JEDDAH: Saudi aid agency KSrelief signed a cooperation agreement with the UN World Food Program at a high-level conference in Jeddah to provide $25 million in food aid to the most vulnerable families in Yemen, Saudi Press Agency reported.
The agreement was signed at the OIC Donor Conference to Support Displaced Persons and Refugees in the Sahel and Lake Chad region, co-hosted by KSrelief and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation.
It was signed by KSrelief’s senior adviser for medical and humanitarian research, Dr. Ziyad Meemish, and the WFP’s Deputy Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer Carl Skau.
Under the terms of the agreement, 13,798 tons of essential food items will be distributed, and the program will support activities that drive resilience by providing conditional financial assistance to participating families, to establish and rehabilitate resources that support the food chain over six cycles.
The initiative will directly benefit 546,364 individuals and indirectly assist a further 57,313 people in the governorates of Hudaydah, Dhale, Marib, Al-Bayda, Hadhramaut, Al-Mahrah, and Socotra.
Supervisor-general of KSrelief, Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeeah, held several meetings at the conference.
He met with Skau and the two sides discussed the latest developments in KSrelief-WFP projects, which provide essential food aid and improve living conditions in needy communities.
Skau commended the Kingdom’s significant humanitarian role, exercised through KSrelief.
Al-Rabeeah also met with UN Acting Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Joyce Msuya.
The two officials discussed cooperation and issues of common interest pertaining to relief and humanitarian affairs, as well as key topics tackled at the conference.
Additionally, Al-Rabeeah held a meeting with UNICEF Deputy Executive Director for Humanitarian Action and Supply Operations Ted Chaiban.
They discussed humanitarian and relief efforts, particularly global support for children.
KSrelief, WFP agree to provide food aid to Yemen
https://arab.news/4dkhe
KSrelief, WFP agree to provide food aid to Yemen
- Under the terms of the agreement, 13,798 tons of essential food items will be distributed
- The program will support activities that drive resilience by providing conditional financial assistance to participating families
KSrelief clinics help refugees in Jordan
AMMAN: The clinics of the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center provided healthcare services to 2,789 patients in Zaatari camp for Syrian refugees in Jordan during the first week of May.
The general medicine clinics received 778 patients, while the internal medicine clinic treated 128 patients with diabetes, high blood pressure, and asthma.
The pediatric clinics received 226 children, 131 patients visited dental clinics, and 312 women were treated by the two women’s health clinics.
The ear, nose, and throat clinic received 66 patients suffering from sinusitis, pharyngitis, tonsillitis, and middle ear infections. The ophthalmology clinic saw 37 patients.
The cardiology clinic received 15 patients, the diagnostic radiology clinic received 37 patients, and the rehabilitation medicine clinic also treated 37 patients.
A total of 3,245 laboratory tests were conducted for 284 patients, and 217 imaging procedures, including X-ray and ultrasound examinations, were performed for 184 patients.
Shanghai Film Festival: Saudi Arabia to boost cultural cooperation with China
RIYADH: The Saudi Film Commission has announced its participation in the Shanghai International Film Festival, which will be held from June 13 to 22 in Shanghai, China.
The event is the largest film festival in China and the only Chinese festival accredited by the International Federation of Film Producers Associations.
By participating, the commission aims to enhance cultural cooperation, strengthen international ties, and promote the visual and geographic richness of the Kingdom’s film locations. It also plans to explore co-production and distribution opportunities for Saudi films in the Chinese market.
The Saudi pavilion will be a platform to display the commission’s programs and initiatives, engage with industry professionals, and highlight the creative and commercial potential of the Kingdom’s film sector.
This participation underscores the commission’s commitment to supporting the Kingdom’s film industry by engaging with key international platforms, empowering local talent, and fostering global cultural exchange.
Saudi king, crown prince extend condolences to Indian president after air crash
- The Air India passenger plane bound for London with more than 240 people on board crashed and exploded after takeoff and there was only one survivor
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman extended their condolences to Indian President Droupadi Murmu after a plane crashed after takeoff in India’s northwestern city of Ahmedabad on Thursday.
The Air India passenger plane bound for London with more than 240 people on board crashed and exploded after takeoff and only one person survived, officials said.
Black smoke billowed from the site where the plane crashed into a medical college hostel and burst into flames near the airport in Ahmedabad, a city of more than 5 million and the capital of Gujarat.
In separate cables, the king and crown prince extended their condolences to Murmu, the families of the deceased, and to the Indian people. They also wished the injured a speedy recovery.
The Kingdom’s Foreign Ministry also expressed its condolences to India after the incident.
Arab storytelling tradition makes region ideal for filmmaking: Katara executive
- Demand for premium Arabic content that resonates with a global audience is the main driver for production company
- Authenticity requires cultural integrity — such as maintaining dialect, accents and costumes
Riyadh: The Arab world’s roots in detailed storytelling means that the region is well suited to making movies, according to Hussein Fakhri, chief commercial officer and executive producer for Katara Studios, and the latest guest on The Mayman Show.
