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King Faisal Specialist Hospital sets record on World Organ Donation Day
Program ‘opens door’ for patients without suitable donor, it says
The King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre this week set a world record by performing 10 kidney exchange transplants in just 48 hours.
The achievement coincided with World Organ Donation Day, which falls on Aug. 13 and aims to raise awareness of the importance of organ donation.
Dr. Ehab Abufarhaneh, deputy executive director of the hospital’s Organ Transplant Center of Excellence, told Arab News: “KFSHRC performed the kidney exchange transplants over two consecutive days setting a global record. This happened with a great team led by Dr. Khaled Almashary and Dr.Tariq Ali of the department of kidney and pancreas transplant.
“This initiative opens a door for many patients who have no suitable donor.”
The KFSHRC said the record was for the highest number of such procedures conducted within a two-day span at a single center.
“This milestone reinforces the hospital’s position as a global leader in organ transplantation. It also reflects its high clinical readiness, the seamless coordination of its multidisciplinary medical teams and the advanced systems for managing donor-recipient matching, alongside its extensive experience in executing complex transplant procedures,” it said.
Paired kidney transplantation is an innovative approach where two or more incompatible donor-recipient pairs swap kidneys to achieve compatible transplants. The process significantly improves compatibility rates and offers hope to patients who face challenges in finding a suitable match within their families.
Last year, the KFSHRC celebrated another milestone with the completion of its 500th transplant since the program was launched in 2011. Since the creation of its organ transplantation program in 1981, it has successfully performed more then 5,000 kidney transplants, placing it among an elite group of global transplant centers.
Last year it conducted 80 pediatric kidney transplants, more than any other facility in the world for the period.
By leveraging its skilled workforce, advanced technologies and the integration of research and clinical programs, the KFSHRC aims to deliver world-class treatment while enhancing the Kingdom’s position as a leader in organ transplantation.
In 2023 and 2024 it ranked first in the Middle East and North Africa region and 15th globally on the list of the world’s top 250 academic medical centers and was last year recognized as the most valuable healthcare brand in the Kingdom and the Middle East by Brand Finance rankings.
It also ranked among the world’s 250 best hospitals in 2024 and was included in Newsweek magazine’s list of best smart hospitals for 2025.
source/content: arabnews.com (headline edited)
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KFSHRC set a global record by performing 10 kidney exchange transplants in just 48 hours, coinciding with the World Organ Donation Day. (SPA)
The great Somali poet, philosopher and scholar Mohamed Ibrahim Warsame (Hadrawi) passed away on the 18th of August 2022, in Hargeisa, Somaliland.
A national funeral was held in Hargeisa, and many Somalis from all parts of Somalia attended to pay their respects for the last time to the great man. The news of his death had brought tears to the eyes of every Somali, whether they met him or not. when you look around and see people of different walks of life commiserating about his death, you would think their own father had passed away.
He did not give these people materials for them to love him that much, but he acquired their hearts and minds by being sincere and trustworthy with his beliefs. Somalis and non-Somalis compared him to the great poets, philosophers, and scholars of the world, past and present. However, I think he transcends all, he was an ‘ummah’ in his own right.
Allah SWT when he was describing the personality of prophet Ibrahim said “Indeed, Ibrahim was acomprehensive [ummah] devoutly obedient to Allah, inclining toward truth, and he was not of those who associate others with Allah (Quran, 120:16)”. Allah described prophet Ibrahim as “ummah”, and the word ‘ummah’ in the Quran is used either to describe a nation (more than one person), or someone (like prophet Ibrahim) who is so great that his personality and beliefs are different from the society he lives in, and comprehensive that he can stand independently and single-handedly change the society from bad to good. In other words, someone who is not a follower of the majority of people that agrees on wrong decisions.
Instead, ‘ummah’ is a follower of truth even if the majority of people disagree with them. We can safely describe Hadrawi as being an ‘ummah’ in his own right. Because anyone who observes his life and his literary works, soon understands that Hadrawi was not your everyday person. He was an ‘ummah’ because he prided himself on liberty by refusing to be bought.
In the early 1970s, when almost every Somali was clapping in agreement with the communist regime that ruled Somalia from 1969 to 1991, Hadrawi stood up on his own and refused to bow down to oppression.
He was an ‘ummah’ when he freely opted to go to prison and suffer or worse, rather than clap for a tyranny.
In his latest book ‘Hawaale Warran’ he narrates what happened between him and the military regime, and how after he refused to bow down was arrested and put away in jail without justification whatsoever.
In 1973, Hadrawi wrote a play called ‘Aqoon iyo Afgarad’ ‘Knowledge and Consensus’ which he and his fellow poets Mohamed Gariye and Professor Muse Abdi Elmi presented in Lafoole Institution, located outskirt of Mogadishu.
