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DGDA Holds Eid Al-Adha Festivities

DGDA Holds Eid Al-Adha Festivities
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DGDA Holds Eid Al-Adha Festivities

DGDA Holds Eid Al-Adha Festivities

As part of its commitment to strengthening bonds with the local community, the Diriyah Gate Development Authority (DGDA) is holding a series of festive events in mosques, parks, and gardens across the city of Diriyah to celebrate Eid Al-Adha.

DGDA’s participation in the Eid Al-Adha celebrations reaffirms its commitment to engaging in social activities and events. With the residents of Diriyah as crucial partners, the authority aims to involve them in the realization of its vision to transform Diriyah into a dynamic global cultural and tourist destination.

Diriyah will also spread the spirit of Eid by deploying a fleet of "Fun Busses" that will travel across the neighborhood and parks, bringing joy to locals and visitors alike. The buses will travel through Al-Khalidiya Park, Al-Faisaliah Park, and Jax Park during the first three days of Eid. Each evening throughout the four-day Eid Al-Adha holiday, cultural and heritage events will take place at 8:00 pm in conjunction with the local municipality, traffic authority, police department, Diriyah Hospital, and other local entities.

The authority has also collaborated with the Ministry of Environment, Water, and Agriculture to oversee the organization of Eid meals. This collaboration helps to prioritize sustainability across Diriyah by ensuring proper waste disposal and utilization at the Diriyah abattoir.

Furthermore, DGDA launched “The Good Neighbor” initiative, which works to distribute special bags for first aid kits and Eid decoration boxes. The goal is to increase public awareness of the significant role that family activities play in bringing Diriyah’s rich and dynamic local culture to life, SPA reported.

In addition to these festivities, Bujairi Terrace will be celebrating this year’s Eid Al-Adha holiday, with its, breathtaking views overlooking the UNESCO World Heritage Site of At-Turaif. From the 28th of June to the 1st of July, visitors can enjoy traditional sounds entertainment and activities for the entire family while dining at any of its 20 restaurants.

In the spirit of celebration, DGDA will also actively serve pilgrims during the Hajj season through the Diriyah’s Scouts program. Organized by DGDA’s Society Participation Department, in collaboration with the Saudi Arabian Scouts Association and several other entities, a dedicated team of more than 18 Diriyah Scouts provides support to pilgrims throughout their stay.

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Saudi Arabia: AlUla Showcase its Environmental Diversity on Gulf Wildlife Day

AlUla’s participation in Gulf Wildlife Day reflects its ongoing commitment to protecting its natural resources. SPA
AlUla’s participation in Gulf Wildlife Day reflects its ongoing commitment to protecting its natural resources. SPA
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Saudi Arabia: AlUla Showcase its Environmental Diversity on Gulf Wildlife Day

AlUla’s participation in Gulf Wildlife Day reflects its ongoing commitment to protecting its natural resources. SPA
AlUla’s participation in Gulf Wildlife Day reflects its ongoing commitment to protecting its natural resources. SPA

Saudi Arabia’s AlUla Governorate showcased its environmental wealth and natural diversity during its participation in Gulf Wildlife Day, highlighting its status as one of the Kingdom’s key regions rich in biodiversity and geology, featuring unique landscapes that include volcanic mountains, valleys, rock formations, and diverse natural habitats.

AlUla stands out as an advanced model in wildlife protection efforts, through initiatives implemented by the Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU).

These initiatives aim to safeguard biodiversity, enhance the sustainability of ecosystems, and carry out breeding and reintroduction programs for endangered species into their natural habitats.

AlUla is home to five principal nature reserves that form a cornerstone of the governorate’s environmental protection system. These include Wadi Nakhlah, Harrat AlZabin, Harrat Uwayrid, Gharameel, and Sharaan.

These nature reserves witness phased releases of various wildlife species under carefully designed scientific programs, contributing to restoring ecological balance and strengthening the sustainability of wildlife.

The RCU gives special attention to the protection of the Arabian leopard, which is considered one of the region’s rare environmental symbols, with comprehensive programs that include breeding and reintroduction into its natural habitat, alongside establishing a global environmental conservation fund aimed at supporting international efforts to protect endangered species and preserve biodiversity.

These efforts are carried out in partnership with the National Center for Wildlife (NCW), a key partner in implementing endangered species reintroduction programs, developing protection plans, and exchanging scientific expertise, strengthening national coordination in wildlife conservation.

AlUla’s participation in Gulf Wildlife Day reflects its ongoing commitment to protecting its natural resources and highlighting its environmental wealth as a national and human heritage, demonstrating the balance between humans and nature and reaffirming its leading role in promoting environmental sustainability locally and regionally.

