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RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned the storming of Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem by the Israeli army, assaulting worshipers and arresting several on Wednesday, the official Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported.
In a statement, the ministry “expressed the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s condemnation and rejection of the blatant storming of Al-Aqsa Mosque’s compound.”
“These practices undermine peace efforts, and (the Kingdom) reaffirms its firm position in supporting all efforts aimed at ending the occupation and reaching a just and comprehensive solution to the Palestinian cause,” the statement added.
The raid occurred during the month of Ramadan, a time of spirituality and prayer in Islam.
“Such actions violate international principles and norms regarding respect for religious sanctities,” the statement said.
Israeli police attacked dozens of worshippers in Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa Mosque compound before dawn on Wednesday, witnesses said, after storming inside.
The incident sparked protests across the occupied West Bank and the Israeli military said nine rockets were fired from Gaza toward Israel after sirens blared in southern towns.
The United Arab Emirates also strongly condemned the storming of the Al-Aqsa mosque by Israeli police on Wednesday.
“The UAE called on Israeli authorities to halt escalation and avoid exacerbating tension and instability in the region,” the foreign ministry said in a statement.
Jordan and Egypt, both involved in recent US-backed efforts to de-escalate tensions between Israel and the Palestinians, issued separate statements condemning the incident.
RIYADH: Saudi and Thai officials held talks on enhanced cooperation between their countries in efforts to combat corruption and ensure high standards of integrity in public life.
It came as Mazen Al-Kahmous, president of the Saudi Oversight and Anti-Corruption Authority, also known as Nazaha, welcomed a delegation led by Watcharapol Prasanrajkit, president of Thailand’s National Anti-Corruption Commission.
During the meeting the participants reviewed initiatives implemented by both Nazaha and Thai authorities to promote the principles of transparency, crack down on corrupt practices and guarantee integrity.
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Communications and Information Technology Abdullah Al-Swaha held a series of meetings, including with the Chinese Minister of Industry and Information Technology, Jin Zhuanglong, during his visit to Beijing, the ministry said on Thursday.
The meeting discussed expanding the technology partnership between the Kingdom and China to support the growth of the digital economy in the region, as well as the technologies of the fourth industrial revolution and the development of digital competencies in the Kingdom.
During his visit, Al-Swaha visited the Beem Company offices in Beijing, and met with the employees, following the establishment of the partnership between the private sectors in the two countries, which resulted in Beem launching the instant-messaging application during the LEAP Conference earlier this year, Saudi Press Agency reported.
These meetings come within the agenda of the high-level visit of the delegation to the digital economy, space, and innovation system, in light of Saudi-Chinese relations developments in recent years. They also reflect the strength of the two countries’ partnership, which is characterized by an accelerated pace reflecting the escalation of global opportunities and the development of technologies in various fields.
RIYADH: The Saudi Space Agency has held a number of meetings with Chinese government agencies and businesses to discuss enhanced cooperation and collaborations in the fields of technology, industry and space exploration.
Abdullah Al-Swaha, chairman of the board of directors of the Saudi Space Agency, met his counterpart from the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp. and other leading figures from the space sector in Beijing to discuss common interests and explore opportunities for strategic cooperation.
A delegation from the Saudi agency also held talks with representatives of the Chinese companies MinoSpace, Galactic Energy, and China Electronics Technology Group Corp. to discuss satellites, the spacecraft industry, and the development of satellite payloads.
They also met executives from Galaxy Space, a company that develops and sells communication satellites, and I Space, a business that specializes in the development and manufacture of spaceships, to discuss partnership opportunities in the research and science fields, along with technological cooperation in the space industry.
According to the Saudi Press Agency, the agency’s visit to China is the latest initiative in efforts to boost political ties and enhance bilateral relations to further the space exploration agenda.
The aim is to learn from Chinese successes in the field so that both nations can mutually benefit from the further development of space industries to the highest international tech standards that are bolstered by innovation, while facilitating efforts in the Kingdom to enhance the transfer of key knowledge, localization, and achieve strategic goals, the SPA added.
The Saudi Space Agency has partnered with a number of international agencies and organizations to help enhance the country’s stature in the sector and position itself as a global leader in space exploration and innovation, authorities said, while working to improve its competitiveness by seizing emerging opportunities in a rapidly evolving sector.
The status of the organization was last month elevated to that of agency from commission to better align with the country’s ambitious vision for the future of space exploration.
In May, Saudi astronauts Ali Al-Qarni and Rayyanah Barnawi joined two Americans on the crew of the Axiom Mission 2, which successfully docked with the International Space Station. After an eight-day stay they returned safely to Earth on a SpaceX Dragon capsule. Barnawi, a scientist, became the first Saudi woman in space.
RIYADH: A team of Saudi surgeons on Thursday separated Syrian conjoined twins during a seven-hour operation carried out at the King Abdullah Specialist Children’s Hospital in Riyadh.
