https://arab.news/z2mz2

HAIL: The art of beadwork is an ancient craft passed from one generation to another in Hail.

House of Hail, supervised by Hail Municipality in Aja Park, features a corner for making prayer beads by a local artisan, Mohammed Al-Obaida.

Al-Obaida’s small and simple corner displays more than 35 kinds of beads and other raw materials sourced from different countries to make prayer beads.  

Al-Obaida, who has been in the trade for three years, learned the art from his brother, who has been in the beadwork-making profession for about 18 years.

The young artisan said that some prayer beads sell for SR10 while others for SR40,000, depending on the type of beads, threads, size and other material used.  

Visitors at the House of Hail are also introduced to different kinds of beads such as the “mastiha,” “bakelite,” “sandalus,” amber, and wood, in addition to different materials used in beadwork such as ivory, wood, stone, fiber and plastic.

Al-Obaida also tells visitors about the multiple cuts of the beads such as circular, olive, azure, barrel, Istanbouli and box shape.

Beadwork requires several machines, he explained, such as the saw, the lathe, in addition to the sanding, polishing and punching machines.

He said that some prayer beads could be manufactured in one hour while others can take up to 28 days.

Al-Obaida thanked the municipality for organizing the House of Hail, which he described as a great attraction for visitors.

He said that these events highlighted the region’s traditional occupations.

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia's King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center on Friday distributed food aid and shelter assistance to flood-affected families in Sudan.

The move came under the directives of King Salman and forms part of the Saudi airlift efforts that KSrelief recently dispatched to support the Sudanese people who have been affected by the torrential rains, which have swept through several cities and states and led to heavy losses in lives and property.

The center’s specialized technical team was able to reach isolated and flood-hit areas and succeeded in delivering shelter and food assistance to the locals, to alleviate their suffering and improve their living conditions.

On Thursday, two Saudi relief planes arrived as part of the Saudi relief airlift to the Sudanese capital, Khartoum, carrying more than 100 tons of food and shelter aid to alleviate the suffering of those affected by the floods.

This comes within the ongoing framework of humanitarian and relief assistance provided by the Kingdom, represented by the Center, to help the needy and affected countries around the world.

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSrelief) will launch the second phase of its emergency intervention plan to help the people of Somalia affected by drought and famine next week.

Supplies and provisions will be provided for displaced families, and food security programs will be launched in coordination with KSrelief’s partners, including the UN, international organizations and civil institutions, a Saudi Press Agency report said Friday.

Supervisor General Abdullah Al-Rabeeah said drinking water and more than 52,000 food baskets will be distributed in the worst-hit areas of Somalia, while Dates will also be distributed to the neediest people in the country.

Projects to be carried out as part of the second phase are worth more than SR47 million ($12.5 million) and will be followed up on site by KSrelief’s branch in Somalia.

Al-Rabeeah also said that during the first phase 78,000 food baskets were distributed, drinking water was provided and meat distributed to families affected by the drought, amounting to almost SR23 million.

Emergency relief to Somalia is an extension of the Kingdom’s humanitarian efforts to help brotherly peoples during crises and hardships, he said.

JEDDAH: Saudi inventor Nasser Al-Shemaimry showed a method to harness energy from ocean currents using turbines at a press conference at the Movenpick hotel in Jeddah on Wednesday.

The press conference was attended by Prince Abdulaziz bin Nasser, who served at the Ministry of Interior for more than 40 years.

Al-Shemaimry, CEO of OceanBased Perpetual Energy, founded in Miami, signed a memorandum of understanding with Prince Abdulaziz.

“This memorandum will be presented to the inventor Nasser Al-Shemaimry for engineering supplies and most office services,” he told Arab News. “And to connect with ministries, and we will help him with anything he needs.”

Al-Shemaimry’s project was first used in south Florida to harness the Florida Gulf Stream current and convert it to clean and renewable power.

“Oceans and seas have some currents that go from one direction to another, the current varies in speed, but the current we are using is 5 to 6 miles per hour,” he told Arab News.

“Five-six miles per hour is enough to make the propellers turn, and our propeller is 64 meters long, so as it turns, it turns the turbines inside of the cowling, and that turbine rotates the generator, which produces electricity,” he said.

He said that his project takes the electricity from the generator to a substation then the substation regulates the electricity to what is needed.

“Then it goes to the shore and we connect it to the main substation on shore, then it is up to the city hall or the people who are in charge of the town, city or country to take it from there and take it to the power lines,” he said.

Highlighting how it compares to other sustainable power sources such as solar or wind, he said the ocean provided a continuous and uninterrupted supply of energy.

For solar energy requirements, he said as long as the sun was up the panels would work and charge batteries.

“Each energy source has its own advantages and disadvantages. Solar energy has been around forever, it works and serves its purpose, it’s inexpensive and on land,” he said.

“Windmills are everywhere, but the difference in my opinion is that our energy is perpetual; it doesn’t stop, it works 24/7 and 365 days a year.”

Since the launch of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 in 2016, Saudi Arabia has made effective efforts to protect the environment and reduce the effects of climate change to achieve sustainability.