The objective of the play was to advise the Somali people not to seek education outside the country, rather education was available on home soil, and there is no need to waste the nation’s wealth to send students abroad. It is worth mentioning, that at the time, the regime was sending its cadres and the children of revolution leaders to the Soviet Union, Europe and the United States for education and training, in the process, wasting the taxpayers’ hard-earned money. Hadrawi did not like that, hence his play knowledge and consensus’ addressed that.
The 1969 revolution leaders, in particular, the country’s president Mohamed Siyad Barre, did not like the play, and he thought it was anti-revolution and embarrasses his decision to spend a huge amount of the nation’s wealth on sending cadres outside the country.
He summoned Hadrawi to Afisyoni, his air force headquarters. Hadrawi said, men from the national guards took him there, and he met the president sitting under a tree. The president opened the conversation with the remarks “Hadrawi, I know you are anti-revolution, but why every poetry you compose are used against us?”. Hadrawi said, “I tried to convince him, and said, we (poets) compose poetry, and then people take it and interpret it to whatever makes sense to them”. Then the president concluded the meeting by saying “ask me whatever you want, but after today, I don’t want to hear any poetry of yours that people are using against us”. Hadrawi replied by saying “whatever Allah decrees is gonna happen”.
Hadrawi continued his work and created another play called ‘Tawaawac’. The play naked the misery and the disappointments Somalis inherited from the 1960 independence, and how a handful of military officers have hijacked the nation’s hopes after getting rid of colonisers. He likened this to a scenario where people are fighting over the meat of a slaughtered she-camel that was supposed to be spared for daily milking to feed the kids and the elderly. One of the song’s lyrics that Hadrawi created for this play says:
Weligay cad quudheed
Anna qaadan maayoo
Qalanjadan faraha dheer
Wax la qaybsan maayee
This translated into something like:
I will never accept
An offer with contempt
And I will never share anything
With this long-fingers beauty
Hadrawi said, the president, especially hated these four lines above, because he thought that I was taunting him and making fun of his earlier offer of ‘ask me what you want, but stop composing poetry’.
The next thing Hadrawi knew he was snatched from his home in the middle of the night by men from the security services under direct orders from the president. He was arrested without going before a court and thrown in jail at Qansax Dheere, in the Bay region far away from his residence. When asked why they took you all the way to Qansax Dheere, while there are many jails near your residence? He replied they wanted to brainwash me and break me into submission. They said to me you will be released immediately if you ask forgiveness from the father of the revolution (meaning the president).
Hadrawi was an ‘ummah’ when replying to this demand. He said to them “know there will be three scenarios with me, I die and go to my grave, I stay in prison, or I acquire my full freedom [without fearing anyone]”. He stayed in prison for five years, and again, as usual, he was an ummah in prison by continuing his struggle against tyranny. By this time, many Somalis woke up to the cries of Hadrawi from their deep asleep and started to see the tyrannical regime for it really was.
Hadrawi was an ‘ummah’ when the civil war happened in 1988-1991 by manifestly telling the struggle leaders ‘do not replace tyranny with another. He was an ‘ummah’ after the civil war in his ‘Peace Spring’ in 2003, when he travelled on the ground from Hargeisa to Kismayo, stopping in every town between them, literally hundreds of villages.
He was an ‘ummah’ by his devouted love of literature and writing. He comprised a whole poem about the importance of writing, he said:
Qalinkaa wax suureeya
Kugu sima halkaad doonto
Saaxiib kal furan weeye
Sunto fara ku hayntiisa
Weligaa ha si deynin.
Sisin iyo ku beer muufo
lyo laanta saytuunka
Ku gotomi sungaan waarta
Iyo nabadda seeskeeda
Samo iyo ku doon heedhe
Dunidiyo sinnaanteeda
The pen that can imagine for you
And can take you where you want
It is a friend with open heart
Regularly, keep it in your hands
And never let it go
Plant it among sesame and bread
And the branches of olive
And use it to spread in the world
peace, equality and justice
In these short lines, he was an ‘ummah’, the material of philosophy ‘abstraction’ he uses here to emphasise how important is to use writing to seek peace, prosperity, justice and equality, which is nothing short of genius. He was trying to kill one stone with the two old enemies of the human race: poverty and ignorance.
Equally important, he was an ‘ummah’ when he praised the Somali women for their beauty and bravery. He was a great admirer of the Somali women, although depicting their true nature without exaggeration or embellishments. In his poem ‘Horn of Africa Girls’, he said about the Somali women:
Hablo weerar geli kara, Hablo geela dhicin kara, Hablo geesi dili kara, Gobannimona hanan kara, Hablo talada goyn kara, Garta madal ka niqi kara, Garashana iskaga mida, Quruxdana ka wada goba; Geesteenna mooyee Geyi kale ma joogaan.
