Manga Productions celebrates Arab voice talents

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The CEO of Manga Productions Essam Bukhary presented the winners with their awards. (Supplied)
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Updated 26 February 2024
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Manga Productions celebrates Arab voice talents

  • Elyas Zoroqi and Nora declared winners of dubbing a scene from a Manga Productions project
  • Competition encourages Saudi and Arab dubbing actors to make their mark in animated cartoons

RIYADH: Manga Productions company, which is affiliated with the Misk Foundation, hosted a ceremony in Riyadh on Sunday to reveal the results of the Dubbing it in Arabic competition.

The event was attended by jury members from prominent Arab and Saudi dubbing companies, as well as distinguished professionals and influencers in the anime and entertainment industry.

The competition, which took place over two weeks, received over 1,800 entries from across the Arab world. Open to anyone passionate about voice acting, it offered the opportunity to participate in upcoming Manga Productions projects in the anime genre.

A jury panel comprising esteemed figures such as Jihad Al-Atrash, Sanaa Younis, Souad Jawad, and Ibrahim Al-Hasawi announced the winners of the competition that ran from Jan. 30 to Feb. 11.

The panel evaluated the top contenders and gave a score for each participating voice actor. After the votes were counted, the victors were revealed.

Male voice actor Elyas Zoroqi, and Nora, a female voice actor, were declared the winners for their performances in dubbing a scene from a Manga Productions project.

Arabic dubbing artist Al-Atrash told Arab News that the Arab world was currently in an exciting moment as it develops its own entertainments and showcases its culture to the globe.

He said: “The people who took part in the tournament were astounding. This demonstrates how well Manga Productions is working, and it needs to interact with the wide Arab audience everywhere.

“We used to appropriate other people’s cultures rather than our own, but these days we export culture to every country in the world.”

The jury committee praised the competition, which encouraged Saudi and Arab youngsters to make their mark in animated cartoons in Arabic, based on works from Manga Productions.

The CEO of Manga Productions Essam Bukhary said: “Since its inception Manga Productions has taken it upon itself to train and develop talented Arab youth, as we are pleased to embrace these Arab talents in the field of dubbing while involving the distinguished among them in our upcoming artistic works.

“Our pride today is to be part of the journey of developing these talents and enabling them to achieve their dreams and make a positive impact in the Saudi creative industry, exporting Arabic content to be dubbed into international languages.”

Jury member and actor Jawad said: “This competition is a dream that I have dreamed for more than 40 years. The approach that Manga Productions is adopting to stimulate these talents is an outlook that reassures future generations.”

Sanaa Bakr, another member of the jury and voice actor, said: “My happiness is indescribable in being a member of the jury. The participation was amazing.”

Manga Productions, which is a pioneer in the Arab anime community, is dedicated to developing and supporting talents. Through initiatives like Teaching Manga on the Madrasati platform, in collaboration with the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Culture, it has reached more than 3 million students.

With its focus on empowering Saudi youth, Manga Productions has trained over 4,000 talents in creative content in a bid to lead the industry.


NCVC launches plan to combat desertification, sand encroachment and drought mitigation

Updated 7 sec ago
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NCVC launches plan to combat desertification, sand encroachment and drought mitigation

  • Project is part of Saudi Arabia’s efforts under its COP16 presidency and aligned with initiatives to address climate challenges
  • Plan aims to strengthen national resilience against desertification and drought by developing and implementing effective strategies

RIYADH: The National Center for Vegetation Cover Development and Combating Desertification, or NCVC, has launched an executive plan for combating desertification, sand encroachment and drought mitigation.

The move is part of Saudi Arabia’s efforts under its COP16 presidency and in alignment with global initiatives to address environmental and climate challenges.

According to an NCVC press release, the plan aims to strengthen national resilience against desertification and drought by developing and implementing effective strategies that align with national policies, regional initiatives and international commitments. 

It focuses on formulating sustainable policies and programs based on a comprehensive assessment of current conditions, global practices and an integrated approach to natural resource management, the statement said.

