JEDDAH: Saudi Arabia said on Tuesday that it would form a higher committee for hydrocarbons to be headed by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported.
The decision was approved in a Cabinet meeting chaired by King Salman at Neom, Tabuk region. The Higher Committee for Hydrocarbon Affairs will include the energy minister as well as the ministers of trade, finance and economy.
“The committee will be a reference for all hydrocarbon issues and everything relating to them and a representative of the state’s rights linked to them,” SPA said.
During the session, the Cabinet said that the failed terrorist attack by Iran-backed Houthi terrorist militias on a Saudi oil tanker in international waters, west of Hodeidah Seaport, proves the threat that these militias and those behind them pose to regional and international security.
The Cabinet said that threats to crude oil tankers affect international trade and maritime navigation in the Strait of Bab Al-Mandab and the Red Sea showed the importance of handing the Hodeidah governorate and its seaport to the Yemeni government to prevent its use as a base from which terrorist attacks could be launched against shipping routes.
The Cabinet expressed the Kingdom’s condemnation of suicide bombings that targeted a polling station in the Pakistani city of Quetta, and a security convoy west of the Afghan capital of Kabul, and the shooting in the Canadian city of Toronto. The Cabinet reaffirmed the Kingdom’s solidarity with those countries against acts of violence, terrorism and extremism.
The Cabinet thanked the king for his order to host 1,500 pilgrims of the martyrs of the Yemeni National Army and Sudanese forces participating in Determination Storm and Renewal of Hope operations within the Program of Guests of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques for Hajj this year.
The Cabinet praised the executive council of the International Monetary Fund, commending the efforts of the Kingdom’s government to implement its reform plans as part of Vision 2030, which came in implementation of the directives of King Salman and the follow-up by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
The Cabinet also praised the council’s expectations of Gross Domestic Product growth of 1.9 percent in 2018, and its welcoming of the Kingdom’s efforts to strengthen the fiscal situation that contributed to reducing the fiscal deficit.
Saudi King Salman chairs cabinet meeting for first time in NEOM
Saudi King Salman chairs cabinet meeting for first time in NEOM
- Saudi Cabinet told terrorist attack on oil tanker proves militia threat
- ‘Hand seaport to Yemeni government to protect maritime navigation’
200 students will compete to represent Saudi Arabia at top science events
- Mawhiba, Ministry of Education select students from a record 291,057 applications
RIYADH: A total of 200 students have been chosen to compete for a chance to represent the Kingdom at next year’s prestigious International Science and Engineering Fair and other international competitions.
The King Abdulaziz and His Companions Foundation for Giftedness and Creativity, or Mawhiba, and the Ministry of Education announced the qualification of the 200 students, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Thursday.
The announcement took place at the National Olympiad for Scientific Creativity, or Ibdaa, exhibition for science and engineering. The Ibdaa event is held to create a competitive and creative environment for pre-college scientific researchers.
The students were selected from among 480 participants in the recent regional exhibitions held as a part of the fourth stage of the Olympiad.
The final qualifying stage for the Olympiad will be held at the Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud Islamic University conference center in Riyadh from Feb. 2 to 6.
The Ibdaa 2025 Olympiad had a record registration of 291,057 students.
The Olympiad is an annual international contest for middle and high school students in standards and technology. It started as a local event in Korea in 2006, and became an international contest in 2014.
Beekeepers’ association launches green campaign
RIYADH: The Beekeepers Cooperative Association in Rijal Almaa in the Asir Region on Thursday launched an initiative to plant 1,000 sidr trees in Wadi Hiswah as part of an environmental sustainability plan aligning with the Saudi Green Initiative.
Inaugurated in 2021, the Saudi Green Initiative unites environmental protection, energy transition and sustainability programs with the overarching aims of offsetting and reducing emissions, increasing afforestation and land restoration, and supports Saudi Arabia’s ambition to reach net zero emissions by 2060.
The Beekeepers Association launched the green campaign in collaboration with the National Center for Vegetation Development and Combating Desertification, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
The chairman of the association’s board of directors, Ali bin Yahya Al-Hayani, said that this initiative aims to enhance air quality and combat climate change.
He identified the environmental benefits of the sidr tree, highlighting its resilience, its role in combating desertification, and its contribution to soil health and biodiversity.
Reconstituted Saudi IP authority’s board of directors approved
- Shihana Alazzaz, who is an adviser at the Royal Court, will continue to serve as chair
RIYADH: The Saudi Authority for Intellectual Property’s newly-reconstituted Board of Directors was approved for a three-year term, the Saudi Press Agency reported Wednesday.
In the reconstituted board, Shihana Alazzaz, who is an adviser at the Royal Court, will continue to serve as chair. She previously served as the deputy secretary-general of the Council of Ministers and was the first Saudi woman to hold the position.
The approval includes extending the membership of Eng. Haitham Al-Ohali, Eng. Osama Al-Zamil, and Dima Al-Yahya.
Badr Al-Qadi and Dr. Mohammed Al-Otaibi join the board as new members.
Alazzaz expressed her thanks and gratitude to King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for their generous and continuous support for the authority.
She also thanked the previous board members for their efforts and wished the new members success.
The authority’s CEO Dr. Abdulaziz Al-Suwailem, said that the new formation of the board reflects the continued generous support of the leadership for the authority, wishing the Board success.
Grand Mosque authority announces free storage for Umrah performers
- Storage facilities are located near the Makkah Library and Gate 64
MAKKAH: Authorities in the holy city of Makkah announced on Wednesday free luggage storage for Umrah performers.
The General Authority for the Care of the Affairs of the Grand Mosque and the Prophet’s Mosque announced that free storage facilities are available to the east of the Grand Mosque, near the Makkah Library, and to the west, near Gate 64.
Umrah performers must present their permits through the Nusuk app to access the facilities, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
Umrah performers can store bags, not loose items, weighing up to 7 kilograms for a maximum of four hours. Valuables, prohibited items, food, and medicine are not permitted. A claim ticket must be presented for retrieval.
The authority plans to extend the service to encompass all areas around the Grand Mosque to better assist visitors, the SPA added.
King Salman, Crown Prince send condolences to Azerbaijan president
- The King and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman also extend sympathies to families of plane crash victims
RIYADH: King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman each sent messages of condolence and sympathy to Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev on Wednesday, after the tragic crash of a passenger plane.
The King and the crown prince also extended their heartfelt condolences to the families of those who lost their lives onboard the Azerbaijan Airlines plane, wishing a speedy recovery to the injured, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
On Wednesday morning, the passenger plane, traveling from Azerbaijan to Russia, crashed near Aktau, western Kazakhstan, with 62 passengers and five crew members on board.
Kazakh authorities announced that 28 people had survived.
