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Saudi Arabia to Employ AI in Farms

The Deputy Minister of Environment, Water, and Agriculture, Mansour al-Mushaiti, witnessed the signing ceremony of several agreements in agriculture (Asharq Al-Awsat)
The Deputy Minister of Environment, Water, and Agriculture, Mansour al-Mushaiti, witnessed the signing ceremony of several agreements in agriculture (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Saudi Arabia to Employ AI in Farms

The Deputy Minister of Environment, Water, and Agriculture, Mansour al-Mushaiti, witnessed the signing ceremony of several agreements in agriculture (Asharq Al-Awsat)
The Deputy Minister of Environment, Water, and Agriculture, Mansour al-Mushaiti, witnessed the signing ceremony of several agreements in agriculture (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Several Saudi companies signed Wednesday local and international agreements and memoranda of understanding (MoU) on the sidelines of the second edition of the Global AI Summit in Riyadh.

The Ministry of Environment, Water, and Agriculture signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the ministry and Tata for consultancy services in various industrial sectors.

The MoU aims to employ artificial intelligence in agriculture, improve the sustainability of food production, reduce carbon emissions, and use existing AI-based solutions to detect pests and diseases and improve crop quality.

The Deputy Minister of Environment, Water, and Agriculture, Mansour al-Mushaiti, also witnessed the signing of a memorandum of understanding between the ministry and Saudi Signify Company, which specializes in food, to benefit from AI technologies in establishing smart farms.

Director of the Public Administration of Information Technology and Digital Transformation at the Ministry of Environment, Water, and Agriculture Abdulhamid al-Olewi said that signing the memorandum is part of the ministry's keenness to develop all aspects that can serve the agricultural services in Saudi Arabia.

He indicated that it meets the ministry's strategy for digital transformation and Vision 2030 goals.

CEO of Saudi Signify Company Abdulrahman Kheirallah said that the company focuses on providing innovative lighting solutions that help meet local orders with increasing production.

The company targets three main fields: smart farms provided with a dynamic lighting system inspired by the natural light system, smart farms for aquaculture equipped with a plan to control lighting with the use of custom-designed lighting conditions to improve the water environment to enhance fish production, and smart gardening farms with the GrowWise control system to receive a sustainable, predictable quality and locally produced crops.

Also, the Saudi Electricity Company (SEC) signed memoranda of understanding with Microsoft, Udacity, and Datarobot, on the sidelines of its participation in the Global AI Summit.

The memorandum signed with Microsoft aims to sustain and boost skills in AI, while the agreement with Udacity seeks to develop skills according to learning paths in digital transformation and AI.

SEC agreed with Datarobot to develop learning and implement smart solutions using AI.

These partnerships enhance the Electricity Company's efforts in AI, in line with its digital transformation strategy.

Furthermore, the Saudi Company for Artificial Intelligence (SCAI), a PIF-owned company, signed an MoU with the Saudi Technology and Security Comprehensive Control Company (Tahakom).

The two parties will collaborate to develop the AI infrastructure and super-computing capabilities necessary to power the next generation of AI applications.

The companies will leverage their joint technical capabilities to cultivate and implement the infrastructure required to process the vast amounts of data smart cities generate.

The collaboration is set to further enable a climate of innovation across the Kingdom's AI ecosystem, contribute to developing homegrown intellectual property, and inspire the next generation of talented Saudi data scientists.

Moreover, the Transport General Authority signed a memorandum of understanding with Princess Nourah Bint Abdul Rahman University in the presence of Deputy Minister Rumaih al-Rumaih and the university's rector, Princess Einas el-Issa.

The agreement aims to support areas of cooperation between the two parties in scientific research and innovation in the transport sectors, develop curricula, provide consultations and training, train human resources skills in the same fields, and enhance social awareness of the importance of various transport services.

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Hundreds of Firefighters Battle Japan Forest Blazes

Japanese Self-Defense Forces helicopter drops water during firefighting operations, as wildfires continue in Otsuchi, Iwate Prefecture, Japan, April 25, 2026. (Reuters)
Japanese Self-Defense Forces helicopter drops water during firefighting operations, as wildfires continue in Otsuchi, Iwate Prefecture, Japan, April 25, 2026. (Reuters)
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Hundreds of Firefighters Battle Japan Forest Blazes

Japanese Self-Defense Forces helicopter drops water during firefighting operations, as wildfires continue in Otsuchi, Iwate Prefecture, Japan, April 25, 2026. (Reuters)
Japanese Self-Defense Forces helicopter drops water during firefighting operations, as wildfires continue in Otsuchi, Iwate Prefecture, Japan, April 25, 2026. (Reuters)

Hundreds of firefighters were battling wildfires in the forests of northern Japan on Saturday, as authorities urged more than 3,200 people to evacuate from their homes, government officials said.

As of Saturday morning, blazes in the mountainous areas of Iwate region had burned about 700 hectares (1,730 acres) since breaking out three days ago, local government officials said in a statement.

A large column of smoke, which could be smelled 30 kilometers (20 miles) away, was seen rising up the valley near the town of Otsuchi as two helicopters dropped water on the burning forest.

In Otsuchi, fire engines were spraying the forest near homes close to the fire.

About a dozen helicopters and more than 1,300 firefighters as well as Japan Self-Defense Forces troops would be mobilized on Saturday to battle the fires, the statement said.

