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.



Tornadoes Kill 5, Injure 83 in China's Shandong Province

Photo used for illustrative purposes | REUTERS
Photo used for illustrative purposes | REUTERS
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Tornadoes Kill 5, Injure 83 in China's Shandong Province

Photo used for illustrative purposes | REUTERS
Photo used for illustrative purposes | REUTERS

Five people were confirmed dead after tornadoes struck a city in the eastern Chinese province of Shandong, according to local media reports Saturday.

Tornadoes struck parts of the city of Heze on Friday afternoon, including the counties of Dongming and Juancheng, injuring 88 people. That includes five who were later confirmed dead, according to the state-owned Xinhua news agency, The AP reported.

Authorities said that 2,820 houses, 48 power supply lines and over 4,000 hectares of crops were damaged. Communication, power and water supplies have since been restored, state media said.

Tornadoes are usually seen in China's southern and coastal provinces such as Guangdong and Jiangsu, according to China Weather News, run by the China Meteorological Administration.