RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Waleed Elkhereiji on Wednesday received the US Special Envoy to Sudan Tom Perriello at the ministry’s office in Riyadh.
During the reception, they discussed developments in Sudan, ways to enhance cooperation, and issues of mutual interest, the ministry said in a statement.
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Saudi deputy FM holds talks with US envoy to Sudan
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Saudi deputy FM holds talks with US envoy to Sudan
Saudi Arabia condemns Israeli strike on Gaza Catholic church
- Israeli strike on Gaza’s sole Catholic Church killed three people and injured several others
- Kingdom strongly condemns Israel’s continued attacks against innocent civilians and places of worship
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia condemned on Thursday an Israeli strike on Gaza’s only Catholic church that killed three people.
The Kingdom strongly condemns Israel’s continued attacks against innocent civilians and places of worship, the Foreign Ministry said.
The Israeli strike on Gaza’s sole Catholic Church killed three people and injured several others, the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, which oversees the small parish, said on Thursday.
In the shelling of the Holy Family Catholic Church in Gaza, the church compound was also damaged, where hundreds of Palestinians have been sheltering from the 21-month Israel-Hamas war.
The Kingdom said that such repeated attacks in the region, without any deterrent, require a serious stance from all countries to put an end to Israeli crimes which threaten the security and stability of the region.
It reiterated its call for the international community, especially the United Nations Security Council, to confront Israeli practices and activate international accountability mechanisms for these violations.
Robotic-assisted implantation is world’s first
- Groundbreaking procedure opens new horizons in circulatory support techniques for patients with complex cardiac conditions
- Cardiac surgery team, led by Prof. Feras Khaliel, performed the operation through small incisions using remotely controlled high-precision robotic arms
RIYADH: King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre in Riyadh has performed the world’s first implantation of two artificial pumps for biventricular support using robotic technology on a patient with advanced heart failure.
The groundbreaking procedure opens new horizons in circulatory support techniques for patients with complex cardiac conditions and marks a medical achievement that culminated in the patient’s recovery within a short period following the surgery.
The procedure represents a major advance in the treatment of bilateral heart failure, which was traditionally performed through full sternotomy, an approach associated with higher surgical risks and prolonged recovery.
However, the cardiac surgery team, led by Prof. Feras Khaliel, performed the operation through small incisions using remotely controlled high-precision robotic arms, resulting in reduced blood loss, lower risk of infection, and faster patient recovery.
The milestone reflects the integration of expertise across multiple departments at the hospital, including cardiac surgery, cardiology, anesthesia, critical care, biomedical engineering, and advanced life support.
The procedure was meticulously planned and benefited from 3D imaging technologies, real-time surgical navigation, and innovative solutions.
Saudi jazz singer is hitting all the right notes
- Loulwa Al-Sharif, also known as Lady Lou, is self-taught
- Music shaped by loss of her father, she tells Arab News
RIYADH: From soulful Hijazi oud melodies to renditions of smoky jazz and blues tunes, Loulwa Al-Sharif is crafting a sound, shaped by personal loss, that is uniquely her own.
The self-taught singer, also known as Lady Lou, left journalism to pursue her heart’s yearnings, she said during her appearance recently on Arab News’ The Mayman Show.
“I knew that I loved, like, music since I was a little kid. I used to love to perform just for my family and myself, but then I stopped for a long time.
“And while I was working in the newspaper and in other jobs before that, I used to do music … part-time.”
Al-Sharif sang Arabic songs when she was young.
“When I was 15 years old, when I discovered that I liked to sing, I used to sing Khaleeji (Gulf) and Tarab (classical Arabic music) such as songs from prominent Egyptian singer Mohammed Abdel Wahab.
“But then when I started learning (to sing) in English, the first song I learned, with my blues brother — his name is Moez — it was ‘Ain’t No Sunshine.’”
“So just simple, you know, it’s a very simple song with him because he encouraged me, like, you have soul, and you need to do that more,” she said.
The death of her father was a pivotal moment in her life. At the time, she had not been performing and was still quite “shy” and lacked confidence.