Girls that can go to war
Girls that can defend the camel
Girls that can acquire honour
Girls that can make decisions,
And publicly express their opinion,
And equally have high intellects
Girls that all blessed with beauty
Except, in our region,
Can they be found in anywhere else?
The examples of the great man are many, and it is impossible to mention them all in this short article. I would advise any admire to go to his works, and they will find an encyclopedia of knowledge, that will take them a lifetime to study.
Lastly, but not least, he was an ‘ummah’ by leaving instructions on how he wished to be treated after his death. He wrote a poem called ‘will’, in which he advised people to treat his death like any other, he said.
Qofka ii duceeyoow
Rabbigay ku darajee
Qofka iga ducaystoow
Dummaddaada weeyaan.
After many passages of the poem, he pleaded with people that they should not make a fuss about his death and funeral. His grave should not be built but should be left like other graves. People should not make a shrine of his grave, nor should they over-grieve or celebrate his life. In the last few lines, he prays for those who pray for him.
Finally, you lived as an ‘ummah’ and died as an ‘ummah’, there is nothing left to say but goodbye to our beloved teacher, philosopher, poet and role model. Your body might have departed this world, but your ideas and the knowledge you left for us and humanity, are eternal. I am sure people of the other side and angels are welcoming you with roses and open arms—they are congratulating you as you have accomplished your mission here on earth, advised your people and fought bravery in the way of Allah seeking justice, and freedom and equality for all. May Allah shower you with His Forgiveness and Mercy, light up your grave, and may He elevate your status and grant you Jannatul-Firdaus. May Allah resurrect you with the prophets, the steadfast affirmers of truth and the martyrs.
“And whoever obeys Allah and the Messenger – those will be with the ones upon whom Allah has bestowed favour of the prophets, the steadfast affirmers of truth, the martyrs and the righteous. And excellent are those as companions (Quran 69:4)”.
“Verily we belong to Allah and verily to him do we return”.
To safeguard a vital part of Sudanese agricultural heritage, scientists quietly moved copies of strategic crops to the frozen chambers of the Svalbard vault in Norway.
In December 2023, the civil war that had broken out the previous April between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) took a troubling turn when the paramilitary group seized the country’s second-largest city, Wad Madani, in a swift offensive.
The sudden fall of Wad Madani, under circumstances that are not yet fully clear, dealt a heavy blow to the regular army and came as a shock to the hundreds of thousands of people, many of them displaced from Khartoum, who had come to see the city as a safe refuge.
The RSF’s advance quickly triggered a new mass displacement of people and disrupted the work of humanitarian agencies that had relocated to the city after the war broke out.
Like in other areas they have passed through, RSF fighters extensively looted Wad Madani and widespread abuses against the population were documented.
Although it drew little attention at the time, Sudanese scientists also issued a call to protect one specific facility in Wad Madani: the city’s seed bank, the most important in all of Sudan.
“We did not expect that the RSF would attack Wad Madani,” Ali Zakaria Babiker, director of the gene bank, told Middle East Eye.
“But when they did, all the staff fled the city to safer places.”
“We expected they would attack the gene bank,” he admitted, “because ever since they attacked Khartoum, [everyone] had already suffered a lot.”
Hidden cargo to evade checkpoints
Before the war, Sudan’s seed bank, managed by the Agricultural Plant Genetic Resources Conservation and Research Centre (APGRC), housed a collection of more than 17,000 accessions of crops and plant species, including sorghum, millet, wheat and sesame.
The collection, started in 1982, was a reflection of the crop diversity of Sudan, a country with rich biodiversity and a long agricultural tradition.
It also served as a repository for its agricultural genetic material, considered essential for both local and global food systems.
After fleeing Wad Madani, some APGRC staff met in el-Obeid, the capital of the North Kordofan region, where a subnational gene bank is located, holding copies of most of the material they had left behind.
One of their initial moves was to install a solar power system at the backup facility, ensuring a stable electricity supply to keep the freezers running and safeguard the seed copies.
At the same time, however, the staff began to develop a plan to extract as many copies of the seeds as possible and transfer them to a location where they could be safe.
“El-Obeid was also under threat from the RSF, so we went there straight away and took some duplicate accessions to dispatch them,” Babiker explained.
Their plan involved preparing more than 2,000 seed samples and sending them from el-Obeid to the icy chambers of Svalbard’s seed vault, located on the Norwegian island of Spitsbergen, deep in the Arctic and more than 7,000km from the capital of North Kordofan.
“[We decided to] dispatch them to Svalbard so that we would have a duplicate copy outside the country,” Babiker said.
One of their initial moves was to install a solar power system at the backup facility, ensuring a stable electricity supply to keep the freezers running and safeguard the seed copies.
At the same time, however, the staff began to develop a plan to extract as many copies of the seeds as possible and transfer them to a location where they could be safe.
