RIYADH: As part of its Hadad program to protect falcons, the Saudi Falcons Club set free several species of the bird to restore the natural equilibrium.
These birds of prey will be carefully monitored and studied in nature. It will also help boost the falcon population. The project is carried out with the help from the Special Forces for Environmental Security, the National Center for Wildlife Development and several volunteers. The program is the first of its kind in the Kingdom. It aims to strengthen the Kingdom’s pioneering role in protecting the wildlife and natural environment.
Falconry is an important part of the cultural desert heritage of Arabs going back thousands of years.
RIYADH: People traveling from Saudi Arabia to Cyprus will not have to quarantine after the Kingdom was ranked among the least-risky countries for spreading coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
The eastern Mediterranean island nation was from Monday welcoming back tourists using a color-category system. Saudi Arabia has been placed in the “most favorable” green category along with countries such as Singapore, Australia, Iceland, and New Zealand.
Some 44 countries have been categorized green, orange, or red. The rest fall into the grey category, whose citizens would require special permission to travel to Cyprus.
The Kingdom was placed in the green category because of its swift response to the virus outbreak by enforcing curfews, travel bans, and creating equal access testing and vaccination centers.
Any passengers arriving in Cyprus from Saudi Arabia will not have to undergo any quarantine or self-isolation period. There will also be no requirement for them to hold a COVID-19 test certificate, although during March they will have to take a COVID-19 test provided free by the Cyprus health ministry.
The ranking system places countries by their number of cases and potential exposure to those arriving from them, and list will be updated weekly.
Tourism underpins the Cypriot economy with almost 4 million tourists visiting in 2019.
RIYADH: The Saudi Culture Ministry’s Libraries Authority on Monday signed an agreement with the King Abdul Aziz Public Library to make original manuscripts available online through a unified digital platform.
It is part of the authority’s efforts to promote and develop libraries in the Kingdom.
The agreement was signed at the King Abdul Aziz Public Library in Riyadh. Dr. Abdulrahman bin Nasser Al-Asim, CEO of the authority, and Dr. Bandar Al-Mubarak, the director general of the library, signed the agreement.
The authority seeks to preserve the rich heritage of the Kingdom.
Earlier, the Libraries Authority signed a deal with the King Fahd National Library to preserve Arab and Islamic manuscripts in local libraries and make them available online for students of history and culture worldwide.
The Saudi Shoura Council’s Joint Saudi-Georgian Parliamentary Friendship Committee headed by its chairman Dr. Fayez Al-Shehri held a meeting with Georgian Ambassador Vakhtang Jaoshvili in Riyadh on Monday during which they reviewed bilateral ties and discussed ways to strengthen them.
Al-Shehri highlighted the role and work mechanism of the Saudi Shoura Council. He also presented an overview of the role played by the council’s various parliamentary friendship committees in strengthening ties with friendly countries at the diplomatic level.
The Georgian ambassador condemned the recent Houthi attacks targeting the Kingdom. He expressed his country’s desire to see an increase in the number of Saudis visiting Georgia. The ambassador said his government is keen to provide all services to Saudi tourists to make their stay in Georgia comfortable.
During the meeting, they discussed ways to enhance bilateral ties and increase inter-parliamentary relations to learn from each other’s experiences.
The meeting also discussed issues of common interest and reviewed the functions of the joint parliamentary committee. They also vowed to increase cooperation between the two countries at all levels.
RIYADH: Five people were injured when a missile launched by Yemen’s Houthi militia fell in the Jazan region of southwestern Saudi Arabia, state news agency SPA reported early on Tuesday.
The media spokesman for the Directorate of Civil Defense in Jazan, Col. Mohammed bin Yahya Al-Ghamdi, said the authority received a report about a missile launched from Yemen toward one of the border villages in Jazan.
“Upon arrival at the site, it became clear that the military projectile had fallen in a public street, resulting in five civilians being injured,” Col. Al-Ghamdi said.
They included three Saudis and two Yemeni nationals, he said. They suffered moderate injuries due to shrapnel and were transferred to hospital to receive medical care.
“Two houses, a grocery store, three vehicles and several material were damaged from the flying shrapnel,” Col. Al-Ghamdi also said.
The Houthis have stepped up attacks on Saudi civilian targets using drones laden with explosives.
JEDDAH: The Saudi health authorities have reassured the public that any mild symptoms people may experience after receiving the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine is not a sign that their immunity has been affected.
“A person’s immunity is not undermined by taking the vaccine,” said Dr. Fahad Al-Zamil, a Saudi infectious diseases consultant, in a phone interview with Al-Youm TV show on Al Ekhbariya channel.
“What happens to people after taking the vaccination is that they experience some mild symptoms such as a cold, fever, and they assume that the vaccination reduced their immunity,” he explained. “The main goal of vaccinations is to enhance immunity, not reduce it.”
The consultant also stressed even after taking the vaccine people needed to adhere to precautionary measures, such as social distancing and wearing a mask.
Al-Zamil said that the COVID-19 vaccine is similar to other vaccinations, such as that of influenza.
