logo
Queen Rania of Jordan hosts Ramadan iftar for women leaders in Aqaba

Queen Rania of Jordan hosts Ramadan iftar for women leaders in Aqaba

Arab News06-03-2025

LONDON: Queen Rania of Jordan hosted a Ramadan iftar banquet on Thursday at the Prince Rashid Club in Aqaba.
Women leaders and activists from various sectors in Aqaba, a governorate on the Red Sea in southern Jordan, attended the event.
Queen Rania congratulated the attendees on Ramadan and the upcoming International Women's Day, which will be marked on March 8, the Jordan News Agency reported.
She praised the contributions of Jordanian women in the workforce and the labor market, as well as their roles in caring for their families to provide comfort and reassurance at home.
Khaled Al-Hajjaj, the governor of Aqaba, welcomed the queen to the city and expressed gratitude for her efforts to empower women.
Mahmoud Khalifat, the director general of Aqaba Ports Corporation, and Muhannad Al-Naser, director of Prince Rashid Club, were also present.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Saudi Arabia's national afforestation program achieves major milestones with 141 million trees planted
Saudi Arabia's national afforestation program achieves major milestones with 141 million trees planted

Saudi Gazette

time08-05-2025

  • Saudi Gazette

Saudi Arabia's national afforestation program achieves major milestones with 141 million trees planted

Saudi Gazette report RIYADH — The National Center for Vegetation Cover Development and Combating Desertification in Saudi Arabia revealed that the National Afforestation Program has achieved tangible results, planting more than 141 million trees and rehabilitating more than 310,000 hectares of degraded land using rainwater and treated water, ensuring the conservation of natural resources. This came in a speech delivered by the CEO of the National Center for Vegetation Cover Development and Combating Desertification, Khaled Al-Abdulqader, at a workshop in Riyadh. He stated that the Saudi Green Initiative represents a qualitative shift in the national environmental agenda, as it aims to plant 10 billion trees, equivalent to rehabilitating approximately 40 million hectares of degraded land. He also announced the adoption of unified scientific standards for rehabilitation, calling on all participating parties to adhere to them and submit periodic reports on what has been implemented in accordance with the approved mechanism. The program also witnessed the launch of the "Land Rehabilitation Guide in Non-Agricultural Areas in the Kingdom," which serves as a scientific and practical reference that unifies concepts and guides projects in accordance with approved best practices. This enhances the efficiency of resource use and ensures the sustainability of environmental rehabilitation in Saudi Arabia's diverse environments. It also embodies Saudi's commitment to achieving the goals of the Saudi Green Initiative by expanding the scope of rehabilitation to include all types of land. The Saudi Green Initiative is an ambitious national initiative aimed at addressing the impacts of climate change, improving quality of life, and protecting the environment, for the benefit of future generations. It also supports Saudi Arabia's efforts to achieve net-zero carbon neutrality by 2060 by adopting a circular carbon economy model and is working to accelerate Saudi Arabia's transition to a green economy. The initiative seeks to achieve three ambitious goals: reducing carbon emissions, afforestation, and protecting land and marine areas.

Turning a dream into reality: retired Saudi teacher copies Qur'an by hand in inspiring journey
Turning a dream into reality: retired Saudi teacher copies Qur'an by hand in inspiring journey

Arab News

time28-04-2025

  • Arab News

Turning a dream into reality: retired Saudi teacher copies Qur'an by hand in inspiring journey

MAKKAH: In an era of rapid technological change and evolving traditions, some individuals still embody steadfast devotion to craftsmanship and the quiet power of creativity. Among them is retired teacher Khaled Al-Zahrani, who turned his retirement into a journey of fulfillment by realizing a dream he had cherished since his college days — copying the entire Holy Qur'an by hand in his own script. Al-Zahrani, who is nearly 60, has a lifelong passion for Arabic calligraphy, especially the naskh and ruq'ah scripts. He had dreamed of hand-copying the Holy Qur'an since his university days. However, the demands of work and daily life postponed his ambition until retirement gave him the opportunity to finally turn his dream into reality. • Al-Zahrani shared with Arab News that the experience was both demanding and humbling, requiring exceptional precision and unwavering concentration, as copying the Qur'an allowed no margin for error. • He explained that the experience strengthened his bond with the Qur'an, deepening his connection to its message while instilling a profound sense of responsibility toward the sanctity of the words he transcribed. He explained that his journey truly began when a friend introduced him to the Qur'an by Hand initiative, which provides blank copies of the Qur'an for personal transcription. Inspired, he purchased two copies and embarked on his endeavor. Al-Zahrani shared with Arab News that the experience was both demanding and humbling, requiring exceptional precision and unwavering concentration, as copying the Qur'an allowed no margin for error. He carefully transcribed around two or two-and-a-half pages each day, meticulously counting the letters to ensure a balanced layout and to avoid omitting any verses. He began with Surah Al-Zalzalah as a test of his abilities and, upon completing it, he gained the confidence to move forward, despite the profound sense of awe he felt when starting the lengthy Surah Al-Baqarah. Al-Zahrani said that he relied on a standard half-millimeter pen and used an eraser or a fine needle to make corrections when needed, although he was meticulous to minimize errors as much as possible. He explained that he had to devote himself fully to this work, so he decided to seclude himself in his home for six months — avoiding all distractions and social visits — so that he could finish writing the Holy Qur'an in conditions that would help him concentrate and achieve his goal. Al-Zahrani said that his project remained out of the public eye until a relative filmed him writing and posted the video in a family WhatsApp group. The video quickly went viral, drawing widespread admiration and attention. He added that while he received numerous requests for media interviews, he chose to delay them until he had fully completed the Qur'an, emphasizing that a task of such significance required unwavering focus and could not afford any distractions. Al-Zahrani said that his transcription of the Qur'an was far more than an artistic pursuit or personal project: It was a profound spiritual journey that drew him into deep contemplation of God's verses and their meanings. Every letter he penned resonated within him, as if he were living and interacting with the words themselves. He explained that the experience strengthened his bond with the Qur'an, deepening his connection to its message while instilling a profound sense of responsibility toward the sanctity of the words he transcribed. He also expressed the hope that his work would inspire younger generations to reconnect with the art of Arabic calligraphy, not simply as an aesthetic pursuit but as a powerful means of drawing closer to and honoring the Qur'an. Al-Zahrani believes that his experience taught him profound lessons in patience and perseverance, calling it one of the most meaningful chapters of his life. He expressed hope that his story would inspire others with long-delayed dreams to take the first step toward realizing them, no matter how late it may seem, proving that with sincere determination, dreams can indeed become reality.