“El-Obeid was also under threat from the RSF, so we went there straight away and took some duplicate accessions to dispatch them,” Babiker explained.
Their plan involved preparing more than 2,000 seed samples and sending them from el-Obeid to the icy chambers of Svalbard’s seed vault, located on the Norwegian island of Spitsbergen, deep in the Arctic and more than 7,000km from the capital of North Kordofan.
“[We decided to] dispatch them to Svalbard so that we would have a duplicate copy outside the country,” Babiker said.
“I did it to ensure that at least some of the seeds were preserved beyond Sudan’s borders.”
The scale of the mission was daunting: if they succeeded, APGRC staff would have managed to secure more than a quarter of Sudan’s seed collection in the depths of the earth.
The seeds selected included crops that have been grown in the region for thousands of years, amongst them key varieties of pearl millet and sorghum – a crop vital to Sudan’s food security, known for its drought resistance, and part of the country’s agricultural and cultural heritage.
“These [were] some of the main staple crops in Sudan, and also some of the oldest,” Babiker noted.
“They are essential for food security not only in Sudan, but also for the region – and for global food security as well.”
Before heading to one of the northernmost corners of the world, the seeds had to be taken out of el-Obeid as discreetly as possible and transported all the way to Port Sudan – the main port of the country, located in the northeast – from where they could be sent abroad.
Babiker described it as an “exciting” mission, particularly at the start, given that the RSF controlled almost all routes in and out of El Obeid.
To avoid potential trouble at checkpoints, the APGRC staff asked the truck driver transporting the seeds to load their boxes first, and only then pile on the rest of the load.
“The mission took more than 10 days because, for security reasons, it didn’t follow a normal road but routes unfamiliar to the RSF,” said Babiker, who added that no APGRC staff travelled with the shipment to avoid drawing attention.
After those 10 days on the road, the seeds finally made it to Port Sudan, although Babiker said the seed packages were scattered across the truck and had to be collected and organised.
Still, the first half of the journey – and the most challenging part – was now behind them.
Sudan Post to the rescue
Once in Port Sudan, the shipment of seeds to Svalbard was made possible because the Sudan Post courier service was still operating despite the war, said Nelissa Jamora of Crop Trust, an organisation dedicated to safeguarding the world’s crop diversity that supported the entire mission.
“Sudan Post was still functioning, at least in Port Sudan. So it was [arranged] through the regular postal service,” she told MEE, noting that there were three boxes of seeds in total.
On their way to Svalbard, the seeds made a stop at the Nordic Genetic Resource Center (NordGen), an organisation dedicated to safeguarding the Nordic region’s genetic resources.
There, the centre helped sort, catalogue, re-pack, and document the shipment from Sudan.
“It was a few days’ work for our seed technicians, but an investment well worth its price considering the importance of these seeds for the future of Sudan’s agricultural sector,” said Johan Axelsson, head of NordGen’s seed laboratory.
The seeds finally arrived at the seed vault on 25 February 2025, together with seed shipments sent by 19 other gene banks.
Established in 2008, the Svalbard Global Seed Vault has its storage area more than 100 metres inside a mountain, carved into solid rock and shielded by 40 to 60 metres of stone.
The mountain mass has a stable temperature ranging from -3 to -4 degrees Celsius, but the seed storage area is equipped with a cooling system that keeps it constantly at -18 degrees.
With more than 1,350,000 seed samples, the Svalbard Global Seed Vault is currently the largest backup facility for seeds and crop diversity in the world.
Owned by Norway, the site is operated by three partners: the country’s Ministry of Agriculture and Food, NordGen and Crop Trust.
Gene banks from all over the world can store backup copies of their seeds there free of charge and with no legal transfer of ownership, the seeds always remain property of the depositor.
Sudan made its first deposit in 2019 and today holds 1,884 accessions, a distinct, uniquely identifiable sample of seeds, from 15 different species, according to Svalbard’s website.
Jamora said that the difference from the more than 2,000 seeds initially sent by the APGRC from el-Obeid was likely due to some packages arriving in less-than-optimal condition and not making it into the final set, although they are preserved by NordGen and can be returned.
The mission to evacuate Sudan’s seeds was funded through an emergency reserve launched in 2021 by Crop Trust and the secretariat of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources under the supervision of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), to assist gene banks that are under threat.
In Sudan’s case, Crop Trust had been collaborating with the local gene bank before the war through a project called BOLD (Biodiversity for Opportunities, Livelihoods and Development).
“The mission aimed to secure as many seeds as possible,” Jamora noted.
Fears vindicated
Sudan’s army recaptured Wad Madani in January, and when the APGRC staff returned to their facilities, their worst fears were confirmed: the bank’s freezers, computers and servers had been looted, and the seed bags were torn open, their contents scattered across the floor.
However, with the support and funding from the emergency reserve jointly run by Crop Trust and the Plant Treaty, efforts to rebuild and start over are already under way.