“Vaccines, God willing, are a powerful weapon in protecting lives,” said Health Ministry’s spokesperson Mohammed Al-Abd Al-Aly describing the vaccine as “highly safe and effective.”
The Ministry of Health on Monday reported 317 new cases, meaning that 377,700 people have now contracted the disease since the beginning of the outbreak. Of these, 2,560 remain active, 492 of them in critical condition.
• The Kingdom on Monday reported 317 new cases.
• 335 patients have recovered from the disease, bringing the total to 368,640 recoveries.
• Saudi Arabia reported six more virus-related deaths on Monday.
According to the ministry, 142 of the newly recorded cases were in the Riyadh region, 72 in the Eastern Province, 45 in the Makkah region and seven in the Madinah region.
In addition, 335 patients had recovered from the disease, bringing the total to 368,640 recoveries.
Saudi Arabia reported six more virus-related deaths on Monday. The death toll now stands at 6,500.
The Kingdom has so far conducted 13,680,202 PCR tests, with 47,125 carried out in the past 24 hours.
Saudi health clinics set up by the ministry as testing hubs or treatment centers have helped hundreds of thousands of people around the Kingdom since the outbreak of the pandemic.
Among those testing hubs are Taakad (make sure) centers and Tetamman (rest assured) clinics.
Taakad centers provide COVID-19 testing for those who show no or mild symptoms or believe they have come into contact with an infected individual, while the Tetamman clinics offer treatment and advice to those with virus symptoms, such as fever, loss of taste and smell and breathing difficulties.
Appointments to both services can be made through the ministry’s Sehhaty app.
Saudis and expats in the Kingdom continue to receive their doses of the vaccine, which they registered for through the ministry’s app.
The number of those who received the COVID-19 vaccine stands at 780,667 people so far.
RIYADH: With camping season in full swing across the Kingdom many Saudi families are taking the opportunity to engage in fun COVID-friendly activities.
Desert camping (or kashtas, as they’re colloquially known), hiking trips, and other outdoorsy activities are taking place all over the country.
However, due to the nature of these activities, the likelihood of accidents tends to increase, especially among first-timers or otherwise inexperienced outdoorsmen.
Fortunately, a group of dedicated volunteers is working tirelessly to ensure the safety of the Kingdom’s budding outdoor enthusiasts, allowing virtually anyone to dabble in those types of activities without fear.
Founded in 2017, the Barq (Arabic for “lightning”) Rescue Team is Saudi Arabia’s first accredited volunteer rescue team. Certified by the Saudi Civil Defense and the Ministry of Interior, the group is a member of both the Saudi Automobile and Motorcycle Federation and the UN’s International Association for Voluntary Efforts.
Barq’s team leader, Talal Abdulghani, told Arab News that the team started off as an unofficial group of four-wheel drive vehicle owners who saw an opportunity to utilize their equipment for the greater good.
“We first had the idea to create the team during the 2017 flooding in Jeddah,” Abdulghani said. “Those of us with suitable cars that were fitted with off-roading equipment found ourselves able to help out, and we decided to make it an official team.”
What started off as a small group of volunteers quickly gained traction. Today, Barq has more than 950 volunteers spread out across the Kingdom, with members assisting stranded drivers all over the Gulf countries. And at least 120 of those members are women.
• Founded in 2017, the Barq Rescue Team is Saudi Arabia’s first accredited volunteer rescue team.
• Certified by the Saudi Civil Defense and the Ministry of Interior, the group is a member of both the Saudi Automobile and Motorcycle Federation and the UN’s International Association for Voluntary Efforts.
“Every member of the team joined us out of passion and the desire to help others,” Abdulghani said, “We’re not getting paid, nor do we charge for our services, and all of us have day jobs. We volunteer out of a sense of duty to our country and community.”
Abdulghani told Arab News that one or two deaths tend to occur every month out in the desert, especially in remote locations or due to a lack of experience. Anyone stranded in the desert can call the 24-hour hotline to receive assistance from one of their team members, who will arrive on the site to help if they need to or can offer help over the phone or via WhatsApp.
“Considering the number of calls we get every day, sometimes we find it better to try to assist over the phone instead of heading to a location ourselves,” said Abdulghani. “That way, instead of just showing up and taking over, we give people a chance to learn from their mistakes with our guidance and prevent similar incidents in the future.”
However, Barq’s team is not only comprised of drivers; Abdulghani says that anyone can join up, provided they have something to offer.
“We have members who are doctors and paramedics, who can offer first aid in case we need to rescue someone who is injured, and mechanics who are able to fix cars that have broken down or stalled, or been damaged. We also have photographers, lawyers and so on,” he said.
Abdulghani said an interesting side effect of their work was that many of those rescued have been inspired to join the team themselves.
One of those people is Samaher Al-Qwasmi, who said: “I was taking a trip with my mother and brother to Khaleej Salman beach, and I ended up driving a little too close to the water. Eventually, I found myself stuck because it was so muddy, and I could feel the car sinking down into the mud,” she said.
