‘Imagine the Future’ Conference: Saudi Arabia Receives Int’l Praise for Education during Pandemic

Officials attend the inauguration of the Global Conference for Giftedness and Creativity ... Imagine the Future 2020 in Riyadh. (SPA)
Officials attend the inauguration of the Global Conference for Giftedness and Creativity ... Imagine the Future 2020 in Riyadh. (SPA)
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‘Imagine the Future’ Conference: Saudi Arabia Receives Int’l Praise for Education during Pandemic

Officials attend the inauguration of the Global Conference for Giftedness and Creativity ... Imagine the Future 2020 in Riyadh. (SPA)
Officials attend the inauguration of the Global Conference for Giftedness and Creativity ... Imagine the Future 2020 in Riyadh. (SPA)

The inaugural Global Conference for Giftedness and Creativity ... Imagine the Future 2020 kicked off in Riyadh on Sunday with panelists and keynote speakers from across the globe.

The two-day event is co-organized by the King Abdulaziz and his Companions Foundation for Giftedness and Creativity (Mawhiba) and the G20 Saudi Secretariat General.

Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz sponsored the event and he was represented at the conference by Prince Faisal bin Bandar bin Abdulaziz, Governor of Riyadh Region.

Executive Director of UNICEF Henrietta H. Fore was among the panelists. She underscored Saudi Arabia’s success in maintaining education amid the pandemic, saying it has set a global example.

Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman stressed that the Kingdom was seeking to implement educational plans and ideas on the ground, and was not sufficing with just making proposals.

Vision 2030 has provided the necessary support for the ambitious plans of the education sector and it is now bearing fruit, he remarked.

Vision 2030 boasts several programs dedicated to developing the education sector, he added. This has helped empower the youth and invest in their abilities to serve the nation.

Minister of Education Dr. Hamad Al-AlSheikh said that the education sector clearly succeeded in overcoming the challenges posed by the pandemic.

He stressed that distance learning will continue according to the best standards, highlighting the solid electronic infrastructure that was already in place that helped contribute to this success.

This success can help the education sector on the global scale, he stated.

The conference will attract international, regional and national speakers from scientists, future advisors and decision makers to provide keynotes, and discussion sessions. The conference also includes “Mawhiba Virtual World” science exhibition. Aramco and SABIC are the conference strategic knowledge partners, who have a long history of supporting and nurturing the gifted and creative youth.



Saudi Interior Minister, Singapore's Coordinating Minister for National Security Discuss Regional Security Development

The Saudi flag. Asharq Al-Awsat
The Saudi flag. Asharq Al-Awsat
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Saudi Interior Minister, Singapore's Coordinating Minister for National Security Discuss Regional Security Development

The Saudi flag. Asharq Al-Awsat
The Saudi flag. Asharq Al-Awsat

Saudi Minister of Interior Prince Abdulaziz bin Saud bin Naif bin Abdulaziz received a phone call on Sunday from Coordinating Minister for National Security and Minister for Home Affairs of the Republic of Singapore K Shanmugam.

During the call, the two officials discussed the latest developments in the Middle East and current security developments amid the Iranian attacks targeting regional security and stability, SPA reported.

They also affirmed the importance of enhancing bilateral cooperation and coordination in support of regional security and stability, in addition to discussing a number of topics of mutual interest.

Shanmugam expressed his country's condemnation of the Iranian attacks targeting the Kingdom and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states, affirming Singapore's solidarity with the Kingdom and the GCC states in all measures aimed at enhancing security and stability.


Saudi Arabia Condemns Riots Targeting UAE Embassy in Damascus

Saudi Arabia called for the protection of diplomatic missions. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Saudi Arabia called for the protection of diplomatic missions. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Saudi Arabia Condemns Riots Targeting UAE Embassy in Damascus

Saudi Arabia called for the protection of diplomatic missions. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Saudi Arabia called for the protection of diplomatic missions. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Saudi Arabia condemned on Sunday the riots, assaults, and attempted vandalism that targeted the Embassy of the United Arab Emirates and the residence of its head of mission in Damascus.

A Foreign Ministry statement said the Kingdom also slammed the “unacceptable offenses directed at the national symbols of the brotherly UAE.”

The ministry stressed the Kingdom’s “rejection of these attacks and all forms of violence against diplomats, stressing the need to ensure the protection of diplomats and diplomatic missions in line with relevant international laws and conventions.”

Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Jasem Albudaiwi also slammed the attack against the UAE embassy in Damascus, urging Syrian authorities to hold those responsible to account.


Oman, Iran Hold Talks on Strait of Hormuz

Traffic passing a huge political billboard reading in Persian "The Strait of Hormuz will remain closed", in Enghelb square in Tehran, Iran, 05 April 2026. (EPA)
Traffic passing a huge political billboard reading in Persian "The Strait of Hormuz will remain closed", in Enghelb square in Tehran, Iran, 05 April 2026. (EPA)
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Oman, Iran Hold Talks on Strait of Hormuz

Traffic passing a huge political billboard reading in Persian "The Strait of Hormuz will remain closed", in Enghelb square in Tehran, Iran, 05 April 2026. (EPA)
Traffic passing a huge political billboard reading in Persian "The Strait of Hormuz will remain closed", in Enghelb square in Tehran, Iran, 05 April 2026. (EPA)

Oman and Iran held talks on easing passage through the Strait of Hormuz, the Omani state news agency reported Sunday, with the key shipping chokepoint effectively closed due to war in the Middle East.

"Oman and Iran held a meeting at the deputy ministers level in the foreign ministries of the two countries, with the attendance of specialists from both sides, during which the possible options were discussed regarding ensuring the smooth passage through the Strait of Hormuz," the news agency posted on X.

"The experts from both sides put forward a number of visions and proposals regarding it," it added.