“I believe that was my — I don’t know what to call it — escape or something, I don’t know. But all my emotions and my feelings were, ya’ni (like), driven into the music.
“Even, to be honest, it helped me a lot because my father was a musician, and so believing that, oh, wow, I’m doing what my father used to do and putting all my emotions into, ya’ni … it was healing.
“Saraha (honestly), so it was healing for me. Pursuing music and just creating and singing.”
Al-Sharif learned her craft at jam sessions, often late at night, supported by members of the Jeddah music community.
“First, I chose rock. I started singing, like, rock covers, you know, like Evanescence and things like that.”
She then focused on jazz and blues tunes, including from the late English singer Amy Winehouse.
“To be honest, I feel like I was, like, a little bird, and now I’m just, like, flying.
“It’s helped me a lot. Because I didn’t have that confidence back then, and I was, ya’ni, when I performed, I used to perform in front of, like, a few people.”
Saudi crown prince welcomes measures announced by Al-Sharaa to contain clashes
- Crown prince expressed the Kingdom’s confidence in the ability of the Syrian government to achieve security and stability in Syria
RIYADH: Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman received a phone call from Syrian President Ahmed Al-Sharaa on Thursday, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
The crown prince welcomed the arrangements and measures announced by Al-Sharaa to contain recent events in Syria, expressing the Kingdom’s confidence in the ability of the Syrian government to achieve security and stability in the country.
Prince Mohammed also praised efforts exerted by Al-Sharaa to ensure that Syria continues on the right path, which would in turn ensure the preservation of Syria’s unity and territorial integrity, the strengthening of its national unity, the solidarity and cohesion of all segments of the Syrian people, and the prevention of any signs of sedition aimed at destabilizing security and stability in the country.
The crown prince also stressed the importance of continuing steps that Syria has taken at all levels to achieve the progress and prosperity to which the Syrian people aspire.
He reiterated the Kingdom’s firm position in supporting Syria, standing by its side, and rejecting any action that would undermine civil and social peace in its entirety.
Prince Mohammed reiterated the Kingdom’s declared position condemning Israeli attacks on Syrian territory and interference in its internal affairs.
He also stressed the need for the international community to support the Syrian government in confronting these challenges and preventing any foreign interference in Syria’s internal affairs under any pretext.
Al-Sharaa expressed his gratitude to the Kingdom for its supportive stance toward Syria and the role and efforts undertaken by the crown prince to promote security and stability in Syria and the region.
First Saudi relief plane arrives in Syria with aid for those affected by fires
- Plane marks beginning of the Saudi air bridge operated by the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center, in cooperation with the Ministry of Defense
RIYADH: The first Saudi relief plane carrying urgent relief aid for those affected by wildfires in Syria’s Latakia Governorate has landed at Aleppo International Airport, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Thursday.
The plane marks the beginning of the Saudi air bridge operated by the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center, in cooperation with the Ministry of Defense, SPA said.
Supervisor General of KSrelief Dr. Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al-Rabeeah noted that the humanitarian assistance reflects the spirit of humanitarian solidarity that is characteristic of the Saudi government.
Dr. Al-Rabeeah stressed that the Kingdom prioritizes humanitarian work as a core mission stemming from its values and long-standing generosity, and out of its belief that human dignity is a fundamental right for every individual on earth.
KSrelief also signed a cooperation agreement on Wednesday with the Syrian Ministry of Emergency and Disaster Management to provide essential equipment, supplies, and machinery needed to combat wildfires in the town of Kassab, Latakia Governorate.
The agreement aims to enhance rapid and effective response capacity through technical and logistical support for field firefighting teams.
Syria’s civil defense agency on Sunday said wildfires in the country’s west, which have burned vast tracts of forest and farmland and forced evacuations, had been brought under control after 10 days.
In a statement on Facebook, the agency said that “with the spread of the fires halted and the fire hotspots brought under control on all fronts” on Saturday, teams on the ground were working to cool down the affected areas while monitoring any signs of reignition.
The blazes in the coastal province of Latakia broke out amid an intense heatwave across the region and the UN humanitarian agency OCHA said they destroyed about 100 square kilometers of forest and farmland.
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