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Saudi Arabia Celebrates Eid Al-Fitr with Theater Shows

A picture taken on March 21, 2016 shows employees working at the main hall of the Saudi Cultural Center in Dammam, some 400 km eastern of the capital Riyadh. (STRINGER/AFP/Getty Images)
A picture taken on March 21, 2016 shows employees working at the main hall of the Saudi Cultural Center in Dammam, some 400 km eastern of the capital Riyadh. (STRINGER/AFP/Getty Images)
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Saudi Arabia Celebrates Eid Al-Fitr with Theater Shows

A picture taken on March 21, 2016 shows employees working at the main hall of the Saudi Cultural Center in Dammam, some 400 km eastern of the capital Riyadh. (STRINGER/AFP/Getty Images)
A picture taken on March 21, 2016 shows employees working at the main hall of the Saudi Cultural Center in Dammam, some 400 km eastern of the capital Riyadh. (STRINGER/AFP/Getty Images)

The special theater shows enlisted in the Eid Al-Fitr Celebrations Program 2022 organized by the General Entertainment Authority (GEA) in Riyadh kicked off on Wednesday. The program, launched in Jeddah, Dammam, and Abha, includes comedy and dramatic performances.

The three-day program started on Wednesday with the ‘Big Night’ play at Riyadh’s Baker Al Shidi Stage, in Boulevard Riyadh City, starred by Mohammed Abdul Rahman Touta, Nicole Saba, Mahmoud Abdul Ghani, Mohamoud al-Laithi, and Mirhan Hassan.

The play revolves around a couple who got married after 19 years of engagement. On their wedding night, the media and TV channels invade their house after they discover that an archaeological route passes by their bedroom. Then, the ministry of antiquities hires security guards to protect the bedroom and the route.

Jeddah hosted the play ‘Ellembi in Age of Ignorance’ at the Cultural Club Theater. Starred by Mohammed Saad, Sami Maghawri, and Dina Mohsen, the play tells the story of Ellembi, who struggles to marry Princess Karawana. After she rejects him, he resorts to magic, which turns his life upside down in a comic performance full of funny scenes.

In Damam, the Theater of Al-Asala Colleges hosted the ‘Halalhom, Dalalhom’ play starred by Ahmed al-Onan, Zahra Arafat, Ahmed Iraj, Fahad al-Binai, Mohammad Ramadan, Iman al-Husseini, Abdullah al-Badr, Wahid Abdullah, and Amer al-Kaabi. The play revolves around a family of four siblings, 3 boys and a girl, living in the house of their grandfather who raised them. The characters face neglect and carelessness, which deteriorates their social and mental state.

The King Khalid University Theater, Abha, hosted the ‘Tar Bileija’ play starred by Rashed al-Shamrani, Abdullah Asiri, Aziz Bahis, Nadia Ghazi, Motaab al-Maliki, and Abdullah Nayef. It discusses the life of celebrities in a sarcastic style and sheds light on a number of causes and personal practices among those who gained fame by coincidence.

The four plays ran from 9:00 pm until after midnight, over three days and ended on Friday.

As part of the Eid Al-Fitr Celebrations Program 2022, the General Entertainment Authority (GEA) organized diverse activities including virtual platforms aimed at promoting social interaction among all categories to enhance happiness, bring more joy, and celebrate Eid Al Fitr.

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Varieties

Norway Plans to Ban Social Media Use by Children Under 16

FILE PHOTO: Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, YouTube, Facebook, Twitch and Reddit applications are displayed on a mobile phone ahead of new law banning social media for users under 16 in Australia, in this picture illustration taken on December 9, 2025. REUTERS/Hollie Adams/Illustration/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, YouTube, Facebook, Twitch and Reddit applications are displayed on a mobile phone ahead of new law banning social media for users under 16 in Australia, in this picture illustration taken on December 9, 2025. REUTERS/Hollie Adams/Illustration/File Photo
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Norway Plans to Ban Social Media Use by Children Under 16

FILE PHOTO: Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, YouTube, Facebook, Twitch and Reddit applications are displayed on a mobile phone ahead of new law banning social media for users under 16 in Australia, in this picture illustration taken on December 9, 2025. REUTERS/Hollie Adams/Illustration/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, YouTube, Facebook, Twitch and Reddit applications are displayed on a mobile phone ahead of new law banning social media for users under 16 in Australia, in this picture illustration taken on December 9, 2025. REUTERS/Hollie Adams/Illustration/File Photo

Norway said on Friday it would present a bill in parliament by year-end to ban children from using social media until they turn 16, making technology companies responsible for the task of age verification.

