Day: September 18, 2024

The Islamic Resistance has mourned four martyrs, namely Hussein Alaaeddine from Majdal Selem, Hussein Ayoub Fakih from Al-Burj Al-Shemali, Abbas Fadl Yassin from Zqaq el-Blat, and Mahdi Abbas Samhat from Tairi, who fell on the road to Jerusalem.

Source: National news agency – Lebanon

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs expresses the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s welcoming of the United Nations General Assembly’s adoption of a resolution on “ending the unlawful presence in the occupied Palestinian territories’ which was voted on during the emergency special session.

The Kingdom stresses the need to take practical and credible steps to reach a just and comprehensive solution to the Palestinian cause in accordance with the Arab Peace Initiative and international legitimacy resolutions in a way that ensure the Palestinian people’s inherent right to self-determination and the establishment of their independent state on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital.

Source: Saudi Press Agency

New York, The UN General Assembly adopted by an overwhelming majority a resolution calling on the Israeli entity to end its occupation of Palestinian land within 12 months.

124 countries voted in favor of the draft resolution submitted by Palestine for the first time during the tenth emergency special session of the General Assembly after obtaining additional privileges under a previous resolution of the Assembly, while 43 countries abstained from voting, and the draft resolution was opposed by the occupation entity and 13 countries.

The resolution demands that ‘Israel’, the occupying Power, end without delay its illegal presence in the occupied Palestinian territory within a maximum period of 12 months, comply with all obligations under international law, including as stipulated by the International Court of Justice, and withdraw all its military forces from the occupied Palestinian territory.

It also demands that ‘Israel’ end its illegal policies and practices, including an immediate cessation of settlem
ent activities, the evacuation of all settlers from the occupied Palestinian territory, the dismantling of parts of the apartheid wall, the return of Palestinian lands and other properties and all assets seized since the beginning of its occupation in 1967, the allowing of all Palestinians displaced during the occupation to return to their original places of residence, and the non-obstruction of the Palestinian people from exercising their right to self-determination, including their right to establish their independent and sovereign State over the entire occupied Palestinian territory.

Source: Syrian Arab News Agency

The Saudi Falcons Club is organizing a variety of activities and events to celebrate the 94th Saudi National Day and highlight the rich heritage of falconry, which is an integral part of Saudi culture.

The Saudi Falcons Club’s activities, which will be launched at Oud Square in Riyadh over four days from September 20 to 23, aim to highlight the club’s efforts to preserve the heritage of falconry and pass it on to future generations.

A section will be dedicated to offering visitors of all ages a chance to interact directly with falcons, learn about their different species, and view the key tools used by falconers in practicing this ancient tradition.

The club’s activities will include a photography corner, allowing visitors to capture their moments with the falcons and take souvenir photos, enhancing their experience and providing an interactive and direct way to learn about this cultural heritage.

The events are part of the Saudi Falcons Club’s efforts to educate the public of all ages and interests about
the significance of falcons and highlight their role and status in the national heritage. They serve as an opportunity to strengthen the spirit of patriotism and celebrate National Day in a way that combines entertainment with education.

The Saudi Falcons Club has announced the launch of its 2024-2025 season activities, which include the International Saudi Falcons and Hunting Exhibition 2024, the King Abdulaziz Falconry Festival, as well as the 2024 Falcons Club Cup, which will be held for the first time in Hafar Al-Batin.

Other events include the AlUla Falconry Cup, the Milwah Race, and the International Falcon Breeders Auction.

The initiatives aim to sustain the heritage of falconry locally and globally, preserve it, and pass it on to future generations.

Source: Saudi Press Agency

Beirut, Caretaker Lebanese Health Minister Firas Al-Abiad, announced that the number of martyrs as a result of the Israeli cyber aggression on Lebanon on Tuesday has reached 12 martyrs so far, among them two children.

