RIYADH: With the introduction of the latest and the most advanced fighter jets, the Royal Saudi Air Force (RSAF) is set to acquire a new cutting edge in its defense of the homeland and the region.
King Salman will patronize the induction of the F-15SA into the RSAF during the 50th anniversary on Wednesday of the King Faisal Air Academy (KFAA). The event will also see the graduation of the academy’s 91st group of students.
Saudi Arabia’s defense minister, Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, has frequently spoken about boosting military and defense capabilities. The introduction of the F-15SA fighter aircraft into the air force is part of that goal.
In addition to boosting military and defense capabilities by upgrading the armed forces — notably those of the RSAF — Prince Mohammed bin Salman said that qualifying and training pilots and co-pilots, as well as improving the armed forces’ capabilities, would enable them to perform more efficiently.
The newly obtained F-15SA fighter aircraft are among the most advanced in the world.
The air force has received special attention from the country’s leadership since the early 1970s. The RSAF was, and is, involved in critical missions which have made it one of the most advanced air forces in the region.
The Kingdom’s strategic partners rely on Saudi participation in the war on terror and Saudi Arabia is seen as an influential, if not the most influential, partner in the region and the Muslim world. Saudi Arabia is a defender of neighboring Arab countries against potential aggression from destabilizing powers such as Iran.
In 2015, Saudi Arabia formed the Islamic Military Alliance to Fight Terrorism (IMAFT) which is made up of 40 Muslim countries. A fortnight ago, Riyadh hosted the chiefs of staff of 14 countries from the global coalition against Daesh in an attempt to improve and step up coordination.
Despite the turmoil in the Arab world since 2011, including in neighboring Iraq and Yemen, Saudi Arabia has been determined to constantly upgrade its armed forces, particularly the RSAF. Daesh and other terrorist and militant groups, some supported by Iran, are trying to take advantage of the turmoil to act against certain countries, including Saudi Arabia and its allies.
The Kingdom “has a particular importance in the region and the wider world,” said Sir John Jenkins, director of the Middle East Office of the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), and former UK ambassador to Saudi Arabia. “This is partly because of its economic weight and its importance within Islam.”
There is also a realization that Saudi Arabia is at the forefront of the fight against violent extremism, he added.
Royal Saudi Air Force flies high with new fighter jets
Royal Saudi Air Force flies high with new fighter jets
Saudi entrepreneurs present expertise at Misk forum in Riyadh
- Passion alone won’t build a business, says Prepline CEO Essa Behbehani
RIYADH: “If you don’t channel your passion for executing a business, then you simply have a hobby,” Essa Behbehani said at the Misk Global Forum on Tuesday.
The CEO of Prepline, a food and beverage investment and development company, made the statement during the panel discussion “Dream, Do, Dare: The Entrepreneur’s Cookbook,” which discussed core business skills, provided guidance on overcoming common startup challenges, and offered essential advice on scaling enterprises through funding.
“Passion is one of the main elements you need to build a business on, but it is not the main element,” Behbehani said.
He outlined the four key roles in business success, saying: “You are either an investor, manager, developer, or craftsman. Each one needs the other element to succeed.”
HIGHLIGHTS
• The eighth Misk Global Forum, designed to encourage dialogue and exchange of ideas, is showcasing Misk Foundation’s dedication to engaging young minds.
• On Tuesday, Essa Behbehani and Abdullah Al-Saleem discussed core business skills, provided guidance on overcoming common startup challenges, and offered essential advice on scaling enterprises through funding.
Reflecting on the evolution of business fundamentals over two decades, Behbehani noted a significant shift, and added: “Back then, (around) 2003 to 2004, the most important elements in a business were the product, resistance, and community approval.”
Behbehani noted that at that time, entrepreneurs like himself lacked marketing knowledge and did not have modern tools like social media to promote their businesses.
However, today’s business landscape demands different priorities, and he said: “These skill sets that you have need to be transferred into three main elements: You need to have a mindset, speed, and quality of product.
“Mindset nowadays is everything — without a mindset, you can never grow a business.”
He cautioned current entrepreneurs about the limitations of focusing solely on product excellence, asking: “What are you going to do with an amazing product without the right mindset and the right speed to execute it?”
