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AlUla Hosts Nobel Laureates in Hegra Conference 2020

AlUla hosts Nobel Laureates in Hegra Conference 2020. (SPA)
AlUla hosts Nobel Laureates in Hegra Conference 2020. (SPA)
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AlUla Hosts Nobel Laureates in Hegra Conference 2020

AlUla hosts Nobel Laureates in Hegra Conference 2020. (SPA)
AlUla hosts Nobel Laureates in Hegra Conference 2020. (SPA)

More than 20 Nobel laureates and over 100 prominent scientists and thought, community and political leaders from all over the world have arrived in AlUla in northwestern Saudi Arabia to take part in the first Hegra Conference of Nobel Prize Laureates 2020.

The conference is hosted by the Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU) at the Maraya Hall. The conference's theme, "Knowledge Transfer: A Shared Heritage" reflects the historical role of AlUla as a crossroads where different cultures, civilizations and peoples came together thousands of years ago. It also sheds light on the importance of knowledge transfer as a fundamental principle of humanity.

Visiting Nobel Peace Prize laureates include former Polish president Lech Wałęsa, former Northern Ireland first minister Lord David Trimble and the founder of Grameen Bank in Bangladesh, Muhammad Yunus.

Among prominent participants and speakers at the conference are Princess Dana Firas, president of Petra National Trust, which hosted the last conference of Nobel Prize laureates, and UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay.

The conference will discuss global issues related to unity, international cooperation, innovation, sustainability, heritage preservation and building a common vision for the future. It aims to provide clear and influential solutions for the future of education, health, agriculture and economics.

The Conference of Nobel Laureates has been held regularly since 2004.

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Russian ‘Spy Whale’ in Norway Wasn’t Shot Dead, Likely Died of Infection

FILE - In this photo taken in April 2019 a beluga whale found in Arctic Norway is fed. (Jorgen Ree Wiig, Norwegian Directorate of Fisheries via AP)
FILE - In this photo taken in April 2019 a beluga whale found in Arctic Norway is fed. (Jorgen Ree Wiig, Norwegian Directorate of Fisheries via AP)
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Russian ‘Spy Whale’ in Norway Wasn’t Shot Dead, Likely Died of Infection

FILE - In this photo taken in April 2019 a beluga whale found in Arctic Norway is fed. (Jorgen Ree Wiig, Norwegian Directorate of Fisheries via AP)
FILE - In this photo taken in April 2019 a beluga whale found in Arctic Norway is fed. (Jorgen Ree Wiig, Norwegian Directorate of Fisheries via AP)

A beluga whale that lived off Norway’s coast and whose harness ignited speculation that it was a Russian spy, was not shot to death as claimed by animal rights groups but died of a bacterial infection, Norwegian police said Friday.
A final autopsy by Norway's Veterinary Institute “concludes that the probable cause of death was bacterial infection -- possibly as a result of a wound in the mouth from a stuck stick,” Amund Preede Revheim, head of the North Sea and Environment section of the police in south-western Norway said.
“There have been no findings from the autopsy that indicate that the whale has been shot,” he stressed, adding that the autopsy had been “made difficult by the fact that many of the whale’s organs were very rotten.” As there was no indication of foul play, there was no reason to start a criminal investigation into its death, The Associated Press quoted Preede Revheim as saying.
The tame beluga, which was first spotted in 2019 not far from Russian waters with a harness reading “Equipment St. Petersburg,” had been nicknamed "Hvaldimir,” combining the Norwegian word for whale — hval — and the first name of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
It was found floating in a southern Norway bay on Aug. 31.
In September, animal advocate groups OneWhale and NOAH filed a police report saying that the animal’s wounds suggested it was intentionally killed.
They pointed at several wounds found on the animal’s skin, including what was interpreted as a bullet hole.
“Assessments made by the Veterinary Institute and the police’s forensic technicians are that these are not gunshot wounds. X-rays of the chest and head were carried out without any projectiles or other metal fragments being detected,” police said in a statement.
Earlier, police had described a stick about 35 centimeters (14 inches) long and 3 centimeters (1 inch) wide which was found wedged in the animal’s mouth, its stomach was empty and its organs had broken down, police said. No further details were given.
The 4.2-meter (14-foot) long and 1,225-kilogram (2,700-pound) whale was first spotted by fishermen not far from the Arctic town of Hammerfest.
Its harness, along with what appeared to be a mount for a small camera, led to media speculation that it was a “spy whale.” Experts say the Russian navy is known to have trained whales for military purposes. Media reports also have speculated that the whale might have been trained as a therapy animal.
There was no immediate reaction from OneWhale or NOAH.