Bassam and Ihsan, who are 32 months old and weigh around 19 kilograms, were said to be in a stable condition following the complicated surgical procedure.
The twins shared lower chest, abdomen, liver, and intestines, with Ihsan being the more dominant and Bassam missing urinary and reproductive systems including kidney, ureter, bladder, and male reproductive organs.
Separation surgery took place in five stages and involved a 26-member medical team comprised of consultant, specialists, technical, nursing, and support staff.
Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeeah, adviser at the Royal Court and general supervisor of the Saudi aid agency KSrelief, led the operation undertaken on the directives of King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
The surgery was made all the more complex due to Ihsan having major congenital heart defects and cerebral development atrophy, reducing his chances of survival. Al-Rabeeah pointed out that to save Bassam’s life, the medical team decided to perform the operation to separate the twins.
He said: “The existence of conjoined organs that are important and sensitive makes a twin separation operation difficult, as well as the existence of congenital defects in some organs, such as the heart, urinary system, or the reproductive system and, at times, in the brain, makes the operation complex.
“Therefore, the difficulty lies in how the twins are conjoined, and to what degree exactly, and congenital defect generally makes the operation complex, performed in specific medical centers in the world.”
After the procedure, the twins were transferred to a children’s intensive care unit where they will remain under supervision.
The children’s parents thanked the king, crown prince, and medical team for their support.
Mahmud Salih, their father, said: “We communicated with the Saudi aid agency, and they got back to us, all thanks to them. All procedures were done in the best possible way, from the start until we arrived here.
“It was a critical case, and the separation operation was required. All praise to Allah. The benefactors connected with us, and we were eased by King Abdullah hospital, Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeeah, and the excellent medical staff.”
The surgery was the 58th operation to separate conjoined twins conducted under a Saudi program which has supervised 130 cases from 23 countries since 1990.
Majd Nafea, a nurse and member of the 26-strong multidisciplinary team, started working on the specialist operations in 2019.
She said: “The first operation I worked in was generally difficult for me, as I had never witnessed a twin separation operation. But after that, and with each operation, it has become a bit easier.”
Al-Rabeeah said: “The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has invested in its cadres, its citizens, and everyone has obtained a distinguished education in the most prestigious universities in the world.
“Now they are returning to prove that Saudi cadres are representative of the Kingdom, and one such example is the Saudi program for the separation of conjoined twins.”
The twins and their parents were flown from the Turkish capital Ankara to Saudi Arabia on May 22.
“It has been a month since we arrived, and there’s no better welcome than the one we received. May Allah reward them 1,000 times, and bless them,” Salih added.
RIYADH: The General Presidency for the Affairs of the Two Holy Mosques inaugurated a program titled “Hajj virtues for young visitors” on Wednesday.
The program aims to provide awareness, guiding and educating young visitors about the virtues of Hajj, and enriching their experience at the Grand Mosque in Makkah.
The Hajj drew to a close last Friday after about 2 million Muslims from around the world performed their rites, ending with three days of Rami Al-Jamarat, or the stoning of the devil ritual, at the Jamarat complex in Mina.
The pilgrims then returned to the Grand Mosque and performed farewell Tawaf, the circumambulation of the Holy Kaaba.
There are still foreign pilgrims staying in the area — those who were staying in Makkah before the Hajj have moved on to Madinah, while those who stayed in Madinah prior to the pilgrimage, camping at the tent city of Mina, are now in Makkah until they depart the Kingdom.
The Director General of the General Administration of Social Services Saud Al-Zahrani said the administration is responsible for taking care of the children of pilgrims and visitors at the Grand Mosque through its young visitor services, which include educating them and enriching their experience in support of the General Presidency’s 2024 development plan.
Al-Zahrani added that the General Presidency provides smart bracelets for children at the main entrances of the mosque that include parents or companions’ contact information to help prevent them going missing.
The program also provides guidance to specific locations at the Grand Mosque and public facilities, educating them about the Hajj, prayer and ablution.
It also promotes social initiatives in service to visitors with awareness and guidance programs to ensure they have an enjoyable experience.
This year the authorities also opened the first day-care center for young children at the Grand Mosque in Makkah. Each year, thousands of pilgrims perform Hajj with their children in tow, making it a familiar experience for the youngest Muslims, but adding challenges for parents.
For some, leaving children behind is not an option, and for others, bringing their offspring along is an important step to include them in religious practices from an early age, and to provide a pivotal, formative memory and experience to share with them.
The Ministry of Hajj and Umrah on Wednesday announced the start of the Umrah season by beginning the issuance of electronic visas.
This allows worshippers to start arriving in the Kingdom on the first day of Muharram, July 19.
The ministry said that submitting applications for e-visa issuance could be done through the Nusuk platform.