Varieties

Thieves Drill into a German Bank Vault and Steal Tens of Millions of Euros Worth of Property

Police officers stand in front of the savings bank branch in the Buer district in Gelsenkirchen, Germany, Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2025 following a break-in into the bank's vault. (Christoph Reichwein/dpa via AP)
Police officers stand in front of the savings bank branch in the Buer district in Gelsenkirchen, Germany, Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2025 following a break-in into the bank's vault. (Christoph Reichwein/dpa via AP)
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Thieves Drill into a German Bank Vault and Steal Tens of Millions of Euros Worth of Property

Police officers stand in front of the savings bank branch in the Buer district in Gelsenkirchen, Germany, Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2025 following a break-in into the bank's vault. (Christoph Reichwein/dpa via AP)
Police officers stand in front of the savings bank branch in the Buer district in Gelsenkirchen, Germany, Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2025 following a break-in into the bank's vault. (Christoph Reichwein/dpa via AP)

Thieves stole tens of millions of euros worth of property from safety deposit boxes inside a German bank vault that they drilled into Monday during the holiday lull, police said.

Some 2,700 bank customers were affected by the theft in Gelsenkirchen, police and the Sparkasse bank said.

Thomas Nowaczyk, a police spokesperson, said investigators believe the theft was worth between 10 and 90 million euros ($11.7 to 105.7 million).

German news agency dpa reported that the theft could be one of Germany's largest heists.

The bank remained closed Tuesday, when some 200 people showed up demanding to get inside, dpa reported.

A fire alarm summoned police officers and firefighters to the bank branch shortly before 4 a.m. Monday. They found a hole in the wall and the vault ransacked. Police believe a large drill was used to break through the vault's basement wall.

Witnesses told investigators they saw several men carrying large bags in a nearby parking garage over the weekend. Video footage from the garage shows masked people inside a stolen vehicle early Monday, police said.

Gelsenkirchen is about 192 kilometers (119 miles) northwest of Frankfurt.

Varieties

The Year's First Meteor Shower and Supermoon Clash in January Skies

People look up to the sky from an observatory near the village of Avren, Bulgaria, Aug. 12, 2009. (AP Photo/Petar Petrov, File)
People look up to the sky from an observatory near the village of Avren, Bulgaria, Aug. 12, 2009. (AP Photo/Petar Petrov, File)
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The Year's First Meteor Shower and Supermoon Clash in January Skies

People look up to the sky from an observatory near the village of Avren, Bulgaria, Aug. 12, 2009. (AP Photo/Petar Petrov, File)
People look up to the sky from an observatory near the village of Avren, Bulgaria, Aug. 12, 2009. (AP Photo/Petar Petrov, File)

The year's first supermoon and meteor shower will sync up in January skies, but the light from one may dim the other.

The Quadrantid meteor shower peaks Friday night into Saturday morning, according to the American Meteor Society. In dark skies during the peak, skygazers typically see around 25 meteors per hour, but this time they'll likely glimpse less than 10 per hour due to light from Saturday's supermoon, The AP news reported.

“The biggest enemy of enjoying a meteor shower is the full moon,” said Mike Shanahan, planetarium director at Liberty Science Center in New Jersey.

Meteor showers happen when speedy space rocks collide with Earth’s atmosphere, burning up and leaving fiery tails in their wake — the end of a “shooting star.” A handful of meteors are visible on any given night, but predictable showers appear annually when Earth passes through dense streams of cosmic debris.

Supermoons occur when a full moon is closer to Earth in its orbit. That makes it appear up to 14% bigger and 30% brighter than the faintest moon of the year, according to NASA. That difference can be tough to notice with the naked eye.

Supermoons, like all full moons, are visible in clear skies everywhere that it's night. The Quadrantids, on the other hand, can be seen mainly from the Northern Hemisphere. Both can be glimpsed without any special equipment.

To spot the Quadrantids, venture out in the early evening away from city lights and watch for fireballs before the moon crashes the party, said Jacque Benitez with the Morrison Planetarium at the California Academy of Sciences. Skygazers can also try looking during early dawn hours on Sunday.

Wait for your eyes to get used to the darkness, and don’t look at your phone. The space rocks will look like fast-moving white dots and appear over the whole sky.

Meteor showers are named for the constellation where the fireballs appear to come from. The Quadrantids — space debris from the asteroid 2003 EH1 — are named for a constellation that's no longer recognized.

The next major meteor shower, called the Lyrids, is slotted for April.

Supermoons happen a few times a year and come in groups, taking advantage of the sweet spot in the moon’s elliptical orbit. Saturday night’s event ends a four-month streak that started in October. There won't be another supermoon until the end of 2026.