ROSHN Partners with Singapore Cooperation Enterprise to Drive Real Estate Innovation
ROSHN Group, a Public Investment Fund (PIF) subsidiary, has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Singapore Cooperation Enterprise (SCE) to promote innovation and collaboration in the real estate sector. The agreement focuses on fostering institutional partnerships, sharing best practices in urban governance, and developing frameworks for joint efforts in urban planning and commercial procurement.
The MoU was signed during a visit by ROSHN representatives to Singapore as part of the Group's 'ROSHNEXT' innovation program. The visit aimed to explore cooperation opportunities with Singaporean government bodies, academic institutions, and private-sector entities active in the real estate industry.
Throughout the visit, ROSHN engaged with leading researchers, policymakers, and industry professionals to exchange expertise and explore areas for long-term collaboration. Discussions centered around applied research, skill development, and the potential for joint innovation programs. Topics also included cutting-edge approaches to urban planning, engineering, infrastructure, and property technology.
Yassen Kattan, ROSHN Group's Executive Director of Strategy and Corporate Affairs, emphasized that the partnership with SCE marks a significant step toward sustained innovation. He highlighted the collaboration's role in integrating advanced solutions into the design, development, and operation of urban communities, supporting Saudi Arabia's broader goal of building a knowledge- and innovation-driven economy.
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Arab News
9 hours ago
- Arab News
Economic hardships subdue the mood for Eid Al-Adha this year
JAKARTA: Less spending, higher prices and fewer animal sacrifices subdued the usual festive mood as the Muslim holiday of Eid Al-Adha was celebrated in many parts of the world. In Indonesia's capital, Jakarta, Muslim worshippers were shoulder-to-shoulder in the streets and the Istiqlal Grand Mosque was filled for morning prayers Friday. Eid Al-Adha, known as the 'Feast of Sacrifice,' coincides with the final rites of the annual Hajj in Saudi Arabia. It's a joyous occasion, for which food is a hallmark with devout Muslims buying and slaughtering animals and sharing two-thirds of the meat with the poor. Outside Jakarta, the Jonggol Cattle Market bustled with hundreds of cattle traders hoping to sell to buyers looking for sacrificial animals. While sales increased ahead of Eid, sellers said their businesses have lost customers in recent years due to economic hardship following the COVID-19 pandemic. A foot-and-mouth disease outbreak in 2022 to 2023 also significantly dampened the typically booming holiday trade in goats, cows and sheep, though Indonesia's government has worked to overcome that outbreak. Rahmat Debleng, one of the sellers in the market, said before the pandemic and the FMD outbreak, he could sell more than 100 cows two weeks ahead of Eid Al-Adha. But on the eve of the celebration this year, only 43 of his livestock were sold, and six cows are still left in his stall. 'Though the foot-and-mouth outbreak threats remain loom large, but the declining in sales mostly because of economic hardship,' Debleng said. Jakarta city administration data recorded the number of sacrificial animals available this year at 35,133, a decline of 57 percent compared to the previous year. The government has made next Monday an additional holiday after Friday's festival to allow people more time with their families. Eid momentum is expected to support economic growth in Indonesia, where household consumption helps drive GDP. It contributed over 50 percent to the economy last year, though analysts expect more subdued consumer spending in 2025. Eid expected to come Saturday in South Asia Eid Al-Adha commemorates the Qur'anic tale of Ibrahim's willingness to sacrifice Ismail as an act of obedience to God. Before he could carry out the sacrifice, God provided a ram as an offering. In the Christian and Jewish telling, Abraham is ordered to kill another son, Isaac. South Asian countries like India and Bangladesh will celebrate Eid Al-Adha on Saturday. Ahead of the festival, many Muslims in the region were turning to livestock markets to buy and sell millions of animals for sacrifice. In New Delhi, sellers were busy tending to their animals at these markets, while potential buyers negotiated prices with them. Mohammad Ali Qureshi, one of the sellers, said this year his goats were fetching as high as $640, some $60 more than the last year. 'Earlier, the sale of goats was slow, but now the market is good. Prices are on the higher side,' Ali said. Preparations for the festival were also peaking in Indian-controlled Kashmir, where many Muslims dye sheep and goats in henna before they are sacrificed. 'We are following the tradition of Prophet Ibrahim,' said Riyaz Wani, a resident in Kashmir's main city of Srinagar, as his family applied henna on a sheep they plan to sacrifice.
