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KAUST Signs MoUs with Chinese Academic Institutions and Innovation Centers

A view of the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST). (KAUST)
A view of the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST). (KAUST)
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KAUST Signs MoUs with Chinese Academic Institutions and Innovation Centers

A view of the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST). (KAUST)
A view of the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST). (KAUST)

The King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) signed on Saturday various memorandums of understanding (MoUs) with prestigious academic institutions and leading global innovation centers in the Chinese city of Shenzhen.

The MoUs aim to boost collaboration in the fields of industrial innovation, technology transfer, research, talent exchange, training programs, and entrepreneurship.

The agreements were signed during a visit by a Chinese delegation, headed by Mayor of Shenzhen city Qin Weizhong, to the KAUST on Saturday.

The delegation included 50 representatives from various institutions, including Tsinghua University, Tsinghua Shenzhen International Graduate School (Tsinghua SIGS), Research Institute of Tsinghua University in Shenzhen (RITS), Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen (CUHK-Shenzhen), Shenzhen InnoX Academy, and Shenzhen Research Institute of Big Data (SRIBD).

Such partnerships represent a significant step in supporting the economic transformation efforts in Saudi Arabia, aiming to prepare a new generation of scientific research and innovation leaders while bolstering the higher education system in the Kingdom to unprecedented levels.

Partnerships with the Chinese city of Shenzhen are a pivotal component of KAUST’s new strategy, which was announced last month.

One of the strategy's goals is to solidify scientific collaboration between KAUST and renowned academic institutions and innovation centers worldwide. It also seeks to forge scientific alliances to promote the adoption of promising technologies and encourage research commercialization, thereby raising the Kingdom's economic competitiveness.

Shenzhen city is recognized as one of the world's foremost hubs for technological advancement and is the third-most economically and technologically advanced city in China, following Shanghai and Beijing.

It serves as a significant strategic partner in bolstering the innovation ecosystem in the Kingdom and further facilitates collaboration with leading companies, academics, and experts in the field of innovation in Shenzhen. This will in turn solidify KAUST’s reputation as a global hub for technology and innovation.

President of KAUST Dr. Tony Chan said the university's distinguished partnerships with prestigious institutions in Shenzhen will support KAUST's core objectives.

“These objectives include strengthening the promotion of its global research partnerships, nurturing exceptional talent, and delivering tangible benefits for the Kingdom,” he said.

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Mission to Rescue Lions, Hyenas in War-torn Sudan

Happier times at the Sudan Animal Rescue center in February, 2022 - AFP
Happier times at the Sudan Animal Rescue center in February, 2022 - AFP
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Mission to Rescue Lions, Hyenas in War-torn Sudan

Happier times at the Sudan Animal Rescue center in February, 2022 - AFP
Happier times at the Sudan Animal Rescue center in February, 2022 - AFP

The small menagerie of animals echoed the human suffering from seven months of war between rival generals that shattered Sudan -- they were starving, traumatised and trapped in the crossfire.

On the southern outskirts of the capital Khartoum, volunteers had opened a modest reserve in 2021, crowdfunding online to rescue malnourished and sick lions from a rundown zoo in the city.

Barely two years later, they found themselves in a war zone.

With a military base just next door, a skeleton staff of animal lovers fought to keep their charges alive as "bombs fell on the refuge, damaging infrastructure and injuring animals", Sudan Animal Rescue founder Othman Salih told AFP.

After months of struggling to feed and care for them, Salih finally managed to set up a high-risk rescue mission in coordination with Austrian animal welfare organisation Four Paws.

A total of 50 animals, including 15 lions and a host of hyenas and birds, have now been evacuated through a labyrinth of army and paramilitary checkpoints that have for seven months controlled all movement in and out of Khartoum.

On April 15, war erupted between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). By early November, more than 10,000 people had been killed in the conflict, according to a conservative estimate by the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data project.

The fighting has also displaced 6.3 million people, the UN says. Sudan's already fragile infrastructure has been destroyed, creating an unprecedented humanitarian crisis that has left no living creature there unscathed.

"We lost seven lions, most of them due to illness," Salih said, although one lioness "was shot dead by a stray bullet".

The animal center was unable to offer the necessary veterinary care as the specter of famine loomed large over the already impoverished country.

