Saudi Arabia Launches National Family Guidance Strategy

Minister of Human Resources and Social Development Eng. Ahmad Al-Rajhi awards first professional licenses for family counseling (Saudi Human Resources)

Riyadh: Omar al-Badawi

08:32-2 September 2024 AD ـ 29 Safar 1446 AH

08:24-2 September 2024 AD ـ 29 Safar 1446 AH

Riyadh: Omar al-Badawi

08:32-2 September 2024 AD ـ 29 Safar 1446 AH

08:24-2 September 2024 AD ـ 29 Safar 1446 AH

Saudi Arabia Launches National Family Guidance Strategy

Minister of Human Resources and Social Development Eng. Ahmad Al-Rajhi awards first professional licenses for family counseling (Saudi Human Resources)

Saudi Arabia has introduced a new National Family Guidance Strategy to help families deal with modern challenges and strengthen family bonds.
At a ceremony in Riyadh on Sunday, the first professional licenses for family counselors were awarded.
Minister of Human Resources and Social Development Eng. Ahmad Al-Rajhi said the strategy aims to use family counseling to improve life balance and address challenges effectively.
Speaking at “Family Forum 2024,” he explained that the strategy aims to set a global standard for family guidance, with a focus on professional and innovative services.
The development process involved over 1,200 hours of work, including 12 workshops with input from more than 13 different organizations.
The National Family Guidance Strategy features over 12 initiatives to support family and community needs.
It aims to boost the skills of family counselors, provide them with training, and raise awareness about the benefits of family guidance in improving relationships and resolving conflicts.
At the launch event, the first professional licenses for family counselors were given out. The Ministry plans to issue licenses to 500 counselors in 2024 and to grow the number of family counselors to 4,000 by 2030.
Al-Rajhi reported that 31% of Saudis spend eight hours a week playing video games, highlighting a problem with family isolation. He noted that Saudi families face various challenges affecting their unity in a rapidly changing world.
The government is actively supporting families to help them fulfill their roles and raise children with strong values.
The minister also acknowledged a shortfall in family counseling services. He stressed that parenting is a major challenge due to factors like ideological influences and social media.
Many family issues could be addressed with professional counseling.
Currently, Saudi Arabia has 98 family counseling centers, but only about 14% of Saudis use these services. The Ministry of Human Resources plans to expand the number of centers to 197 by 2027.

10 Lions Die in Suspected Poisoning at Tanzania Wildlife Reserve

Lions are seen in their counpound at the Artis Amsterdam Royal Zoo in Amsterdam, Netherlands in this handout photo released to media on January 28, 2021. Artis Amsterdam Royal Zoo/Handout via REUTERS

Asharq Al Awsat

11:50-20 September 2026 AD ـ 09 Rabi’ Al-Thani 1448 AH

Asharq Al Awsat

11:50-20 September 2026 AD ـ 09 Rabi’ Al-Thani 1448 AH

10 Lions Die in Suspected Poisoning at Tanzania Wildlife Reserve

Lions are seen in their counpound at the Artis Amsterdam Royal Zoo in Amsterdam, Netherlands in this handout photo released to media on January 28, 2021. Artis Amsterdam Royal Zoo/Handout via REUTERS

Ten lions were found dead in Tanzania's Ngorongoro wildlife reserve this week and preliminary findings suggest they may have been poisoned, the area's management authority said.

The deaths raise concerns over the conservation of lions in one of Africa's most renowned wildlife ecosystems. Poisoning has been a recurring threat to large ⁠carnivores across parts ⁠of East Africa, often linked to conflicts between predators and livestock owners.

The lions were discovered on September 18 in the Ndutu area of Endulen Ward in Arusha ⁠region, Reuters quoted the Ngorongoro Conservation Area Authority as saying in a statement released late on Saturday.

"Preliminary findings suggest the animals may have died after ingesting poison," the authority said, adding that it had launched an investigation to determine the cause and identify those responsible.

The Ngorongoro Conservation Area, a UNESCO ⁠World ⁠Heritage Site in northern Tanzania, is one of the country's leading tourism attractions. It is home to a wide range of wildlife, including lions, elephants, buffaloes and endangered black rhinos.

Last month, police arrested four suspects in an investigation into the deaths of 18 elephants across the border in Kenya.

