One Million Trees Planted at Saudi Arabia's Rawdat Al-Khafs

The King Abdulaziz Royal Reserve Development Authority has completed the planting of one million trees in Rawdat Al-Khafs. (SPA)
The King Abdulaziz Royal Reserve Development Authority has completed the planting of one million trees in Rawdat Al-Khafs. (SPA)
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One Million Trees Planted at Saudi Arabia's Rawdat Al-Khafs

The King Abdulaziz Royal Reserve Development Authority has completed the planting of one million trees in Rawdat Al-Khafs. (SPA)
The King Abdulaziz Royal Reserve Development Authority has completed the planting of one million trees in Rawdat Al-Khafs. (SPA)

Saudi Arabia's King Abdulaziz Royal Reserve Development Authority, in cooperation with the National Center for Vegetation Cover and Combating Desertification (NCVC), has completed the planting of one million trees in Rawdat Al-Khafs, located south of the reserve.

The first phase of planting 500,000 trees in the northern and southern parts of Rawdat Al-Khafs was completed in August 2022 and the remaining 500,000 trees were planted in 2023.

Through this initiative, the authority seeks to support national efforts to realize the objectives of the Saudi Green Initiative by increasing vegetation cover, combating desertification and preserving natural resources to achieve sustainable environmental and economic development and improve the quality of life.

The planting of the trees in the reserve comes within the agreement signed between the authority and NCVC on the sidelines of the International Exhibition and Forum on Afforestation Techniques in May 2022.

The King Abdulaziz Royal Reserve is one of the seven royal reserves in Saudi Arabia. It is known for its broad geographical scope, which includes Al-Tanhat, Al-Khafs, and Noura parks, and parts of the Al-Summan plateau and the Al-Dahna desert, covering approximately 28,000 sq. km.



Australian Hiker Found Alive after Surviving for Two Weeks on Berries and Muesli Bars

A general view of Cooma Hospital where hiker Hadi Nazari was transferred to for a health check in Cooma, New South Wales, Australia, 08 January 2025. (EPA)
A general view of Cooma Hospital where hiker Hadi Nazari was transferred to for a health check in Cooma, New South Wales, Australia, 08 January 2025. (EPA)
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Australian Hiker Found Alive after Surviving for Two Weeks on Berries and Muesli Bars

A general view of Cooma Hospital where hiker Hadi Nazari was transferred to for a health check in Cooma, New South Wales, Australia, 08 January 2025. (EPA)
A general view of Cooma Hospital where hiker Hadi Nazari was transferred to for a health check in Cooma, New South Wales, Australia, 08 January 2025. (EPA)

An Australian student missing for two weeks near the country's tallest mountain was found on Wednesday, after surviving by foraging for berries, drinking water from a creek and finding two muesli bars left behind by other hikers, police said.

Hadi Nazari, a 23-year-old university student from Melbourne, went missing from his group of friends on December 26 in the Kosciuszko National Park.

Nazari was found on Wednesday afternoon by a group of hikers who alerted the authorities, police in the state of New South Wales said.

“This is the fourteenth day we've been looking for him and for him to come out and be in such good spirits and in such great condition, it’s incredible," NSW Police Inspector Josh Broadfoot said.

The student was in "really good spirits" with no significant injuries, he added.

More than 300 people had searched for Nazari across rugged bushland, police said. The national park is home to the 2,228 meter (7,310 foot) Mount Kosciuszko.