Volunteers, who before the war would often themselves pay for the five to 10 kilos (22 pounds) of meat each big cat needed daily, watched in horror as the famished pack devoured the carcass of the lioness that had been shot.

Amir Khalil, the Four Paws vet in charge of the high-risk mission, said this "unusual behaviour" stemmed from how "physically weakened and psychologically traumatized all the animals are".

Salih has given everything to provide for the animals, several of whom he has cared for since infancy.

In addition to those he rescued from starvation in the Khartoum zoo, he remembers "Moody and Mina... I took care of them myself when they were little lion cubs".

Last year, his team walked AFP correspondents through the small refuge, proud to show off the safe haven they had given the animals.

"We worked very hard to provide food and water during the war," Salih said, but such hard work could only go so far.

Nothing comes in or leaves Khartoum without the express approval of both the army and the RSF.

In concentric circles, both forces enclose the city, interrogating and detaining travellers, and confiscating supplies from those entering or leaving the capital.

Taking the animals from southern Khartoum to the east of Sudan was "one of the most dangerous" missions undertaken by Four Paws -- which has also carried out rescues in war-torn Libya, the Gaza Strip and Mosul in Iraq -- Khalil said.

Success or failure in the "meticulously planned rescue mission" rested on a set of "security measures", principal among which was "communication with both parties to the conflict", he told AFP.

With the animals sedated in transport cages, the team took hours to drive just 140 kilometres (87 miles) along a checkpoint-dotted road to the Um Barona National Park in Wad Madani, a city that has largely been spared the fighting, despite it crawling ever closer.

"The animals need a few days to recover" from the journey, Khalil said, before being taken onwards to Dinder National Park, a UNESCO biosphere reserve on the border with Ethiopia.

Although lions live in Dinder, it is not known precisely how many survive in the wild in Sudan, the third largest country in Africa.

Across the continent, lion populations fell 43 percent between 1993 and 2014, according to WWF, with an estimated 20,000 left in the wild.

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Saudi Space Agency, Axiom Space Sign MoU to Develop National Space Capabilities

The Saudi flag. Asharq Al-Awsat
The Saudi flag. Asharq Al-Awsat
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Saudi Space Agency, Axiom Space Sign MoU to Develop National Space Capabilities

The Saudi flag. Asharq Al-Awsat
The Saudi flag. Asharq Al-Awsat

The Saudi Space Agency has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Axiom Space with the aim of developing Saudi national capabilities in various areas of the space sector.
The MoU was signed during an official visit of the Saudi Digital Economy, Space, and Innovation delegation to the United States.

The delegation was led by Minister of Communications and Information Technology and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Saudi Space Agency Engineer Abdullah bin Amer Al-Sawahah. It also included the CEO of the Saudi Space Agency, Dr. Mohammed bin Saud Al-Tamimi, and several senior officials from the agency.

According to the terms of the MoU, Axiom Space will provide several opportunities for Saudi student training and on-the-job staff training, as well as the exchange of knowledge, skills, and experiences in the field of manned spaceflights. The MoU covers cooperation between both parties in various aspects of developing national capabilities in the space sector and related fields.

The company will offer educational and training programs relevant to its scope for Saudi students.

It is expected that the memorandum will enhance educational and professional development opportunities for Saudi students and employees, deepen cooperation, and enhance mutual benefits between the Saudi Space Agency and the company.

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Young Humpback Whale Leaps Out of Seattle Bay, Dazzling Onlookers

In this image taken from a video, a humpback whale breaches from the waters off Seattle on Thursday, Nov. 30, 2023. (AP Photo/Manuel Valdes)
In this image taken from a video, a humpback whale breaches from the waters off Seattle on Thursday, Nov. 30, 2023. (AP Photo/Manuel Valdes)
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Young Humpback Whale Leaps Out of Seattle Bay, Dazzling Onlookers

In this image taken from a video, a humpback whale breaches from the waters off Seattle on Thursday, Nov. 30, 2023. (AP Photo/Manuel Valdes)
In this image taken from a video, a humpback whale breaches from the waters off Seattle on Thursday, Nov. 30, 2023. (AP Photo/Manuel Valdes)

