An artistic journey to the heart of Riyadh — a mix of story, image and melodies

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Franco-Lebanese artist Zeina Abi Rached presented her celebrated novel, Le Piano Oriental, as part of Riyadh Music Week. (Supplied)
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Franco-Lebanese artist Zeina Abi Rached presented her celebrated novel, Le Piano Oriental, as part of Riyadh Music Week. (Supplied)
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Franco-Lebanese artist Zeina Abi Rached presented her celebrated novel, Le Piano Oriental, as part of Riyadh Music Week. (Supplied)
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Franco-Lebanese artist Zeina Abi Rached presented her celebrated novel, Le Piano Oriental, as part of Riyadh Music Week. (Supplied)
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Updated 12 December 2024
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An artistic journey to the heart of Riyadh — a mix of story, image and melodies

  • Event held in collaboration with the French Embassy in Saudi Arabia and the Alliance Française de Riyad, saw the Fenaa Alawwal Center vibrate to the rhythm of notes and words
  • Zeina Abi Rached shared an emotionally rich story, combining narration, illustration and melodies performed by composer and pianist Stephan Tsapis

RIYADH: Franco-Lebanese artist Zeina Abi Rached presented her celebrated novel, “Le Piano Oriental,” as part of Riyadh Music Week.

The event on Dec. 9, held in collaboration with the French Embassy in Saudi Arabia and the Alliance Française de Riyad, saw the Fenaa Alawwal Center vibrate to the rhythm of notes and words.

The artist captivated the audience by weaving a link between past and present. Inspired by the legacy of her great-grandfather, the inventor of the oriental piano, she shared an emotionally rich story, combining narration, illustration and melodies performed by composer and pianist Stephan Tsapis.

Abi Rached told Arab News: “For ‘Oriental Piano,’ the main character is my great-grandfather Abdallah, who became Abdallah Camandja, but whose name was Abdallah Chahine. I didn’t know him, but I’ve heard a lot about him. Throughout my childhood, I was told: ‘This is Camandja’s piano’ so there was something of a myth surrounding (it). The mention of his name and his piano was surrounded by an aura of mystery.”

Tsapis created the album “Mataroa” as a showcase for the spoken word, in particular, the voice of his own father recounting the forced exile of Greeks due to civil war. With “Le Tsapis Volant,” the aim was to blend the distinctive sound of the oriental piano with female voices of diverse origins.

Abi Rached told Arab News: “I always read comics as a child. I remember there were comic books in my family’s library, and they were very common.”

“I felt a very strong urge to write and draw in the early 2000s, when I was 19 or 20, at the time of the reconstruction of Beirut, the city as I had known it up to then, i.e. a city at war, which was in the process of altering and changing. I felt the need to keep a record of this change. That’s how writing and drawing came into my life,” she added.

“In general, the characters in my comic strips are family members or friends. I gathered stories from all of them, from neighbors, family ... from all the people around me at the time.”

During the evening, Abi Rached not only honored the memory of her grandfather, but also reminded everyone of the importance of art as a means of expression and connection, uniting generations through the magic of stories and melodies.

She said: “Art, and especially comics, has served me well, for example, when talking about difficult things, such as the memory of war. It’s a way of synthesizing everything. The message can be very powerful and can be without words, and a picture can sometimes express it much better than a long speech. That’s how you provoke a sensation, an emotion. And it’s probably thanks to this that we can better understand and appropriate certain notions that are not obvious.”

Abi Rached immersed the audience in a magical atmosphere, where black and white images evoked her childhood in Lebanon. Every word, every illustration opened a window on a vibrant past, where memories mingled with the dreams of a country in search of rebirth.

The duality between black and white and the bright colors of the country was palpable, illustrating a poignant contrast between the beauty of memories and the reality of a country under reconstruction. In leaving Lebanon, Abi Rached not only left behind a place, but also a part of her identity.