Varieties

Diana's Brother Compares Media Treatment of Harry, Meghan to Late Princess' Ordeal

FILED - 13 February 2018, United Kingdom, Edinburgh: FILE PHOTO - Prince Harry and Meghan, Duke and Duchess of Sussex, attend a reception for young people at Holyroodhouse Palace in Edinburgh. Photo: Andrew Milligan/PA Wire/dpa

London: Asharq Al Awsat

11:29-20 September 2026 AD ـ 09 Rabi’ Al-Thani 1448 AH

London: Asharq Al Awsat

11:29-20 September 2026 AD ـ 09 Rabi’ Al-Thani 1448 AH

Diana's Brother Compares Media Treatment of Harry, Meghan to Late Princess' Ordeal

The media's treatment of Prince Harry and his wife Meghan is on a par with that faced by his mother Diana, the late princess' brother said in an interview published on Sunday, warning that lessons needed to be learned from that period.

Diana died aged 36 in a 1997 Paris car crash as photographers pursued her on motorbikes, sparking an outpouring of grief and a reckoning over whether the media bore some responsibility for her death after splashing details of her life across front pages for years.

"If you look at an article in a tabloid about Diana or the couple that you were ⁠mentioning, Harry and ⁠Meghan, you know, they can be really, really unpleasant," Diana's brother, Earl Charles Spencer, told the BBC.

"And I think it would be really beholden on people to learn from Diana's example.

"I'm not here to speak for Harry and Meghan, but for anyone who's being destroyed in this way daily, it must be such ⁠a cancerous influence in their life,” Reuters quoted him as saying.

Harry, Diana's youngest son, and Meghan, cited the impact of what they called a toxic media on their lives before they quit royal duties and moved to the United States in 2020.

They also sued much of the British tabloid press - with varying degrees of success - before they moved back to Britain in August.

Spencer has made headlines around the world in the last week after his book, "Swan Song: Diana, My Sister", was serialized in the Daily Mail, accusing her former husband, the now ⁠King Charles, of ⁠sounding "giddily elated" in the hours after her death.

The palace hit back by saying the king "is mindful that the pain of fraternal grief can cloud reason, affect judgment and color memory in ways others do not recognize, even many years after such a loss".

The publication of the book and the return of Harry and Meghan to Britain are another challenge for the king, who is still undergoing treatment for cancer.

Diana's family accused the royals of showing a lack of support or care towards the late princess before her death, a charge that was repeated by Harry, who is now largely estranged from the rest of the royal family.

Varieties

Brigitte Bardot Widower Slams Sale of Star's Belongings

This photograph shows details of a preview exhibition of personal belongings once owned by late French actress Brigitte Bardot at Maison Drouot in Paris on September 15, 2026, ahead of an auction of her memorabilia and clothing. (Photo by Charlotte SIEMON / AFP)

Paris: Asharq Al Awsat

07:14-20 September 2026 AD ـ 09 Rabi’ Al-Thani 1448 AH

Paris: Asharq Al Awsat

07:14-20 September 2026 AD ـ 09 Rabi’ Al-Thani 1448 AH

Brigitte Bardot Widower Slams Sale of Star's Belongings

The widower of French screen icon Brigitte Bardot on Saturday slammed as a "joke" the planned auction of hundreds of the late star's personal belongings organized by her animal welfare foundation.

The sale, featuring more than 300 items ranging from portraits and toiletries to a flamenco guitar and a black tutu, is due to take place Monday at Paris auction house Drouot.

"These are personal items. Why hold this sale? For the animals? It's a joke," Bernard d'Ormale told AFP, adding it amounted to a "disrespect to Brigitte's memory".

"All of this could have been kept for the day when people are able to visit La Madrague," he added, referring to Bardot's famed home in Saint-Tropez.

He said around three-quarters of the items came from Bardot's Paris apartment, with the remainder from La Madrague.

Her belongings should have been preserved as part of her legacy rather than sold to raise funds for the foundation she created, d'Ormale argued, adding that Bardot "would not have agreed to this sale".

The Brigitte Bardot Foundation rejected the criticism, saying the auction was approved by the board in June, including Bardot's widower, who was then its president.

However, d'Ormale said he had not understood the auction would involve such personal items.

The dispute comes days after he was removed as head of the foundation, a role he had held since the star's death in December.

The 85-year-old, who remains on the foundation's board, also complained he no longer has free access to La Madrague.

"I've lived there for 35 years and now they're throwing me out. It's quite something," d'Ormale said.

Founded by the actor in 1986, the Brigitte Bardot Foundation says it has taken in 13,000 animals through four shelters and 150 partner facilities, supports 350 groups in France and operates in 70 countries.

Saudi Arabia Launches National Family Guidance Strategy

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