For now, the gene bank is still assessing the losses, but it is also beginning to rebuild its seed collection despite limited state funds and power cuts that often last more than 12 hours a day.
When the situation stabilises, the centre hopes to be able to assess the state of its seeds and move into a regeneration phase, but this will require new freezers and other equipment.
During a meeting with the director of Sudan’s Agricultural Research Corporation (ARC) and FAO representatives, the governor of Gezira State – where Wad Madani is located – Tahir al-Khair, pledged to try to install a new cold storage facility for the gene bank.
In the meantime, at least, the seeds stored in the Svalbard vault remain safe, waiting for the day they can once again serve their country.
“We felt very relieved and reassured once we made sure we had these duplicate copies outside Sudan,” Babiker said.
An innovative team from the Oman Dental College has successfully developed a dental filling using Omani Portland cement reinforced with carbon nanoplates, creating the first material that combines exceptional strength with complete biocompatibility for dental tissues. This breakthrough opens new horizons in global dental treatments.
Malak Khalifa Al Harthy, a member of the research team “Pulp49,” told Oman News Agency (ONA) that the innovation stemmed from observing how traditional fillings often lack a balance between “strength” and “biocompatibility.” This prompted the team to develop a new composite that achieves this challenging balance.
She explained that the composite is a dental filling made by integrating Omani cement with graphene sheets, resulting in a material with high mechanical efficiency and significant biocompatibility. This has led to clear and rapid restoration of surrounding dental tissues.
The development of the composite took approximately five years of research and experimentation, undergoing initial cell-level testing followed by animal trials in collaboration with the Mounted Police Command. It is now in the second phase of human trials, with preliminary results showing highly promising indicators.
Regarding the expected benefits of this composite in dentistry, she noted that it provides a cost-effective solution while enhancing the longevity and efficiency of dental treatments. This represents a major advancement in dental materials, offering improved outcomes for both patients and dentists.
Among its key advantages is high biocompatibility, as the integration of carbon nanoplates enhances the material’s positive interaction with biological tissues while reinforcing its mechanical properties. This makes it particularly suitable for complex and challenging dental applications.
Additionally, the composite supports tissue regeneration by mimicking an ideal environment for the rebuilding cells in surrounding dental tissues. This effect is attributed to the synergistic interaction between the carbon nanoplates’ properties and the calcium ion-based reaction of Portland cement with physiological body fluids.
The composite also exhibits superior sealing capabilities, with the increased volume and unique properties of the nanoplates enhancing its ability to fill gaps and voids, making it ideal for applications requiring tight seals or water resistance.
The innovation has been officially recognized, securing a patent in the Sultanate of Oman and international registration. The team is currently finalizing the last stages of development after receiving essential support from the Ministry of Higher Education, Research, and Innovation, paving the way for its introduction to local and eventually global markets.
Addressing the challenges faced during the project, she explained that the team encountered difficulties in achieving the ideal composition, requiring multiple rounds of testing, experimentation, and model adjustments before finalizing the approved formula.
She emphasized the substantial support received, with the Oman Dental College providing necessary resources and the ROP Mounted Police contributing to trials. She also acknowledged the direct support of Dr. Abu Bakr Qateeshat, Head of Graduate Studies, Research, and Development at the college, and Dr. Aida Al-Wahaibi, as well as the encouragement from family, which served as a major motivator in achieving this milestone.
Regarding her selection to represent Oman at the International Invention, Innovation, and Technology Exhibition (ITEX) in Malaysia in 2025, she described it as an opportunity to showcase Omani youth’s capabilities and their role in delivering innovative solutions that elevate Oman’s global standing, while also facilitating knowledge exchange with innovators worldwide.
In closing, Malak Khalifa Al-Harthy affirmed that Omani youth are capable of remarkable achievements when they believe in their ideas and channel their creativity toward serving society—especially when innovation is genuine, addresses real needs, and contributes to the nation’s progress. -ONA
Israel has killed nearly 270 journalists and media workers since it launched its war on Gaza.
Al Jazeera journalist Anas al-Sharif, 28, has been killed along with three of his colleagues in a deliberate Israeli attack on a media tent sheltering journalists outside the main gate of Gaza City’s al-Shifa Hospital.
Al Jazeera reporter Hani al-Shaer said an Israeli drone hit the tent about 11:35pm (20:35 GMT) on Sunday.
In total, seven people were killed in the attack, including Al Jazeera correspondent Mohammed Qreiqeh, 33, and Al Jazeera cameramen Ibrahim Zaher, 25 and Mohammed Noufal, 29.
(Al Jazeera)
Israel deliberately kills Al Jazeera journalists
This is not the first time Israel has targeted Al Jazeera journalists covering the war in Gaza. Before Sunday night’s attack, at least five Al Jazeera journalists had been killed by Israel.
