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Saudi Arabia’s NCVC Announces Success of 3 Major Mangrove Cultivation Projects 

Project sites were selected based on environmental priorities, including ecological sensitivity, need for restoration, and technical feasibility. (SPA)
Project sites were selected based on environmental priorities, including ecological sensitivity, need for restoration, and technical feasibility. (SPA)
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Saudi Arabia’s NCVC Announces Success of 3 Major Mangrove Cultivation Projects 

Project sites were selected based on environmental priorities, including ecological sensitivity, need for restoration, and technical feasibility. (SPA)
Project sites were selected based on environmental priorities, including ecological sensitivity, need for restoration, and technical feasibility. (SPA)

Saudi Arabia’s National Center for Vegetation Cover Development and Combating Desertification (NCVC) announced the successful completion of three major projects for cultivating mangrove trees (Avicennia marina) along the coasts of Tabuk, the Eastern Region, and Jazan, reported the Saudi Press Agency on Thursday.

With a success rate exceeding 90%, these efforts come as part of NCVC's broader commitment to protecting coastal ecosystems and enhancing environmental and economic sustainability, in conjunction with the International Day for the Conservation of the Mangrove Ecosystem.

General Director of the General Department of Forests Eng. Samir Malaika said these projects have helped in the rehabilitation of more than 170 hectares of degraded coastal forests. The initiatives involved planting local Avicennia marina saplings based on scientific principles that consider tidal movements and water currents.

In Umluj, located in Tabuk Region, the NCVC restored around 50 hectares of mangrove forests, positively impacting biodiversity, improving soil and water quality, and protecting coastlines from erosion.

The project has also fostered increased biodiversity, the return of various bird and fish species, the enhancement of natural carbon stocks, and has supported the Kingdom's efforts to address the impacts of climate change.

Project sites were selected based on environmental priorities, including ecological sensitivity, need for restoration, and technical feasibility. NCVC's technical teams conducted detailed field surveys, assessing soil properties, salinity levels, and site suitability for mangrove cultivation, in addition to executing experimental trials.

In celebration of the International Day for the Conservation of the Mangrove Ecosystem, head of Corporate Communications and Official Spokesperson Abdulaziz Abuhaimed launched the occasion's visual identity. The design reflects the environmental and economic significance of mangroves and aligns with Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 objectives of conserving natural resources and promoting environmental sustainability.

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Delhi Restricts Vehicles, Office Attendance in Bid to Curb Pollution

Children ride a bicycle across a field on smoggy winter morning in New Delhi on December 17, 2025. (Photo by Arun SANKAR / AFP)
Children ride a bicycle across a field on smoggy winter morning in New Delhi on December 17, 2025. (Photo by Arun SANKAR / AFP)
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Delhi Restricts Vehicles, Office Attendance in Bid to Curb Pollution

Children ride a bicycle across a field on smoggy winter morning in New Delhi on December 17, 2025. (Photo by Arun SANKAR / AFP)
Children ride a bicycle across a field on smoggy winter morning in New Delhi on December 17, 2025. (Photo by Arun SANKAR / AFP)

Authorities in India's capital Delhi rolled out strict measures on Wednesday in an attempt to curb pollution, including a ban on vehicles not compliant with latest emission control norms and regulating attendance in private and government offices.

The air quality index (AQI) in the Delhi region, home to 30 million people, has been in the 'severe' category for the past few days, often crossing the 450-mark. In addition, shallow fog in parts of the city worsened visibility that impacted flights and trains.

This prompted the Commission for Air Quality Management to invoke stage four, the highest level, of the Graded Response Action Plan for Delhi and surrounding areas on Saturday.

The curbs ban the entry of older diesel trucks into the city, suspend construction, including on public projects, and impose hybrid schooling, Reuters reported.

Kapil Mishra, a minister in the local government, announced on Wednesday that all private and government offices in the city would operate with 50% attendance, with the remaining working from home.

Additionally, all registered construction workers, many of them earning daily wages, will be given compensation of 10,000 rupees ($110) because of the ban, Mishra said at a press conference in Delhi.

On Tuesday, the government enforced strict anti-pollution measures for vehicles in the city, banning vehicles that are not compliant with the latest emission control standards.