Extensive studies within the Green Saudi Initiative revealed a reduction of carbon emissions by more than 4 percent, and efforts to provide 50 percent electricity through renewable energy projects by the year 2030.

Riyadh: Saudi Arabia has always been open for business according to Sarah Elzeini, founder and CEO of SMZ International, a boutique strategic advisory and activities firm based in the US. 

In her portfolio of work are efforts to grow cultural bridges and facilitate business deals that serve the mission of Saudi Vision 2030. Speaking on the latest episode of “The Mayman Show,” she said “Saudi (has) always been open, first of all, to engagement in business. But just what it looks like today is much different.”

She added that, with many new sectors opening up, such as tourism, advancing AI and technology, events such as the Global AI Summit, and sustainability with the Saudi Green Initiative, the Kingdom is very attractive for the international community, and in particular, the US.

Elzeini said that there is interest for international collaboration in terms of inter-governmental agencies like the UN, and the US government itself. She added that there is also a lot of engagement in educational and research fields, especially around universities.

She also said that dialogue was increasing due to the Kingdom’s economic evolution. “They (the Saudi leadership) have been investing so much in tech and sustainability, and now we’re leaning into their knowledge … talent, and their stories.

“So now, it feels like a really robust bilateral relationship,” she said.

In Sarah’s opinion, Saudi Arabia has become particularly exciting for entrepreneurs. “It’s kind of like (for) an archeologist, a new site, you know — to dig up and discover treasures in a way. Entrepreneurs are looking for new spaces to kind of breathe out their ideas. Yeah, so we have a lot of interest, I think, coming from Silicon Valley,” she said.

Elzeini explained that she is in discussions with several companies trying to bring them to the Kingdom, some of which are startups in the AI and tech space.

“They’re creating these phenomenal ideas. And actually the market isn’t US, it’s not fit for the US. It’s even better for Saudi and the MENA region. So Saudi just being open and the largest market,” she said.

SMZ International Group facilitate partnerships and new opportunities for businesses in social impact. “That’s one of the reasons why I’m in the Kingdom this week, there’s several companies I’m looking forward to bringing to the Kingdom. So I’ve been between Jeddah and Riyadh, and also there’s one company that I’m part of which is really exciting. It’s a tourism tech company. It’s the world’s first social city guide, which is the world’s first social media for tourism,” she said.

“We’re here just kind of seeing the market opportunity and how we can engage with the Kingdom, and we’ve been having meetings with the Ministry of Tourism, venture capitalists, some others in the private sector. And so it’s been exciting.”

SMZ International aims to create vehicles for organizations, whether for a foundation or a program that offers an initiative or a vision.

“Washington, D.C. (is) the intersection of not just the US domestically and culturally, but it’s the world’s capital, in a sense, too. So you have a lot of countries engaging there. And so it’s very important for foreign countries to engage there. And I do a lot of work mainly with the Middle East and with a focus on Saudi,” Elzeini said.

“I’m in this phase of business, and then just my passion is being in public affairs and kind of helping live out those initiatives and dreams that (are) coming from the region here, which I feel really connected to.”

RIYADH: Fans of anime have been enjoying “Grendizer,” an anime Super Robot TV series created by Japanese manga artist Go Nagai, for decades.

On Thursday night, during an event in Riyadh Boulevard City, Manga Productions, a subsidiary of Saudi Arabia’s MISK Foundation, announced the launch of Project G, described as a one-of-a-kind regional and global initiative that gives fans a chance to help shape the future of the franchise.

The project has been developed and launched in collaboration with a number of Japanese partners with experience and expertise in the production of anime, including the holders of the rights to the Grendizer series.

“We are here to announce project G, which is about ‘Grendizer’ anime, and announce the partnership between Manga Productions and the Japanese company Dynamic Productions,” Abdulaziz Al-Naghmoush, the marketing manager of Manga Productions, told Arab News.

Thursday’s event included the launch of a global competition that gives regional and international anime and manga fans the chance to create hostile UFO vehicles known as “Saucer Beasts” that will feature in the upcoming project. Three winners will share a total cash prize of $15,000.

“We are developing an international competition open to Saudis, Arabs and people worldwide for amateurs and professionals,” said Sara Al-Taweel, communication and PR manager with Manga Productions. “People can join us and submit their artwork for character design.

“We have a design competition where we ask everyone to create their own mechanical anime character inspired by the world of ‘Grendizer,’ and the winner will have their artwork included in Project G as well as receiving a cash prize.”

Essam Bukhary, the CEO of Manga Productions, said during the event that the goal of the project is to inspire the heroes of tomorrow and shape their future.

“At Manga Productions, we believe in the power of content and shaping the future of those generations,” he added. “‘Grendizer’ has been inspiring generations to be a better version of themselves and we are proud that our partners in Japan chose us for this announcement. This is an appreciation for Saudi talents and their creativity.”

The event concluded with a synchronized drone display, in the form of ‘Grendizer’ characters, that lit up the sky over Riyadh and was also shown on big screens to viewers along Riyadh Boulevard.