A humpback whale visiting the waters off Seattle dazzled onlookers Thursday with several breaches in the bay just beyond the city's downtown area.
The whale has been spotted for the last three days swimming around Elliott Bay. But on Thursday, the whale breached for about 40 minutes, also performing several pectoral fin slaps and dives.
Local whale watching groups have identified the young humpback as the calf of an adult female with the identification BCY0995, better known as “Smiley,” The Associated Press reported.
It’s not unusual for humpback whales to visit the waters off Seattle as they migrate along the West Coast.
Smiley's last calf, Chip, was fatally struck by a Washington state ferry in 2020, according to the Canadian group Vancouver Island Whale Watch. On Thursday, personnel from Soundwatch Boater Education Program shadowed the whale for most of its time in the bay to alert other vessels of it.
Jeff Hogan, co-coordinator of the program's Seattle branch, said he counted about 30 breaches. And afterward, the young whale slept.
He said the whale looked healthy.
“It was a joyful day,” Hogan said. “Everyone was working together to go out of their way to make space for that animal to do its thing. If we want these guys to be here and come back, we gotta do that.”

Varieties

England to Open New National Park to Preserve Nature

People exercise in Victoria Park in east London on April 24, 2020. (Photo by Tolga AKMEN / AFP)
People exercise in Victoria Park in east London on April 24, 2020. (Photo by Tolga AKMEN / AFP)
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England to Open New National Park to Preserve Nature

People exercise in Victoria Park in east London on April 24, 2020. (Photo by Tolga AKMEN / AFP)
People exercise in Victoria Park in east London on April 24, 2020. (Photo by Tolga AKMEN / AFP)

England will get a new national park as part of a government set of "nature pledges" to give greater access and protection to the countryside.

According to BBC, Natural England will consider a list of possible sites, which could include the Chilterns, the Cotswolds and Dorset.

Some environmentalists gave the news a cautious welcome, as government funding for national parks has fallen in real terms, forcing service and staff cuts.

Funding worth £15m was also announced for a range of protected landscapes. That will be shared by England's 10 existing national parks and 34 National Landscapes, formerly known as Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

The package forms part of the government's final response to a 2019 review that criticized how such protected landscapes were managed and funded.

Julian Glover, the author of the Landscapes Review, which had called for three new national parks to be created, in the Chilterns, Cotswolds and Dorset, said he was thrilled to have "real progress backed with some extra money to help our national landscapes and national parks do more for people and more for nature.”

"They are beautiful places that lift our souls and should be full of life but we now need to find new and greater ambition to support a nation which needs them to thrive," he added.

But Dr. Rose O'Neill, chief executive of the Campaign for National Parks, said the existing parks had suffered a 40% cut in real terms funding since 2010 and were being "financially throttled.”

“"Today's investment will go some way to easing the burden in the short term but the next crisis could be just around the corner," she said.

Parks across the country have had to make cuts to staffing levels and visitor services as their core grant from government has fallen in real terms.

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World to Hit 1.4C of Warming in Record Hot 2023

(FILES) Burnt trees are seen after illegal fires were lit by farmers in Manaquiri, Amazonas state, Brazil, on September 6, 2023. (Photo by MICHAEL DANTAS / AFP)
(FILES) Burnt trees are seen after illegal fires were lit by farmers in Manaquiri, Amazonas state, Brazil, on September 6, 2023. (Photo by MICHAEL DANTAS / AFP)
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World to Hit 1.4C of Warming in Record Hot 2023

(FILES) Burnt trees are seen after illegal fires were lit by farmers in Manaquiri, Amazonas state, Brazil, on September 6, 2023. (Photo by MICHAEL DANTAS / AFP)
(FILES) Burnt trees are seen after illegal fires were lit by farmers in Manaquiri, Amazonas state, Brazil, on September 6, 2023. (Photo by MICHAEL DANTAS / AFP)

With a month to run, 2023 will reach global warming of about 1.4 degrees Celsius (2.5 Fahrenheit) above preindustrial levels, adding to "a deafening cacophony" of broken climate records, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said on Thursday.
The WMO's provisional State of the Global Climate report confirms that 2023 will be the warmest year on record by a large margin, replacing the previous record-holder 2016, when the world was around 1.2C warmer than the preindustrial average, Reuters reported.

