‘Future’ List Triumphs in Saudi Journalists Association Elections

The President and members of the board of the Saudi Journalists Association after their election. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
The President and members of the board of the Saudi Journalists Association after their election. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
TT

‘Future’ List Triumphs in Saudi Journalists Association Elections

The President and members of the board of the Saudi Journalists Association after their election. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
The President and members of the board of the Saudi Journalists Association after their election. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Saudi journalists and media figures, running on the “Future” list, were elected members of the board of directors of the Saudi Journalist Association.

The elections, held on Sunday, drew significant participation from the Saudi journalistic community.

Adhwan Alahmari, Editor-in-Chief of Independent Arabia, was elected president of the Saudi Journalist Association.

The elected board members of the board are: Zaid bin Kami, Deputy Editor-in-Chief of Asharq Al-Awsat; Mohammed Al-Bishi, Editor-in-Chief of Al-Eqtisadiah; Faisal Abbas, Editor-in-Chief of Arab News; Adhwan Alahmri, Editor-in-Chief of Independent Arabia; Ali Al-Hazmi, Editor-in-Chief of Sabq; Hamed Alshehri, Editor-in-Chief of the Saudipedia platform; Fatima Al-Awfi from the Media Department at the Ministry of Sports; Lama Al-Shethry, Editor-in-Chief of Sayidaty; May Al-Sharif, Assistant Editor-in-Chief of Independent Arabia; Noor Nugali, Deputy Editor-in-Chief of Arab News; Bushra Alrabiah from the Government Communication Center; Thekra Al-Atyawi from the Saudi Broadcasting Authority; and Mamdouh Al-Muhaini, General Manager of Al-Arabiya and Al-Hadath television stations.

Saudi Media Minister Salman Al-Dosari, in a statement posted on “X,” highlighted the importance of civil society in developing journalists’ skills and enhancing media performance.

He congratulated the newly elected board of the Saudi Journalists Association, thanked the outgoing council led by Khaled Al-Malik, and expressed optimism about a productive partnership for advancing the media industry.

Following the election, the Board of Directors held its first meeting, electing Alahmari as president, and Faisal Abbas as president while Bushra Alrabiah was elected as treasurer.

Alahmari thanked his colleagues for the confidence entrusted in him.

He hoped that the new team can achieve their hopes and aspirations. He also praised the great efforts made by the members of the previous boards who made outstanding contributions in meeting objectives.

He said his colleagues will present their visions at the next meeting to develop an organized strategy for their work that stems from the main objectives of the association and is consistent with the aspirations of Saudi media and journalists.



Intuitive Machines' Athena Lander Closing in on Lunar Touchdown Site

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifts off from Launch Complex-39A carrying the Nova-C lunar lander Athena as part of NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload initiative from Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, US, February 26, 2025. REUTERS/Steve Nesius/File Photo
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifts off from Launch Complex-39A carrying the Nova-C lunar lander Athena as part of NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload initiative from Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, US, February 26, 2025. REUTERS/Steve Nesius/File Photo
TT

Intuitive Machines' Athena Lander Closing in on Lunar Touchdown Site

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifts off from Launch Complex-39A carrying the Nova-C lunar lander Athena as part of NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload initiative from Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, US, February 26, 2025. REUTERS/Steve Nesius/File Photo
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifts off from Launch Complex-39A carrying the Nova-C lunar lander Athena as part of NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload initiative from Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, US, February 26, 2025. REUTERS/Steve Nesius/File Photo

Intuitive Machines sent final commands to its uncrewed Athena spacecraft on Thursday as it closed in on a landing spot near the moon's south pole, the company's second attempt to score a clean touchdown after making a lopsided landing last year.

After launching atop a SpaceX rocket on Feb. 26 from Florida, the six-legged Athena lander has flown a winding path to the moon some 238,000 miles (383,000 km) away from Earth, where it will attempt to land closer to the lunar south pole than any other spacecraft.

The landing is scheduled for 12:32 pm ET (1732 GMT). It will target Mons Mouton, a flat-topped mountain some 100 miles (160 km) from the lunar south pole, Reuters reported.

Five nations have made successful soft landings in the past - the then-Soviet Union, the US, China, India and, last year, Japan. The US and China are both rushing to put their astronauts on the moon later this decade, each courting allies and giving their private sectors a key role in spacecraft development.

India's first uncrewed moon landing, Chandrayaan-3 in 2023, touched down near the lunar south pole. The region is eyed by major space powers for its potential for resource extraction once humans return to the surface - subsurface water ice could theoretically be converted into rocket fuel.

The Houston-based company's first moon landing attempt almost exactly a year ago, using its Odysseus lander, marked the most successful touchdown attempt at the time by a private company.

But its hard touchdown - due to a faulty laser altimeter used to judge its distance from the ground - broke a lander leg and caused the craft to topple over, dooming many of its onboard experiments.

Austin-based Firefly Aerospace this month celebrated a clean touchdown of its Blue Ghost lander, making the most successful soft landing by a private company to date.

Intuitive Machines, Firefly, Astrobotic Technology and a handful of other companies are building lunar spacecraft under NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services program, an effort to seed development of low-budget spacecraft that can scour the moon's surface before the US sends astronauts there around 2027.