Construction Begins on King Abdulaziz Park, a Green Riyadh Landmark

The park will be a verdant oasis north of the capital, bordered by King Salman bin Abdulaziz Road, Prince Faisal bin Bandar bin Abdulaziz Road, Prince Badr bin Abdul Mohsen Road, and Anas bin Malik Road. (SPA)

18:53-24 July 2024 AD ـ 17 Muharram 1446 AH

Construction Begins on King Abdulaziz Park, a Green Riyadh Landmark

Riyadh’s skyline is set to dramatically change as construction kicked off on King Abdulaziz Park, a cornerstone of the ambitious Green Riyadh initiative, said the Royal Commission for Riyadh City in a statement on Wednesday.

The project was greenlit by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud following a proposal by Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, who also chairs the Royal Commission for Riyadh City.

The park will feature six distinct botanical zones, including a 200,000-square-meter botanical garden showcasing over 200 native plant species. (SPA)

Spanning an impressive 4.3 million square meters and slated for completion in three years, the park will be a verdant oasis north of the capital, bordered by King Salman bin Abdulaziz Road, Prince Faisal bin Bandar bin Abdulaziz Road, Prince Badr bin Abdul Mohsen Road, and Anas bin Malik Road.

Its strategic location near King Khalid International Airport and Princess Noura bint Abdulrahman University, coupled with excellent public transport links, ensures easy accessibility for residents and visitors alike.

A global design competition yielded a winning concept that harmoniously blended with the local environment. The park will feature six distinct botanical zones, including a 200,000-square-meter botanical garden showcasing over 200 native plant species. Other areas will recreate highland, plain, plateau, and desert landscapes, fostering biodiversity and creating a haven for wildlife.

More than two million trees and shrubs carefully selected for Riyadh’s climate will be planted to achieve the ambitious target of 65% shade coverage. The park’s irrigation system will utilize recycled water, minimizing environmental impact.

Beyond its ecological benefits, King Abdulaziz Park will be a vibrant community hub. It will boast 24 children’s play areas, 30 sports facilities, and over 115 kilometers of pedestrian, jogging, and cycling paths, encouraging residents to live healthier lifestyles. Green terraces, squares, and open-air theaters will host events and festivals, while restaurants and shops will cater to visitors.

As a flagship project of the Saudi Green Initiative, King Abdulaziz Park is a significant step towards realizing Saudi Vision 2030’s goal of planting 10 billion trees nationwide. By increasing Riyadh’s green spaces to 9% and the per capita green space to 28 square meters, the park will help mitigate climate change, improve air quality, and boost the city’s global standing as a desirable place to live.

In Europe First, Netherlands to Allow Teslas to Self-Drive

01 September 2025, Brandenburg, Gruenheide: The Tesla logo is seen on a vehicle at the Tesla Gigafactory Berlin-Brandenburg. (dpa)

11:50-11 April 2026 AD ـ 23 Shawwal 1447 AH

In Europe First, Netherlands to Allow Teslas to Self-Drive

01 September 2025, Brandenburg, Gruenheide: The Tesla logo is seen on a vehicle at the Tesla Gigafactory Berlin-Brandenburg. (dpa)

In a first for Europe, the Netherlands is poised to allow Tesla owners to use their car's self-driving feature -- as long as they are in the vehicle and keeping a watchful eye over it.

The country's RDW agency for roadworthiness certifications said in a statement late Friday: "Thanks to the type approval, the driver assistance system can now be used in the Netherlands, with possible future expansion to all member states of the European Union."

The move aligns the Netherlands with what is allowed in the United States, where Tesla owners can already use the Full Self-Driving (Supervised) (FSD Supervised) function in the cars.

That mode hands over driving to the Tesla's computer system, including steering, braking, route navigation and parking, all under the active supervision of the driver, who remains at the controls ready to take over if needed.

The European subsidiary of Tesla, the electric-vehicle company run by the world's richest person, Elon Musk, hailed the Netherlands' move.

"FSD Supervised has been approved in the Netherlands & will begin rolling out in the country shortly!" it said on X.

"No other vehicle can do this. We're excited to bring FSD Supervised to more European countries soon."

The Dutch RDW agency stressed the difference between FSD Supervised, with a human remaining at the controls, and full autonomous driving.

"A vehicle with FSD Supervised is not self-driving. It is a driver assistance system, and the driver remains responsible and must always maintain control," it said.

RDW's decision has to go to the European Commission for authorization, so that its national certification has EU weight.

Tesla sales have been facing headwinds in Europe -- including in the Netherlands -- in the last couple of years.

Potential clients have turned off by Musk's political activism supporting hard-right politics in the US and Germany, while the brand is also facing increased competition from Chinese electric vehicle manufacturers.

Varieties

'A Perfect Mission': Artemis II Astronauts Return to Earth

In this image provided by NASA, the Artemis II crew, counterclockwise from top left, Mission Specialist Christina Koch, Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen, Commander Reid Wiseman, and Pilot Victor Glover pose with eclipse viewers during a lunar flyby, Monday, April 6, 2026. (NASA via AP)

Asharq Al Awsat

08:23-11 April 2026 AD ـ 23 Shawwal 1447 AH

Asharq Al Awsat

08:23-11 April 2026 AD ـ 23 Shawwal 1447 AH

'A Perfect Mission': Artemis II Astronauts Return to Earth

An elated NASA late Friday was celebrating its successful voyage around the Moon, after four astronauts safely returned to Earth having completed the first lunar flyby in more than 50 years.