Al-Abiad said in a press conference on Wednesday that the number of dead reached 12 people, including four from the medical staff, and the number of injured is between 2,750 and 2,800, including 750 injured in the south, 150 in the Bekaa and 1,850 in Beirut and its suburbs.

The Lebanese minister said that a number of injured were transferred to Syria and others will be transferred to Iran for treatment, and medical aid has also arrived from Iraq, Iran and Jordan.

Source: Syrian Arab News Agency

The Qassim Municipality and its affiliated municipalities have completed preparations to celebrate the 94th Saudi National Day, observed on September 23 each year, under the slogan “We Dream and We Achieve.”

Buraidah’s streets, along with the region’s governorates and squares, are adorned with green flags and national banners bearing the unified visual identity of the occasion. Buildings and bridges are illuminated with decorative lighting on roads and squares in celebration of this cherished event.

The municipality has also completed the preparation of 856 billboards and 145 display screens distributed across public roads and buildings, in addition to installing 23,785 flags, 91 flagpoles, and 69 aesthetic sculptures.

Mayor of the Qassim Region Eng. Mohammed bin Mubarak Al-Mujalli emphasized the importance of early preparations to celebrate this occasion, which is dear to the hearts of all citizens.

Source: Saudi Press Agency

Occupied Jerusalem, Palestinian Health Ministry announced that the Israeli occupation committed two massacres in Gaza Strip during the past 24 hours, leaving 20 martyrs and 54 wounded.

‘number of victims of the occupation’s ongoing aggression for the 348th day on Gaza Strip has risen to 41,272 martyrs and 95,551 wounded, while a number of victims are still under the rubble, the ministry said in a statement on Wednesday.

The Ministry pointed out that Dr. Ziad Al-Dalo was martyred in the occupation prisons, indicating that the occupation forces arrested him while he was performing his humanitarian duty in al-Shifa Medical Complex on March 18.

Palestinian Health Ministry condemned this heinous crime against Palestinian medical staff, noting that targeting health personnel while they are performing their humanitarian duty is a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law and international conventions.

The Ministry called on all international and human rights institutions to intervene immediately to re
veal the fate of dozens of Palestinian health cadres who were arrested from inside hospitals and to hold the occupation accountable for its crimes against them.

Source: Syrian Arab News Agency

Al-Baha Municipality has completed all preparations for the celebrations of the 94th National Day of the Kingdom.

The municipality said it had installed green and white flags and lights on its main building, as well as on roads, public squares, and parks. To commemorate the occasion, a series of national events and activities will be held.

It said that municipalities in the region have installed and distributed over 50,000 flags and created 300,000 meters of green LED lighting, illuminated 134 municipal buildings and facilities, and maintained 272 parks and public gardens covering more than 5 million square meters. It also said that 83 installations designed according to the National Day’s visual identity have been set up, along with more than 10,000 gifts, including distributions, bouquets, and other items.

The municipality said that various national events will be organized in collaboration with their strategic partners, including folklore dances, traditional arts, art exhibitions, cultural lectures, poe
try evenings, fashion shows, heritage foods, parades, children’s theater, festivals for productive families, mobile food trucks, competitions, gifts, and visits to patients in hospitals.

Source: Saudi Press Agency

Damascus, Syria confirmed that one of the most prominent soft tools used by the US administration to pass its hypocrisy in protecting democracy is the so-called National Endowment for Democracy (NED), which operates under the false cover of democracy, on practices aimed at undermining the authorities of countries, interfering in their internal affairs, inciting division and strife, and misleading public opinion in them.

Foreign and Expatriates Ministry condemned Western countries, led by U.S. for uttering the concepts of freedom of expression and democracy, and silencing the voice of the truth that people of their countries have called for in support of Palestinian rights in the face of Israeli crimes.

The West continues to use the false pretext of spreading, protecting and consolidating democracy as a tool to subjugate countries around the world and break the will of their people, the Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Wednesday.

The statement added that one of the most prominent soft tools used by t
he US administration and its intelligence, government and legislative agencies to spread its hypocritical democracy is the so-called ‘National Endowment for Democracy’ (NED).