In addition to enhancing readiness and response mechanisms, the plan seeks to develop early warning systems, implement mitigation and adaptation strategies, and foster cooperation among relevant entities in planning and execution. 

It also includes efforts to establish sustainable financing mechanisms and facilitate the transfer of knowledge and advanced technologies to ensure the successful implementation of its initiatives.

The project consists of two primary scopes: The executive plan for combating desertification and the executive plan for integrated drought management.

NCVC continues its mission to restore and preserve vegetation cover by rehabilitating degraded lands and protecting biodiversity in natural ecosystems, the press release said. 

It also oversees the conservation and sustainable management of rangelands, forests and national parks, combats illegal logging, and safeguards Saudi Arabia’s natural resources. 

These efforts align with its vision to foster a thriving and diverse vegetation cover that promotes environmental sustainability and enhances the quality of life.


Tarjama launches Arabic.AI based on model that outperforms GPT-4o in Arabic

Updated 39 min 15 sec ago
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Tarjama launches Arabic.AI based on model that outperforms GPT-4o in Arabic

  • Arabic-first large language model is said to outperform industry leaders on key benchmarks
  • Software understands “nuances of Arabic across multiple dialects and contexts,” founder says

RIYADH: In a market saturated with English-first large language models, Tarjama is flipping the narrative.

The UAE-based technology company today launched its Arabic.AI platform, based on the Pronoia V2 Arabic-first large language model that it claims has outscored industry leaders ChatGPT, DeepSeek and Cohere on key Arabic benchmarks.

Designed to process Arabic with near-human understanding, Pronoia touts itself as a tool for a range of uses including legal analysis, translation and proposal writing.

“It was a big surprise for us that this small model for specific niche tasks, can be better than (ChatGPT) 4o,” Andrii Klyman, senior AI product manager at Tarjama, told Arab News at a recent event in Riyadh.

Founder Nour Al-Hassan in a statement: “For too long, Arabic has remained an afterthought in the global AI landscape,

“We’ve built something fundamentally different—an autonomous system that actually understands the nuances of Arabic across multiple dialects and contexts.”

In testing, Pronoia V2 achieved an average score of 76.8 percent across Arabic language benchmarks, outperforming GPT-4o by more than 18 percentage points.

While the model can handle multilingual text, its strength lies in high-context Arabic. Tarjama has already developed several applications on top of it, including a spell-checker, legal contract analyzer, and its most recent interface, Arabic.AI — a tool for business users.

In one live demo, the system restructured an Arabic contract and highlighted risks based on local law.

In another, a user uploaded a PowerPoint file, and the system not only translated the slides but reversed their direction — adapting layout and language simultaneously.

A third version, Pronoia V3, is now in testing. Tarjama says it will deliver even stronger performance across Arabic dialects and achieve a COMET score above 94 — a key benchmark for translation quality.

Tarjama’s push to dominate Arabic AI is both technical and cultural. For years, the Arabic language has been underserved by leading AI tools, which often fail to understand its grammar, dialects, or even its script direction. Pronoia, by contrast, was purpose-built to fill that gap.


KFUPM launches research project to improve green hydrogen feasibility

Updated 48 min ago
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KFUPM launches research project to improve green hydrogen feasibility

  • Project aims to reduce the cost of producing the element to make the process more economically viable
  • Uses a portable solar panel to power a process known as water splitting, which separates the hydrogen atoms from oxygen in water

RIYADH: A research project to improve the feasibility of green hydrogen production has been launched by the King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals.

Led by Prof. Mohammed Gondal, the project aims to reduce the cost of producing the element to make the process more economically viable.

It uses a portable solar panel to power a process known as water splitting, which separates the hydrogen atoms from oxygen in water.

This setup has several advantages: It operates at a lower energy input compared to traditional electrochemical water splitting, produces valuable byproducts, and utilizes the abundant solar energy available across Saudi Arabia.

The project also uses methanol, the oxidation of which traditionally results in hydrogen and CO2 emissions.

However, KFUPM’s method focuses on selectively converting methanol into valuable chemicals without CO2 emissions, significantly boosting the overall efficiency of the process.