Daily life in Gaza worsens as Palestinians go over a month without humanitarian aid
Daily life in Gaza worsens as Palestinians go over a month without humanitarian aid

Saudi Gazette

time17-04-2025

  • Saudi Gazette

Daily life in Gaza worsens as Palestinians go over a month without humanitarian aid

GAZA — Day-to-day life in Gaza is becoming increasingly dire as Palestinians have gone over one month without access to humanitarian aid. The UN humanitarian office OCHA warned this week that it is now 'likely the worst it has been in the 18 months since the outbreak of hostilities.' Since 2 March, no food, water, medicine or commercial items have entered the enclave, after Israel imposed a blockade and renewed its military campaign against Hamas across the Strip. Two months ago, Euronews spoke to 22-year-old Mohammed, who, along with his family, was able to return home to northern Gaza after 15 months of displacement amid an eight-week ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas. The ceasefire allowed Mohammed to come back to his family residence after being displaced four times. He was one of over half a million Palestinians to make the long journey north along the Netzarim corridor, which Israel reopened in February. Mohammed returned to find his house completely destroyed, but he was grateful to have a roof over his family's head.'We are living on a miracle and risking everything, risking myself, my family, my sister's children, just to shelter ourselves from the hardships of winter,' he told Euronews at the one month after the collapse of the ceasefire, he says he's been displaced again, his family now living in a tent.'It was shocking because it came all of a sudden.' Mohammed tells Euronews that the strikes began in the middle of the night without warning. 'It was the 20th day of Ramadan I believe (20 March), and we were up to eat something quickly before beginning our fast.'He said his home was targeted with a 'knock on the roof' by the Israeli Institute for National Security Studies in Tel Aviv describes 'roof knocking' as a practice employed by the Israeli military that is 'used when there is concern that civilians are present in a building defined as a military target.'A small noise-generating missile is launched at the roof of a building as a way to warn civilians to evacuate before carrying out a bigger has used this tactic since the first Gaza war in 2008, and says roof knocking is a legitimate warning method to prevent harm to civilians. However, critics of the method say it disproportionately harms civilians' property and livelihoods. Amnesty International has spoken against the tactic since 2014, saying there is often no military justification for destroying civilian says what was left of his house when he returned during the ceasefire has now been completely destroyed. 'If this war ever ends, I have nowhere left (to live),' he said. 'It is now all rubble, unlivable.'After Mohammed's house was struck, his family had no shelter for two weeks, he told Euronews. 'Only now within the last week, I was able to, with severe difficulties, to secure a tent for my family and I to shelter in. The tent isn't even mine, it belongs to someone else and I am just allowed to temporarily use it.'But Mohammed says even the tent camp where he has taken shelter has not been safe from bombardment. 'Not too long ago, there was a shelling in my camp ... the strike targeted an area about five tents away from me.'The prices of food and medicine have skyrocketed since the blockade, and Mohammed says he is able to obtain about one kilogram of rice per day to feed himself, his mother, sister and her four has warned that 'malnutrition, disease and other preventable conditions are expected to surge, increasing the risk of preventable child deaths.'It adds that limited amounts of baby formula are available for just 400 children, 'while nearly 10,000 infants under six months are not exclusively breastfed.'Israeli authorities said the blockade was part of a bid to limit Hamas' resources and ratchet up pressure on the militant group to release the remaining hostages it took during its 7 October 2023 attack on southern Israel that sparked the war between the Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa Edouard Beigbeder says the much-needed aid should be allowed into the Strip regardless.'UNICEF has thousands of pallets of aid waiting to enter the Gaza Strip,' Beigbeder explained.'Most of this aid is lifesaving, yet instead of saving lives, it is sitting in storage. It must be allowed in immediately. This is not a choice or charity, it is an obligation under international law.'Last week, the heads of seven UN humanitarian organizations issued a joint statement calling for urgent action to protect civilians in Gaza.'We are witnessing acts of war in Gaza that show an utter disregard for human life,' they wrote. — Euronews

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store