Interior Ministry Issues Special Stamp to Commemorate Saudi Crew’s Mission to ISS

Saudis watch the Axiom Mission 2 (Ax-2) launch of a SpaceX Falcon 9 and Dragon capsule, carrying four astronauts, two of whom are Saudi nationals, to the International Space Station, from Kennedy Space Center, Florida, US, in an event organized to celebrate the first Saudi woman into Space in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia May 22, 2023. (Reuters)
Saudis watch the Axiom Mission 2 (Ax-2) launch of a SpaceX Falcon 9 and Dragon capsule, carrying four astronauts, two of whom are Saudi nationals, to the International Space Station, from Kennedy Space Center, Florida, US, in an event organized to celebrate the first Saudi woman into Space in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia May 22, 2023. (Reuters)
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Interior Ministry Issues Special Stamp to Commemorate Saudi Crew’s Mission to ISS

Saudis watch the Axiom Mission 2 (Ax-2) launch of a SpaceX Falcon 9 and Dragon capsule, carrying four astronauts, two of whom are Saudi nationals, to the International Space Station, from Kennedy Space Center, Florida, US, in an event organized to celebrate the first Saudi woman into Space in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia May 22, 2023. (Reuters)
Saudis watch the Axiom Mission 2 (Ax-2) launch of a SpaceX Falcon 9 and Dragon capsule, carrying four astronauts, two of whom are Saudi nationals, to the International Space Station, from Kennedy Space Center, Florida, US, in an event organized to celebrate the first Saudi woman into Space in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia May 22, 2023. (Reuters)

The Saudi General Directorate of Passports issued a special stamp in commemoration of the launch of the Saudi astronauts’ mission to the International Space Station, reported the Saudi Press Agency on Monday.

The stamp, "Saudi Arabia Toward Space", was issued in cooperation with the Saudi Space Commission.

It will be made available to travelers at Jeddah’s King Abdulaziz International Airport, Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport, and Dammam’s King Fahd International Airport.

The Saudi Space Commission launched the "Saudi Arabia Toward Space" campaign to boost the Kingdom's global position in the field of space, its contribution to international space activities, and promote its efforts to achieve the goals of Saudi Vision 2030.



World Population Will Be 8.09 Billion on New Year’s Day after a 71 Million Increase in 2024

 The 2025 New Year's Eve numerals are displayed in Times Square, Wednesday, Dec. 18, 2024, in New York. (AP)
The 2025 New Year's Eve numerals are displayed in Times Square, Wednesday, Dec. 18, 2024, in New York. (AP)
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World Population Will Be 8.09 Billion on New Year’s Day after a 71 Million Increase in 2024

 The 2025 New Year's Eve numerals are displayed in Times Square, Wednesday, Dec. 18, 2024, in New York. (AP)
The 2025 New Year's Eve numerals are displayed in Times Square, Wednesday, Dec. 18, 2024, in New York. (AP)

The world population increased by more than 71 million people in 2024 and will be 8.09 billion people on New Year's Day, according to US Census Bureau estimates released Monday.

The 0.9% increase in 2024 was a slight slowdown from 2023, when the world population grew by 75 million people. In January 2025, 4.2 births and 2.0 deaths were expected worldwide every second, according to the estimates.

The United States grew by 2.6 million people in 2024, and the US population on New Year's Day will be 341 million people, according to the Census Bureau.

The United States was expected to have one birth every 9 seconds and one death every 9.4 seconds in January 2025. International migration was expected to add one person to the US population every 23.2 seconds. The combination of births, deaths and net international migration will increase the US population by one person every 21.2 seconds, the Census Bureau said.

So far in the 2020s, the US population has grown by almost 9.7 million people, a 2.9% growth rate. In the 2010s, the US grew by 7.4%, which was the lowest rate since the 1930s.