Several European nations seeking to rein in children's ⁠use of social media ⁠after Australia took the lead with a world-first ban on under-16s last December.

"We are introducing this legislation because we want a childhood where ⁠children get to be children," Reuters quoted Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere as saying in a statement.

"Play, friendships, and everyday life must not be taken over by algorithms and screens. This is an important measure to safeguard children's digital lives."

The government did not say ⁠which ⁠applications would be targeted.

Australia's ban covers Meta apps such as Instagram and Facebook as well as TikTok, Snapchat, Google's YouTube and Elon Musk's X, formerly Twitter.

Norway will introduce its bill in parliament by the end of 2026, the minority Labour government said.

Varieties

'Cretaceous Kraken' Prowled the Seas During the Age of Dinosaurs

An artist's reconstruction of a finned octopus of the species Nanaimoteuthis haggarti that reached a length estimated at up to 18.6 meters (61.02 feet) and lived about 86 to 72 million years ago during the Cretaceous Period, released on April 23, 2026. Yohei Utsuki/Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Hokkaido University/Handout via REUTERS
An artist's reconstruction of a finned octopus of the species Nanaimoteuthis haggarti that reached a length estimated at up to 18.6 meters (61.02 feet) and lived about 86 to 72 million years ago during the Cretaceous Period, released on April 23, 2026. Yohei Utsuki/Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Hokkaido University/Handout via REUTERS
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'Cretaceous Kraken' Prowled the Seas During the Age of Dinosaurs

An artist's reconstruction of a finned octopus of the species Nanaimoteuthis haggarti that reached a length estimated at up to 18.6 meters (61.02 feet) and lived about 86 to 72 million years ago during the Cretaceous Period, released on April 23, 2026. Yohei Utsuki/Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Hokkaido University/Handout via REUTERS
An artist's reconstruction of a finned octopus of the species Nanaimoteuthis haggarti that reached a length estimated at up to 18.6 meters (61.02 feet) and lived about 86 to 72 million years ago during the Cretaceous Period, released on April 23, 2026. Yohei Utsuki/Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Hokkaido University/Handout via REUTERS

The Kraken is a huge tentacled sea monster from Norse folklore that drags ships and sailors down into the deep. During the age of dinosaurs, new research shows, there existed a creature as close to a real-life Kraken as you could possibly get - an enormous octopus that prowled the seas as an apex predator.

Scientists said fossils of beaks - the soft-bodied invertebrate's hard jaw structure - indicate that an octopus species named Nanaimoteuthis haggarti that lived about 86 to 72 million years ago during the Cretaceous Period ranged from 22 to 61 feet (6.6 to 18.6 meters) long.

"These animals were remarkable. With their large bodies, long arms, powerful jaws and advanced behavior, they represent what could be described as a real 'Cretaceous Kraken,'" said paleontologist Yasuhiro Iba of Hokkaido University in Japan, lead author of the research published on Thursday in the journal Science.

"For roughly the past 370 million years, marine ecosystems have been thought to be dominated by large vertebrate predators - first fishes and ⁠sharks, then marine ⁠reptiles and later whales. Our study shows that giant invertebrates, namely octopuses, also functioned as apex predators in the Cretaceous sea," Reuters quoted Iba as saying.

Iba said Nanaimoteuthis haggarti is one of the largest invertebrates on record.

"Until now, the largest-known invertebrate has been the modern giant squid, which can reach about 12 meters (39 feet) in total length," Iba said.

The intense wear observed on the beaks is consistent, the researchers said, with repeated crushing of hard structures such as bones and shells, indicative of a predator that hunted large fish, shelled tentacled creatures, clams and other sizable prey.

"In the largest specimens, about 10% of the ⁠total jaw length appears to have been lost due to wear. This is more severe than what is typically seen in modern octopuses and cuttlefishes that feed on hard prey," Iba said.

The beaks were shaped like those of certain deep-sea octopuses alive today that swim with the help of fins, leading the researchers to conclude that these Cretaceous octopuses also bore fins.

The numerous beak fossils studied in the research came from Japan and Canada's Vancouver Island. The researchers reexamined previously known specimens and discovered new fossils as well.

