https://arab.news/n4g23
JEDDAH: Clinics and hospitals in the Kingdom’s central and eastern regions provided medical services to thousands of patients in the first half of 2022, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
In Buraidah, the blood clinic at the Prince Sultan Cardiac Center in Qassim helped more than 1,870 people.
The services included medical consultations, guiding patients on how to get medicines from the pharmacy, and delivering patient medication to homes in cooperation with Saudi Post.
It also held a virtual clinic through the Anat app to help healthcare officials interview patients remotely, follow up on their appointments, or get them tested by the nearest healthcare center without the patient visiting the center.
In Riyadh, the emergency departments and outpatient clinics of Dawadmi General Hospital provided their services to around 86,434 people. It performed 836 surgeries, 17,073 radiological examinations, and 366,469 laboratory tests.
Hafr Al-Batin Central Hospital, represented by the Cardiac Surgery and Catheterization Unit, performed 39 successful cardiac catheterization operations during July.
Hafr Al-Batin Health Affairs said seven emergency cases of high-risk heart attacks were treated.
An advanced and complex cardiac catheterization was carried out on a patient suffering from chronic obstruction in the coronary arteries using the CTO technique, in addition to three cardiac catheterizations for patients suffering from coronary artery blockage using the internal imaging technique by intravascular ultrasound.
Hafr Al-Batin Central Hospital provided services to 237 beneficiaries last year. It also dealt with 150 emergency cases, 80 diagnostic and therapeutic cases, four implantable cardioverter-defibrillators, and seven electrocardiography.
AMSTERDAM: It all started with a yellow cow and a leap of faith.
In 2008, Aarnout Helb, a young Dutch lawyer who studied at Leiden University, was reading the Holy Qur’an while trying to piece together a larger global narrative from a legal and artistic perspective.
While poring over the various passages in the holy book, he came across the story of the yellow cow from Surat Al-Baqarah.
It ignited something within him. After a quick internet search, a piece of art by a Saudi artist popped up — about that very same yellow cow mentioned in the Qur’an. He couldn’t believe his luck. He sent a message to the artist right away.
The artist wrote back. And that was how Helb serendipitously started his long relationship with Saudi artists which resulted in him creating the Greenbox Museum of Contemporary Art from Saudi Arabia in Holland.
The artist who made the Yellow Cow piece was none other than world-renowned Saudi artist Dr. Ahmed Mater, who has since become his friend. Today, the book by Mater — with the yellow cow on the cover — sits proudly on the main table upon entering the museum space. Pieces from the yellow cow project have been acquired by Helb — and then some.
• In 2008, Aarnout Helb, a young Dutch lawyer who studied at Leiden University, was reading the Holy Qur’an while trying to piece together a larger global narrative from a legal and artistic perspective. While poring over the various passages in the holy book, he came across the story of the yellow cow from Surat Al- Baqarah.
• It ignited something within him. After a quick internet search, a piece of art by a Saudi artist popped up — about that very same yellow cow mentioned in the Qur’an. He couldn’t believe his luck. He sent a message to the artist right away.
• The artist wrote back. And that was how Helb serendipitously started his long relationship with Saudi artists which resulted in him creating the Greenbox Museum of Contemporary Art from Saudi Arabia in Holland.
Helb is an unlikely connector to Saudi Arabia’s art scene. Today, at 58 years old, he’s a bit of an introvert, mostly working alone around his space, which he likes to refer to as his “cabinet of curiosities.”
He started to piece together the collection based on what captivated his imagination and fascinated his sensibilities.
After the constant misrepresentation in the news following the tragic events of 9/11, where several of the hijackers were Saudi-born, Helb kept that fascination tucked away until 2008 when he started to really see a shift in the world.
He refers to that time as a global “mental prison,” where Islam and the West seemingly couldn’t cooperate and he wanted to try and get to the bottom of things.
“I started this in a very complex way — it’s always difficult to explain, but it was influenced very much by 9/11. And the period after that, because I didn’t start right away. I started in 2008, which is much, much later but the world was in some kind of mental prison after that.
“You know, these ideas that Islam and the West — or whatever you call it — can’t work together. And to my mind, it made no sense for Holland within the NATO structure as friends of the US to try and reorganize Afghanistan into our vision of how a country should work,” he told Arab News.
“My knowledge about Saudi Arabia prior to this museum was very much influenced by the fact that I have Indonesian roots, and Indonesia is one of the largest Islamic countries in terms of population. And there has always been a very strong relationship between Holland from its Indonesian colonizing context — specifically the Hijaz region because of Makkah and Madinah — so we’ve been involved with making money and taking care of pilgrims at the same time,” he said.
