Saudi technology buff lives his dream

Ali Al-Suhaibani with one of his drones.
Updated 20 December 2016
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Saudi technology buff lives his dream

RIYADH: Ali Al-Suhaibani is the first Saudi to develop the RC plane hobby in the Kingdom and said that ever since he was young he had the desire to improve technologies.
“I’ve always been keen on anything mechanical or technological since childhood,” Al-Suhaibani said. “It started with bicycles, toy cars and paper planes. I used to take toys apart to see how they worked and then tried to replicate their technology. Then that evolved into larger more complex things like cars and motorcycles. Finally I settled on aircraft.” 
He added it is always in his nature to try to improve something by making it work better or be bigger.
Al-Suhaibani first saw expats flying their RC planes in the desert in Riyadh about 30 years ago and decided to buy his own RC plane and learned to fly it. He later started experimenting with building his own planes at home after one of his planes crashed and he fixed its damaged wing.
“The men I first saw flying the RC planes had formed a sort of club and so I observed them to learn more about the planes,” he said. “It was mostly my own interest that pushed me to pursue this hobby.”
He first developed RC planes similar to the ones he was flying. Then Al-Suhaibani decided to try something bigger and grander by building an F-16 model plane. After a while he got into jet engines and UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle).
Al-Suhaibani built the Typhoon, which is a 1/3 scale model of the real typhoon in shape and flying capability, to show what he is capable of building. It is a prototype with fixed landing gear.
He is now close to finishing the first version of it with retractable landing gear, more power and fixing all other bugs from the prototype.
“It happened little by little as I have always had a workshop for my planes in almost every house I’ve lived in,” he said. “So I would collect the material needed for every project and start working on them in my spare time. It started out as a hobby and then developed into a career.”
One of the projects that Al-Suhaibani is currently working on is a UAV aerial target, which is an aircraft used as a target for training purposes, that he built in his workshop at his home. He is developing it to reach certain requirements such as speed, elevation, duration, etc.


Saudi Arabia’s King Salman receives written message from Senegal president

Message was received by the Kingdom’s Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan during a meeting with Gen. Birame Diop.
Updated 5 sec ago
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Saudi Arabia’s King Salman receives written message from Senegal president

  • The message related to Saudi-Senegalese relations, and was received by the Kingdom’s Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s King Salman received a written message from the President of Senegal Bassirou Diomaye Faye, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Thursday.

The message related to Saudi-Senegalese relations, and was received by the Kingdom’s Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan during a meeting with Senegal’s Minister of Armed Forces Gen. Birame Diop in Riyadh.

During the meeting, Prince Faisal and Diop discussed topics of common interest and ways to enhance relations between their countries.


Eastern Region’s green initiative shows remarkable progress

Updated 09 January 2025
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Eastern Region’s green initiative shows remarkable progress

  • Initiative has focused on introducing climate-appropriate trees and flowers
  • Eastern Province Municipality emphasized the project’s collaborative nature

DAMMAM: Significant strides were made by the Eastern Province Municipality last year in its efforts towards vegetation expansion and anti-desertification.

The initiative, designed to counter industrial pollution, improve air quality and move towards environmental sustainability, has focused on introducing climate-appropriate trees and flowers while adhering to scientific afforestation guidelines and controls.

Throughout the year, the municipality launched 87 initiatives involving more than 1,200 volunteers across 60 parks. This included the Dammam Corniche waterfront and its walking trails where some 680,000 trees and shrubs were planted, complemented by 7.7 million flowers, expanding green coverage by 205,000 sq. meters.

Work was also carried out to rehabilitate streets and other spaces, while technical upgrades included maintenance work on 200 pumps and the installation of irrigation networks covering 30 km of streets.

There was also progress for the park investment program, with four parks already under investment management and 400 more designated for future opportunities.

The municipality emphasized the project’s collaborative nature, highlighting the active participation of community members, government bodies and the private sector companies. Its inclusive approach aims to cultivate a lasting environmental consciousness and ensure sustainability practices are passed down to future generations.


Riyadh to host second edition of Model of Care Forum

Updated 09 January 2025
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Riyadh to host second edition of Model of Care Forum

  • Forum aims to introduce the Saudi healthcare model locally and internationally, highlight success stories, and outline future goals and ambitions
  • Forum represents the second phase in a four-part strategic process in the healthcare sector’s transformation

RIYADH: Riyadh will host the second edition of the Model of Care Forum under the patronage of Minister of Health Fahad Al-Jalajel.

Organised by the Health Holding Co. on Jan. 28-29, the forum will be held at Malfa Hall in Prince Mohammed bin Salman Nonprofit City.

The forum aims to introduce the Saudi healthcare model locally and internationally, highlight success stories, and outline future goals and ambitions in line with the Saudi Vision 2030.

It also promotes partnership in healthcare among individuals and their families by taking necessary measures to maintain their health, ensuring the provision of healthcare that meets societal needs according to the highest quality standards.

The forum represents the second phase in a four-part strategic process in the healthcare sector’s transformation, aimed at developing the healthcare model in the Kingdom.

The Health Holding Co. is playing a key role in enabling healthcare delivery through 20 health clusters across Saudi Arabia.


Directorate imposes new exit visa requirement

Updated 09 January 2025
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Directorate imposes new exit visa requirement

  • Directorate addressed employers, stating that if a resident identity is valid for fewer than 30 days, the final exit visa may not be issued
  • Resident identity must be renewed for the issuance of the final exit visa

RIYADH: The Saudi General Directorate of Passports has said that resident identities must be valid for at least 30 days when applying for a final exit visa.

The directorate addressed employers, stating that if a resident identity is valid for fewer than 30 days, the final exit visa may not be issued. In that case, the resident identity must be renewed for the issuance of the final exit visa.

It noted that if a resident identity is valid for more than 30 days and fewer than 60 days, a final exit visa may be issued for the resident identity’s remaining period.

If the resident identity is valid for 60 days or more, the final exit visa may be issued for 60 days only.

The directorate noted that employers may issue final exit visas for their sponsored workers or affiliated family members through the Ministry of Interior’s Absher Business platform, and the Muqeem portal.


Saudi king and crown prince congratulate Joseph Aoun on being elected president of Lebanon

Saudi Arabia’s King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. (File/SPA)
Updated 09 January 2025
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Saudi king and crown prince congratulate Joseph Aoun on being elected president of Lebanon

  • In a congratulatory cable, King Salman wished Aoun success and the Lebanese people further progress and prosperity

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman congratulated Joseph Aoun on being elected president of Lebanon on Thursday.

In a congratulatory cable, King Salman wished Aoun success and the Lebanese people further progress and prosperity.The crown prince sent a similar cable.

Lebanon’s parliament voted Thursday to elect the country’s army commander, Joseph Aoun, as head of state, filling a more than two-year-long presidential vacuum.

Thursday’s session was the 13th attempt to elect a successor to Michel Aoun, whose term ended in October 2022.