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Saudi Monetary Authority Launches Cyber-Security Training Program

The SAMA logo.
The SAMA logo.
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Saudi Monetary Authority Launches Cyber-Security Training Program

The SAMA logo.
The SAMA logo.

Saudi Arabian Monetary Authority (SAMA) announced the launch of the second version of its cyber-security training program.

The program, dubbed Secure 18, is scheduled to start Monday in order to prepare national cadres for taking cyber-security positions in the financial sector, as well as other sectors. The initiative, held for the second year in a row, is part of the Financial Sector Development Program's efforts to help push Vision 2030 forward.

SAMA explained that the 26-week program will be held in Saudi Arabia and United States, through which 26 trainees will attend seminars, meetings and scientific and practical training delivered by international experts.

The Authority illustrated that the acceptance process in the program went through several systematic phases of assessment that encompass about 8,000 computer science and information technology graduates from local and foreign accredited universities.

It explained that the first phase will begin in Riyadh for five weeks through which trainees will learn the fundamental concepts of cyber-security, as well as basic skills. They will then travel to the United States to begin the second phase, which lasts 19 weeks, during which they will develop their technical specialization.

Trainees will be divided into four technical tracks: defense and protection, penetration test, Pascal structure and governance and risk management. They will be motivated to research and increase their cyber-security knowledge. The second phase includes intensive practical and on-the-job training, seminars, discussion panels and guidance.

In the final phase, participants will be trained to encounter real cyber-attacks and project management through real-time simulation experience. This phase includes visits to legislative and supervisory authorities in the Kingdom.

In January 21, SAMA graduated 19 students (both male and female) who underwent intensive training for six months and a half in Saudi Arabia, the United State and United Kingdom.

The graduates were eventually recruited by SAMA, the Ministry of Finance, General Authority of Zakat and Tax, General Authority of statistic and Saudi Customs, as well as the banking sectors.

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Fire, Smoke Upend Western Canada’s Summer Tourism Season

A helicopter works a forest fire outside of Jasper, Alberta, Canada, on Friday July 26, 2024. (Reuters)
A helicopter works a forest fire outside of Jasper, Alberta, Canada, on Friday July 26, 2024. (Reuters)
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Fire, Smoke Upend Western Canada’s Summer Tourism Season

A helicopter works a forest fire outside of Jasper, Alberta, Canada, on Friday July 26, 2024. (Reuters)
A helicopter works a forest fire outside of Jasper, Alberta, Canada, on Friday July 26, 2024. (Reuters)

Severe wildfire seasons are increasingly hurting western Canada's lucrative tourism industry, with some visitors beginning to avoid the busy late-summer months due to concerns about uncontrolled blazes, smoke-filled skies and road closures.

After a scorching start to July, nearly 600 wildfires are now ablaze across British Columbia and Alberta, including a huge fire that this week devastated the picturesque tourist town of Jasper in the Canadian Rockies.

Dozens of communities, including popular holiday spots in British Columbia's Kootenay region, are under evacuation orders and several highways are closed.

This year's surge in wildfire activity comes after Canada endured its worst-ever year for wildfires in 2023, when more than 15 million hectares (37 million acres) burned, including parts of the city of West Kelowna in the heart of British Columbia's wine region.

Ellen Walker-Matthews, head of the Thompson Okanagan Tourism Association, said the industry was seeing a lot more last-minute travel decisions instead of booking in advance.

"It's a huge blow. July and August are traditionally the busiest months in the region," said Walker-Matthews, adding that while her region has been relatively unscathed by wildfires this summer, some visitors are choosing to avoid interior British Columbia altogether.

The members of the British Columbia Lodging and Campgrounds Association are reporting a 5-15% drop in bookings from a year ago, with the biggest declines coming from the hotter Okanagan and Cariboo regions, said Joss Penny, who heads the association.

"The concern is that this is something we have to live with and we have it every year now," said Penny.

Although wildfires in Canada's forests are natural and common, scientists say drier, hotter conditions fueled by climate change are leading to more volatile and frequent blazes.

'SMOKEY SKIES'

Some events, like the Salmon Arm Roots and Blues Festival, usually held in August, have now been rescheduled to earlier in the summer to avoid what is now seen as peak smoke season. The festival, which was cancelled last year due to nearby wildfires, was this year moved to July to benefit from "less smokey skies."

Wildfires and extreme climatic events are prompting tourists to "change their plans not just temporarily, but permanently," said Elizabeth Halpenny, a tourism researcher and professor at the University of Alberta, noting that seasonal workers in the sector are often the hardest hit as they have few protections during a bad season or amid a cataclysmic fire.

Tourism contributed C$7.2 billion to the British Columbia economy in 2022, and C$9.9 billion to Alberta in 2023, according to the latest government data.

Jasper National Park is one of Canada's premier tourist destinations, with more than 2 million visitors a year flocking to see its pristine mountain landscapes and abundant wildlife, including grizzly bears, moose and elk.

Kelly Torrens, vice-president of product at international tour company Kensington Tours, described western Canada as a bucket-list destination. But the company now has 49 trips that were supposed to pass through Jasper this season in limbo. Six others were forced to evacuate the park when the fire hit.

Parks Canada has cancelled all camping reservations within Jasper National Park until Aug. 6 and with potentially 50% of the town's structures destroyed by fire, the cleanup and rebuild could take years.

Halpenny is among those hedging their bets.

"I've booked a campsite stay in the mountain parks but at the same time, I booked a campsite out on the prairie somewhere and that's my backup plan because I don't want to miss out on my vacation with my family."