Her story resonated with those who have had to move away from their native land, but also with the hope of a better future. Through her talent, she shone a light on forgotten stories, paying tribute to a Lebanon that lives on in the hearts of its natives.


Saudi Arabia marks Arabian Leopard Day, raising awareness of endangered cat

Updated 18 sec ago
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Saudi Arabia marks Arabian Leopard Day, raising awareness of endangered cat

  • Fewer than 200 Arabian leopards thought to remain in wild
  • RCU driving efforts to preserve and repopulate species

RIYADH: Organizations in Saudi Arabia and abroad marked the International Day of the Arabian Leopard on Monday, raising awareness of efforts to preserve the endangered species.

Historically widespread across the Arabian Peninsula, today there are thought to be fewer than 200 Arabian leopards living in the wild.

Their numbers declined rapidly in the 20th century due to habitat loss and illegal poaching, and they are considered critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

Saudi Arabia declared Feb. 10 Arabian Leopard Day in 2022 in a bid to raise awareness.

This was followed in June 2023 by a UN General Assembly declaring Feb. 10 as International Day of the Arabian Leopard.

The Royal Commission for AlUla is implementing one of the Kingdom’s most noteworthy preservation campaigns for the big cat.

“We are honored with the remarkable progress made in safeguarding this majestic species. From the birth of Hope in 2021 to the arrival of seven cubs in 2023 and the exceptional triplets in 2024, each step has been a leap of hope in our conservation efforts,” Royal Commission of AlUla spokesperson Abdulrahman AlTrairi told Arab News.

The commission more than doubled the number of leopards in its Arabian Leopard Conservation Breeding Center to 32 since 2021, according to the Saudi Press Agency.

Members of the public are now invited to participate in naming the triplet cubs through the rcu.gov.sa website.

The commission also established the Arabian Leopard Fund, with initial funding worth $25 million to support Arabian leopard conservation efforts in the Kingdom and abroad.

To mark this year’s Arabian Leopard Day, the commission held a conservation event at the London Zoo, attended by Saudi Ambassador to the US Princess Reema bint Bandar.

Princess Reema founded the initiative Catmosphere in 2021, and the organization has held “cat walk” events featuring more than 190,000 people in 136 countries to raise awareness of conservation issues.

Princess Modhi bint Fahd, chairwoman of the Saudi Animal Welfare Society REFQ, shared with Arab News her thanks to the Kingdom’s leadership for their conservation efforts.

“We at REFQ are happy and thrilled to witness the International Day of the Arabian Leopard for an animal that was on the verge of extinction,”

“The credit goes to our great leader Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman as he is the man behind all regional environmental and ecological initiatives.”

Saudi Arabia’s Embassy in Kyrgyzstan celebrated the occasion with a “cat walk” event in which a number of officials walked through the streets of the capital Bishek to raise awareness of the big cat’s plight.

A similar initiative was held by the Kingdom’s Embassy in Albania, where participants walked from Lake Tirana to the city’s zoo.

High-ranking officials from the Saudi Embassy in Sri Lanka also took part in a cat walk in Colombo.


MENA tech startup launches first AI-powered Arabic phone bot

Updated 48 min 21 sec ago
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MENA tech startup launches first AI-powered Arabic phone bot

  • Smartphone bot developed by Maqsam transcribes speech, understands intent, and responds fluently in Arabic, offering 24/7 automated support
  • Unlike existing machine-learning solutions, which are predominantly optimized for English, the bot handles linguistic variations across the Arab world

RIYADH: Saudi-based tech company Maqsam has unveiled the region’s first phone bot powered by artificial intelligence capable of handling customer service calls entirely in Arabic and English, including several dialects.

Speaking to Arab News at LEAP 2025 Tech Conference, Fouad Jeryes, cofounder and chief business officer of Maqsam, said the innovation tackles a central challenge businesses face when trying to provide a seamless Arabic-language customer service.

“Most global AI solutions do not support Arabic well,” Jeryes said. “There aren’t solutions that actually speak Arabic, so it’s a big gap here.”