‘Since its establishment in 1983, NED has been working under the false cloak of democracy to undermine state authorities, interfere in their internal affairs, provoke division and disputes, and mislead public opinion,’ the statement said.

The statement clarified that Syria has suffered for the past 13 years from a global war aimed at destroying its state and breaking the will of its people under the pretext of the West’s false claim to protect and promote democracy through its terrorist practices similar to those practiced by the NED in many countries around the world.

It is our historic duty to expose the practices of this subversive institution and to alert the countries of the world about its danger and threat to global peace and stability, the statement said.

The Ministry added that Syrian Arab Republic supports the report launch
ed by the Chinese Foreign Ministry on September 8 under the title (The National Foundation for Democracy, what is it, what is its purpose and what does it do?).

The report exposes the NED’s destructive practices aimed at destroying countries from within and breaking the will of their people in service of the US administration’s political agendas, Foreign Ministry concluded its statement.

Source: Syrian Arab News Agency

The King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSrelief) on Monday distributed 1,000 food baskets to the most vulnerable people in the Republic of Sudan’s Red Sea State, benefiting 5,791 individuals, as part of the second phase of the food security support project in Sudan.

The assistance is part of the relief and humanitarian projects implemented by the Kingdom through its humanitarian arm, KSrelief, to help the Sudanese people amid the humanitarian crisis.

Source: Saudi Press Agency

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s leading position in the UN E-Government Development Index 2024 (OSI) for open government data and digital knowledge and skills reflects the efforts made by the Kingdom in transforming to a digital economy and contributing to building a national economy based on data within the framework of Saudi Vision 2030. Open data is one of the strategic priorities that countries worldwide rely on to develop their economies.

The Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA) is one of the government agencies that effectively occupied first place in these two vital fields: open data, digital knowledge, and skills. It is the competent authority in the Kingdom for data, including big data and artificial intelligence (AI), and the national reference in everything related to them regarding organization and development. SDAIA is responsible for building national expertise and capabilities specialized in the data and AI sectors.

Since its establishment in 2019, SDAIA has been making grea
t efforts to lead the national trend for data and AI. The authority aims to contribute to advancing the Kingdom to leadership among economies based on data and AI. SDAIA also intensifies efforts to raise the Kingdom’s position in global data and AI indicators. It receives continuous and ongoing support from HRH Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and SDAIA Chairman of the Board of Directors.

In early 2022, SDAIA announced the launch of the Open Data Program in partnership with several government agencies. The aim is to increase transparency, enhance innovation to support and achieve the goals of Saudi Vision 2030, and raise the Kingdom’s ranking in international indicators related to open data. Additionally, the program aims to increase the quality of data and support visions for making appropriate decisions in research and innovation, as well as data-based products, including digital applications and solutions.

SDAIA is committed to
maximizing the potential of data and AI opportunities, not only as a strategic choice but as a key factor in achieving the vision’s ambitious goals beyond economic diversification plans. The authority aims to draw a future where digitization is integral to all aspects of life and where data is discovered and invested in the country’s service.

The authority has developed eight main principles, including data as a national asset. The National Data Management Framework was built to consist of 14 domains: data governance, data quality, data catalog and metadata, reference and master data management, document and content management, data architecture and modeling, data storage, sharing and interoperability, business intelligence and analytics, data value realizing, open data, freedom of information, data classification, and personal data protection.

In late 2023, SDAIA and the National Transformation Program organized the Saudi Data Forum to raise awareness about the field of open data and its impact on the labo
r sector in the Kingdom. The forum aimed to increase individuals’ trust in open data and highlight the promising opportunities in the Kingdom from using open data in developing solutions and applications. Additionally, it aimed to enhance the concept of data use and the role of innovation by launching the National Data Index.

