Latest news with #Jeddah
Arab News
9 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Arab News
Benzema's double strike gives Ittihad the double
JEDDAH: Karim Benzema scored twice as Al-Ittihad defeated Al-Qadsiah 3-1 on Friday to lift the King Cup and complete the double after winning the Saudi Pro League title earlier in May. At a delighted King Abdullah Sports City Stadium in Jeddah, the Frenchman scored in each half to give the Tigers another trophy to celebrate with their fans. It marked a 10th King Cup triumph for the club to go along with its 10th league success. There was an explosion of goalmouth action in the closing stages of the first half. Al-Ittihad had been on top for much of the game but both teams had come close. Fans to wait until the 34th minute however to break the deadlock. #King_Cup_Final For the latest updates, follow us @ArabNewsSport — Al-Ittihad Club (@ittihad_en) May 30, 2025 First, Benzema, who scored 21 league goals, did what he does best. Moussa Diaby freed Steven Bergwijn down the right and his cross was chested home by Benzema. Then, after 43 minutes, Diaby floated a ball over from the right to Benzema at the far post and while the Frenchman's header was saved, there was Houssem Aouar to finish from close range. Just when the Tigers were set to head back in at the break in a very good position, Al-Qadsiah were back in the game. Cameron Puertas was bundled over the box and up stepped Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to send Predrag Rajkovic the wrong way. After the restart, the next goal was always going to be crucial and though Al-Qadsiah pushed for an equaliser, it was Benzema who settled the tie and won the cup in added time after Qadsiah's Ezequiel Hernandez had been sent off for a second bookable offence. Not for the first time in the game or the season, much of the good work was done by Diaby. The winger broke free on the left to put the ball across the goal for his fellow Frenchman to score from close range to seal the cup and the double with almost the last kick of a hugely successful –and long- season for Ittihad.
The National
12 hours ago
- Politics
- The National
What can the UK's muddy shores tell us about marine conservation in the Gulf?
The history of the ocean seabed could be central to the future health of planet Earth, say scientists. Seabeds capture carbon from the remains of marine life. But when the ocean floors are disturbed by trawling or coastal development, the carbon is released from the sea into the atmosphere, contributing to global warming. Scientists also believe that the seabed's ability to capture carbon could be used to cut global CO2 emissions by up to 6 per cent of the amount needed to cap the rise in global temperatures at 1.5°C. Carbon stores have been mapped around the world, but scientists are hoping they can go deeper to understand with greater accuracy the human and animal behaviours that cause seabeds to release or capture the gas. 'We will write a new history of the ocean, telling the story of how the seabed has been changed over centuries by human activities,' said Professor Callum Roberts, a marine biologist who is leading the Convex Seascape Survey at the University of Exeter. 'We're figuring out where are the most, the deepest and the most rich deposits of carbon in the seas,' he said, of the project which also involves the Blue Marine Foundation, a UK charity. 'At the moment, we don't have really strong science to give us robust answers,' he told The National. 'We're recreating the oceanography back to 17,000 years ago and we can turn back the clock.' The comprehensive survey, which also brings in researchers from the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology in Jeddah among other institutions, could alter how coastal seas are managed and protected. 'When we think about marine protection, we protect certain things like habitats or species, but not typically the sediments and the organic matter and carbon that's contained within (them),' said Zoe Roseby, a marine geologist at the University of Exeter who is part of the five-year project. Shallow seabeds of the Gulf Although most the research has taken place in the UK, the findings will be of relevance to the Arabian Gulf, a shallow sea where urban development and commercial shipping increase at a rapid pace. 'We're focused on continental shelves, the underwater extensions of land masses. They go down to about 200 metres, which means the entirety of the Arabian Gulf is continental shelf,' said Prof Roberts, who has written about coral reefs in Saudi Arabia, which he helped to map in the 1990s. Although most fishing in the Gulf does not disturb the seabed, the increase in trawling, and the need to create deeper sea routes for commercial shipping could put the area at risk. 'We need to understand that impact, at least because we would need to incorporate this international carbon budgets, so that decision makers know that it's happening and they know that they need to include this in net zero calculations,' he said. Studies had shown there were benefits and negative side-effects to energy infrastructure such as offshore oil wells and wind farms. But Prof Roberts also suggests that shallow sea-beds could be disturbed so as to move the carbon to the deep sea, where there is little chance of it escaping into the atmosphere. 