The smartphone bot developed by Maqsam transcribes speech, understands intent, and responds fluently in Arabic, offering 24/7 automated support. 

Unlike existing machine-learning solutions, which are predominantly optimized for English, the bot handles linguistic variations across the Arab world, ensuring a more natural and effective customer experience.

Despite Arabic being one of the world’s most widely spoken languages, businesses have struggled to implement tech-powered customer service solutions that accurately process different dialects.

The bot’s ability to recognize and adapt to different Arabic dialects makes it particularly valuable for businesses operating in several markets in the MENA region.

“Good customer service is crucial for customer retention and trust, as it takes many positive experiences to offset one negative one. Better service leads to happier customers, reducing time wasted and improving overall customer experience,” Jeryes said. 

Maqsam’s bot has the potential to transform customer interactions, making services faster and more accessible, while reducing operational costs.

“If you can get to someone where you don’t have to be on hold, where they pick up every single time and service you immediately, it’s going to be easier — less time wasted, more efficiency, and better service overall, which keeps you happy as a customer,” Jeryes added.

The bot also acts as a co-pilot for human agents, reducing their workload and improving efficiency.

“The agent speaking to the customer doesn’t have to know all the information or handle every process. The bot listens in real time and translates that information into necessary actions,” Jeryes said.

However, automation will not completely replace human agents.

“There will be fewer human agents and more bots in the future,” he said. “But the human element needs to be there, because the bots will not be able to service all the scenarios.”

While the technology presents significant advances, risks and regulatory concerns surrounding AI-powered customer services remain.

“There’s a lot that’s going to come into the realm of regulation in this space in particular,” Jeryes said. “In general, humans will remain a very integral part of this community.” 

As Saudi Arabia continues to advance its digital economy under Vision 2030, such innovations contribute to the development of a more tech-driven business landscape, enhancing efficiency and supporting the Kingdom’s push for digital transformation.


Saudi Embassy in Albania celebrates International Day of the Arabian Leopard

Updated 52 min 47 sec ago
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Saudi Embassy in Albania celebrates International Day of the Arabian Leopard

  • In 2023, the UN designated Feb. 10 as International Day of the Arabian Leopard to preserve the endangered wild species
  • Known as Panthera pardus nimr, the species is one of the smallest breeds of leopard

RIYADH: The Saudi Embassy in Albania marked the International Day of the Arabian Leopard, designated by the UN on Feb. 10.

The celebration on Monday started with a march from a lake in Tirana to the city’s zoo, followed by an official ceremony, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

Faisal Ghazi Hifzi, the Saudi ambassador to Albania, said that Riyadh is committed to supporting global environmental initiatives and enhancing cooperation to protect biodiversity, SPA reported.

In 2023, the UN designated Feb. 10 as the International Day of the Arabian Leopard to preserve the endangered wild species.

Known as Panthera pardus nimr, the Arabian leopard is one of the smallest breeds of leopard. Males typically weigh between 30 and 40 kg, while females weigh between 25 and 35 kg. Their fur color is a pale orange with small, spaced spots.

In recent years, the species’ numbers have declined to nearly 200 in Oman, Yemen, and Saudi Arabia. This sharp decrease in the Arabian Peninsula is attributed to habitat loss, a reduction in the availability of prey, attacks by herders, and illegal trade in wild species.

The Kingdom has been at the forefront of preserving and breeding the species at AlUla’s nature reserves in the western region.

Since 2021, Saudi Arabia has preserved and bred 14 Arabian leopards at AlUla’s nature reserves, doubling their number to 32 by 2024, SPA added.


Saudi FM discusses developments in Palestine with PM Mohammad Mustafa

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan and Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa. (File/SPA/AFP)
Updated 10 February 2025
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Saudi FM discusses developments in Palestine with PM Mohammad Mustafa

  • Prince Faisal also received a phone call from his Pakistani counterpart Ishaq Dar
  • Kingdom’s Foreign Minister is in Paris attending a two-day international AI summit in Paris

RIYADH: Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan on Monday received a phone call from Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa.