“Saudi Arabia culturally is extremely important for the world — not because you have oil in Dhahran, not because in Riyadh you have a nice royal family; it’s important because people from all over the world travel to Makkah and Madinah,” Helb said.
His first visit to Saudi Arabia was in 2013 after many years of surrounding himself with the Kingdom’s art.
The reason the trip was delayed was because he was, and is, adamant at remaining independent. Every single piece in the collection was curated carefully and thoughtfully by him and not influenced by anyone else.
It’s hard to gauge how many pieces he has in the collection, because some are part of a series, but he estimates that he has over 100 works.
“Although the museum started in dead center Amsterdam, at some point, the space was not big enough for me. It was a rented space and I went looking to buy something within the budget I have, and this is a small warehouse, where the collection — which is not my private collection, I finance it privately — but it’s a public space for people to visit.
“It has statutes about what it should do. And the art, although owned by me, is bought with the statutes in mind. And it’s given into use to the foundation for public viewing and research. I take that seriously.”
According to Helb, three types of visitors typically came through the doors.
“The Dutch visitors come because I’m here; the international visitors who somehow find me and usually have some interest in the Middle East — they don’t come completely out of the blue — which happened more when I was still in the center because that was easy to come; and Saudis actually visiting … those I find most interesting because I learn about the art from them,” he said.
He has been to the kingdom several times since but his home base is in Holland.
Last year, Helb moved his museum to a remote location in Hoofddorp, where he took his own time unwrapping each piece and putting it in its new place — something he realized was a blessing.
Helb is still deciding on the exact shade he wants to paint the museum and isn’t sure if he wants to replicate the old wall’s tint, deliberating over the exact green hue that might grace the walls of the new Greenbox.
Ironically, and perhaps fittingly, the color green in the museum’s name was not chosen as a patriotic nod to the Saudi flag but rather due to a personal connection to Helb, who admired a painting in his home with a green tone which relaxed him.
The new location brought in a slew of unexpected visitors: Taxi drivers with origins in North Africa, many of whom reside on the outskirts of Amsterdam because it is more affordable.
Those Dutch nationals with strong pride in their Arab or Muslim roots usually don’t bike or use local public transport, so they come with their cars, park and just wander in.
The space is just a 15-minute drive from Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam, which is a five-hour flight from the closest Saudi city.
To schedule a visit or to find out more about the Saudi artists showcased in the museum, contact Helb via www.greenboxmuseum.com or on Instagram (@greenbox_museum).
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Culture on Friday honored the winners of the National Cultural Awards initiative in its second session, at a ceremony in the historic Diriyah neighborhood. The ceremony, which was held under the patronage of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, was attended by a large number of cultural leaders, intellectuals, writers and media professionals. Speaking on behalf of Minister of Culture Prince Badr bin Abdullah bin Farhan, the Deputy Minister of Culture, Hamed Fayez, said: “The historical depth and cultural heritage of our country and the creativity of its people have placed the Kingdom in an advanced cultural position, enabling the Ministry of Culture to highlight our creative treasures with sustainable work, in accordance with a vision and plans emanating from the Kingdom’s Vision 2030.”
Meet the winners of this year’s #NationalCulturalAwards, who have each made outstanding contributions to the Kingdom's cultural sector. Congratulations to you all! #SaudiMinistryOfCulture pic.twitter.com/jWUweSJsxz
During the ceremony, officials announced that the next National Cultural Awards will include a new international category to celebrate the achievements of global cultural pioneers, reaffirming their commitment to cultural exchange between Saudi Arabia and the world. The Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the King Abdulaziz Center for National Dialogue and Secretary General of the King Faisal International Prize, Dr. Abdulaziz Al-Sabeel, won the “Cultural Personality of the Year” award, in recognition of his rich literary and cultural career, and his cultural roles in which he held a number of leadership and academic positions. Writer and film director Badr Al-Hamoud won the “Youth Culture” award in recognition of his efforts in filmmaking, publishing, translation, and technical projects. Meanwhile, writer Kifah Buali won the literature award, poet and translator Dr. Sherif Bakna won the translation award, designer Dr. Samira Al-Otaibi won the fashion award, researcher Ahmed Al-Nugheithar won the national heritage award for his drawings and inscriptions, and chef Abdel Samad Al-Hawsawi won the culinary arts award.
