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RIYADH: The 11th Saudi relief plane landed at Damascus International Airport in Syria on Wednesday as part of a humanitarian airlift launched by the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre.
After the collapse of Bashar Assad’s regime early in December, KSrelief has sent dozens of trucks and planes loaded with food, shelter, and medical supplies to meet the urgent basic needs of Syrians.
RIYADH: Madinah is considered one of the leading regions in the Kingdom for cultivating henna, which is renowned for its high quality and unique characteristics.
The plant is grown in several locations in the region, such as the governorates of Wadi Al-Fora’a and Badr.
Madinah henna is regarded as one of the best varieties in the world due to its purity and natural properties.
It is known for its light green color and strong herbal fragrance, which indicate its quality.
The plant is also organically cultivated, without the use of pesticides or chemical fertilizers, making it safe to use.
The uses of Madinah henna are varied, but it has widespread application in cosmetics, where henna leaves are ground into a fine powder and then mixed with water, olive oil, or coconut oil for added moisture, or with essential oils to enhance its color and improve texture.
Henna has long been used to dye and nourish hair, increase its thickness, and reduce hair loss, and as a natural substance to cool the skin in high temperatures.
• Madinah henna is regarded as one of the best varieties in the world due to its purity and natural properties.
• Henna can also be converted into derivative products such as powders, pastes, and essential oils to increase the economic value of this agricultural product and enhance its profitability.
It is also used for decorating hands and feet, cleansing the skin, and reducing pigmentation.
A report issued by the Madinah Chamber of Commerce has reviewed the investment opportunities provided by henna cultivation, noting the possibility of expanding henna farming using modern irrigation techniques to increase production, developing value-added henna products such as scented henna or organic henna, and targeting international markets by promoting henna as an authentic Madinah product.
The report suggested Madinah can benefit from opportunities in agricultural investment, livestock production, as well as industrial investment based on production inputs from agricultural crops, derivatives, or waste related to these crops and others.
Henna can also be converted into derivative products such as powders, pastes, and essential oils to increase the economic value of this agricultural product and enhance its profitability.
Incentive measures have been provided by the relevant authorities in the Madinah region to encourage local henna production and export.
Henna is among the targeted sectors of the Reef program to support productive families and professions linked to local production, and to provide financial support to farmers and agricultural professionals, especially given the relatively low cost of cultivating the product.
NEOM: Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman held a phone call on Thursday with UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
The two leaders discussed Saudi-Emirati relations and ways to boost cooperation in various fields.
The two leaders also reviewed regional developments and efforts aimed at promoting security and stability, SPA added.
RIYADH: From self-driving cars to autonomous delivery robots, Ƶ is accelerating toward the next generation of AI-driven transport.
The year 2025 is shaping up to be a landmark period for autonomous mobility in the Kingdom, as the country builds partnerships and infrastructure for a cutting-edge logistics ecosystem.
This drive toward self-driving technology is central to the broader transformation under Vision 2030 — reshaping how goods and people move across Riyadh and beyond.
The shift aligns with the Transport General Authority’s land transport strategy, which aims for 25 percent of goods vehicles to be autonomous by 2030.
In July 2025, Transport and Logistic Services Minister Saleh Al-Jasser launched a pilot of WeRide’s Robotaxi in Riyadh — a milestone for developing a smart, safe transportation network.
“The expansion into Ƶ is a major step in WeRide’s global expansion plan with a vision for safer, smarter transportation at scale,” Ryan Zhan, regional general manager for the Middle East and Africa at WeRide, told Arab News.
“The entry enables WeRide to scale Robotaxi services and unlock new commercial opportunities in Ƶ,” he said. Robotaxi received the Kingdom’s first autonomous driving permit.
With 104 million public transport users and 349 million intercity bus passengers annually, demand for mobility solutions is high. Ride-hailing trips rose 26 percent and delivery app orders 27 percent from 2023 to 2024, topping 290 million.
WeRide’s Robotaxis and Robobuses are the latest additions to this evolving sector. The pilot, run with Uber and local partner AiDriver, operates between King Khalid International Airport and central Riyadh.
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“The Initial Operational Phase of Autonomous Vehicles initiative aligns with the objectives of Ƶ’s National Transport and Logistics Strategy and supports Saudi Vision 2030 in embracing sustainable mobility solutions powered by artificial intelligence,” said Zhan.
“Ƶ is the Middle East’s largest economy and has been accelerating efforts under Vision 2030 to diversify into high-growth sectors.