The NASA spacecraft carrying four astronauts -- three Americans and one Canadian -- splashed down without a hitch off the California coast, capping the US space agency's crewed test mission that returned with spectacular images of the Moon, said AFP.

"What a journey," said mission commander Reid Wiseman, who reported that the crewmembers -- himself along with Christina Koch, Victor Glover and Jeremy Hansen -- were "stable" and "green."

"They're in great condition, that's what that means," said Rob Navias, the NASA public affairs official who narrated their return on the agency's livestream.

Following an expected but nerve-wracking communications blackout during their high-stakes re-entry, Wiseman's voice triggered relief that the astronauts were well on their way back home.

"We have you loud and clear," he said following a voice check from mission control in Houston.

NASA personnel and the US military helped extract the astronauts from the bobbing capsule -- to the applause of those watching from mission control.

By late Friday, helicopters had lifted the astronauts to a recovery ship off the Pacific coast near San Diego, where they all proved capable of walking unassisted.

NASA administrator Jared Isaacman called the voyage "a perfect mission."

"We're back in the business of sending astronauts to the Moon," he said, and "this is just the beginning."

- 'A great day' -

As the astronauts returned to Earth their spacecraft reached maximum speeds more than 30 times the speed of sound, and faced searing temperatures around half as hot as the surface of the Sun.

It was a key test of their heat shield, which in an earlier trial uncrewed mission had faced complications that they attempted to mitigate this time around by shifting the return trajectory.

"If you didn't have anxiety bringing this spacecraft home, you probably didn't have a pulse," said flight director Rick Henfling.

But the Artemis II re-entry was smooth sailing.

The Orion capsule will now be painstakingly examined to assess how it fared.

US President Donald Trump praised the astronauts for their "spectacular" trip and said he "could not be more proud" -- while wasting no time in looking ahead to the eventual goal of sending missions even further into space.

"Next step, Mars!" he wrote on social media.

Artemis II was the inaugural crewed mission of NASA's program aiming to install a sustained presence on the Moon, including the eventual construction of a base that could be used for further exploration including to Mars.

- 'Fresh confidence' -

From liftoff to splashdown, the trip clocked in at nine days, one hour, 31 minutes and 35 seconds -- though NASA rounds up and calls it a 10-day mission.

It began with a dramatic launch from Florida on April 1, and was studded with firsts, records and extraordinary moments.

The four astronauts become the humans to travel furthest away from the Earth, at 252,756 miles (406,771 kilometers).

While hurtling through deep space and zipping around the Moon they took thousands of photographs, amassing a stunning portfolio of images that captivated people on Earth.

They also witnessed a solar eclipse along with extraordinary meteorite strikes on the lunar surface.

Several achievements added to the voyage's historic nature: Glover was the first person of color to fly around the Moon, Koch was the first woman, and Canadian Hansen the first non-American.

Astronomer Derek Buzasi of the University of Chicago called the mission "an almost flawless success."

"I admit to having had my doubts about the Artemis program, but now I have fresh confidence in our next steps as we go back to the Moon to stay," he told AFP.

- 'Eye on the prize' -

NASA is hoping it can put boots on the lunar surface as soon as 2028 -- the final full year of Trump's second White House term.

Experts, however, have voiced skepticism that the lunar landers being developed by SpaceX and Blue Origin, companies owned by billionaires Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos respectively, will be ready in time.

China, meanwhile, is forging ahead with its own effort targeting 2030 to put astronauts on the Moon.

In the meantime, NASA is hoping to capitalize on the Artemis II mission's success to drum up excitement about space exploration.

Clayton Swope, a space policy expert at of the Center for Strategic and International Studies, told AFP that the mission stands as "proof that when America keeps its eye on the prize, it can still do very great things."

Varieties

Sleepy Seal Diverts Traffic in Australian Seaside Town

This frame grab from handout video footage by Laura Ellen taken on April 10, 2026 shows traffic along a road in the seaside Australian town of Dromana, located south of Melbourne in the southern state of Victoria, that was briefly diverted after a local seal decided to take a nap. (Photo by Handout / LAURA ELLEN / AFP)

Asharq Al Awsat

08:14-10 April 2026 AD ـ 22 Shawwal 1447 AH

Asharq Al Awsat

08:14-10 April 2026 AD ـ 22 Shawwal 1447 AH

Sleepy Seal Diverts Traffic in Australian Seaside Town

Traffic in a seaside Australian town was briefly diverted on Friday when a local seal decided to take a nap on the road.

The dozy pinniped was spotted snoozing on a road in Dromana in the southern state of Victoria.

Local police placed cones around the seal -- known to some locals as Sammy -- who could be seen sunning himself with little concern for the traffic.

"You don't know where he will pop up next," local Laura Ellen, who spotted the slumbering animal, told AFP.

"He usually sleeps all day," she said.

"It made me laugh when I saw him on the road. Haven't seen him do that before."

The seal was later redirected back to the beach by wildlife rescuers and the lane was re-opened.

Seals are a common sight along Victoria's coast and it is illegal to touch or feed them, the state government says.

Construction Begins on King Abdulaziz Park, a Green Riyadh Landmark

Construction Begins on King Abdulaziz Park, a Green Riyadh Landmark

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In Europe First, Netherlands to Allow Teslas to Self-Drive

In Europe First, Netherlands to Allow Teslas to Self-Drive

'A Perfect Mission': Artemis II Astronauts Return to Earth

'A Perfect Mission': Artemis II Astronauts Return to Earth

Sleepy Seal Diverts Traffic in Australian Seaside Town

Sleepy Seal Diverts Traffic in Australian Seaside Town

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