Saudi business leaders have voiced their strong support for Operation Decisive Storm launched under orders of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman against the Houthi terrorists in Yemen.
At its 85th board meeting on Wednesday in Riyadh, the Council of Saudi Chambers (CSC), representing business sectors in the country, declared full support and blessing for the ongoing operation. The meeting was presided over by CSC Chairman Abdul Rahman Al-Zamil in the presence of more than 50 business leaders and heads of various chambers of commerce in the Kingdom.
They reaffirmed their full support for the operation. They believe that the action was to curb the aggression of the Houthis that affects security and stability in Yemen and the neighboring region.
The CSC said that the Saudi business sector and institutional organs remained very concerned over the course of political and military events in Yemen, with its dire implications for the economy and living conditions of the Yemenis.
According to business circles, the Houthi invasion has resulted in Yemen losing many opportunities for foreign investment, from the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states in particular, and that several development and investment projects have been disrupted.
This prompted many countries to withhold investments, 80 percent of them from the GCC states.
The CSC declaration confirmed that the achievements of the military would ensure the return of Saudi investments to Yemen and enable the participation of the Saudi business sector in the reconstruction of the country.
The statement noted the importance of Saudi-Yemeni relations, and the influential Saudi business sector which has placed Saudi Arabia first in terms of investments in Yemen over the past years.
The statement stressed the readiness of the Saudi private sector in all its activities to cooperate with leaders, especially on economic issues. It is also ready to implement any order by the leadership at this sensitive stage, which requires unified support to Yemenis to overcome this situation.
Business leaders pledge support
Business leaders pledge support
Saudi Arabia’s KAUST named FIFA’s first research institute in MENA
- KAUST President Prof. Sir Edward Byrne said that the university’s selection as the fifth FIFA Research Institute in the world — and the first in the region — marks a significant achievement, reflecting Kingdom’s growing presence in international football
RIYADH: FIFA has designated the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology as its first research institute in the Middle East and Asia to support the development of innovative football research, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Tuesday.
The recognition highlights KAUST’s commitment to integrating sports, academic research and industry through advanced, high-level initiatives grounded in rigorous scientific methodologies, contributing to the advancement of football studies.
KAUST President Prof. Sir Edward Byrne said that the university’s selection as the fifth FIFA Research Institute in the world — and the first in the region — marks a significant achievement, reflecting Saudi Arabia’s growing presence in international football.
The accreditation aligns with national efforts to invest in research and development and promote the knowledge economy, supporting Saudi Vision 2030’s goals of building an advanced sports system based on innovation and sustainability.
The collaboration’s first project focuses on developing advanced AI algorithms to analyze historical FIFA World Cup broadcast footage, transforming decades of match videos into structured, searchable data, according to the KAUST website.
This work opens new opportunities to apply state-of-the-art computer vision techniques and deepen understanding of how football has evolved over time.
The second project uses player and ball tracking data from the FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar and the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 in Australia and New Zealand to compile comprehensive datasets capturing in-game dynamics.
These datasets provide deeper insights into human movement, playing techniques and performance dynamics through AI-driven analysis.