Electrochemical water splitting carries some environmental challenges, as a large amount of energy is required for the reaction and there is a risk of mixing the two gases, hydrogen and oxygen.

Through the project, Gondal was able to overcome major challenges faced in hydrogen production, improving the output and quality of the byproducts such as formate and formic acid.

Looking forward, the project aims to scale up production by interlinking multiple cells, demonstrating the feasibility of industrial-scale green hydrogen generation using locally synthesized materials.

Hydrogen holds potential value as a fuel source for shipping, aviation and the automotive industry.

It can also be used to decarbonize heavy industries, including steel production.

Saudi Arabia is making a significant push into the production of green hydrogen, or hydrogen produced from completely sustainable sources.

It is building one of the world’s largest green hydrogen plants at the megacity of NEOM, powered by solar and wind energy.


Riyadh hosts Pakistan’s National Assembly speaker for bilateral talks

Updated 22 April 2025
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Riyadh hosts Pakistan’s National Assembly speaker for bilateral talks

  • Parties discuss topics of mutual interest, further strengthening ties
  • Pakistani speaker also met Saudi Shoura Council Speaker Sheikh Abdullah Al-Asheikh

RIYADH: Riyadh Gov. Prince Faisal bin Bandar has received Pakistan’s National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq in the Saudi capital.

The parties discussed topics of mutual interest and further strengthening the strong ties between the two countries, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

The Pakistani speaker also met Saudi Shoura Council Speaker Sheikh Abdullah Al-Asheikh in Riyadh.

Al-Asheikh welcomed Sadiq and his delegation, highlighting the strong ties between Saudi Arabia and Pakistan at various levels.

He stressed the importance of enhancing ties through effective joint meetings between the Shoura Council and Pakistan’s National Assembly to meet leadership aspirations.

Sadiq praised the fraternal relations between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, commending the Kingdom’s continued role in fostering solidarity within the Islamic world and serving Islam and Muslims globally.

The talks covered mutual interests and explored ways to enhance Saudi-Pakistani parliamentary relations.

Sheikh Abdulaziz Al-Asheikh, the Kingdom’s grand mufti and president of the Council of Senior Scholars, also received the Pakistani National Assembly speaker.

The grand mufti, who is also the president of the General Presidency of Scholarly Research and Ifta, stressed the presidency’s role in clarifying Islamic rulings on issues affecting Muslims, including contemporary jurisprudential matters requiring scholarly guidance.

Al-Asheikh also highlighted the commitment to promoting moderation and combating extremism and terrorism, the SPA reported.

Sadiq praised the Kingdom’s vital support for Pakistan on various issues, commending the deep-rooted ties between the two nations.


Visa overstayers face $13,000 fine, prison, deportation

Updated 22 April 2025
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Visa overstayers face $13,000 fine, prison, deportation

RIYADH: As Saudi Arabia gears up for Hajj 2025, the Ministry of Interior on Tuesday warned that expatriates who fail to leave the Kingdom after their visas expire face heavy penalties.

The ministry announced on X that expatriates may face fines of up to SR50,000 (about $13,000), imprisonment for up to six months, and/or deportation, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

The Saudi Arabia government has appealed to citizens and residents to ensure that their guests who arrived on visit or Umrah visas abide by the regulations.

“Visas of all types — with the exception of the Hajj visa — do not entitle their holder to perform the Hajj pilgrimage,” the ministry stated on X.

Welcoming the decision Osama Ghanem Alobaidy, a law professor in Riyadh, told Arab News the ministry’s decision was “crucial” to ensure visitors comply with the law.

“This move by the Ministry of Interior will help deal with crowd management efficiently, and ensure the safety and security of pilgrims during Hajj,” he added.

Earlier this month, the ministry also warned Hajj and Umrah companies and establishments to adhere to the country’s laws and regulations.

The ministry said that companies or establishments that delay reporting individuals who have failed to leave will be fined up to SR100,000. The fine will be multiplied based on the number of individuals involved.