During the same session, Abdullah Al-Saleem, the CEO and co-founder of Mushtari, a platform for business acquisition, shared valuable insights on when and how entrepreneurs should seek guidance for their ventures.
“Every time is the right time to seek help,” Al-Saleem said, highlighting the importance of continuous learning and consultation in business development.
He advocated for a two-pronged approach to seeking advice, distinguishing between general business consultants and industry-specific experts.
He added: “There are two people you have to seek help from: People that know generally about the industry, and people that know specifically about the industry.”
Using the restaurant business as an example, Al-Saleem described how he would consult general business experts for fundamentals like “hiring, culture, (and) cash flow,” while seeking industry-specific guidance for specialized operations.
However, gathering advice, he said, was just the first step. He noted that it was crucial to ensure team involvement in implementing recommendations.
He said: “When I take all these ideas or all these bits of advice, I brainstorm it with the team.”
This collaborative approach ensured that potential solutions were thoroughly evaluated before implementation, he said.
Al-Saleem further emphasized the importance of practical application through trial and error, and he always involved his team in the process.
He added: “They are the engine of the business and without the team, there is no business.”
Saudi Arabia foreign minister urges a balanced energy transition at G20 Summit session
- Prince Faisal outlined three pillars for effective energy transition during a discussion at the G20 Summit
RIO DE JANEIRO: Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister highlighted the importance of a balanced, inclusive approach to energy transition while ensuring global energy security and sustainable development at a Group of 20 session on Tuesday, Saudi Press Agency reported.
Prince Faisal was leading the Kingdom’s delegation during a session titled “Sustainable Development and Energy Transition,” SPA added.
Energy security represented a global challenge and an obstacle to development and poverty eradication, the minister said, calling for energy plans that considered each country’s circumstances and development needs.
Prince Faisal outlined three pillars for effective energy transition: Ensuring energy security, maintaining access to affordable energy, and achieving environmental sustainability.
He said that the transition required significant investment and time to maintain market stability while ensuring fairness and inclusivity.
Prince Faisal also highlighted the role of technological innovation in managing emissions and environmental impacts.
He said that Saudi Arabia’s investments in innovative technologies had resulted in one of the world’s lowest emissions intensity rates in oil and gas operations, adding that the Kingdom was also advancing its renewable energy goals, aiming for 50 percent of electricity generation from renewables by 2030.
Prince Faisal added that the Kingdom was also expanding its clean hydrogen production and implementing the circular carbon economy framework to repurpose emissions into valuable products.
During his address, the prince also outlined Saudi Arabia’s commitment to global sustainability through its flagship initiatives, the Saudi Green and Middle East Green programs, which are tailored to the country’s development needs.
He called for enhanced international cooperation to ensure energy transitions were equitable, inclusive and supportive of global development goals.
Prince Faisal expressed Saudi Arabia’s appreciation for Brazil’s leadership of the G20 in 2024 and extended well wishes to South Africa as it assumes the presidency in 2025, SPA reported.
Multi-billion global AI spending transforming business efficiency, SDAIA official tells Riyadh conference
- Esam bin Abdullah Al-Wagait highlighted these figures during his keynote address at the 9th National Quality Conference
RIYADH: Global spending on artificial intelligence to improve operational efficiency exceeded $120 billion in 2023, with over 72 percent of organizations integrating AI into at least one area of their business, according to data cited by the director of the National Information Center at the Saudi Data and AI Authority.
Esam bin Abdullah Al-Wagait highlighted these figures during his keynote address at the 9th National Quality Conference, held on Tuesday at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Riyadh, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
Al-Wagait emphasized the growing role of AI in enhancing leadership capabilities, referencing a study from the 2024 Gartner IT Symposium/Xpo, which found that 97 percent of CEOs believe AI has improved their performance, reduced administrative burdens, and strengthened their ability to lead effectively, SPA added.
Al-Wagait told the conference that AI’s integration across various industries reflected its transformative potential and cited the number of industrial robots deployed in manufacturing operations exceeding 4 million globally in 2023, as reported by the International Federation of Robotics, further underlining AI’s role in operational excellence.
