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Riyadh to Host Largest Cybersecurity Gathering at Black Hat MEA 2025

Riyadh will host the new edition of Black Hat Middle East and Africa 2025 on Tuesday. (SPA)
Riyadh will host the new edition of Black Hat Middle East and Africa 2025 on Tuesday. (SPA)
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Riyadh to Host Largest Cybersecurity Gathering at Black Hat MEA 2025

Riyadh will host the new edition of Black Hat Middle East and Africa 2025 on Tuesday. (SPA)
Riyadh will host the new edition of Black Hat Middle East and Africa 2025 on Tuesday. (SPA)

Riyadh will host the new edition of Black Hat Middle East and Africa 2025 on Tuesday. The event, organized by the Saudi Federation for Cybersecurity, Programming and Drones along with Tahaluf - a joint venture between the federation, the Events Investment Fund, and Informa International - aims to bring together global cybersecurity experts and innovators.

Black Hat MEA 2025 will take place from December 2 to 4 at the Riyadh International Exhibition and Convention Center. Attendees can expect conferences, training sessions, and exhibitions focused on the latest developments in cybersecurity.

The event is expected to attract over 45,000 participants and more than 450 exhibitors from over 140 countries to discuss future cybersecurity requirements amid rising AI-related threats and tightening global regulations, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Tuesday.

This year, the event will address several key areas, foremost among them: autonomous security operations; threat intelligence analysis; digital trust; post-quantum readiness; operational technology and Internet of Things risk; cybersecurity insurance issues; and escalating digital conflicts.

The organization of Black Hat MEA 2025 supports Saudi Arabia’s efforts to develop an advanced cybersecurity sector and enhance the competitiveness of national talent, aligning with Saudi Vision 2030 goals to advance digital infrastructure and establish Riyadh as a global hub for innovation and cyber resilience.

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Czech Police Seek Thief who Stole Saint's Skull

Police officers patrol the Czech-Slovak green border near Stary Hrozenkov, Czech Republic, September 29, 2022. REUTERS/Radovan Stoklasa
Police officers patrol the Czech-Slovak green border near Stary Hrozenkov, Czech Republic, September 29, 2022. REUTERS/Radovan Stoklasa
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Czech Police Seek Thief who Stole Saint's Skull

Police officers patrol the Czech-Slovak green border near Stary Hrozenkov, Czech Republic, September 29, 2022. REUTERS/Radovan Stoklasa
Police officers patrol the Czech-Slovak green border near Stary Hrozenkov, Czech Republic, September 29, 2022. REUTERS/Radovan Stoklasa

An unidentified thief stole the skull of Czech saint Zdislava of Lemberk from a glass shrine in a northern Czech church, causing "incalculable" historic damage, police said late on Tuesday.

St Zdislava of Lemberk (estimated 1220-1252), a noblewoman known for her merciful and charitable deeds, was canonized by Pope John Paul II in 1995.

The theft in the basilica of St Lawrence and St Zdislava in the northern town of Jablonne v Podjestedi was committed after 1600 GMT, said police spokeswoman Dagmar Sochorova.

"An unknown culprit broke a shrine in which the skull was stored and ran away from the site," AFP quoted her as saying.

Police published "low quality footage" depicting the culprit clad "probably" in black and wearing "probably" white shoes, and asked the public for help.

"The value of the stolen skull is currently being investigated. However, its historic value is obviously incalculable," Sochorova added.

Prague Archbishop Stanislav Pribyl, who also heads the Litomerice diocese in charge of the Jablonne church, said the news was "devastating".

Placed on an altar in a side chapel, the skull "was the subject of adoration for pilgrims travelling to Jablonne where Zdislava lived and worked more than 750 years ago," he said.

"I can't believe that someone commits a daylight robbery to steal from a church a relic whose value is above all historic," added Pribyl, who was named Prague archbishop in February.

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Saudi Arabia: KAUST Study Reveals How Plants Protect Photosynthesis During Extreme Heat

The research team identified a protective mechanism within chloroplasts. SPA
The research team identified a protective mechanism within chloroplasts. SPA
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Saudi Arabia: KAUST Study Reveals How Plants Protect Photosynthesis During Extreme Heat

The research team identified a protective mechanism within chloroplasts. SPA
The research team identified a protective mechanism within chloroplasts. SPA

King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) has completed a research study identifying how plants protect photosynthesis under high temperatures, an outcome that could support the development of more resilient crops in desert climates.

The research team identified a protective mechanism within chloroplasts, lead researcher Professor Monika Chodasiewicz said, noting that it helps preserve and restore the plant’s ability to convert sunlight into chemical energy.

The findings are particularly significant, as heat is one of the main threats to plant productivity, and protecting photosynthesis is essential for sustaining plant growth and crop yields, Chodasiewicz added.

She explained that the chlorophyll protein forms protective granules, revealing their previously unclear functional significance. The findings provide new insights that could be applied for future crop breeding and biotechnology, Chodasiewicz said.

The results also contribute to the emerging field of phase-separated biomolecular condensates in plant biology, while supporting broader priorities related to sustainable agriculture, climate adaptation, and food security.

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With the Stroke of a Brush… Paint Could Cool Your Home, Harvest Water from Air

The researchers tested four painted panels in black and white over three months, tracking temperature, atmospheric conditions, and other variables on a University of Syndey rooftop (Dewpoint Innovations)
The researchers tested four painted panels in black and white over three months, tracking temperature, atmospheric conditions, and other variables on a University of Syndey rooftop (Dewpoint Innovations)
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With the Stroke of a Brush… Paint Could Cool Your Home, Harvest Water from Air

The researchers tested four painted panels in black and white over three months, tracking temperature, atmospheric conditions, and other variables on a University of Syndey rooftop (Dewpoint Innovations)
The researchers tested four painted panels in black and white over three months, tracking temperature, atmospheric conditions, and other variables on a University of Syndey rooftop (Dewpoint Innovations)

As global temperatures rise and water scarcity worsens, a nanoengineered paint developed by researchers in Australia aims to tackle both — with the stroke of a brush.

For University of Sydney scientists Chiara Neto and Ming Chiu, these growing pressures sparked an idea: a rooftop coating that could cool buildings and harvest water from the air, according to CNN.

That work evolved into startup Dewpoint Innovations, founded in 2022 with ambitions beyond cooling paint to a broader rethink of how infrastructure is designed: If rooftops across a city could reflect heat and collect water, they could become part of the climate solution.

In a warming world, cities are becoming heat traps. Concrete and rooftops absorb the sun’s energy, raising temperatures, leading to what’s known as the urban heat island effect — where cities experience higher temperatures.

That is the first challenge Dewpoint Innovations is targeting: “Our paint will significantly reduce the heat load the sun puts on cities,” said Chiu, co-inventor and chief technology officer at Dewpoint Innovations.

To achieve that effect, the specially engineered nanomaterials use a process called passive radiative cooling to reflect most of the sun’s energy and release heat back into the sky — allowing roof surfaces to stay cooler than the surrounding air without using energy.

Typical commercial white paint reflects around 70% to 80% of incoming sunlight, said Distinguished Professor Baohua Jia, a nanotech expert at RMIT University in Melbourne, Australia, who is unaffiliated with Dewpoint Innovations.

Dewpoint’s coating demonstrated solar reflectance of up to 96% in a six-month outdoor trial reported in 2025.

That higher reflectivity means less heat was absorbed, keeping roof surfaces up to 6 degrees Celsius cooler than the surrounding air and