'If you're stirring up carbon from the seabed, then if there is a flow of water off the shelf, then that carbon could be taken into the deep sea, which is a long-term carbon store,' he said. Little is known about this process, and it is one of the possibilities that the project hopes to find an answer to. 'If some of that carbon is going down into the deep sea, then disturbance could actually contribute to long term storage. It's a paradox that we don't know scientifically what the answer is,' he said. Prof Roberts believes the Gulf could be a good test case for this because of the interaction between the freshwater Euphrates and Tigris rivers that feed into the sea, and the sea water from coming in from the other side through the Straits of Hormuz. 'That's one of the things that's keeping the Arabian Gulf habitable for marine life, is that you get this big exchange of water coming in,' Prof Roberts said. 'It could be that disturbing carbon in the Arabian Gulf is leading to the transport of that carbon through the Strait of Hormuz into the Arabian Sea and deep water,' he said. 'There is possibly a way in which that carbon could be transported to somewhere it is more secure and less likely to come back into the atmosphere,' he said. Antarctica samples go to Jeddah The research is already expanding to other parts of the world. A recent expedition to Antarctica, led marine ecologist Professor Carlos Duarte who is based at KAUST, will seek to establish the role that whales play in maintaining the ocean's ability to sequester carbon. The survey looking back 500 years will examine the changes in carbon stores in periods when whales thrived on the peninsula, compared to those when whale hunting led to their near extinction. "We hope to either validate or reject the hypothesis that great whales contribute to carbon sequestration by keeping the ecosystem in a highly productive stage," Prof Duarte told The National. The samples extracted earlier this year will arrive in Jeddah in June month for eDNA testing. "If the hypothesis is correct, then when whales were being hunted down, we expect to see that ... the organic carbon content of the sediment will decline, ... along with the decline in productivity in plants," he said. "We can reconstruct a record of how the Antarctic ecosystem responded to the massive depletion of whales," he said. North west coastal research Scientists are finding the richest carbon stores around the UK and Ireland by looking at deep history all the way back to the end of the last Ice Age. The melting of ice sheets 17,000 years ago changed the shape of the coastline, as well as the tidal currents. A team led by Dr Sophie Ward developed a model that could trace the changes in coastal shapes, and tidal currents through this time, in order to identify the places with the most carbon-rich mud stores, and how vulnerable they are to disturbance. 'We've used this case study to look at the carbon stock of the surface elements of that area, to consider the amount of carbon that's being stored in this elements, but also the kind of quality, the reactivity of that carbon as well," Dr Roseby said. "So, how vulnerable is that carbon to disturbance from human pressures, such as trawling." The study published last month found that while mud was still accumulating in places like the Western Irish Sea Mud Belt and the Celtic Deep, in the North Sea's Fladen Ground above Scotland, the mud floor was ancient, formed after the end of the last Ice Age and preserved for millennia by low tidal currents. She hopes the model will allow them to predict the location of muds in other lesser studied seas, such as those on the coast of Patagonia, where the team will be heading next. Their findings will remain open source so that other scientists can access them, she said. The data that we produce in our projects is going to be open access, so other members of the scientific community will be able to utilise our model and data outputs for like, any you know, ongoing work that they're doing,' she said. Sedimentologist Torsa Sengupta showed how she was able to trace the amount of carbon in a muddle samples from the laboratories at Exeter University's Penryn campus in Cornwall. Sediment cores several metres long were extracted from the North Sea corers, then cut into metre-long samples and analysed in laboratories. The deeper the sediment, the older the carbon deposits in there will be. The mud is first dried and then mortared make a fine powder. Then an acid is poured onto it to remove the inorganic carbon that comes from sea shells. The resulting powder, which has isolated the organic carbon, is then put into a carbon analysis machine. 'We use this course to identify the total amount of carbon, and the difference in the proportion between organic and inorganic carbon, and how did the amount and the types of organic carbon change through time,' she said. 'This is mainly to find out the natural organic carbon, or the natural carbon reservoirs deep down in ocean sediments which can spread,' she said. The research can take months of this painstaking work. Yet Ms Sengupta said she is compelled to do it because of the rise in climate-related migration, which affects the developing world the most. 'Even when humans had no control over the climate, the natural climate has driven large human populations to migrate,' she said. 'That motivated me to find out, where is this total source of carbon?'.
