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Saudi Arabia’s Soudah Development Announces Birth of 3 Ibexes in Soudah Peaks Project Area

These new arrivals follow the release of 23 ibexes into the natural areas last year. (SPA)
These new arrivals follow the release of 23 ibexes into the natural areas last year. (SPA)
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Saudi Arabia’s Soudah Development Announces Birth of 3 Ibexes in Soudah Peaks Project Area

These new arrivals follow the release of 23 ibexes into the natural areas last year. (SPA)
These new arrivals follow the release of 23 ibexes into the natural areas last year. (SPA)

The Soudah Development Company, a subsidiary of the Public Investment Fund, announced the birth of three ibexes in the "Red Rock" area within King Abdullah National Park in Soudah.

These new arrivals follow the release of 23 ibexes into the natural areas last year in collaboration with the National Center for Wildlife (NCW) as part of the company's initiative to release endangered animals and the center's program to breed and re-localize wildlife species, reported the Saudi Press Agency on Sunday.

Previously, the NCW released two mothers who recently gave birth to the ibexes in the "Red Rock" area. The third mother, approximately two years old, was born in an enclosed area before being released into the project area in February 2023 and recently gave birth in the park, contributing to the increase in ibex numbers within the protected area.

Currently, Soudah Development Company is monitoring nine ibexes and providing a suitable environment for them to live in the park's "Red Rock" area.

CEO of Soudah Development Company, Eng. Saleh Al-Oraini, stressed that these births represent a significant step towards re-localizing endangered species and enhancing ecosystems in the region.

He also highlighted the company's steadfast commitment to the goals of the Saudi Green Initiative and its contribution to the sustainability of the local environment and biodiversity in the Soudah Peaks.

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India’s Monsoon Rains a Fifth Below Normal So Far

Indian commuters use umbrellas during a hot afternoon in Kolkata, India, 14 June 2024. (EPA)
Indian commuters use umbrellas during a hot afternoon in Kolkata, India, 14 June 2024. (EPA)
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India’s Monsoon Rains a Fifth Below Normal So Far

Indian commuters use umbrellas during a hot afternoon in Kolkata, India, 14 June 2024. (EPA)
Indian commuters use umbrellas during a hot afternoon in Kolkata, India, 14 June 2024. (EPA)

India's monsoon has delivered a fifth less rain than normal so far this season, the weather department said on Monday, in a worrying sign for the vital agricultural sector.

Summer rains, critical to economic growth in Asia's third-largest economy, usually begin in the south around June 1 before spreading nationwide by July 8, allowing farmers to plant crops such as rice, cotton, soybeans, and sugarcane.

India has received 20% less rainfall than normal since June 1, according to data compiled by the state-run India Meteorological Department (IMD), with almost all regions except for a few southern states seeing shortfalls and some northwestern states experiencing heat waves.

The rain shortfall in soybean, cotton, sugarcane, and pulses-growing central India has risen to 29%, while the paddy-growing southern region received 17% more rainfall than normal due to the early onset of the monsoon, according to the data.

The northeast has received 20% less rainfall than normal so far, and the northwest some 68% less.

The lifeblood of the nearly $3.5-trillion economy, the monsoon brings nearly 70% of the rain India needs to water farms and refill reservoirs and aquifers.

In the absence of irrigation, nearly half the farmland in the world's second-biggest producer of rice, wheat and sugar depends on the annual rains that usually run until September.

"The monsoon's progress is stalled. It has weakened. But when it revives and becomes active, it can erase the rain deficit in a short burst," an IMD official told Reuters.

The official sought anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.

Heat wave conditions are likely to prevail in northern states for a few more days, but temperatures could start coming down from the weekend, the official added.

The maximum temperature in India's northern states is ranging between 42 and 47.6 degrees Celsius (107.6 to 117.7 degrees Fahrenheit), about 4-9 C above normal, the IMD data showed.