"Our government is committed to providing clean air in Delhi. We will take strict steps to ensure this in the coming days," Delhi's Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa said late on Tuesday.

Pollution is an annual winter problem in Delhi and its suburbs, when cold, dense air traps emissions from vehicles, construction sites and crop burning in neighboring states, pushing pollution levels to among the highest in the world and exposing residents to severe respiratory risks.

The area, home to 30 million people, gets covered in a thick layer of smog with AQI touching high 450-levels. Readings below 50 are considered good.

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Saudi Ministry of Defense Showcases Media Heritage at Jeddah Book Fair 

The pavilion traces the evolution of military publishing, from early traditional printing through technological and editorial transformations to its modern form. (SPA)
The pavilion traces the evolution of military publishing, from early traditional printing through technological and editorial transformations to its modern form. (SPA)
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Saudi Ministry of Defense Showcases Media Heritage at Jeddah Book Fair 

The pavilion traces the evolution of military publishing, from early traditional printing through technological and editorial transformations to its modern form. (SPA)
The pavilion traces the evolution of military publishing, from early traditional printing through technological and editorial transformations to its modern form. (SPA)

The Saudi Ministry of Defense is participating in the Jeddah International Book Fair, featuring a pavilion that documents a key aspect of its cultural and media history, reported the Saudi Press Agency on Wednesday.

The pavilion traces the evolution of military publishing, from early traditional printing through technological and editorial transformations to its modern form as a trusted reference for defense-related content.

The participation builds on the ministry’s presence at national cultural events. It marks its debut at the Jeddah Book Fair, expanding the reach of its documentary content to a broader audience interested in military media history.

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Orange Frog Size of Pencil Tip Discovered in Brazil Forests

Tiny toadlet measuring less than 14 mm in length (Luiz Fernando Ribeiro)
Tiny toadlet measuring less than 14 mm in length (Luiz Fernando Ribeiro)
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Orange Frog Size of Pencil Tip Discovered in Brazil Forests

Tiny toadlet measuring less than 14 mm in length (Luiz Fernando Ribeiro)
Tiny toadlet measuring less than 14 mm in length (Luiz Fernando Ribeiro)

Scientists have found a new orange toad species in Brazil that is so small it fits on the tip of a pencil, highlighting the need for more conservation efforts in the country’s mountainous forest areas.

The toad species, measuring less than 14mm, was found deep in the cloud forests of the Serra do Quiriri mountain range in the southern Brazilian Atlantic Forest, according to the Independent.

Researchers have named the new species Brachycephalus lulai in honor of Brazil’s president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

Cloud forests typically are found at altitudes between 1,000 and 2,500m and a layer of clouds at the canopy level is common year-round.

Until now, around two million animal species have been discovered in the world, with estimates suggesting that the Earth is home to around eight million of them, meaning at least six million remain yet undiscovered.

For decades, researchers have been combing the southern Brazilian Atlantic Forest to find and catalogue new species.

The region is known to be home to micro-endemic frogs and toads that are only found in small, restricted areas of the forest and are vulnerable to extinction.

In the latest study, researchers document the discovery of tiny frogs with a striking orange body and distinctive green and brown freckles.

The males were found to measure between 9 and 11mm, and females between 11 and 14mm.

They are among the smallest four-legged animals on Earth, capable of fitting fully on the tip of a pencil, researchers say.

Scientists identified the new species by its unique mating call, consisting of two short bursts of sound, unlike those of other known Brachycephalus in the area.

Researchers also conducted CT X-ray scans to look at the skeletal structure and DNA analysis to confirm what they had was indeed a new species.

Comparing DNA samples of the toad with those of other species, they found that it is most closely related to two species that live in the Serra do Quiriri.

Following the discovery, scientists immediately called for conservation efforts to protect the toad species and its relatives.

“Through this tribute (the act of naming a new species), we seek to encourage the expansion of conservation initiatives focused on the Atlantic Forest as a whole, and on Brazil's highly endemic miniaturized frogs in particular,” researchers wrote in the study published in the journal PLOS One.

Caption: Tiny toadlet measuring less than 14 mm in length (Luiz Fernando Ribeiro)