During the call, the two officials discussed developments in Palestine and efforts made in regard to them, Saudi Press Agency reported.

Prince Faisal also received a phone call from his Pakistani counterpart Ishaq Dar.

They discussed regional developments and joint efforts with regard to them, SPA said. 

The Kingdom’s Foreign Minister is in Paris attending a two-day international artificial intelligence summit in Paris. Heads of state, top government officials, CEOs and scientists from around 100 countries are participating in the summit from Monday.


Saudi Arabia leads AI governance on global stage

Updated 10 February 2025
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Saudi Arabia leads AI governance on global stage

  • Abdullah Al-Ghamdi highlights Kingdom’s AI ethics, policies, leadership at Paris summit

Riyadh: President of the Saudi Data and AI Authority Abdullah Al-Ghamdi said that Saudi Arabia has presented a pioneering model for strengthening comprehensive artificial intelligence governance at both regional and global levels.

He noted that this comes amid a growing global need for such governance, as AI continues to shape economies, societies, and global power structures, transcending international borders and impacting industries, governments, labor markets, and security.

His remarks came during his speech at a session held on Monday as part of the AI Action Summit, hosted in Paris from Feb. 10–11, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

The session was attended by French President Emmanuel Macron and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, along with several world leaders, policymakers, and leading AI experts.

Al-Ghamdi emphasized that comprehensive AI governance ensures all stakeholders — including governments, businesses, civil society, and underrepresented communities — have a role in shaping the future of AI.

He noted that by fostering collaboration and transparency, comprehensive governance can mitigate risks, build trust, and establish a framework that ensures AI serves all of humanity rather than benefiting only a specific group, the SPA reported.

Al-Ghamdi added that without diverse perspectives in policymaking, AI risks exacerbating inequalities, reinforcing biases, and favoring only certain groups.

He highlighted that Saudi Arabia has published 65 AI-related policies on the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development’s AI Policy Observatory, ranking third after the US and the UK.

Moreover, Al-Ghamdi said the Kingdom launched the AI Policy and Incident Observatory for the Middle East in Arabic, reflecting its commitment to regional transparency and data-driven policymaking.

He also highlighted Saudi Arabia’s local, regional, and international efforts in data and AI, noting that in 2020, before the latest AI breakthroughs, the Kingdom hosted the first Global AI Summit in Riyadh.

In 2024, the Kingdom organized the third and largest edition of the summit, bringing together experts, policymakers, and industry leaders from over 100 countries to shape the future of AI for the benefit of humanity, he said.

Driven by its commitment to ensuring AI advancements align with Islamic values and ethical principles, Saudi Arabia hosted the largest consultative session of the UN Advisory Body on AI in Riyadh, with representatives from over 53 Islamic countries, Al-Ghamdi said.

These efforts, he added, culminated in the launch of the Riyadh Charter for AI Ethics in the Islamic World last September, reflecting AI’s impact on the lives of 2 billion Muslims worldwide.

Al-Ghamdi said that Saudi Arabia’s role in AI governance extends beyond initiatives to the establishment of the International Center for AI Research and Ethics in Riyadh. As a Category 2 center under UNESCO, it will play a pivotal role in shaping AI policies, enhancing capacity building, and supporting the development of ethical and responsible AI, he noted.

The center has organized several events in collaboration with the Arab League and the Gulf Cooperation Council, bringing together over 100 experts from 28 countries and institutions with the aim of strengthening regional AI governance and establishing clear ethical regulations.

Al-Ghamdi concluded by emphasizing that, as the heart of the Arab and Islamic worlds, Saudi Arabia is ready to contribute to shaping the future of the Global Partnership on Artificial Intelligence, which will hold its 2025 ministerial council meeting in Slovakia.

He called for unified international efforts to build an innovative, trustworthy, and inclusive AI ecosystem.