The researchers also studied the beaks of a close relative called Nanaimoteuthis jeletzkyi that lived about 100 to 72 million years ago. It was not quite as big, ranging from 9 to 25 feet (2.8 to 7.7 meters) long, but also was an active predator.

Because octopuses are soft-bodied animals, they seldom fossilize well. The beak, the only rigid part of the octopus body, is made of a hard and durable material ⁠called chitin, also found in ⁠the exoskeletons of crabs, lobsters and insects.

Guided by modern-day octopus anatomy, the researchers were able to estimate the size of the Cretaceous octopuses based on the dimensions of the beaks.

"Octopuses are not simply biting predators. They use long, flexible arms to capture prey and powerful jaws to process it. As body size increases, their ability to control large prey with their arms and to process it with their jaws also increases," Iba said.

"In addition, octopuses are among the most intelligent invertebrates. In our fossils, the jaws show asymmetric wear, suggesting lateralized behavior - favoring one side over the other, something like handedness. This indicates not only strength, but also advanced and flexible behavior," Iba said.

These octopuses shared the Cretaceous seas with other large predators including marine reptiles called mosasaurs and plesiosaurs that reached up to around 50 feet (15 meters) long as well as sharks rivaling today's great white in size.

"These giant octopuses likely occupied the same ecological tier and may have competed with marine reptiles and sharks within the same ecosystem," Iba said. "Their existence changes how we view ancient oceans. Instead of ecosystems dominated solely by vertebrate predators, we now see that giant invertebrates such as octopuses also occupied the very top of the food web."

Varieties

Saudi Team Successfully Separates Filipino Conjoined Twins in Highly Complex Surgery

The operation was conducted at King Abdullah Specialist Children’s Hospital in King Abdulaziz Medical City of the Ministry of National Guard in Riyadh. SPA
The operation was conducted at King Abdullah Specialist Children’s Hospital in King Abdulaziz Medical City of the Ministry of National Guard in Riyadh. SPA
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Saudi Team Successfully Separates Filipino Conjoined Twins in Highly Complex Surgery

The operation was conducted at King Abdullah Specialist Children’s Hospital in King Abdulaziz Medical City of the Ministry of National Guard in Riyadh. SPA
The operation was conducted at King Abdullah Specialist Children’s Hospital in King Abdulaziz Medical City of the Ministry of National Guard in Riyadh. SPA

The specialized medical and surgical team of the Saudi Conjoined Twins Program achieved on Thursday a new medical milestone by successfully separating the Filipino conjoined twins Klea and Maurice Ann following a highly complex surgical procedure, considered among the most challenging cases worldwide.

The operation was conducted at King Abdullah Specialist Children’s Hospital in King Abdulaziz Medical City of the Ministry of National Guard in Riyadh.

Advisor at the Royal Court, Supervisor General of the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSrelief), and head of the medical and surgical team of the Saudi Conjoined Twins Program Dr. Abdullah Al Rabeeah stated the Filipino twins were separated after 12 hours and 45 minutes from the start of anesthesia.

This marks the completion of the third stage, with the fourth and fifth stages remaining, which are expected to take several more hours and will include reconstruction, cosmetic procedures, and cranial closure.

He added that the operation was carried out with the participation of 30 consultants, specialists, and nursing and technical staff across multiple disciplines, including anesthesia, intensive care, advanced imaging, plastic surgery, and other supporting specialties, ensuring the highest levels of precision and safety throughout all stages of the procedure.

Al Rabeeah noted that this marks the third separation of conjoined twins from the Philippines and the 70th case within the Saudi Conjoined Twins Program, which spans more than 35 years.

The program has covered 27 countries and evaluated 157 cases worldwide, underscoring the Kingdom’s leading role in this rare medical specialty, under the direct support and patronage of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister.

Al Rabeeah expressed, on behalf of himself and all members of the medical and surgical team, his deepest gratitude to the Kingdom’s leadership for the continuous support and close follow-up provided to the program.

He also extended his thanks to the surgical team, led by pediatric neurosurgery consultant Dr. Moutasem Azzubi, as well as to all members of anesthesia, plastic surgery, nursing, and technical teams for their efforts, which contributed to the success of the operation and the safety of the twins.

He affirmed that this achievement reflects the Kingdom’s noble humanitarian mission and its position as a global center of excellence in this field.

For their part, the twins’ family expressed their appreciation and gratitude to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and the Crown Prince for the high-quality medical care provided, praising the tremendous efforts exerted by the medical team to ensure the success of the operation.