Arab News
20 hours ago
- Arab News
How AI tech innovation has elevated the Hajj 2025 pilgrimage experience
RIYADH: As the annual Hajj pilgrimage draws millions of Muslims to Makkah in 2025, Saudi Arabia is using a powerful suite of artificial intelligence tools to ensure that this sacred journey is safer, smoother, and more spiritually enriching than ever before. In a remarkable blend of ancient ritual and modern innovation, the Kingdom is harnessing AI, biometric technologies, and digital services to overcome the logistical challenges of hosting one of the world's largest religious gatherings — from crowd control to heat management — all while preserving the sanctity of the experience. 'Saudi Arabia carries an immense responsibility in hosting millions of pilgrims,' Hatem Mandeel, managing director and co-founder of the digital transformation consultancy Tyde AI, told Arab News. 'It continues to demonstrate a strong commitment to this role through innovative approaches to event management and safety.' At the heart of this transformation is Vision 2030, the Kingdom's national roadmap for economic diversification and digital growth. This year's Hajj reflects those ambitions in action, with technologies being used to streamline everything from spiritual guidance to crowd movement. This section contains relevant reference points, placed in (Opinion field) Among the most notable are two new tools — the Smart Enrichment Assistant and the Digital Mutawwif. Developed by the Agency for Religious Affairs at the Prophet's Mosque, the Smart Enrichment Assistant provides real-time updates on prayer times, imam schedules, and locations of religious activities. Offered in numerous languages, it reduces logistical stress while deepening spiritual engagement for pilgrims. The Digital Mutawwif, meanwhile, was created by the General Authority for the Care of the Grand Mosque and the Prophet's Mosque to serve as a digital companion for Umrah pilgrims. It includes navigation tools for tawaf and sa'i, a library of audio-visual supplications, and built-in ritual counters to help pilgrims stay focused and on track. These tools are complemented by the Makkah Route Initiative, a fast-track immigration service powered by biometric technology and AI. Now operating at 11 international airports in seven countries, the initiative allows pilgrims to complete visa, customs, and health checks before boarding their flights — reducing congestion on arrival. It is supported by round-the-clock monitoring systems run by the Saudi Data and AI Authority, which ensure health compliance and swift issue resolution through AI-driven analytics. Behind the scenes, more sophisticated AI platforms are addressing the enormous logistical demands of Hajj. One of the most critical is Baseer, a platform developed by the Ministry of Interior in partnership with the Saudi Data and AI Authority. Using computer vision and machine learning, Baseer tracks and analyzes the movements of more than one million worshippers a day inside the Grand Mosque. The insights help authorities predict crowd surges and prevent dangerous bottlenecks. • Smart Enrichment Assistant helps pilgrims navigate rituals with real-time updates and multilingual spiritual guidance. • Digital Mutawwif guides pilgrims step by step through tawaf and sa'i, with visual aids, supplications, and ritual counters. • Makkah Route Initiative fast tracks immigration using biometrics and AI, easing congestion before pilgrims even arrive. • Baseer tracks more than a million worshippers a day to manage crowd flow and prevent bottlenecks at the Grand Mosque. Using AI at this scale is a major milestone in event management, especially in sensitive, sacred contexts. 'Building this technology is one thing, but maintaining system reliability under high demand, ensuring data privacy and properly onboarding personnel is a whole operation in itself,' Mandeel said. Adding a more personal and interactive touch, the Kingdom has also introduced Manarah 2, a multilingual robot equipped with a smart touchscreen. It provides real-time information and guidance to pilgrims in several languages, along with a dedicated application to help non-Arabic speakers recite Surah Al-Fatiha correctly. 'This demonstrates how Saudi Arabia is taking the initiative to manage — but also elevate — the sacred journey for millions of pilgrims,' Mandeel said. 'This is a powerful example of how AI can thoughtfully enhance sacred, deeply human experiences — something more people globally should be aware of and inspired by.' With extreme heat, massive crowds, and time-sensitive rituals, the pilgrimage poses huge logistical challenges. But Saudi Arabia's strategic investment in AI is setting a global standard for how digital transformation can serve human traditions. 'This proactive use of technology not only supports the goals of Vision 2030,' Mandeel said. 'But also offers a model for other nations managing large-scale gatherings in sensitive contexts.'
Asharq Al-Awsat
a day ago
- Asharq Al-Awsat
GASTAT Announces 1,673,230 Pilgrims for Hajj
The General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT) announced on Thursday that a total of 1,673,230 pilgrims are performing Hajj. Of these, 1,506,576 arrived from abroad, while 166,654 are from within the Kingdom, including both citizens and residents. According to a GASTAT press release, male pilgrims, both internal and external, totaled 877,841, while female pilgrims numbered 795,389. GASTAT also revealed that 1,435,017 pilgrims arrived in the Kingdom via airports, 66,465 through land border crossings, and 5,094 via seaports. GASTAT's methodology for these statistics relies primarily on administrative records from the Ministry of Interior. This approach, which has been consistently adopted over the past five years, aims to provide high-accuracy and reliable register-based data for Hajj statistics, utilizing a standardized model with several key components. As the Kingdom's official statistical authority, GASTAT is the exclusive provider of official statistics in Saudi Arabia and is entrusted with overseeing all national statistical activities, including technical supervision, conducting field surveys and research, data analysis, and managing the documentation, preservation, and tabulation of statistical information across all sectors of life in the Kingdom. On this occasion, GASTAT President Dr. Fahad Aldossari extended his sincere appreciation to Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, for their unwavering support and comprehensive care provided to the pilgrims.