"Greenhouse gas levels are record high. Global temperatures are record high. Sea level rise is record high. Antarctic sea ice record low," WMO Secretary General Peterri Taalas said.
The report's finding, however, does not mean the world is about to cross the long-term warming threshold of 1.5C that scientists say is the ceiling for avoiding catastrophic climate change under the 2015 Paris Agreement.
For that, the level of warming would need to be sustained for longer.
Already, a year of 1.4C has provided a frightening preview of what permanently crossing 1.5C might mean.
This year, Antarctic sea ice reached its lowest winter maximum extent on record, some 1 million square kilometers (386,000 sq miles) less than the previous record. Swiss glaciers lost about 10% of their remaining volume over the last two years, the report said. And wildfires burned a record area in Canada, amounting to about 5% of the country's woodlands.
Climate change, driven by the burning of fossil fuels, combined with the emergence of the natural El Nino climate pattern in the Eastern Pacific pushed the world into record territory this year.
Next year could be worse, the scientists said, as El Nino's impacts are likely to peak this winter and drive higher temperatures in 2024.

Varieties

Noor Riyadh 2023: Grand Launch Marks Start of Incredible Event

The Noor Riyadh Festival 2023 takes place from November 30 to December 16. SPA
The Noor Riyadh Festival 2023 takes place from November 30 to December 16. SPA
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Noor Riyadh 2023: Grand Launch Marks Start of Incredible Event

The Noor Riyadh Festival 2023 takes place from November 30 to December 16. SPA
The Noor Riyadh Festival 2023 takes place from November 30 to December 16. SPA

The Noor Riyadh Festival 2023, taking place from November 30 to December 16, was launched at the King Abdullah Financial District (KAFD), setting the stage for Thursday's official start under the theme 'The Bright Side of the Desert Moon'.

The festival showcases over 120 artworks by 100 artists from various countries, including 35 local artists.

Spread across five locations in Riyadh city: KAFD, JAX District, Salam Park, Wadi Hanifah, and Wadi Namar, the festival invites visitors on a captivating artistic journey spanning five chapters, seamlessly connecting the heart of Riyadh to the desert outskirts.

The event is organized under the guidance of esteemed artistic curators. The lead artistic curator is Jérôme Sans, accompanied by curators Pedro Alonzo, Alaa Taabzouni, and Fahad bin Naif.

Accompanying this year's celebration is the exhibition 'Refracted Identities, Shared Future' at Jax District. Running until March 2, 2024, the exhibition features 32 artists from around the world. Curated by Neville Wakefield and Maya Al Athel, both renowned for their involvement in major global arts festivals.

"The Noor Riyadh Festival aligns with the city's transformation into an accessible art exhibition. It offers diverse artistic experiences and community engagement, improving the quality of life in the capital,” said Executive Director of Riyadh Art Program Khalid Al-Hazani.

“The celebration serves as a platform for cultural exchange, supporting local talent and bolstering the Kingdom's cultural economy, in line with the goals of the Riyadh Art Program,” he added.

The Riyadh Art Program aims to install 1,000 artworks in public spaces across the city, encompassing 12 projects. Additionally, the festival has achieved eight Guinness World Records in the past two editions.

Varieties

Europe's New Ariane 6 Rocket to Launch June 15-July 31, 2024

FILE PHOTO: A worker of Ariane Group stands in front of a Ariane 6 rocket's Vulcain 2.1 engine, prior to the visit of French President Emmanuel Macron, in Vernon, France January 12, 2021. Christophe Ena/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A worker of Ariane Group stands in front of a Ariane 6 rocket's Vulcain 2.1 engine, prior to the visit of French President Emmanuel Macron, in Vernon, France January 12, 2021. Christophe Ena/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo
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Europe's New Ariane 6 Rocket to Launch June 15-July 31, 2024

FILE PHOTO: A worker of Ariane Group stands in front of a Ariane 6 rocket's Vulcain 2.1 engine, prior to the visit of French President Emmanuel Macron, in Vernon, France January 12, 2021. Christophe Ena/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A worker of Ariane Group stands in front of a Ariane 6 rocket's Vulcain 2.1 engine, prior to the visit of French President Emmanuel Macron, in Vernon, France January 12, 2021. Christophe Ena/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo

Europe's new Ariane 6 rocket will stage an inaugural flight between June 15 and July 31 in 2024, the European Space Agency said on Thursday.
The keenly awaited window for the first test flight came after a test model of the new rocket passed a key long-firing engine test in French Guiana last week, Reuters reported.
ESA nations agreed in 2014 to develop Ariane 6 in response to growing competition in the commercial launch market but its arrival, originally due in 2020, has been repeatedly delayed.
"I am really happy to make this announcement today because it shows that we are on the good track to flight access to space for Europe," ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher told a news conference.
The maiden flight will carry some smaller satellites, including two from NASA, but since it is still considered a test flight, it will not carry "a major payload", ESA added.
The ESA will carry out a few additional tests before the launch to make sure the design is "fault tolerant".
The ESA said it planned a second flight by the end of 2024 and would ramp up further in 2025 to reach a target of 9-10 flights per year.
The launcher is being developed by ArianeGroup, a joint venture between Airbus and Safran, in order to better compete with US private launch provider SpaceX.
Its predecessor, Ariane 5, flew for the last time in July and the smaller Vega C remains grounded following a failure in December last year, leaving Europe without independent access to space. Russia blocked European use of its Soyuz rockets last year in response to Western sanctions over Ukraine.
Last week's test at the European spaceport in French Guiana involved igniting the core-stage Vulcain 2.1 engine and then running it for seven minutes, which is about the time it would take for the launcher to reach space.
Aschbacher said last month he hoped to be able to announce a launch window for an inaugural flight to be held in 2024, depending on the results of the engine test.

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Six-Planet Solar System in Perfect Synchrony Discovered in Milky Way

This illustration provided by the European Space Agency shows an artist's rendering of the Cheops telescope in orbit above Earth. Astronomers have discovered six planets orbiting a bright nearby star in perfect rhythmic harmony. (European Space Agency via AP)
This illustration provided by the European Space Agency shows an artist's rendering of the Cheops telescope in orbit above Earth. Astronomers have discovered six planets orbiting a bright nearby star in perfect rhythmic harmony. (European Space Agency via AP)
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Six-Planet Solar System in Perfect Synchrony Discovered in Milky Way

This illustration provided by the European Space Agency shows an artist's rendering of the Cheops telescope in orbit above Earth. Astronomers have discovered six planets orbiting a bright nearby star in perfect rhythmic harmony. (European Space Agency via AP)
This illustration provided by the European Space Agency shows an artist's rendering of the Cheops telescope in orbit above Earth. Astronomers have discovered six planets orbiting a bright nearby star in perfect rhythmic harmony. (European Space Agency via AP)

Astronomers have discovered a rare in-sync solar system with six planets moving like a grand cosmic orchestra, untouched by outside forces since their birth billions of years ago.

The find, announced Wednesday, can help explain how solar systems across the Milky Way galaxy came to be. This one is 100 light-years away in the constellation Coma Berenices. A light-year is 5.8 trillion miles.

A pair of planet-hunting satellites — NASA’s Tess and the European Space Agency’s Cheops — teamed up for the observations.

None of the planets in perfect synchrony are within the star’s so-called habitable zone, which means little if any likelihood of life, at least as we know it.

“Here we have a golden target” for comparison, said Adrien Leleu of the University of Geneva, who was part of an international team that published the results in the journal Nature.

This star, known as HD 110067, may have even more planets. The six found so far are roughly two to three times the size of Earth, but with densities closer to the gas giants in our own solar system. Their orbits range from nine to 54 days, putting them closer to their star than Venus is to the sun and making them exceedingly hot.

As gas planets, they're believed to have solid cores made of rock, metal or ice, enveloped by thick layers of hydrogen, according to the scientists. More observations are needed to determine what's in their atmospheres.

This solar system is unique because all six planets move similar to a perfectly synchronized symphony, scientists said. In technical terms, it’s known as resonance that's “precise, very orderly,” said co-author Enric Palle of the Institute of Astrophysics of the Canary Islands.

The innermost planet completes three orbits for every two by its closest neighbor. It's the same for the second- and third-closest planets, and the third- and fourth-closest planets.

The two outermost planets complete an orbit in 41 and 54.7 days, resulting in four orbits for every three. The innermost planet, meanwhile, completes six orbits in exactly the time the outermost completes one.

All solar systems, including our own, are thought to have started out like this one, according to the scientists. But it's estimated only 1-in-100 systems have retained that synchrony, and ours isn't one of them. Giant planets can throw things off-kilter. So can meteor bombardments, close encounters with neighboring stars and other disturbances.