Just announced! The 2023 #NationalCulturalAwards will include a new international category to celebrate the achievements of global cultural pioneers, reaffirming our commitment to cultural exchange between #SaudiArabia and the world. #SaudiMinistryOfCulture https://t.co/scWdqW1MC0
The award for visual arts was won by the artist Muhannad Shonu, the award for theater and performing arts was given to writer, actor and director Ali Khabrani, the muscial award was won by Bandar bin Obaid, the film award by producer and distributor Faisal Baltoor, and the award for architecture and architectural design was given to engineer Mohammed bin Ibrahim Shafei. As for the cultural institutions award, these were distributed over three categories, where the Diriyah Gate Development Authority won the award for cultural institutions in the governmental sector, while the Misk Art Institute won the award for cultural institutions in the non-profit sector, and the Music Home School of Art won the award for cultural institutions in the private sector.
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Ministry on Friday condemned the cyberattacks on Albania which targeted its digital infrastructure.
The Kingdom stressed its support and solidarity with Albania for the measures it has taken to protect its cybersecurity, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
In this context, the Kingdom emphasized the importance of promoting and coordinating international efforts to keep peace in cyberspace and develop specialized capabilities to ensure that efforts continue in the face of cybersecurity threats, as well as take strict measures to combat these threats.
The Kingdom emphasized the importance of promoting and coordinating international efforts to keep peace in cyberspace and develop specialized capabilities to ensure that efforts continue in the face of cybersecurity threats, as well as take strict measures to combat these threats.
Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama on Wednesday accused Iran of directing a cyberattack against Albanian institutions on July 15 in a bid to "”paralyze public services and hack data and electronic communications from the government systems.”
According to the AFP news agency, Iran rejected the accusation it was behind the cyberattack as “baseless” and called Albania’s decision to sever diplomatic ties “an ill-considered and short-sighted action.”
Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia has reiterated its firm stance condemning terrorism in all its forms.
This came in Saudi Arabia’s speech before the UN’s first Global Congress of Victims of Terrorism which was recently held at the headquarters of the organization in New York.
The director of the Saudi Arabia Counseling and Care Center, Maj. Gen. Wenyan Al-Subaie, said the Kingdom welcomed efforts being exerted by the UN, represented by the UN Office of Counter-Terrorism, in the fight against the global scourge.
Al-Subaie underlined the unwavering support of the Kingdom for the efforts exerted by the UN in remembrance and recognition of the victims of terrorism. Saudi Arabia commemorates along with the UN the International Day of Remembrance of and Tribute to the Victims of Terrorism observed on Aug. 21 of each year. “This day aims to make the voices of the victims of terrorism heard by the local and international communities and to make this day inspiring, so as to strengthen efforts aimed at repairing the damage done to them on the medium and long term and to sustainably promote the anti-terrorist discourse,” Al-Subaie said.
He noted that the concept of victimhood of the crime of terrorism is not limited to the victim alone. “It is more like a circle that expands to include direct and indirect victims, since the damage could be material (physical and economic) or moral (psychological and social). This circle includes the families of the perpetrators, women and children, who did not commit any fault but who have found themselves in the painful circle of victims and who need support like the other victims.”
Al-Subaie added: “In accordance with this perspective, the Kingdom has adopted a comprehensive and broad concept to define victims of terrorism and has enacted regulations on compensating damages sustained by the victims, including what is contained in article 85 of the Law for Crimes of Terrorism and its Financing and article 25 of its Executive Regulations, in accordance with resolution 825/60 of the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy. The Kingdom has also developed mechanisms and programs to implement this through its official institutions.”
He said that, within the framework of international efforts, the Kingdom has long provided assistance, services, and facilities to victims of terrorism and their families so that they can fully recover. “(Saudi Arabia) has allocated a large part of the aid to refugees in areas that have suffered and continue to suffer from conflicts and wars.”
He stressed that in confronting terrorism, the Kingdom had placed victims at the forefront of its efforts and measures aimed at addressing its effects, noting that commemorating victims of terrorism, preserving their rights, and providing them with support and care is a cornerstone in the comprehensive fight against it.
At the end of his speech, Al-Subaie said there is a need for concerted international efforts to exchange experiences and best practices through holding periodic local and regional meetings, directly and virtually.
He also called for the building and adopting of a media strategy to remind communities of the victims of terrorism in a way that contributes to countering extremist discourse, enhances the rights of victims within their communities, and compensates them for the damage done to them.
RIYADH: Qatari Transport Minister Jassim bin Saif bin Ahmed Al-Sulaiti recently took a field tour of King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah. He was accompanied by Saudi Minister of Transport and Logistics Saleh Al-Jasser.