[Al Jazeera]
On December 14, 2023, Al Jazeera cameraman Samer Abudaqa was targeted by an Israeli air strike while reporting alongside Gaza bureau chief Wael Dahdouh, who was injured in the same attack.
Abudaqa was left to bleed to death at the Farhana school in Khan Younis, where they were filming, as emergency workers were blocked by the Israeli military from reaching the site.
On January 7, 2024, Wael’s eldest son and fellow Al Jazeera journalist, Hamza Dahdouh, was killed in a missile strike on the vehicle he was travelling in in Khan Younis.
On July 31, 2024, Ismail al-Ghoul and his cameraman Rami al-Rifi were killed in an Israeli attack on the Shati refugee camp despite their vehicle bearing clear media markings and both wearing vests identifying themselves as members of the news media.
On December 15, Israel killed Al Jazeera journalist Ahmed al-Louh in an air strike in central Gaza’s Nuseirat camp.
On March 24, Hossam Shabat, 23, was killed in an Israeli attack in the eastern part of Beit Lahiya in northern Gaza.
[Al Jazeera]
Gaza: The deadliest war for journalists
Israel’s war on Gaza has been the single deadliest conflict for journalists.
According to Brown University’s Costs of War project, more journalists have been killed in Gaza since the war began on October 7, 2023, than in the US Civil War, World Wars I and II, the Korean War, Vietnam War, the wars in the former Yugoslavia and the post-9/11 war in Afghanistan – combined.
[Al Jazeera]
According to Reporters Without Borders, known by its French acronym RSF, 2024 was the deadliest year for journalists with more than 120 killed. Since the start of this year, more than 50 journalists and media workers have been killed by Israeli attacks in Gaza.
Deployment will enable developers, researchers, and enterprises to access AI tools previously limited by infrastructure or compliance constraints
Groq CEO said partnership expands company’s reach into Middle East
Saudi Arabia has become the first country in the region to host OpenAI’s newly released publicly available models through a deployment announced by HUMAIN and Groq.
The gpt-oss-120B and gpt-oss-20B models are operated on Groq’s high-speed inference infrastructure located within HUMAIN’s sovereign data centers in the Kingdom.
The move is part of broader efforts to localize advanced artificial intelligence infrastructure, aligning with national regulatory and data sovereignty requirements. Saudi Arabia’s deployment of OpenAI’s open-source models within domestic infrastructure supports a wider strategy to diversify its economy and position itself as a key player in global AI.
Under Vision 2030, the Kingdom envisions a digital economy powered by AI, investing heavily in sovereign compute infrastructure to support emerging markets across Africa and Asia.
HUMAIN, a company backed by the Public Investment Fund, said the deployment will enable Saudi-based developers, researchers, and enterprises to access AI tools that were previously limited by infrastructure or compliance constraints.
Groq, a US-based company specializing in AI inference hardware, provides a custom-built processing platform designed to deliver consistent, high-speed performance.
HUMAIN CEO Tareq Amin described the development as a step forward in achieving technological self-reliance.
“With the deployment of OpenAI’s most powerful open models, hosted right here inside the Kingdom, Saudi developers, researchers, and enterprises now have direct access to the global frontier of AI — fully aligned with our national regulations and data laws,” he said.
The company claims that the gpt-oss-120B model operates at more than 500 tokens per second, while the gpt-oss-20B exceeds 1,000 tokens per second on its platform.
The establishment of HUMAIN by PIF in May, backed by commitments from Nvidia, AMD, Cisco, and Amazon Web Services, illustrates this push, with multi‑billion‑dollar agreements to expand local AI compute capacity, data centers, and foundational models.
The infrastructure is positioned as fully sovereign, meaning all data handling complies with Saudi regulations.
This could be significant for organizations in the public and private sectors that require local hosting of data-intensive applications. The companies did not disclose commercial terms or usage projections.
Groq CEO Jonathan Ross said the partnership expands the company’s reach into the Middle East.
“Our partnership with HUMAIN gives us a powerful regional and globally central presence in one of the fastest-growing AI ecosystems on the planet,” Ross said.
The announcement builds on a partnership first disclosed in May and aligns with Saudi Arabia’s national strategy to become a competitive player in global AI development.
HUMAIN had previously stressed its ambition to develop AI capabilities across infrastructure, foundational models, and sector-specific applications.
The Finnish-Tunisian painter discusses her vivid multilayered piece, completed under quarantine in Tunis.
This is a breakfast scene from last summer, when my friend Petra was visiting my studio in Tunisia — a place that is very significant to my work.
My representative and I usually think about the titles of my works and we started researching the name ‘Petra.’ It’s a town in Jordan and it used to once be a great metropolis. And I thought that’s such a good metaphor for what I’m feeling about the world now: We thought that our whole world was something so great, but then it can easily be shaken by a pandemic. When you look back at the history of great metropolises, they, in the end, have come to ruins.
