https://arab.news/jbzsu
RIYADH: King Salman has received a letter from the Emir of Kuwait Sheikh Meshal Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah inviting him to the Gulf Cooperation Council Summit.
The message was delivered to Minister of State Prince Turki bin Mohammed bin Fahd during a meeting in Riyadh on Tuesday with Kuwait’s Foreign Minister Abdullah Ali Al-Yahya.
The two sides held cordial talks and discussed issues of common interest.
The 45th GCC Summit takes place in Kuwait on Sunday.
Jeddah: The Eastern Province Municipality has launched a project to document and digitize trees in Alkhobar, aiming to make it the first smart green city in the region.
The first phase will involve the recording and digital tagging of more than 100,000 trees.
The initiative is expected to strengthen Alkhobar’s global standing, as the city ranks 61st in the 2025 Smart Cities Index.
Officials said that the project reflects the municipality’s commitment to environmental sustainability while creating economic opportunities by encouraging private sector participation in tree-planting campaigns.
Each tree will be fitted with an electronic tag carrying detailed information such as its species, location and care guidelines, in both Arabic and English.
The tags will be geo-linked to create a comprehensive database of Alkhobar’s green assets.
The project will also promote investment in smart cities and sustainable infrastructure, raise environmental awareness and enhance social responsibility, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
More than 10,000 trees have already been tagged in areas including the Southern Corniche, the waterfront, the Northern Corniche and along main roads. The program will eventually cover all trees across the city.
The initiative aligns with the Saudi Green Initiative, which aims to reduce carbon emissions, plant 10 billion trees, and protect 30 percent of the Kingdom’s land and marine areas by 2030.
Across the Kingdom, cities are adopting sustainable urban strategies to improve air quality, expand green spaces and enhance biodiversity.
Ƶ’s broader smart city vision includes megaprojects such as NEOM with its futuristic developments, The Line, Oxagon, Trojena and Sindalah, powered entirely by renewable energy.
Riyadh is advancing with integrated smart transport, digital healthcare and its massive Green Riyadh afforestation program.
Jeddah Economic City is being designed with smart energy grids and automated waste systems, while King Abdullah Economic City focuses on port innovation and digital ecosystems.
Qiddiya City near Riyadh is set to become a global entertainment and sports hub with AI-driven operations, and Mohammed bin Salman Nonprofit City in Riyadh is pioneering a global-first district dedicated to education, innovation and culture.
DUBAI: The Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs welcomed on Monday the recent announcements by Australia and New Zealand signaling steps toward recognizing the State of Palestine.
The Kingdom commended Australia’s declaration of its intention to formally recognize Palestine, as well as New Zealand’s announcement that it is considering such recognition, a statement from the ministry said.
Ƶ praised these developments as part of a growing international consensus in support of the two-state solution.
The Kingdom reaffirmed its commitment to the establishment of an independent Palestinian state along the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.
“The Kingdom appreciates the positions of countries that contribute to strengthening the path toward a just and comprehensive peace,” the statement said, adding that recognition of Palestine is a crucial step toward ending the decades-long conflict.
| تعرب وزارة الخارجية عن ترحيب المملكة العربية السعودية بإعلان أستراليا عزمها الاعتراف بالدولة الفلسطينية، وإعلان نيوزيلندا دراستها الاعتراف بالدولة الفلسطينية، وتشيد المملكة بالاجماع الدولي الداعم لمسار تنفيذ حل الدولتين وإقامة الدولة الفلسطينية المستقلة على حدود 1967م…
— وزارة الخارجية (@KSAMOFA)
DUBAI: Developments in Gaza and the West Bank were a key focus on Monday as Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman met with Jordan’s King Abdullah II at Neom Palace.
The leaders reviewed the latest regional situation and exchanged views on issues of mutual concern.
Discussions also covered the longstanding ties between Ƶ and Jordan and ways to enhance cooperation in service of shared interests and Arab causes.
Crown Prince Al Hussein bin Abdullah II attended the meeting, which formed part of ongoing consultations between the two countries on regional and international matters.
Other senior officials included Prime Minister Jafar Hassan, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi, and Director of the Office of His Majesty Alaa Batayneh.
From the Saudi side, attendees included Governor of Tabuk Province Prince Fahd bin Sultan bin Abdulaziz, Minister of Sport Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki bin Faisal, Interior Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Saud bin Nayef bin Abdulaziz, Minister of Defence Prince Khalid bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, along with other senior officials.
RIYADH: Ƶ’s Project for Landmine Clearance, known as Masam and launched by the nation’s aid agency KSrelief, eliminated 1,140 explosive devices this month across Yemen.
Engineers cleared 1,090 items of unexploded ordnance, 49 anti-tank mines, and one anti-personnel mine, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
The Masam Project has now cleared 509,612 explosive devices from the conflict-ravaged nation since its inception in July 2018.
The mines were scattered randomly across Yemeni territory, creating a significant threat to innocent civilians, it said in a statement.
Project Masam provides training and equipment for local demining engineers. Teams are tasked with clearing villages, roads and schools to facilitate the safe movement of civilians and the delivery of humanitarian aid.
The project’s demining efforts have significantly reduced casualties and allowed displaced individuals and farmers to return to their land and resume cultivation.
The work has earned widespread praise from the UN and international organizations.
RIYADH: Tabuk Governor Prince Fahd bin Sultan has inaugurated 23 environmental, water, and agricultural projects with a combined value of more than SR3.8 billion ($1 billion), and laid the foundation for a further 25 projects worth over SR580 million, it was announced on Sunday.
The initiatives, launched in the presence of Environment, Water and Agriculture Minister Abdulrahman Al-Fadli, aim to improve services for residents, strengthen environmental and water sustainability, and support the objectives of Saudi Vision 2030.
Prince Fahd thanked King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for their backing of the infrastructure projects, and praised ministry staff for their efforts in enhancing public services and bolstering the Kingdom’s food security.
According to Al-Fadli, the projects include small desalination plants along the western coast with a design capacity of more than 93,000 cubic meters per day, and new water transmission systems able to carry 72,000 cubic meters per day to boost supplies in the governorates of Duba, Al-Wajh, and Umluj.
The National Water Company has launched 16 initiatives worth more than SR860 million to expand drinking water distribution and wastewater services in Tabuk, while the Saudi Water Partnership Company has completed the SR550 million Tabuk-2 Wastewater Treatment Plant with a peak capacity of 135,000 cubic meters per day.
Additional works include dam construction projects worth more than SR92 million, and mangrove planting and rangeland reserve protection valued at over SR18 million, as well as irrigation, rural development, and vegetation cover initiatives across the region.