The Qatari minister learned about modern technologies in the airport’s facilities and the mechanisms used to expedite travel procedures, passenger service and services in the Al-Fursan Lounge, which accommodates 10,000 passengers a day.
Al-Sulaiti also boarded the internal train at the airport, which contributes to accelerating the movement of passengers to the internal gates according to the highest international standards.
He praised the new services and modern equipment at the airport, hailing the precise future planning of the airport facilities and its growing services for the next 20 years.
Al-Sulaiti said that these services were built in line with the modern scientific foundations that were keeping pace with the renaissance happening in Saudi Arabia, as well as accommodating the increasing numbers of visitors that will allow the Kingdom to receive 90 million passengers annually.
The Qatari minister also praised the flow of movement at the airport and the efficiency of the Saudi workforce, commending the success of localization policies in the transport and logistics sector.
Earlier, the Qatari and Saudi ministers held a meeting in which they discussed a number of topics of common interest aimed at developing the transport and logistics sector in the two countries.
RIYADH: Education in Saudi Arabia continues to gain global recognition with the Kingdom advancing five positions in the latest Human Development Index.
The HDI, a report released by the UN Development Program, ranked Saudi Arabia 35th out of 191 countries for 2022. In the previous report, Saudi Arabia was ranked in 40th place. In addition, the Kingdom was ranked 10th among the G20 countries and made the most progress between 2019 and 2021.
In knowledge acquisition, the Kingdom has made significant progress by advancing 18 places in the Mean Years of Schooling Index. Saudi Arabia ranked 56th place compared to 74th place in the previous report. This reflects the continuation of efforts to improve learning outcomes and the strengthening of the Kingdom’s education capacity in global competition.
The progress on the knowledge-acquisition scale demonstrates the education system’s commitment to developing human capabilities, which enhances the Kingdom’s global competitiveness and contributes to its international ranking.
As it takes many years to achieve this level of progress, Saudi Arabia’s education system was able to reach these goals, outlined in the Kingdom Vision 2030, in a shorter time. The success is due in part to the investment in education and support of the Saudi leadership.
The UNDP 2022 report is based on three fundamental dimensions of human development: A long and healthy life, knowledge, and an adequate standard of living. The Ministry of Education has been enacting policies and initiatives from early-childhood education to lifelong learning in an effort to transform Saudi Arabia into a model knowledge society.
The chairman of the Education and Scientific Research Committee at the Shoura Council, Dr. Nasser Al-Moussa, said that the Kingdom had always been interested in scientific research, the power of knowledge, and education in general.
The outputs of education constituted part of the social fabric, he said. Manpower was represented in graduates such as doctors, engineers and other cadres, with the Kingdom allocating a quarter of its annual budget to the education sector. In recent years, a decision was made by the Cabinet to allocate an item in the ministry’s budget for scientific research, as it is the most important means for societies to develop, he said.
Al-Moussa told Arab News that the Kingdom’s interest in education, scientific research, development and innovation stemmed from higher innovation bodies and committees in research, development and innovation expertise. These components had contributed to the Kingdom’s strong entry in the global rankings.
Al-Moussa said that the Kingdom was showing impressive and consecutive results at the international level, reflecting the efforts in supporting education and its outputs, especially in the digital, educational and innovation fields.
Shoura Council member, Dr. Sultana Al-Badawi, said that the council was pleased with the reports issued by the UNDP showing the Kingdom advancing in the latest index. She said that in light of the systematic development that the Kingdom was undergoing, and based on a clear and ambitious vision supported by King Salman’s government and with the personal follow-up of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, it was not surprising that the Kingdom’s positions had progressed in several different international indicators.
Al-Badawi told Arab News that the Kingdom’s progress in the Knowledge Index was the result of efforts in enhancing development and achieving the programs of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030, through one of its largest and most important tools, education. This was evident through the outputs of education, which received great support at the level of legislation and regulations, she said. The leadership also supported scientific research and innovation, paying attention to digital education, promoting knowledge acquisition for citizens and residents.
She said that the Kingdom’s progress in international indicators was a sign that it possessed the tools to compete internationally. This opened doors for the Kingdom to be a global partner capable of contributing and advancing with the world’s developed countries.
Shoura Council member, Maj. Gen. Nasser Al-Shaibani, said that the Kingdom was progressing at all levels, not only in human development. It had improved its technologies and cybersecurity so it was not surprising that it has progressed in the rankings. This reflected the great interest in universities and public education through technical transformations, technology accelerators and attention to human cadres appointed in this program, he said.