,” Prince Turki said, adding that this approach had been gaining support in US political circles over the past two years.

Prince Turki said that if Trump visited Saudi Arabia, he is likely to receive “an earful” from the Saudi leadership about “not just the wisdom of what he is proposing, but the downright unfairness and injustice.”

Trump has had close relations with Saudi Arabia and made the Kingdom his first foreign visit during his first term. Prince Turki said Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman had pledged last month to invest $600 billion in the US.

Saudi Arabia’s foreign ministry strongly condemned threats to displace Palestinians from their land and reiterated the Kingdom’s position that there would be no normalization of relations with Israel until the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital.

“This has been the position of Saudi Arabia from the beginning,” Prince Turki said.

He said that Trump’s Gaza plan on top of the “destruction and the devastation” of the territory during Israel’s campaign would only lead to more support for militant groups such as Hamas.

“Everybody has been telling the Israelis that if you repress these people, that if you punish them, if you inflict death and destruction and mayhem and genocide on them, all you are going to do is create more opposition,” Prince Turki said.

“That’s why they want to use ethnic cleansing to get the people out of the territory.

“So, their policy is clear cut and, unfortunately, we hear this reflected now in what Mr. Trump has said.”


Quality of life, economy, culture in Madinah improving under Vision 2030, authority says

Updated 05 February 2025
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Quality of life, economy, culture in Madinah improving under Vision 2030, authority says

  • Local GDP, tourism and investment on the rise in region
  • New opportunities for entrepreneurs expected

RIYADH: Quality of life, the economy and culture in Madinah are improving under Vision 2030, according to the Madinah Region Development Authority.

Speaking to the media on Wednesday, officials from the authority said they are aiming to highlight regional achievements and the transformation taking place there.

Ihab Salem, chief strategy officer at Madinah Region Development Authority, said: “With the support of the emir of the region, we will achieve (Vision 2030 goals) through all relevant sectors of work in the region.

“This also helps in achieving developmental mobility, economic growth, and increasing investment opportunities and local content in the Madinah region, thus opening many opportunities for male and female entrepreneurs in various sectors.”

Economically, local gross domestic product reached SR118 billion ($31 billion) in 2023, with SR53 billion in foreign investment, while the second quarter of 2024 saw a decrease in unemployment.

Tourism is the rise, with 18 million visitors to the region in 2024. Visitors stayed an average of 10 days in 2023. The region was ranked 88 globally on Euromonitor International’s 2024 index of the world’s top 100 city destinations, ranked seven globally on the Tourism Performance Index, and 3,200 locations are registered in the National Urban Heritage Register.

It was recently announced that foreigners can now invest in Saudi-listed companies owning real estate in Makkah and Madinah, following a landmark decision by the Saudi Capital Market Authority.

Al-Madinah Smart City has also gained a number of achievements, including an advancement in 11 ranks in the International Institute for Management Development Smart City Index, ranking 74th globally after ranking 85th in 2023, alongside a number of other milestones.

Other notable initiatives implemented in collaboration with the Vision Realization Program include the King Salman Project to expand Quba Mosque, which aims to expand the area tenfold and develop 57 historical sites to reach a capacity of 66,000 worshipers; and the Dar Al-Hijra project in Madinah, which aims to retrace the steps of the Prophet Muhammad’s journey.

Madinah is considered one of the most accessible regions in the Kingdom through land, sea and air. Its three airports transported 10 million passengers in 2024, across more than 72,000 flights operated by 77 airlines to 36 local and international destinations.

Public buses in Madinah now have 123 stations, and the Haramain High Speed Railway Depot has transported 9 million passengers, according to the authority.

Salem added that a number of projects can be attributed to private investors and entities like Maqsad Quba, Jabal Ayr and As Safiyyah Museum & Park.

The authority is highlighting Madinah’s economic diversification through the agriculture and mining industries, its global connectivity through tourism and cultural heritage offerings, and the vision achieved by its residents in the health, education private and nonprofit sectors.

Officials said that 58 initiatives have been launched under the Pilgrim Experience Program, 104 under the Quality of Life Program and 30 under the National Industrial Development and Logistics Program.


Saudi Shoura Council vice-speaker receives Hungarian official in Riyadh

Updated 05 February 2025
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Saudi Shoura Council vice-speaker receives Hungarian official in Riyadh

Vice-Speaker of the Shoura Council Mishaal Al-Sulami received Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly of Hungary Istvan Jakab and his accompanying delegation in Riyadh on Wednesday.

During the meeting the two sides discussed various topics of common interest, Saudi Press Agency reported.

Al-Sulami reviewed the Shoura Council’s work and the importance of parliamentary diplomacy in consolidating cooperation and supporting bilateral relations.

Jakab also expressed his aim of deepening bilateral relations between the two sides.