Founded in 2018, the Doha-based production powerhouse is behind regionally iconic projects such as the fantasy short film “The Lost Chapter of Kelileh & Demneh” and the ceremonies for the 2022 FIFA Arab Cup.
“Storytelling, I think, is in our DNA, as Arabs generally, right? We come from a long line of storytellers; it is really part of who we are,” Fakhri said. “For me, the sort of career advancement was very much evolutionary, organic, as I come from an advertising and marketing background.”
Before entering the world of filmmaking and immersive storytelling, Hussein started out in Dublin, Ireland, pioneering digital advertising in a market far from his cultural roots. Hussein left the marketing agency life and now leads Katara’s mission to produce bold, meaningful stories that resonate with a global audience with an unapologetically Arab perspective.
“I had my own advertising agency, and we had so much work that I had to found a film production company to be able to shoot our TV commercials,” Fakhri said. “I would hire filmmakers, and we started doing short films, more brand films and documentaries, and that just sort of evolved. I just love the craft, although I’m not a filmmaker myself, but I just love the business of it.”
Part of the work was instrumental in what eventually evolved into Katara Studios, founded by a group of talented filmmakers, he said. “Watching them work and watching the kind of stuff that they do — just the love for it grew, to be honest.”
The need for premium Arabic content that resonates with a global audience is the main driver for what Katara does creatively, he said.
“We have a huge audience. We have 500 million Arabic speakers. And we have very little premium content for them. There was a gap there that was spotted and an opportunity to be able to create premium content for this primary audience.”
The demand for premium Arabic content and the interest in Arabic culture made for a great recipe for success, he said.
“We also have a lot of people around the world that are very interested in our culture, are very interested in our part of the world. And I don’t think we’ve given them enough content to engage with us, and that’s what we are trying to do, ultimately.”
With a culture as rich and layered as the Arab world’s, authenticity is not simply a goal — it is a responsibility for Katara Studios projects, he said, as they aim to bring stories to life with depth, accuracy, and heart, even when they are infused with other styles of filmmaking.
Katara Studios is producing a fantasy Bedouin Western, and according to Fakhri, a balance for this genre experimentation and cultural authenticity is critical to telling a good story and being innovative without losing its Arab essence.
Asked how Bedouin storytelling could be showcased with this approach to experimental filmmaking, Fakhri said: “You know, I’m so glad you brought up that word because authenticity is the foundation for everything that we try to do. Genuinely, it has to be authentic. Because if it is not authentic — if you’re trying to please an audience just by throwing stuff in there — it shows every time.”
Authenticity required cultural integrity — such as maintaining dialect, accents, costumes and other small and important details in the presentation — and this would then reflect very positively to the film, he said.
“You get every element of it right; it really comes through in the final product. So, we’re very careful to try to be as authentic as possible. And I think we’ve done that with this project,” Fakhri said.
Rare kidney operation performed at King Faisal Specialist Hospital
- Precise medication management needed for surgery
- No stomach incisions, with suture done via the mouth
RIYADH: King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre in Riyadh recently performed a rare Endoscopic Sleeve Gastroplasty on a patient who had previously undergone a kidney transplant.
In a statement, KFSHRC said the operation was considered “the first of its kind in the region.”
It required “meticulous management of immunosuppressive medications and the prevention of any complications that could jeopardize the transplanted organ.
“This procedure marks a significant advancement in providing safe treatment solutions for transplant recipients, to improve their graft survival and quality of life.”
The ESG procedure differs from surgical sleeve gastrectomy in that it requires no abdominal incisions, which is important for transplant patients.
Instead, it uses an endoscope inserted through the mouth to suture the stomach internally, effectively reducing its volume and enabling the patient to lose weight and improve overall health.
The procedure was performed by a multidisciplinary team of experts led by Dr. Ehab Abufarhaneh, consultant in adult transplant gastroenterology and hepatology.
Abufarhaneh told Arab News: “Performing endoscopic sleeve gastroplasty on a kidney transplant patient is exceptionally rare and complex due to the need to protect the transplanted organ while carefully managing immunosuppressive therapy.”
“This procedure provides a safe therapeutic option for transplant recipients, addressing a critical medical challenge and helping preserve graft function through a minimally invasive approach tailored to their condition,” Abufarhaneh added.
The team included gastroenterologists, various transplant surgeons, anesthesiologists, and nursing staff.
In the statement, the hospital said it was “adopting innovative techniques tailored to the unique needs of transplant patients and developing treatment protocols that address post-transplant challenges.”
The facility “reinforces its position as a regional referral hub for cases beyond the scope of conventional treatment pathways,” and as a leading healthcare provider in the region.
It was fulfilling its vision of being the optimal choice for patients supported by an integrated ecosystem of education, research, and clinical excellence that aligns with Saudi Vision 2030, the hospital stated.
The hospital has been ranked by Brand Financing 2025 as first in the Middle East and North Africa, and 15th globally on the list of the world’s top 250 Academic Medical Centers for the third consecutive year.
Additionally, it was included in the World’s Best Smart Hospitals list for 2025 by Newsweek magazine.
