عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
Varieties

Saudi Arabia Wins Grand Prix, Scores Record Haul at Geneva Exhibition of Inventions

A total of 161 Saudi innovators vied for international recognition - SPA
A total of 161 Saudi innovators vied for international recognition - SPA
TT
TT

Saudi Arabia Wins Grand Prix, Scores Record Haul at Geneva Exhibition of Inventions

A total of 161 Saudi innovators vied for international recognition - SPA
A total of 161 Saudi innovators vied for international recognition - SPA

Saudi Arabia has achieved a historic triumph at the 50th Geneva International Exhibition of Inventions, securing the prestigious Grand Prix, awarded to Dr. Saad Alenezi of Majmaah University.

This landmark achievement is further amplified by the remarkable success of other Saudi innovators, who garnered six international awards and 124 global medals.

This unprecedented performance marks a new pinnacle for the Saudi education sector since the exhibition's inception.
The Kingdom's strong presence at the event included 134 scientific inventions, competing among over 1,000 innovations from 35 countries.

A total of 161 Saudi innovators, representing general and higher education, technical training institutions, and university faculty, vied for international recognition, SPA reported.
Grand Prix recipient Dr. Saad Alenezi expressed profound gratitude for the leadership's unwavering support of innovators, emphasizing that this victory underscores the Kingdom's commitment to fostering innovation and empowering national talent.
Echoing this sentiment, the student innovators conveyed their immense pride and appreciation for the encouragement received, expressing their joy in representing Saudi Arabia and raising its flag at such a prominent global innovation platform.

Most Viewed

 
 
Varieties

Droughts in Iraq Endanger Buffalo, and Farmers' Livelihoods

A man provides fresh drinking water for his buffaloes, in the Chebayesh marshes of Dhi Qar province, Iraq, April 18, 2025. REUTERS/Alaa Al-Marjani
A man provides fresh drinking water for his buffaloes, in the Chebayesh marshes of Dhi Qar province, Iraq, April 18, 2025. REUTERS/Alaa Al-Marjani
TT
TT

Droughts in Iraq Endanger Buffalo, and Farmers' Livelihoods

A man provides fresh drinking water for his buffaloes, in the Chebayesh marshes of Dhi Qar province, Iraq, April 18, 2025. REUTERS/Alaa Al-Marjani
A man provides fresh drinking water for his buffaloes, in the Chebayesh marshes of Dhi Qar province, Iraq, April 18, 2025. REUTERS/Alaa Al-Marjani

Iraq’s buffalo population has more than halved in a decade as the country's two main rivers, the Tigris and Euphrates, suffer severe droughts that endanger the livelihood of many farmers and breeders.
"People have left ... We are a small number of houses remaining," said farmer Sabah Ismail, 38, who rears buffalo in the southern province of Dhi Qar.
"The situation is difficult ... I had 120 to 130 buffalo; now I only have 50 to 60. Some died, and we sold some because of the drought," said Ismail while tending his herd.
Buffalo have been farmed for centuries in Iraq for their milk, and are mentioned in ancient Sumerian inscriptions from the region.
According to Iraqi marshland experts, the root causes of the water crisis driving farmers out of the countryside are climate change, upstream damming in Türkiye and Iran, outdated domestic irrigation techniques and a lack of long-term management plans.
The country has also endured decades of warfare.
Located within the cultivable lands known as the Fertile Crescent that have been farmed for millennia, the Iraqi landscape has suffered from upstream damming of the Tigris and Euphrates and lower rainfall, threatening the lifestyle of farmers like Ismail and leading many to move to the cities.
Iraqi marshland expert Jassim al-Assadi told Reuters that the number of buffalo in Iraq had fallen since 2015 from 150,000 to fewer than 65,000.
The decline is "mostly due to natural reasons: the lack of needed green pastures, pollution, illness ... and also farmers refraining from farming buffalos due to scarcity of income," al-Assadi said.
A drastic decline in crop production and a rise in fodder prices have also left farmers struggling to feed their animals.
The difficulty of maintaining a livelihood in Iraq's drought-stricken rural areas has contributed to growing migration towards the country's already-choked urban centers.
"This coming summer, God only knows, the mortality rate may reach half," said Abdul Hussain Sbaih, 39, an Iraqi buffalo breeder.