Saudi Crown Prince Launches Infrastructure Works for ‘Rua Al Madinah’ Project

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman
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Saudi Crown Prince Launches Infrastructure Works for ‘Rua Al Madinah’ Project

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, chairman of the Council of Economic and Development Affairs (CEDA) and chairman of the Public Investment Fund (PIF), has inaugurated the infrastructure works and unveiled the master plan for the Rua Al Madinah Project in the area east of the Prophet’s Mosque.

The project is being developed and implemented by Rua Al Madinah Holding Company, a PIF company that specializes in development, operation, and real estate investment in Madinah. A part of PIF’s efforts to develop and enable promising sectors, the project is in line with Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030.

The Crown Prince stated that the Rua Al Madinah Project will raise the capacity to facilitate hosting 30 million Umrah pilgrims by 2030.

The project will be implemented to the highest international standards in an indication of the continuous support from the Kingdom’s leadership to Madinah to consolidate its position as a modern Islamic and cultural destination.

After rehabilitating 1.5 million m2, the project is set to add over 47,000 hotel rooms by 2030, in addition to open spaces and green areas that will enhance the location’s serene ambiance.

As much as 83,000 m2 of the project’s master plan will consist of green areas, with open and green spaces comprising 63% of the project’s total land area.

The project has been designed according to the highest international standards and offers many integrated transportation solutions, including nine bus stops for visitors, a metro station, tracks for self-driving vehicles, and underground parking.

These are being introduced to facilitate visitor access to the Prophet’s Mosque and will support both residential and commercial activity while helping to create many job opportunities.

The project aims to elevate the city’s status as a modern Islamic and cultural destination for pilgrims.

It features modern urban planning and large-scale development projects that will contribute to an increased quality of life by enhancing the comfort and enriching the experience of Madinah’s residents and visitors.

The project also seeks to enrich the quality of services provided and boost the hotel inventory of the area on the east side of the Prophet’s Mosque, including in the luxury segment.

Rua Al Madinah Holding Company aims to contribute to achieving the goals of the Hajj, Umrah, and travel sectors outlined in Vision 2030 by enriching the experience of visitors to the city.

It also seeks to revive the city’s cultural and architectural heritage, which has been carefully considered throughout the development process.

The project showcases many historical monuments that are of huge significance to the legacy of the Prophet and his companions, while the Holy City’s unique heritage is reflected in the design of all buildings and facilities.

Rua Al Madinah Holding Company’s strategy is closely aligned with the PIF’s drive to stimulate growth in the Kingdom’s promising vital sectors, in line with the goals of Vision 2030.



Civil Defense Announces Danger Has Passed in Five Saudi Cities, Including Makkah

Early Warning Sirens Activated in Makkah and Four Other Saudi Cities (SPA)
Early Warning Sirens Activated in Makkah and Four Other Saudi Cities (SPA)
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Civil Defense Announces Danger Has Passed in Five Saudi Cities, Including Makkah

Early Warning Sirens Activated in Makkah and Four Other Saudi Cities (SPA)
Early Warning Sirens Activated in Makkah and Four Other Saudi Cities (SPA)

Saudi Civil Defense announced on Thursday that the danger had passed in Makkah, Jeddah, Taif, Yanbu, and Tabuk, shortly after early warning sirens were activated as part of emergency procedures to warn of a potential danger.

Through its official account on the X platform, Saudi Civil Defense urged residents to continue following instructions, avoid gathering and filming altogether, and contact the emergency number 998 when necessary.

Earlier, Civil Defense had announced the activation of an alert through the National Early Warning Platform for Emergencies in Makkah, Jeddah, Taif, Yanbu, and Tabuk to warn of a potential danger, urging residents to remain calm and follow official instructions.

According to the safety guidelines issued by Civil Defense, residents were instructed to immediately move to the nearest safe location, either inside a building or in an interior room away from windows, and remain there until the danger had passed. They were also advised not to leave their homes or buildings during the warning period.

