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Saudi Arabia is using ECMO Technology to Treat COVID-19 Patients

Alternative picture of EMCO caption: EMCO machine (Getty Images)
Alternative picture of EMCO caption: EMCO machine (Getty Images)
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Saudi Arabia is using ECMO Technology to Treat COVID-19 Patients

Alternative picture of EMCO caption: EMCO machine (Getty Images)
Alternative picture of EMCO caption: EMCO machine (Getty Images)

The Saudi Ministry of Health’s utilization of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (EMCO) has been successful. The machine has allowed for an increase in the recovery rate of patients suffering from acute respiratory failure caused by the new coronavirus.

It performs the role of the heart and lungs, supporting other organs until they recover and regain their functions. The treatment has been successful in treating nearly 32 patients so far. The machine was used to help patients awaiting open-heart surgery or a lung transplant and has only recently started to be used to treat patients suffering from acute cases of the COVID-19.

It is not a long term treatment; rather, it can only replace the lungs and heart temporarily, while its utilization for long periods leads to an array of complications. It works by tubing blood from the central veins, either in the neck or thigh vessels. It then transfers the blood outside of the body to an artificial lung that warms blood so that it is the same temperature as the blood in the body. It supplies the blood with oxygen while removing carbon dioxide before it pumps it back into it to the body.

The specialized medical team uses EMCO to treat cases of advanced respiratory failure and acute cardiac respiratory failure, as it gives the heart and lungs a chance to recover.

Recent studies have highlighted technology’s increasingly prominent role in treating patients with severe pneumonia caused by both infectious or non-infectious diseases.

Concerning the virus’ spread in the kingdom, the Saudi Ministry of Health announced that the number of recoveries has reached 264,487 after 1528 new recoveries were registered on Saturday. Also, 1,413 were recorded in the last twenty-four hours.

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Technology

OpenAI Launches GPT-6 Cyber with 'Critical' Cybersecurity Rating

FILE PHOTO: OpenAI logo is seen in this illustration created on June 11, 2026. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: OpenAI logo is seen in this illustration created on June 11, 2026. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo
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OpenAI Launches GPT-6 Cyber with 'Critical' Cybersecurity Rating

FILE PHOTO: OpenAI logo is seen in this illustration created on June 11, 2026. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: OpenAI logo is seen in this illustration created on June 11, 2026. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo

OpenAI released GPT-6 Cyber, a model built to find and exploit security flaws, to a small group of vetted customers on Thursday, rating it "Critical" in cybersecurity under its safety framework.

The model is meant to help security researchers find vulnerabilities, test how they could be exploited and fix flaws before attackers do, Reuters quoted OpenAI as saying, amid increasing attempts to misuse AI by malicious cyber actors.

Here are more details:

OpenAI said ⁠its researchers used ⁠the model to find 81 previously unknown Firefox vulnerabilities that Mozilla classified as high severity. Mozilla has begun releasing fixes.

It also helped develop working exploits for 948 Linux kernel vulnerabilities, including 588 that ⁠were previously unknown, OpenAI said.

The company has also disclosed 304 critical Linux findings to maintainers, along with proposed patches.

OpenAI has raised its cybersecurity classification for GPT-6 Cyber to "Critical" under its safety framework, from "High" for GPT-5.6 Cyber.

The company said it is seeing more attempts to misuse AI, including by malicious cyber actors and groups seeking to distill ⁠its ⁠models.

GPT-6 Cyber is available to select customers of Daybreak Red, OpenAI’s access tier for advanced, authorized security work such as penetration testing and exploit development, OpenAI said.

Access to GPT-6 Cyber will be expanded to all approved Daybreak Red customers over the coming weeks, it added.

OpenAI is also making its earlier GPT-5.6 Cyber model available to all Daybreak Red customers starting Thursday.

Technology

Saudi Arabia, Greece Sign Cybersecurity Cooperation Memorandum

File photo of the Saudi flag/AAWSAT
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Saudi Arabia, Greece Sign Cybersecurity Cooperation Memorandum

File photo of the Saudi flag/AAWSAT

The National Cybersecurity Authority of Saudi Arabia signed a memorandum of understanding with the National Cybersecurity Authority of the Hellenic Republic to strengthen cooperation in cybersecurity.

The signing took place on the sidelines of the fourth meeting of the working group of the Military and Security Committee under the Saudi-Hellenic Strategic Partnership Council, SPA reported.

The memorandum is in line with the joint statement issued during Prime Minister of the Hellenic Republic Kyriakos Mitsotakis's visit to Saudi Arabia on Sunday, October 25, 2026. In the statement, both sides agreed on the importance of strengthening cooperation in cybersecurity and information sharing to protect their core interests and national security.

The memorandum also falls within the framework of the committee's work under the council.

The memorandum aims to strengthen cooperation between the two countries to protect their cyberspace and vital interests. It covers several areas, most notably the exchange of expertise and best practices to address cybersecurity challenges.

The agreement is part of the authority's efforts to reinforce Saudi Arabia's leading international position in cybersecurity, strengthen cooperation and integration with counterpart entities abroad, facilitate the exchange of expertise, and establish mechanisms for cooperation and international partnerships in the field.

Technology

Gamers Set for Zelda Remake to Hit the Shelves

US outlet IGN called it an 'exceptional remake of an incredible game'. Simon WOHLFAHRT / AFP
US outlet IGN called it an 'exceptional remake of an incredible game'. Simon WOHLFAHRT / AFP
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Gamers Set for Zelda Remake to Hit the Shelves

US outlet IGN called it an 'exceptional remake of an incredible game'. Simon WOHLFAHRT / AFP
US outlet IGN called it an 'exceptional remake of an incredible game'. Simon WOHLFAHRT / AFP

Gaming fans around the world are getting ready for the release on Thursday of Nintendo's latest addition to its long-running Zelda series, "Ocarina of Time".

The game, a remake of a classic 1990s edition, will be released gradually across the world as part of the 40th anniversary of the saga.

It has already garnered widespread praise with a score of 96 out of 100 on aggregator site Metacritic by the eve of its release, putting it among the best-reviewed titles of the year so far.

The series centers on the adventures of green-clad warrior Link, who battles the evil demon Ganondorf across the ages trying to save Princess Zelda.

Eiji Aonuma, who produced the latest instalment, told AFP last month he was "all nervous" about the release.

"I don't know how it's going to turn out, I can't stop thinking about it," he said.

The reviews so far have gone some way to allaying his fear, with US outlet IGN calling it an "exceptional remake of an incredible game and a rich adventure that stands on its own".

In a five-star review for the Guardian newspaper, Keza MacDonald wrote: "Nintendo's modern Zelda team have turned one of the best games of the 1990s into one of the best games of the 2020s, and made time-travelers out of us all."