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RIYADH: King Faisal University, represented by the college of engineering, qualified for the second phase of the Shell Eco-marathon Asia 2023, a regional energy efficiency contest that will be held in Indonesia in July.
The university qualified with its electric KFU Car project for a single-seater urban vehicle that is environmentally friendly. The car’s internal structure, auxiliary equipment and electrical circuits were installed as part of the project.
Mohammed Al-Ohali, rector of the university, said during a reception for the project team members that this achievement is a paradigm shift that aims to achieve the Saudi Vision 2030 goals.
“These include developing human capacities, national industries and logistics, and reflecting the university’s institutional identity related to energy and environment, in particular.”
Shell Eco-marathon Asia 2023 is a regional competition that encourages energy efficiency and consists of three phases.
The first phase involves the preparation of the design and engineering drawings, the second concerns preparation of the internal structure, and the third concludes with testing of the car on a racetrack.
Teams from across the Asia-Pacific and Middle East will have a final demonstration at the Pertamina Mandalika International Street Circuit in Lombok, Indonesia.
RIYADH: A Saudi delegation is taking part in the fourth G20 Space Economy Leaders Meeting, which began on Thursday in Bengaluru, India.
Mohammed Al-Tamimi, CEO of the Saudi Space Agency, is leading the Kingdom’s team at the two-day gathering, during which participants will discuss ways to enhance the role of the space economy and its tangible contributions to efforts to address global challenges and achieve the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
The delegates include representatives of space agencies and related organizations from G20 member states, along with invited guests from other countries and the heads of international and regional organizations.
Speaking during the meeting, Al-Tamimi said the spirit of cooperation and optimism that is entrenched in the annual gathering has become the shared trait of global space activities and endeavors. It is a trait that will continue to shape humanity’s long-term future in terms of how it makes use of the space sector and its applications, he added.
He also extended thanks to authorities in India and officials from the Indian Space Research Organization for hosting the important meeting.
The Kingdom is working to promote the cooperative goals of the meeting, in line with its commitments as a signatory to the Artemis Accords, which serve as a guide for sustainable civil space exploration, and its contributions to efforts to implement the practical aspects of the 1967 Outer Space Treaty, Al-Tamimi said.
The annual meeting is one of the results of the Kingdom’s presidency of the G20 in 2020, during which it was placed on the group’s agenda for the first time in an effort to enhance space-related cooperation between countries to maximize the benefits of the space economy and the utilization of associated data to support sustainable development, food security and global health.
RIYADH: The King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSrelief) signed on Thursday a joint cooperation agreement with the Charitable Health Society for Patient Care, also known as Enayah, to implement volunteer programs outside the Kingdom.
The agreement was signed at the center’s headquarters in Riyadh by Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al-Rabeeah, adviser to the royal court and KSrelief’s supervisor general, and Abdul Rahman bin Abdulaziz Al-Suwailim, chairman of the board of directors at Enayah.
The agreement is part of KSrelief’s relentless efforts to support volunteer programs in many beneficiary countries around the world and boost strategic partnerships with local bodies.
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.