“With its tourism sector alone projected to reach $110.1 billion by 2033, growing at a compound annual growth rate of 8.4 percent from 2024, WeRide’s Robotaxis and Robobuses support the Kingdom’s push to develop a smart, sustainable transport infrastructure for both residents and the rising influx of visitors.”
Globally, the AI market is expected to grow from $189 billion in 2023 to $4.8 trillion by 2033, according to UN Trade and Development.
WeRide was the first AV company to complete the Transport General Authority’s Regulatory Sandbox for autonomous piloting.
“WeRide is not just deploying technology. We’re participating in the local transportation ecosystem, creating jobs in fleet management, maintenance, and customer service, while helping address urban mobility challenges,” said Zhan.
Partnerships that have underpinned the project include those with the Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority, General Authority for Survey and Geospatial Information, Saudi Standards, Metrology and Quality Organization, Uber, WeRide, and AiDriver.
Meanwhile, food delivery is getting its own autonomous upgrade. Jahez and ROSHN Group have launched the first fully autonomous Level 4 delivery robot in Riyadh’s ROSHN Front Business Area.
Five robots, equipped with over 20 sensors, six cameras, GPS, and climate-specific cooling, now operate there during working hours.
“Part of our strategy is to always optimize on automation, and this is part of the automation. To be innovative, we chose to optimize in our key pillar, which is logistics,” Mohammed Al-Barrak, Jahez’s chief technology officer, told Arab News.
“So we decided to go with the autonomous delivery. And this is part of many upcoming technologies that will help with the automation of delivery, like within gated communities.”
To prepare for this shift, the Roads General Authority has issued a Self-Driving Vehicles code, requiring smart road communication devices to relay real-time traffic and road data directly to autonomous systems.
With strong investment and clear regulation, Ƶ is well-placed to lead the autonomous vehicle transformation.
RIYADH: A recent study by King Abdullah University of Science and Technology designed a new blueprint to reduce the impact of land degradation worldwide.
The Saudi university is aiming to reverse the growing threat of land degradation, and improve food and water security, social stability, and biodiversity.
The study was published in the international multidisciplinary science journal Nature, and puts forward a number of solutions to reverse the trajectory of land degradation by 2050.
One of the recommended methods involves increasing production and consumption of seafood in order to reduce the pressure that agriculture places on land.
Another is to lower food waste by 75 percent — with the study noting that one-third of food produced is wasted at a cost of more than $1 trillion annually.
Finally, the study suggests restoring 50 percent of degraded land through sustainable management practices.
KAUST reported that food production is using up to 34 percent of the planet’s ice-free land, a number that could increase to 42 percent by 2050 if current situation continues.
Scientists proposed revising economic incentives, increasing food donations, and promoting smaller restaurant portions to preserve up to 13.4 million sq. km of land.
“Ƶ is already doing a lot in improving food waste and looking at land restoration, but can still benefit a lot from this if policymakers implement a few of these key recommendations,” Fernando Maestre, professor of environmental science and engineering at KAUST, told Arab News.
“These include promoting smaller restaurant meals, requiring supermarkets and hotels to donate or discount near-expiry food, requiring companies to publish waste-reduction plans, investing in cold-chain and community redistribution, and expanding sustainable seafood/seaweed options that deliver nutrition with very low land and water use.
“Cutting food waste with measures like these would ease pressure on the Kingdom’s scarce water resources and cut emissions, while improving food security and saving money,” Maestre added.
The study also emphasized the importance of sustainable seafood production, elaborating on how specific aquaculture policies could have the potential to lower the pressure on land resources and help reduce deforestation.
“By transforming food systems, restoring degraded land, harnessing the potential of sustainable seafood, and fostering cooperation across nations and sectors, we can ‘bend the curve’ and reverse land degradation,” Maestre said.
The study was carried out in collaboration with Aeon Collective and the UN Convention to Combat Desertification.
DUBAI: Ƶ’s aid agency, KSrelief, has continued its humanitarian projects in Syria, Yemen, Sudan and Pakistan, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Wednesday.
In Syria, the agency distributed 349 food parcels to displaced people in Daraa, while in Sudan it delivered 830 parcels to residents of Karari.
In Pakistan, KSrelief distributed 2,680 food parcels to communities affected by flooding, benefiting more than 16,000 people.
Meanwhile in Yemen, the agency continued its water supply and sanitation project in Hodeidah, pumping 1.5 million liters of water into the community. It also carried out 49 waste removal operations in camps for displaced people, benefiting 16,170 individuals.