Not knowing what to do, and with poor phone service, she contacted her uncle, who directed her to call Barq.
“They asked me a lot of questions about how many people we were, what our location was, whether or not we had food, and so on. They were very thorough about making sure we were safe, and that in turn made me feel safer,” she said.
The team maintained contact until they were able to send someone to rescue them, sending four cars to help pull her vehicle out of the mud. Their efforts are something Al-Qwasmi appreciates so much more now that she has an idea of exactly how much work a rescue operation entails.
“There are so many people in the same situation at the same time. Just looking at our WhatsApp group now, there are 10 or more cases a day, and some rescues may require a lot of work,” she said.
“I joined because it’s something nice to do for the community. It feels good to give back, to be able to do good but also to help people become more aware of the existence of teams like ours,” she said. “We’re like one family; I don’t think anyone is doing this for the sake of the money or anything like that. Apart from the rescues, we also have events where we get together as a team and just hang out.”
Apart from their rescue operations, Barq also does community service work. Last May, Barq launched a campaign to distribute food and other essential items to quarantine sites across the Makkah region and the Eastern Province, helping residents stuck at home while also helping to curb the spread of COVID-19.
Barq provides rescue and safety training to all its recruits, including basic first aid, in addition to the several awareness campaigns they provide to the public on a regular basis.
Those interested in joining up as volunteers can register on the team’s website, https://barqrescue.org/
JEDDAH: Saudi Arabia’s Manga Productions has launched a promotional video for the first joint Saudi-Japanese anime film “The Journey.”
Film buffs will enjoy a unique multi-sensory experience through 4DX technology, which simulates the effects and conditions seen on screen.
The launch of the promotional video comes ahead of the renowned Berlin International Film Festival beginning March 1.
The promotional video will be featured on the social media platforms of Manga Production and Vox Cinemas.
لكل منّا شيء يحميه.
العرض الترويجي للفيلم السعودي الياباني #فيلم_الرحلة
يعرض في صيف ٢٠٢١ بصالات السينما. #مانجا_للإنتاج pic.twitter.com/ymYo6GFWb0— Manga Productions شركة مانجا للإنتاج (@manga_prd) February 25, 2021
“The Journey,” which is in pre-production, will be available in summer this year in cinemas in the Middle East and North Africa, and will be distributed in Japan by T-Joy Company.
CEO of Manga Productions Dr. Essam Bukhari said the film is directed and produced by a specialized team of Japanese experts and Saudi talents.
“The video will be featured in the region and worldwide to export our Saudi culture and historical stories from the Arabian Peninsula,” he added. “This will be the first of a number of videos that will be produced by Manga Productions and will be featured in cinemas in the Middle East and the world.”
• Launch comes ahead of Berlin International Film Festival on March 1.
• The promotional video will be featured on the social media platforms of Manga Production and Vox Cinemas.
Inspired by the history of the Arabian Peninsula and the ancient civilizations of the region, “The Journey” tells the story of Aws, a potter with a mysterious past who indulged in an epic battle in defense of his city.
It is a joint production with famous Japanese studio Toei Animation, and is directed by renowned international director Kobun Shizuno, who has directed anime hits including “Godzilla: City on the Edge of Battle” and “Detective Conan.”
Manga Productions was keen to recruit well-known Japanese voice actors, such as Hiroshi Kamiya, Takaya Kuroda, Toru Furuya and others.
A number of famous Arab actors have taken part in the Arabic version of the movie, including Nassar Al-Nassar, Abdo Chahine and Rasha Rizk.
Manga Productions is a subsidiary of the Mohammed bin Salman Foundation, and is specialized in producing creative content through animations, video games and comics that target various social groups, both locally and internationally.
Husameddin Al-Madani is CEO of Soudah Development Company (SDC), a closed joint stock company wholly owned by the Public Investment Fund (PIF) of Saudi Arabia.
With extensive experience in the public and private sectors, Al-Madani has significantly contributed to the development and advancement of the socioeconomic plans laid out in the Saudi Vision 2030.
Al-Madani is also a board member of several real estate projects being carried out under the PIF.
Prior to joining SDC, Al-Madani was a member of the G20 Saudi Secretariat executive leadership team, where he led the strategy development and execution of the international conferences designed to support the G20 Saudi presidency.
In 2015, he was appointed founding director-general of the National Center for Performance Measurement in Saudi Arabia.
He played a crucial role in the establishment and implementation of a performance measurement framework in the Kingdom.
From 2004 to 2011, Al-Madani held various technical and managerial positions at Saudi Aramco. During his tenure with the world’s top oil company, he participated in the development of its performance measurement and management platform and contributed to the restructuring of the company’s research and development strategy as a member of the corporate committee.
Al-Madani obtained a bachelor’s degree in computer science at the University of Kansas and a master’s degree in petroleum engineering/ unconventional gas resources at Texas A&M University.
He is a recipient of the 2010 Texas A&M Montgomery Prize and the International SPE Young Member Outstanding Service Award. Al-Madani also completed a general management program in strategy, business and leadership with Harvard Business School in 2016.