Civil Defense stressed the importance of staying away from open areas, windows, and glass, and of not standing on balconies or rooftops. It explained that anyone outside a building should enter the nearest building or seek shelter behind a solid barrier.

It also warned against gathering, filming, and approaching dangerous locations. Drivers who receive a warning message while driving were advised to pull over to the side of the road, away from bridges, tunnels, and high-rise buildings.

Civil Defense emphasized the importance of obtaining information from official sources and warned against circulating rumors or footage from unknown sources. It stressed the need to follow instructions issued by the relevant authorities through official channels.


Google Plans First Test of AI Chips in Space under Project Suncatcher

FILE PHOTO: A specially designed Google logo, during the opening of Google's new Artificial Intelligence (AI) centre in Berlin, Germany, March 5, 2026. REUTERS/Annegret Hilse//File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A specially designed Google logo, during the opening of Google's new Artificial Intelligence (AI) centre in Berlin, Germany, March 5, 2026. REUTERS/Annegret Hilse//File Photo
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Google Plans First Test of AI Chips in Space under Project Suncatcher

FILE PHOTO: A specially designed Google logo, during the opening of Google's new Artificial Intelligence (AI) centre in Berlin, Germany, March 5, 2026. REUTERS/Annegret Hilse//File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A specially designed Google logo, during the opening of Google's new Artificial Intelligence (AI) centre in Berlin, Germany, March 5, 2026. REUTERS/Annegret Hilse//File Photo

Alphabet's Google said on Thursday it will launch a prototype satellite next week in its first in-orbit test of Project Suncatcher, a research effort to explore whether space could potentially host large-scale AI computing infrastructure.

Companies including SpaceX and Starcloud are pursuing plans to deploy data centers in low Earth orbit, aiming to harness near-continuous sunlight to power energy-intensive AI computing and sidestep terrestrial constraints on electricity supplies.

The new mission, scheduled to fly on SpaceX's upcoming Transporter-18 rideshare launch in partnership with satellite company Planet Labs, will assess how Google's AI hardware withstands launch forces, radiation and extreme temperatures in LEO.

After the launch, it will send a prototype satellite carrying Google Tensor Processing Units into low Earth orbit to assess if the AI chips can operate reliably in space, according to Reuters.

Space radiation can disrupt or degrade electronics, including by causing data errors known as bit flips.

Google said it tested its TPUs while running AI workloads in a facility at the University of California, Davis, but that orbital testing was needed to understand how the hardware performs in the real environment.

The company will also evaluate its design to cool the power-intensive chips in the vacuum of space, where conventional airflow cooling is impossible, by combining heat pipes with radiators.

But experts have said that the concept remains years from being commercially viable given high launch costs, engineering constraints and satellite production bottlenecks.

The first Suncatcher mission is designed to gather in-orbit data and identify potential failure points, rather than demonstrate an operational orbital data center, Google said.

It aims to launch two satellites in 2027 to test the high-bandwidth laser links needed to connect future computing clusters.


Coalition: Six Ballistic Missiles Launched by Terrorist Houthi Militia Intercepted, Destroyed

Coalition spokesman Major General Turki al-Malki. (SPA)
Coalition spokesman Major General Turki al-Malki. (SPA)
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Coalition: Six Ballistic Missiles Launched by Terrorist Houthi Militia Intercepted, Destroyed

Coalition spokesman Major General Turki al-Malki. (SPA)
Coalition spokesman Major General Turki al-Malki. (SPA)

Official Spokesperson of the Coalition to Support Legitimacy in Yemen Major General Turki Al-Malki stated that coalition forces intercepted and destroyed six ballistic missiles launched by the terrorist Houthi militia, and air defenses foiled an attempt to target Taif and Yanbu.

He said the escalation and violations by the terrorist Houthi militia will be dealt with firmly.