To me, there’s also the personal way of thinking about this situation: you understand that something needs to break in order for something new to come out of it. The whole world is now in a situation where everybody’s plans are cancelled and they have to rethink things.
The ‘satellite image’ part represents the table, and its shapes can indicate that it kind of looks like Earth, as if it’s taken from above. I don’t really know why I love using bold and bright thick layers of color, but for me, color is always something that has so many nuances. And now that I can paint, and manipulate the colors and the shapes, there’s just something that’s magical about it.
The colors are happy ones, but sometimes the subjects are not necessarily. I don’t want to just create beautiful images. Personally, I need to have a story.
I can’t really paint if I’m not feeling good, but that doesn’t mean that I’m only painting happy things. With this particular painting I struggled a lot, because it looked good but I felt like it wasn’t ready.
So I kept changing some of the colors and shapes but then I had to end up changing everything. When it was finally ready, I just felt that all the pieces of the puzzle are complete and there’s not even a doubt about it. It was kind of like when you fall in love with someone; you just know.
source/content: arabnews.com (headline edited)
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Dora Dalila Cheffi is Tunisian-Finnish multimedia artist. (Supplied)
Saudi Arabia has approved a landmark law allowing foreigners to own property across the kingdom, including in the holy cities of Mecca and Medina.
Saudi Arabia has approved a landmark legal change that will, for the first time, allow foreign nationals to own property across the kingdom, including in the holy cities of Mecca and Medina, under specific conditions.
The cabinet decision, chaired by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Jeddah on Tuesday, marks a historic shift in real estate regulation and is part of broader reforms aimed at opening the economy and attracting foreign investment.
The new law is expected to take effect in January 2026, with executive regulations to be published in the coming months.
It grants foreigners the right to own property in designated areas, including key cities like Riyadh and Jeddah, and in limited zones within Mecca and Medina, though ownership in the holy cities will be restricted to Muslims and confined to major projects such as Masar Makkah.
Majid bin Abdullah Al-Hogail, Minister of Municipal and Rural Affairs and Housing, said the reform is an extension of real estate legislation “designed to grow the sector and encourage direct foreign investment”.
He added that it would increase supply by drawing international developers into the Saudi market.
Economic ambitions and market reaction
The announcement triggered a sharp rally in real estate stocks, with some development firms seeing gains of over six percent in the Saudi stock exchange.
Analysts expect the reform to be a turning point for the sector, unlocking new capital, increasing project quality, and helping balance demand and supply.
The new law aligns with Vision 2030, Saudi Arabia’s ambitious transformation plan, which includes major urban developments like NEOM and the Red Sea Project.
According to Knight Frank, the capital Riyadh is expected to reach 1.7 million housing units by 2030, up from 1.4 million at the end of 2024, driven by infrastructure expansion and population growth.
The housing market recorded transactions worth SR 60 billion ($16 billion) in the first quarter of 2025 alone, 65 percent of which were residential in a sign of strong demand even before the law was passed.
The new regulations include safeguards to protect Saudi citizens, with geographic and market controls built into the system.
Ownership in Mecca and Medina will be limited to Muslims and subject to project-specific conditions, while areas open to foreign ownership in Riyadh and Jeddah will be defined by the General Real Estate Authority.
Economic editor Khaled Al-Rabiah told Al Arabiya Business that the reform was not aimed at raising housing prices but at improving the quality and diversity of projects by attracting specialised foreign investment.
Link to premium residency and long-term plans
The legal reform may also lead to a review of the current premium residency ‘iqama’ scheme, which requires ownership of property worth at least SR 4 million ($1.1 million).
Easing that threshold could expand the pool of foreign buyers, especially among the kingdom’s large expatriate population.
While challenges remain, including limited mortgage options for foreigners and the early stage of off-plan sale models, observers say the law could spark a new phase of growth, making Saudi Arabia’s real estate market one of the most dynamic in the region.
The country is targeting the delivery of over one million new homes and hundreds of thousands of hotel rooms, retail spaces, and office units by 2030.
The General Real Estate Authority is expected to release the executive regulations on the government’s Public Consultation Platform for Laws and Regulations (Istitlaa) within 180 days.
source/content: newarab.com (headline edited)
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The law grants foreigners the right to own property in designated areas, including the capital Riyadh [Getty]
An Egyptian archaeological mission from the Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA) has unveiled a significant discovery in the heart of the Western Desert of the remains of the central residential city of Kharga Oasis, dating back to the early Coptic period.
Located in the Ain al-Kharab archaeological site within the Islamic and Coptic archaeological zone, the city offers rare insight into Egypt’s transition from paganism to Christianity.
Among the findings are the ruins of residential structures, churches, and cemeteries, as well as a mural depicting Christ healing a sick person.