“AI is now a trusted partner for organizational leaders, offering accurate analytics and predictions that enable impactful decision-making,” he said. This trend, he explained, aligned with the concept of AI-augmented leadership, which is reshaping organizational strategies worldwide.
The conference session, themed “Role of Advanced Technologies in Ensuring the Quality of Services and Products,” brought together industry leaders and experts to discuss the role of AI and advanced technologies in improving quality assurance and operational outcomes.
Climate change is a key driver of worldwide hunger, according to IFAD
- IFAD President Alvaro Lario: Food security is intertwined with the current extreme weather events, as it has impacted the world
- Saudi Arabia has contributed over $536 million to IFAD since it started and is among the top 10 donors
BAKU: Climate change is dangerously impacting crops and driving worldwide hunger, according to the head of the International Fund of Agricultural Development.
“Food security is intertwined with the current extreme weather events, as it has impacted the world,” IFAD President Alvaro Lario said in an interview with Arab News on the sidelines of the COP29 UN climate conference in Baku, Azerbaijan.
IFAD reported that in 2023, about 735 million people suffered from hunger caused by climate change.
In addition, unusual rainfalls, according to IFAD, caused a decrease in wheat production and food quality in Europe.
Floods and heat waves caused damage to orange crops in Brazil. In Southern Africa, above-average temperatures led to below-average maize harvests, and in parts of West Africa, erratic rains affected cocoa production and cut output by half.
“We are seeing a lot of the crops are fully being impacted in Brazil, which has been hit by a historic drought, or in Ghana, for example, where there has not been enough rain, cutting the cocoa production by half.”
The IFAD is a UN specialized agency as well as a development finance institution. The organization provides concessional funds and grants to countries and invests in the private sector.
The organization’s key focus is to provide livelihoods and raise income as well as production in low- and middle-income countries.
“Our biggest investments are in the Sub-Saharan region. Fifty-five percent of our funding goes to Sub-Saharan Africa, and up to 60 percent into Africa. But we also operate in the Middle East, Asia, and Latin America. We are currently investing in 90 countries,” said Lario.
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is one of the main contributors to IFAD. According to the organization, Saudi Arabia has contributed over $536 million to IFAD since it started and is among the top 10 donors.
In the last 10 years alone, the Kingdom has contributed a total of $96.6 million.
IFAD implemented the first phase of a project to support coffee and mango farmers in the Jazan region.
From 2018 to 2023, the project established 50 model coffee farms and five mango farms in the region, which benefited nearly 30,000 smallholder farmers, according to IFAD.
Furthermore, the project adopted strategic plans through a group of development solutions and pillars that include agricultural sustainability and innovation.
“Small-state islands are among the most vulnerable (to climate change),” said Lario. “We are seeing that sea levels are rising. They are also suffering from hurricanes and long droughts. They suffer from access to potable drinking water.”
Strategies to address the problem and implement adequate solutions have been developed by IFAD according to each country’s climate situation.
“For IFAD, we do have strategies on how we work and how we design our projects. All the strategies are to promote sustainable food systems, also to increase rural non-farm crops, so they can also diversify their income.”
One of the programs the organization is working on is in Belize, in Central America, for heat-tolerant and drought-resistant crops such as maize or beans. Another project involves mixing trees with crops that provide shade to conserve water and combat the rising temperatures in Cuba.
Al-Baha farms offer an escape from busy lives
- There are activities such as cycling and hiking and some farms offer overnight accommodation
AL-BAHA: People seeking a tranquil escape from the hustle and bustle of their daily lives are flocking to tourist farms in Al-Baha region.
The centers offer a unique blend of natural beauty, agricultural experiences and recreational activities, where visitors can spend their time picking fruit, helping with crop harvesting or learning about organic farming techniques.
There are also activities such as cycling and hiking and some farms offer overnight accommodation, enabling guests to experience the beauty of the starry night skies.
The farms are committed to sustainability and use eco-friendly practices to protect the environment.
Fahd Al-Zahrani, director of the Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture branch in Al-Baha, said agritourism was becoming increasingly important in the region as it created jobs, boosted the local economy and helped diversify the tourism sector.