Arab News
14 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Arab News
Jeddah's Historic District hosts literary gathering featuring leading Saudi screenwriters
JEDDAH: The literary gathering Writers' Night was held on Thursday at Cinema Al-Balad in Jeddah, where leading Saudi screenwriters Afnan Linjawi, Dahlia Baeshen, and Dania Al-Tayeb shared their experiences and insights on creativity. Organized by Maflam, which offers comprehensive training in filmmaking, the evening attracted literature and cinema enthusiasts eager to explore the craft of writing. The session was moderated by media personality Reham Farrash. Danya Al-Hamrani, co-founder and chief creative officer of Maflam, said: 'It's a pleasure to bring together such talented scriptwriters under one roof. Events like this reflect Maflam's mission to spark meaningful dialogue and inspire the next generation of creatives.' The event opened a candid dialogue around the challenges and inspirations shaping Saudi scriptwriters today. Linjawi said: 'My journey as a writer has been long and wonderful all at once. I have experimented with many forms of creative writing, from poetry to stage play to screenwriting. I have also grown from writing (for) myself to writing for others.' She emphasized that her goal for the evening was to 'have an open discussion with the audience' and to 'demystify the writing process for others,' highlighting the varied and wide-ranging routes to becoming a writer. Likewise, Al-Tayeb shared her deep connection to storytelling, saying: 'Real-life conversations and events fuel my writing, but what truly drives the process is curiosity and a tiny bit of emotional masochism. 'My stories aim to hold up a mirror without offering easy answers because today's audiences crave honesty and emotional truth. Inspiration often strikes like lightning, yet the real creative work happens in the quiet, unglamorous struggles behind the scenes, self-doubt, late nights, and the occasional existential crisis. These challenges seep into my characters, who carry pieces of my own fears, obsessions, and heartbreaks, living in better lighting through my writing.' Cinema Al-Balad, established by director Abdullah Saharti and producer Waheed Jamjoum, has rapidly become a cultural landmark in Jeddah's historic district, part of the Ministry of Culture's initiative to position Historic Jeddah as a global cultural and heritage destination. Saharti explained the significance of the collaboration: 'This artistic cinema combines carefully curated film screenings with artistic workshops. Through it, we revive the memories once created by Cinema Hosh Jamjoum, the first cinematic courtyard in Jeddah, by introducing modern concepts and unique contemporary creativity that reflects the environment in which art and literature originated.' He described Writers' Night as 'an important evening to empower Saudi filmmakers in the industry' and highlighted Cinema Al-Balad's role in supporting the local film industry. He shared plans for an exciting lineup of events: 'Our program includes screenings, or 'Arab Film Nights,' every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, featuring carefully selected award-winning films from global and Arab film festivals. Every Sunday, we host filmmaking workshops. Mondays are dedicated to classic Arabic and international films, while Tuesdays provide a platform to showcase Saudi filmmakers. On Wednesdays, in collaboration with Maflam, we present a special night dedicated to Saudi filmmakers, with artistic sessions that enrich the community of cinema creators and lovers of the seventh art.'
Arab News
19 hours ago
- Business
- Arab News
Naif Alrajhi Investment, Aljazira Capital launch SR1.7bn fund
Naif Alrajhi Investment has formed a strategic partnership with Aljazira Capital to launch a closed private real estate investment fund. Valued at SR1.7 billion ($453.2 million), the fund will focus on the development of two high-impact real estate projects in Riyadh and Jeddah. This partnership underscores the shared investment vision of both companies in the Saudi real estate market and their shared ambition to enhance its appeal by developing innovative, high-value projects. The fund will support the execution of two strategic developments in two of the Kingdom's most prominent and dynamic cities. In Riyadh, the fund will support the development of a luxury residential project in Al-Khuzama district, designed to offer a fully integrated residential environment. The project will feature a diverse range of private residences, premium services, and architectural designs aligned with Saudi Arabia's modern vision. Strategically located near key landmarks in the capital, the project offers strong investment value and serves as an ideal choice for those seeking exceptional living in one of Riyadh's most prestigious neighborhoods. In Jeddah, the fund will support a mixed-use development in North Jeddah along King Abdulaziz Road. The project will feature residential and commercial towers, a luxury hotel, office spaces, retail outlets, and dining destinations. Designed to meet the growing demand for integrated, lifestyle-centric