At least eight buildings had been burnt but all the residents had evacuated, it said.

"We're making efforts to extinguish (the fires) ... and will update the information" later in the day, an Iwate official told AFP.

"Ultimately, I do hope it'll rain," a man in Otsuchi told public broadcaster NHK.

Increasingly dry winters have raised the risk of wildfires. A blaze that broke out in the Iwate city of Ofunato early last year was Japan's worst in more than half a century.

Scientists have long warned that climate change caused by mankind's burning of fossil fuels will make periods of drought more intense and longer-lasting, creating the ideal conditions for wildfires.

Varieties

Australia and New Zealand Gather in Türkiye to Commemorate WWI Battle

New Zealand soldiers march during the international service in recognition of the Gallipoli campaign at Mehmetcik monument, a day before ANZAC Day, in the Gallipoli peninsula near Canakkale, Türkiye, Friday, April 24, 2026. (Sercan Ozkurnazli/Dia Photo via AP)
New Zealand soldiers march during the international service in recognition of the Gallipoli campaign at Mehmetcik monument, a day before ANZAC Day, in the Gallipoli peninsula near Canakkale, Türkiye, Friday, April 24, 2026. (Sercan Ozkurnazli/Dia Photo via AP)
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Australia and New Zealand Gather in Türkiye to Commemorate WWI Battle

New Zealand soldiers march during the international service in recognition of the Gallipoli campaign at Mehmetcik monument, a day before ANZAC Day, in the Gallipoli peninsula near Canakkale, Türkiye, Friday, April 24, 2026. (Sercan Ozkurnazli/Dia Photo via AP)
New Zealand soldiers march during the international service in recognition of the Gallipoli campaign at Mehmetcik monument, a day before ANZAC Day, in the Gallipoli peninsula near Canakkale, Türkiye, Friday, April 24, 2026. (Sercan Ozkurnazli/Dia Photo via AP)

Officials and visitors from Australia, New Zealand and Turkey gathered in northwest Türkiye on Saturday to commemorate the 111th anniversary of the Battle of Gallipoli.

The solemn ceremony began at 5:30 a.m. local time near a beach where the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps, or Anzacs, first landed at Gallipoli at dawn on April 25, 1915.

The hour-long event included mournful hymns, prayers and the laying of wreaths by the participants, which included representatives from many countries around the world.

The Gallipoli campaign, part of a British-led effort to defeat the Ottoman Empire, ultimately failed, resulting in tens of thousands of deaths on both sides during the eight-month conflict. It aimed to secure a naval route from the Mediterranean Sea to Istanbul through the Dardanelles, and knock the Ottomans out of the war.

The battle helped forge Australia and New Zealand’s national identities, as well as friendship with their former adversary, Türkiye.

“From great suffering, understanding can grow. From former enemies, friendships can blossom. The relationship between Türkiye, Australia and New Zealand is built on remembrance, respect and recognition of our shared humanity,” said Governor-General of New Zealand Dame Cindy Kiro during the opening address.

Turkish Col. Fatih Cansiz read from the tribute Türkiye’s founder Mustafa Kemal Ataturk made in 1934 for the fallen: “Those heroes that shed their blood and lost their lives ... you are now lying in the soil of a friendly country. Therefore, rest in peace. There is no difference between the Johnnies and the Mehmets to us where they lie side by side in this country of ours.”

Ataturk first rose to prominence as commander of the Turkish forces at Gallipoli, then went on to lead Türkiye’s War of Independence and ultimately found the Turkish Republic.

Varieties

Chinese Panda Pair Headed to US Zoo

One of four panda bears at Zoo Atlanta rests in their habitat on Dec. 30, 2023, in Atlanta. (AP)
One of four panda bears at Zoo Atlanta rests in their habitat on Dec. 30, 2023, in Atlanta. (AP)
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Chinese Panda Pair Headed to US Zoo

One of four panda bears at Zoo Atlanta rests in their habitat on Dec. 30, 2023, in Atlanta. (AP)
One of four panda bears at Zoo Atlanta rests in their habitat on Dec. 30, 2023, in Atlanta. (AP)

Two giant pandas from China are headed to Atlanta on a new 10-year conservation deal.

Pandas Ping Ping, a male, and Fu Shuang, a female, will live at Zoo Atlanta, China Wildlife Conservation Association said in a statement Friday.

The organization signed the research agreement with the United States zoo last year, it said, noting the deal continues "the 'panda bond' shared by the people of both nations for more than 20 years".

The panda pair come from the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding in southwestern Sichuan province, according to the statement.

"Zoo Atlanta is delighted and honored to yet again be trusted as stewards of this treasured species," the zoo's president Raymond B. King said in a statement.

"We can't wait to meet Ping Ping and Fu Shuang."

The zoo welcomed its first giant pandas Yang Yang and Lun Lun when they arrived in 1999.

That pair produced seven cubs over a 25-year agreement before returning to China with their two youngest in 2024, when that deal expired.

The US side has prepared for Ping Ping and Fu Shuang's arrival by renovating their habitat to make it "more comfortable and more safe", the Chinese association said.

The panda news comes as US President Donald Trump is expected to meet his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in Beijing next month.

A Chinese foreign ministry spokesman said on Friday the new deal "will contribute to the well-being of giant pandas... and the friendship between the people of China and the US".