Minister of Tourism and Antiquities, Sherif Fathy, described the discovery as a testament to the depth and diversity of Egyptian civilisation during one of its most transformative periods. “This find enriches our understanding of religious transition in Egypt and highlights the values of tolerance and cultural diversity deeply rooted in our history,” he said. He reaffirmed the Ministry’s continued support for archaeological missions nationwide and commended the achievements of Egyptian teams working to enhance Egypt’s global standing as a cultural tourism destination.
“This discovery is considered as a valuable window into early Christian life in Egypt,” asserted Mohamed Ismail Khaled, Secretary-General of the SCA. He emphasised the importance of the find in shedding light on the beginnings of the Coptic era in Egypt. “Kharga Oasis played a key role as a religious and social hub throughout many historical periods, and this discovery further confirms its significance,” Khaled stated.
He explained that the unearthed structures include mudbrick homes with plastered walls, service areas equipped with daily-use ovens, and storage spaces containing large, fixed pottery jars once used for preserving food and grain. The mission also recovered ostraca, pottery fragments, glass and stone artefacts, burial remains, and a vivid mural illustrating Christ performing a healing miracle.
Seham Ismail, Director General of Antiquities in Kharga and head of the mission, revealed that the team also uncovered the remains of two churches. One is a large basilica-style church featuring a central hall flanked by two aisles, separated by rows of square columns, with service buildings lying to its south. The second church is smaller, rectangular in shape, with remnants of seven exterior columns and Coptic inscriptions still visible on its interior walls. Additional service structures were found on its western side.
Ismail added that findings from previous excavation seasons indicate that the site was used continuously across several historical eras. Roman-era buildings were later adapted for use during the early Coptic period and again in the Islamic era — a testament to the region’s long-standing role as a centre of life and continuity.
This latest discovery further cements Egypt’s Western Oases’ status as historical treasures and reinforces the country’s enduring significance in the region’s religious and cultural narrative.
Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA) and the Emirates Nuclear Energy Company (ENEC) today announced the delivery of the first shipment of low-carbon aluminium produced in the UAE using electricity generated at the Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant.
Emirates Global Aluminium markets this low-carbon aluminium under the name Minimal. The metal will be supplied to Canex Aluminium Extrusion, a leading aluminium producer in Egypt. Canex will become the first customer to use Minimal aluminium to manufacture advanced products for infrastructure, solar energy, transportation and architectural applications.
This new product from Emirates Global Aluminium contributes to strengthening the UAE’s position as a reliable supplier of low-carbon industrial materials to global markets and expands the company’s portfolio of low-carbon metals available to local and international customers.
His Excellency Mohamed Al Hammadi, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Emirates Nuclear Energy Company (ENEC), said that this achievement highlights the pivotal role of nuclear energy in enhancing energy security in the UAE, in addition to supporting the country’s efforts to reduce carbon emissions in the industrial sector. He pointed out that the Barakah plants provide clean electricity around the clock to sectors that require large quantities of electricity, such as the aluminum industry, contributing to consolidating the foundations of a carbon-free economy and achieving long-term sustainable benefits.
For his part, Abdulnasser Bin Kalban, Chief Executive Officer of Emirates Global Aluminium, noted that demand for low-carbon aluminium is growing rapidly, with demand expected to triple by 2040. He emphasized the importance of consolidating the company’s position as a trusted partner in the future of sustainable industries through the Minimal product, supported by the UAE’s vision and strategic investment in nuclear energy.
For his part, Moatasem Daboul, General Manager of Kanex Aluminum Extrusion, affirmed their commitment to achieving sustainability at every stage of production, from raw materials to the final product. This approach embodies the company’s recycling model, by transforming waste into valuable products. He explained that by using Minimal Aluminum, the company is strengthening this path by reducing embedded emissions from the very beginning of operations.
Clean electricity is certified through the UAE’s Clean Energy Certificates program, using the International Renewable Energy Certification (I-REC) protocols to ensure traceability and reliability. Energy is supplied by the Emirates Water and Electricity Company (EWEC) via the national grid.
The Barakah nuclear energy plant produces 40 terawatt-hours of clean electricity annually, equivalent to approximately 25% of the UAE’s electricity needs and the total annual energy demand of Switzerland. The carbon-free electricity generated by the Barakah plant contributes to reducing 22.4 million tons of these emissions annually, equivalent to removing 4.6 million cars from the roads.
Emirates Global Aluminium is the world’s first company to produce aluminum using solar power, having produced 80,000 tonnes of CelestiAL aluminum in 2024. The company also produces recycled aluminum, marketed under the brand name RevivAL, at its plants in the United States and Germany. Emirates Global Aluminium is building the largest aluminum recycling plant in the country at Al Taweelah, with production expected to commence in the first half of 2026.
