Red Sea Global Launches ‘Adrena,’ a New Adventure and Leisure Zone in Saudi Arabia

Adrena is strategically located a short drive from Shura Island. (SPA)
Adrena is strategically located a short drive from Shura Island. (SPA)
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Red Sea Global Launches ‘Adrena,’ a New Adventure and Leisure Zone in Saudi Arabia

Adrena is strategically located a short drive from Shura Island. (SPA)
Adrena is strategically located a short drive from Shura Island. (SPA)

Red Sea Global, the developer of regenerative tourism destinations, unveiled on Sunday “Adrena,” a contemporary adventure and leisure zone in Saudi Arabia that sets new benchmarks for excitement and exploration. The zone is scheduled to open to the public on March 1, following an invitation-only soft launch beginning February 15.

Adrena is strategically located a short drive from Shura Island and has been designed to serve visitors to The Red Sea destination as well as guests from outside the destination.

The zone offers a diverse range of activities and experiences, including surfing, water skiing, cliff jumping, and skateboarding, positioning it as a major attraction for thrill seekers.

Adrena boosts the Kingdom’s position on the global adventure tourism map, representing a qualitative addition to The Red Sea’s tourism ecosystem. Alongside luxury resort experiences in the surrounding area, the zone provides a social space catering to new generations and those seeking immersive experiences, allowing them to explore the beauty of sea and land from a different perspective.

Chief Executive Officer of Red Sea Global John Pagano said: “We wanted to create a space where adrenaline merges with the beauty of the natural environment, while fully preserving that environment. Sustainability has been placed at the heart of every experience within ‘Adrena,’ in line with our commitment to people and nature, to offer our guests exceptional moments that remain long in memory.”

The zone will be managed and operated by Red Sea Sports and Entertainment Company, leveraging the expertise of its affiliated brands WAMA for water sports, Galaxea for exploration diving, and Akun for land-based adventures.

Adrena features pioneering facilities, most notably a 215-meter seawater wave pool, described as the largest in the Kingdom upon opening. It is designed to simulate natural wave motion with heights reaching up to 2.1 meters and is equipped with advanced technologies suitable for all skill levels, from beginners to professionals.

The destination also includes a water-skiing lagoon, dedicated snorkeling routes, a six-meter-deep diving pool, a family water-play zone, a floating obstacle challenge area, a skate plaza, a BMX track, beach sports courts, a zipline over water, and aerial sliding and flying experiences at a height of 10 meters.

The design of Adrena reflects Red Sea Global’s commitment to responsible development through the adoption of sustainable operating systems, including seawater treatment and recycling technologies within facilities and the exclusive use of freshwater for irrigation to reduce environmental footprint and preserve natural resources.

The Red Sea destination began welcoming guests in 2023 and currently hosts a number of resorts in operation, in addition to the private Thuwal Resort. Red Sea International Airport serves as the main gateway to the destination, with regular flights from Riyadh, Jeddah, Dubai, and Doha, as well as international flights from selected cities such as Milan.



Heavy Rain and Flooding in Istanbul Forces Closure of Schools

Vehicles drive along a partially flooded road during a heavy rain in Istanbul, Türkiye, Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2026. (Omer Hamza Yildiz/DIA Photo via AP)
Vehicles drive along a partially flooded road during a heavy rain in Istanbul, Türkiye, Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2026. (Omer Hamza Yildiz/DIA Photo via AP)
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Heavy Rain and Flooding in Istanbul Forces Closure of Schools

Vehicles drive along a partially flooded road during a heavy rain in Istanbul, Türkiye, Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2026. (Omer Hamza Yildiz/DIA Photo via AP)
Vehicles drive along a partially flooded road during a heavy rain in Istanbul, Türkiye, Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2026. (Omer Hamza Yildiz/DIA Photo via AP)

Heavy rains caused floods across Istanbul on Wednesday, prompting the governor’s office to close schools, place some public sector workers on leave and urge residents to stay home.

Media reports said that the downpour flooded homes and businesses and inundated roads and underpasses, stranding vehicles and causing traffic chaos in the city of around 16 million people. There were no reports of any serious injuries.

In one district, bystanders rescued a woman who was being swept down a street by the floodwaters, footage obtained by NTV television showed. Firefighters rescued another person who was trapped inside a flooded basement, the report said.

Images showed several parked cars being swept by the floods in another neighborhood.

The governor’s office said that education would be suspended for a day on Thursday, and state employees with disabilities and mothers with young children would be placed on leave. It advised residents to stay home unless travel was absolutely necessary and for people living in basement apartments to spend the night elsewhere.

Motorcycles, meanwhile, were barred from traffic.


