Misk Foundation Celebrates Results of Saudi Coding Initiative

Misk Foundation celebrates results of Saudi Coding Initiative. (SPA)
Misk Foundation celebrates results of Saudi Coding Initiative. (SPA)
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Misk Foundation Celebrates Results of Saudi Coding Initiative

Misk Foundation celebrates results of Saudi Coding Initiative. (SPA)
Misk Foundation celebrates results of Saudi Coding Initiative. (SPA)

The Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Foundation, Misk, concluded on Sunday the second edition of the Saudi Coding Initiative, reported the Saudi Press Agency.

The event, which was launched on September 2, 2018, concluded with a ceremony in Riyadh that the saw the handing out of awards for winners of coding competitions.

Targeting all parts of the Kingdom, the initiative saw the participation of users from 139 countries and 192 cities and villages from across Saudi Arabia, bringing the total beneficiaries to 1 million since the project’s launch.

The Initiative toured 10 Saudi cities, organized a number of workshops and training courses to teach logical and analytical thinking and problem-solving techniques and allow society members to acquire 21st century skills.

A total of 1,025,971 participants attended distance courses. Women accounted for 52 percent of participants, while 2 percent of all participants were above the age of 65.

Executive Manager of Misk Innovation Deemah Alyahya welcomed the partnership between the public, private and non-profit sectors, saying: “This partnership has brought new skills and opportunities to a wider array of people than ever before.”

“Together we are demonstrating that coding skills can and should be brought within anyone’s reach, and together we are empowering people with knowledge, skills and coding confidence they need for a bright future in the Knowledge Economy.”

“In doing so, we are driving the digital transformation of the Kingdom and ensuring its place on the global frontline of innovation.”

The Saudi Coding Initiative is one of the Misk Foundation's projects that aim at bolstering technical knowledge. It is one of the largest interactive training programs being implemented in the Kingdom.

The second edition of the Initiative took place in partnership with the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology and Saudi Telecom Company (STC), with the participation of 71 schools, universities, government and private sector institutions, as well as a number of digital, social, technical and cultural initiatives.



Faint Glow in Saturn… Did a Mystery Object Crash into the Gas Giant on Saturday?

New image captured by a NASA employee and amateur astronomer appears to show a space object crashing into Saturn for the first time. Photo: NASA
New image captured by a NASA employee and amateur astronomer appears to show a space object crashing into Saturn for the first time. Photo: NASA
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Faint Glow in Saturn… Did a Mystery Object Crash into the Gas Giant on Saturday?

New image captured by a NASA employee and amateur astronomer appears to show a space object crashing into Saturn for the first time. Photo: NASA
New image captured by a NASA employee and amateur astronomer appears to show a space object crashing into Saturn for the first time. Photo: NASA

Astronomers have called for help to identify a mystery object that may have hit Saturn on Saturday in what could be the first recorded instance of a space object crashing on to the gas giant.

Studies suggest large objects- measuring over a kilometer across – strike Saturn once every 3,125 years on an average, according to The Independent.

Although data shows seven or eight small space rocks hit the planet every year, none have been spotted in the act by astronomers so far.

Compared to rocky planets where cosmic collisions leave impact craters, gas giants like Jupiter and Saturn don’t reveal such signs.

But a new image captured by a Nasa employee and amateur astronomer Mario Rana appears to show a space object crashing into Saturn for the first time.

Since gas giants have outer layers made of hydrogen and helium, strikes by asteroids or comets can quickly fade out.

Rana is part of the DeTeCt project, which analyzes images of Jupiter and Saturn using computer software. Videos taken of Saturn by the astronomer last Saturday show a faint glow in the left side of the footage, which seems like an impact event.

The Planetary Virtual Observatory and Laboratory, or PVOL, a consortium of professional and amateur astronomers, has called for experts in the field to attempt to confirm or refute the potential impact on Saturn.

“Marc Delcroix reports a potential impact in Saturn captured in a few frames in a video observation obtained by Mario Rana. The potential impact would be very faint and is unconfirmed,” PVOL said in a statement.

“The very short impact flash occurred on Saturn on 5 July 2025, between 9am and 9.15am UT. It is very important to get other videos of Saturn taken during that time frame.”

PVOL has urged astronomers who may have also captured observations from this time to contact Delcroix and submit their data.

Leigh N Fletcher, a planetary science professor at the University of Leicester, also called for amateur space observers to share any potential videos they may have of the impact.

“Amplifying the call from Marc Delcroix and co over the weekend: the team are looking to verify/refute a potential impact on Saturn on 5 July, 9am to 9.15am UT,” Dr Fletcher wrote on BlueSky.

“Videos taken by amateur observers at that time might hold the key.”