SDAIA developed the updated version of the Open Data Domain by Saudi competencies who used the latest global technologies to serve individuals, governmental, and non-governmental entities, enhancing transparency and creating a national economy based on data. The initiative enabled entities to publish their open data and make it available to beneficiaries such as entrepreneurs. The aim is to allow them to build innovative products that contribute to building a digital economy in the Kingdom. Over 250 open-data publishers registered on the platform and published over 9,000 open-data sets and over 35 use cases.

With regard to the Digital Knowledge and Skills Index, SDAIA has continued its
efforts to build national capacities through its academy, which organizes a number of training programs and camps annually aimed at developing talent in data and AI. The target groups include three main categories: beginners, specialists, and experts/scientists. SDAIA aims to train 15,000 specialists and 5,000 experts, with over 170 experts and scientists currently on staff. The awareness-raising index has surpassed the target set for 2025 by more than 45,000 beneficiaries across the Kingdom.

The authority has contributed to increasing knowledge and digital skills in data and AI, providing training to over 628,000 beginners in one year and providing specialized programs for around 7,625 experts. The academy has partnered with 45 local and international organizations to enhance cooperation and knowledge exchange, and it has organized more than 35 camps and training programs, along with over 100 workshops and events.

The academy has conducted several activities aimed at increasing knowledge about data and AI,
including the International AI Olympiad (IAIO) and the Smartest Olympiad, which involved over 620,000 Saudi students. More than 500,000 students benefited from accompanying programs, alongside training nearly 10,000 teachers in AI. Additionally, the “Elevate” program was launched to empower over 25,000 women worldwide in AI as a Saudi initiative to promote equality in the workforce.

This year, SDAIA launched the “One Million Saudis for AI” initiative, dubbed “Smai,” aiming to enable 1 million Saudis to engage with an AI-driven world and ensure a future where technology enhances human potential by raising awareness of AI and its uses and ethics. SDAIA initiated an AI scholarship program aimed at contributing to the national strategy for data and AI and positioning the Kingdom among the leading countries in AI through external scholarships for national talents to compete globally. Furthermore, SDAIA launched a Generative AI Academy in partnership with NVIDIA and an AI Academy in collaboration with Microsoft.

In just two years, specialists in data science and AI have been empowered through over 45 training programs and 25 local and international partnerships with major tech and educational institutions, such as Google Cloud, Coursera, NVIDIA, and IBM Skills Build. Specialized training camps were held in data and AI, including the “T5” camp, focusing on data governance and management to bridge the gap in national talent. Additionally, the “Open Data Datathon” was held in September 2023, aiming to develop skills and talents in data science in the Kingdom and encourage participants to find solutions to real challenges using open data.

SDAIA launched the “Ghaya” accelerator, the first of its kind in the Middle East and North Africa, dedicated to transforming innovative models into successful AI-based businesses. The accelerator aims to provide all necessary components for the success of entrepreneurs and startups, enhancing the Kingdom’s position as a leader in AI and fostering the adoption of AI technologies through
the establishment of an effective and successful AI ecosystem to global standards, while also contributing to the creation of a vibrant community for local and international startups in AI, preparing 50 startups for investment (31 foreign and 19 Saudi), represented by 114 entrepreneurs from 20 countries worldwide.

Regarding Riyadh’s ranking as third in the UN index, SDAIA strengthened this national role by establishing the National Smart Cities Platform (Smart C), aimed at supporting several vital sectors, including the municipal sector, to play a significant role in enhancing the urban landscape in various major cities across the Kingdom, alongside supporting planning efforts and improving the quality of life.

Through the National Smart Cities Platform, SDAIA has provided a range of advanced analytics through simulation models that support the building of future plans and directions with solutions based on AI algorithms, smart city operation centers, and digital certification services, including digital st
amping and the Naba platform. Moreover, SDAIA has provided the Tawakkalna application, a comprehensive national application that serves individuals and governmental and private entities, as well as the “Sawtak” project, an AI system that converts speech into text using Arabic dialect recognition. This can be used to automate meeting minutes, develop conversational systems, and build interactive voice systems.

Source: Saudi Press Agency