Saudi Arabia Launches First Biological Samples from the Middle East to Space

The milestone strengthens the Kingdom's role in microgravity research and expands the use of space science and technology in health and life sciences research. (Saudi Space Agency)
The milestone strengthens the Kingdom's role in microgravity research and expands the use of space science and technology in health and life sciences research. (Saudi Space Agency)
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Saudi Arabia Launches First Biological Samples from the Middle East to Space

The milestone strengthens the Kingdom's role in microgravity research and expands the use of space science and technology in health and life sciences research. (Saudi Space Agency)
The milestone strengthens the Kingdom's role in microgravity research and expands the use of space science and technology in health and life sciences research. (Saudi Space Agency)

Saudi Arabia, represented by the Saudi Space Agency (SSA) and King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), has launched the first biological samples of their kind from the Middle East to space as part of the BioGravity-1 mission aboard SpaceX CRS-35 to the International Space Station, with support from NASA. The launch is part of a long-term research program supporting scientific efforts against Alzheimer's disease and multiple sclerosis through three consecutive missions.

The milestone strengthens the Kingdom's role in microgravity research and expands the use of space science and technology in health and life sciences research, reported the Saudi Press Agency on Wednesday.

The mission marks the program's first phase. It sends reference human samples from healthy donors to space to establish a scientific baseline for later phases, and uses the unique properties of microgravity to study cellular changes associated with aging and neurodegenerative diseases. The biological experiments developed by KAUST include two experiments, SSA-1 and SSA-2.

The program is carried out through an international scientific partnership with the US-based National Stem Cell Foundation (NSCF) and Axiom Space, with support from NASA, alongside national scientific participation from the Saudi Space Agency and KAUST, connecting national capabilities with the global research community.

General Supervisor of Microgravity Research at the Saudi Space Agency and Saudi Astronaut Rayyanah Barnawi said: “The launch of these samples is an important scientific step toward harnessing the space environment to serve human health, and reflects the growth and readiness of national capabilities to take part in advanced research.”

“Through the BioGravity program, we aim to turn knowledge gained in orbit into research opportunities that deepen our understanding of diseases and support the development of future therapies,” Barnawi added.

Professor of Bioscience at KAUST Professor Imed Gallouzi, who is also the lead scientist of the project, said the mission enables researchers to test disease models in an environment that cannot be replicated on Earth, and strengthens the university's contribution to discoveries that benefit patients in the Kingdom and around the world.

Scientific Advisor to the National Stem Cell Foundation and Global Head of Biomanufacturing and Biotechnology at Axiom Space Dr. Pinar Mesci said: “I am especially excited about this mission, as the NSCF team will test the 'Brain Organoid Village' concept in microgravity for the first time. Combining multiple individual cell lines within a single organoid enables population-level studies and makes it possible to run what could be described as clinical trials in a dish.

The mission included samples from Saudi Arabia through a collaboration with the Saudi Space Agency and KAUST.

The program spans three interconnected research missions: the first studies healthy reference samples, the second will study models derived from patients with Alzheimer's disease and multiple sclerosis, and the third will focus on therapeutic responses and explore potential drug targets in microgravity.

The BioGravity program is part of the SSA's efforts to build national capabilities in microgravity research and life sciences, expand international scientific partnerships, and harness space science and technology to serve human health, contributing to a knowledge-based economy, innovation and quality of life in line with Saudi Vision 2030.


Interior Ministry Medical Services Perform Saudi Arabia's 1st Robot-Assisted Lumbar Spine Surgery

The achievement marks one of the first milestones for Prince Naif Center for Medical Excellence and Innovation, which operates under the Ministry of Interior's Medical Services program responsible for operating medical cities. (SPA)
The achievement marks one of the first milestones for Prince Naif Center for Medical Excellence and Innovation, which operates under the Ministry of Interior's Medical Services program responsible for operating medical cities. (SPA)
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Interior Ministry Medical Services Perform Saudi Arabia's 1st Robot-Assisted Lumbar Spine Surgery

The achievement marks one of the first milestones for Prince Naif Center for Medical Excellence and Innovation, which operates under the Ministry of Interior's Medical Services program responsible for operating medical cities. (SPA)
The achievement marks one of the first milestones for Prince Naif Center for Medical Excellence and Innovation, which operates under the Ministry of Interior's Medical Services program responsible for operating medical cities. (SPA)

A specialized medical team from the Ministry of Interior's Medical Services successfully performed Saudi Arabia's first minimally invasive robot-assisted lumbar spine surgery at Prince Naif Center for Medical Excellence and Innovation, reported the Saudi Press Agency on Wednesday.

The procedure was performed on a patient suffering from severe degeneration of the lumbar vertebrae using the ExcelsiusGPS robotic surgical system.

The advanced technology enabled the patient to regain mobility and walk within the first hour after surgery while minimizing damage to surrounding tissues.

The ExcelsiusGPS system combines advanced surgical navigation with a robotic arm, allowing surgeons to plan procedures and precisely guide surgical instruments during operations.

The achievement marks one of the first milestones for Prince Naif Center for Medical Excellence and Innovation, which operates under the Ministry of Interior's Medical Services program responsible for operating medical cities.

The center aims to advance spinal surgery services by integrating cutting-edge medical technologies and drawing on national expertise and international experience to improve surgical practices and facilitate knowledge transfer, ultimately enhancing the quality of specialized healthcare provided to beneficiaries.