developments, the project combines living, working, and leisure in one strategic location. Its architectural design reflects Saudi Arabia's vision to preserve and modernize the Kingdom's identity, contributing to the evolving urban landscape of Jeddah in a contemporary and forward-looking way. Naif Saleh Alrajhi, chairman and CEO of Naif Alrajhi Investment, said: 'We are proud to partner with Aljazira Capital in developing two high-impact projects. Strategic locations were carefully selected, and the real estate offerings were designed based on thorough market research and trends, while ensuring alignment with the urban code and architectural identity of each region.' He added: 'This collaboration reflects our ongoing commitment to developing distinctive real estate projects that enhance quality of life.' Naif Al-Mesned, CEO and managing director of Aljazira Capital, said: 'At Aljazira Capital, we remain dedicated to offering high-quality investment opportunities that align with our clients' aspirations and respond to evolving market demands. The launch of this fund, in partnership with Naif Alrajhi Investment as a specialized real estate developer, reflects our strategy to diversify our investment offerings and reinforce our active presence in the real estate sector.' Bandar Al-Hogail, head of real estate assets at Aljazira Capital, added: 'The launch of this fund marks an important milestone in Aljazira Capital's strategy to offer a diversified portfolio of high-quality real estate investment products.' He added: 'Partnering with experienced industry specialists such as Naif Alrajhi Investment — the developer behind the fund's projects — is a key factor in ensuring project success and achieving targeted returns.' Naif Alrajhi Investment is one of the Kingdom's leading investment groups, managing a diversified portfolio with a strong focus on the real estate sector. With a proven track record of success both locally and internationally, the company brings deep expertise and a strategic vision to developing real estate assets that meet the highest standards.
Forbes
a day ago
- Business
- Forbes
Jollibee Billionaire-Backed Hotel101 To Build 10,000 Rooms Worth $2.5 Billion In Saudi Arabia
Hotel101 Global—a unit of DoubleDragon, which is jointly owned by Philippine fast food giant Jollibee founder Tony Tan Caktiong and real estate tycoon Edgar Sia II—is expanding into Saudi Arabia with plans to build 10,000 rooms worth $2.5 billion amid a travel boom. In partnership with Saudi Arabia-based Horizon Group, Hotel101 has identified an initial five sites for its hotels with the first project to be built in Medina followed by Riyadh, Jeddah, Abha and Alula, Hotel101 said in a statement Thursday. Each Hotel101 site will have an average of 500 rooms, the company said. The joint venture comes ahead of Hotel101's planned listing in Nasdaq that DoubleDragon co-chairman Sia told Forbes Asia in February will be done by the first half of 2025. The Nasdaq listing has been on the table since Singapore-based Hotel101 completed a $2.3 billion merger with a Hong Kong-based special purpose acquisition company. 'We see tremendous opportunities in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia given the high growth in tourism both domestic and international,' Hotel101 CEO Hannah Yulo-Luccini said. 'We believe Saudi Arabia will be one of the most exciting markets for Hotel101 globally.' Saudi Arabia—one of the 25 countries initially identified for Hotel101's expansion—registered 27 million international tourists and 79 million domestic tourists in 2023 who spent about $67 billion, according to the company. Saudi Arabia is also a key market in the Middle East for overseas Filipino workers, whose remittances have supported consumer spending in the Philippines. Hotel101 aims to build a global chain by offering identical, standardized rooms in all its properties for efficiency and affordability. Adopting the 'condotel' concept that gained popularity in the U.S. in the 1980s, Hotel101's rooms, while under construction, are pre-sold at an average price of as much as $250,000 apiece to investors, who can get a 30% share of the gross hotel room revenues and can stay for free up to ten days every year. 'With Hotel101's rapid-build model and Horizon's local know-how, we will add 10,000 quality, affordable rooms across the Kingdom,' said Horizon Group CEO Abdulrahman Sharbatly. Saudi Arabia is the fourth destination outside of the Philippines for Hotel101, which has assets under construction in Japan's ski town of Niseko in Hokkaido, Madrid and Los Angeles. Hotel101 currently has over 1,100 rooms in two operating hotels in the Philippines where it's currently building nine more properties. It aims to have a million rooms by 2050. With a fortune of $340 million, Sia ranked No. 39 when the list of the Philippines' 50 Richest was published in August. Tan Caktiong, who has a net worth of $2.9 billion, is No. 6. Horizon Group has interests in real estate, trading, hospitality and transportation. It owns a stake in SAMACO, which distributes car brands such as Audi, Bentley, Porsche, and Bugatti in Saudi Arabia.