While astronomers know of 40 to 50 in-sync solar systems, none have as many planets in such perfect step or as bright a star as this one, Palle said.

The University of Bern’s Hugh Osborn, who was part of the team, was “shocked and delighted” when the orbital periods of this star system’s planets came close to what scientists predicted.

“My jaw was on the floor,” he said. “That was a really nice moment.”

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France Reports Bird Flu on Turkey Farm as Disease Spreads in Europe 

A hen stands next to an egg, Jan. 10, 2023, at a farm in Glenview, Ill. (AP)
A hen stands next to an egg, Jan. 10, 2023, at a farm in Glenview, Ill. (AP)
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France Reports Bird Flu on Turkey Farm as Disease Spreads in Europe 

A hen stands next to an egg, Jan. 10, 2023, at a farm in Glenview, Ill. (AP)
A hen stands next to an egg, Jan. 10, 2023, at a farm in Glenview, Ill. (AP)

France has detected an outbreak of highly pathogenic bird flu virus on a turkey farm in the northwest of the country, the agriculture ministry said on Tuesday, as a seasonal wave of infections spreads across Europe.

The outbreak in the Brittany region, France's first farm case this autumn, occurred near where an infected wild bird was found, the ministry said in a statement.

Several cases among wild birds have been recorded in recent days, it said, adding the government had raised its national alert level for bird flu to moderate from negligible.

Poultry flocks in areas particularly exposed to contact with wild birds would now be confined indoors, the ministry said.

Avian influenza, commonly known as bird flu, has led to the culling of hundreds of millions of birds in the past years. It usually strikes in Europe during autumn and winter and has recently been detected on farms in countries including Germany, the Netherlands, Italy, Croatia and Hungary.

To counter the disease, which has disrupted the supply of poultry meat and eggs and sent prices rocketing in parts of the world in recent years, France launched a vaccination campaign against bird flu in early October.

The French program is being initially limited to ducks, which are the most vulnerable to the virus. Ducks accounted for only 8% of total French poultry output in 2022.

Varieties

Festival of Light and Art 'Noor Riyadh 2023' Returns November 30

Noor Riyadh festival in previous editions won eight Guinness World Records - SPA
Noor Riyadh festival in previous editions won eight Guinness World Records - SPA
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Festival of Light and Art 'Noor Riyadh 2023' Returns November 30

Noor Riyadh festival in previous editions won eight Guinness World Records - SPA
Noor Riyadh festival in previous editions won eight Guinness World Records - SPA

Noor Riyadh 2023, the largest lights and art festival in the world, announced the official launch of the ticket platform for visitors, which returns in its third edition under the slogan “The Bright Side of the Desert Moon” under the supervision of lead artistic curator Jérôme Sans (Lead Curator), and curators Pedro Alonzo, Alaa Tarabzouni, and Fahad bin Naif.

The celebration includes more than 120 artworks introduced by more than 100 artists from more than 35 countries, including 35 from the Kingdom.

The event is held in this year in partnership with the Ministry of Culture, the King Abdullah Financial District (KAFD), and the JAX District as celebration partners, in addition to the Kingdom Center and Al Khozama Investment Company as official partners, the Saudi Research and Media Group (SRMG) as a media partner, the Misk Art Institute as a program partner.

Nova, the Rouh El Saudia, the King Fahd National Library (KFNL), Via Riyadh, and Digital City are supporting partners, and AlTanfeethi is a hospitality partner, SPA reported.

Noor Riyadh festival director Nouf AlMoneef said this year's event is presented in a different and unique formula, inviting all visitors from all over the world to experience fun and amazing experiences in five centers in the capital, which include creative artistic works, in addition to hosting various dialogues and workshops.
She pointed out that the Noor Riyadh festival in previous editions won eight Guinness World Records, including the largest festival of lights in the world, where the number of visitors hit more than 2.8 million people.
This year, we look forward to welcoming art lovers and all members of society in an edition distinguished by its experiences and its various artistic activities, she added.
The Noor Riyadh festival includes 44 dialogue sessions, 122 workshops, 13 creative experiments, more than 1,000 guided tours, and more than 100 activities for families. Visitors can access all the events and reserve tickets allocated to all centers for free through the official website of Riyadh Art www.riyadhart.sa