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Saudi Arabia Leads Global Coral Reef Efforts as ICRI Adopts Five Key Recommendations

Saudi Arabia Leads Global Coral Reef Efforts as ICRI Adopts Five Key Recommendations
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Saudi Arabia Leads Global Coral Reef Efforts as ICRI Adopts Five Key Recommendations

Saudi Arabia Leads Global Coral Reef Efforts as ICRI Adopts Five Key Recommendations

Saudi Arabia has enhanced its global leadership role in coral reef protection by chairing the 39th General Meeting of the International Coral Reef Initiative (ICRI), a step that paves the way for the Kingdom to host the first Global Coral Reef Summit in early November 2026.

The four-day meeting featured high-level dialogue sessions and scientific and policy discussions focused on developing an integrated practical framework that brings together science, policy, and sustainable financing, enhancing international coordination and tangible on-the-ground impact.

The meeting unanimously adopted five strategic recommendations proposed by Saudi Arabia. The recommendations focused on boosting the link between international commitments and actual implementation at the national level, developing supportive regulatory frameworks, unifying scientific references, and enabling sustainable financing, SPA reported.

The recommendations also endorsed the first Global Coral Reef Summit, which Saudi Arabia announced it would host during the Saudi House events at the World Economic Forum (WEF) Annual Meeting 2026 in Davos.

This reflects international consensus on the summit's importance and its pivotal role in supporting a Saudi-led effort to develop a comprehensive global framework that integrates science, policy, and sustainable financing while enabling countries to implement practical and actionable solutions to protect coral reefs.

The meeting also witnessed the acceptance of membership applications from four new countries: Somalia, Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu, and Trinidad and Tobago. In addition, the World Bank and the UN Global Fund for Coral Reefs joined the initiative, reflecting the expanding scope of international partnership and enhancing global momentum toward coral reef protection and sustainability. The total number of member states has now reached 48, accounting for some 84% of the world's coral reefs.

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NCW, NEOM Celebrate First Striped Hyena Birth

Striped hyenas play an important ecological role by feeding on carcasses and carrion - SPA
Striped hyenas play an important ecological role by feeding on carcasses and carrion - SPA
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NCW, NEOM Celebrate First Striped Hyena Birth

Striped hyenas play an important ecological role by feeding on carcasses and carrion - SPA
Striped hyenas play an important ecological role by feeding on carcasses and carrion - SPA

The National Center for Wildlife (NCW), in collaboration with NEOM, has documented the first birth of a striped hyena following the reintroduction of two breeding pairs into NEOM Nature Reserve. The birth is a positive indication of the hyenas’ successful adaptation to the reserve and their ability to reproduce in the wild.

According to a press release issued by the NCW, the birth marks another milestone in NCW’s wildlife breeding and reintroduction programs, which include dedicated efforts for predator species aimed at restoring their natural roles within ecosystems.

Prior to the release, two pairs of striped hyenas were selected and underwent a rehabilitation program at one of NCW’s wildlife care facilities, SPA reported.

The program included veterinary examinations, health monitoring, and preparation for their transition into the wild. A specialized NCW team also conducted a field assessment of the reintroduction site to verify its readiness and ecological suitability for the hyenas.

NCW CEO Dr. Mohammed Qurban said: "This is the first striped hyena birth following their reintroduction, and it marks an important milestone in the center’s wildlife breeding and reintroduction programs.”

He emphasized that reintroducing species into their natural habitats represents an advanced stage in establishing populations capable of surviving and reproducing in the wild and restoring their ecological roles.

Striped hyenas play an important ecological role by feeding on carcasses and carrion. Their populations have declined in parts of their natural range due to several threats, particularly hunting and poisoning.

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Chile-led Team Maps Antarctic Plant Genome in Step Towards Climate-resilient Crops

FILE PHOTO: A frozen section of the Ross Sea at the Scott Base in Antarctica on November 12, 2016. REUTERS/Mark Ralston/Pool/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A frozen section of the Ross Sea at the Scott Base in Antarctica on November 12, 2016. REUTERS/Mark Ralston/Pool/File Photo
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Chile-led Team Maps Antarctic Plant Genome in Step Towards Climate-resilient Crops

FILE PHOTO: A frozen section of the Ross Sea at the Scott Base in Antarctica on November 12, 2016. REUTERS/Mark Ralston/Pool/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A frozen section of the Ross Sea at the Scott Base in Antarctica on November 12, 2016. REUTERS/Mark Ralston/Pool/File Photo

A team led by Chilean researchers has produced the most complete genetic map yet of one of only two flowering plants that grow naturally in Antarctica, potentially helping the development of crops resistant to extreme weather.

Colobanthus quitensis has long attracted scientific interest because it can survive the freezing temperatures, lack of water and high levels of ultraviolet radiation in Antarctica, one of the planet's coldest and driest environments.

As record heat and extensive drought have increased the urgency of ⁠debate in many ⁠parts of the world over how to adapt agriculture, the scientists said they are now equipped to start assessing whether the plant's traits could be transferred to agricultural crops through gene-editing techniques.

The study, published in Oxford University Press journal "Genome Biology and Evolution," ⁠assembled all 40 chromosome-scale scaffolds that make up the plant's genetic blueprint under a project known as Polarix.

"We were able to sequence and assemble the entire genome," said Eduardo Castro, an associate researcher at Chile's Cape Horn International Center and lead author of the study alongside Claudio Meneses of Chile's Pontifical Catholic University.

"The idea is not to create transgenic plants. The idea is to edit the genome of a plant with ⁠nutritional ⁠value," Reuters quoted Castro as saying.

Identifying individual genes is easier once a genome has been mapped, but it can still take time. When that has been done, Castro said that scientists could need between five and 10 years to develop commercial applications.

A team in California supported the Chilean scientists, who said their work built on previous efforts by the Korea Polar Research Institute. That work produced only a partial version of the genome and was not published.

Varieties

Stubborn Vulture Reportedly Plucked from Plane's Wing before Greece Flight

A vulture flies over the Iraty mountains, southwestern France on July 2, 2026. (Photo by Gaizka IROZ / AFP)
A vulture flies over the Iraty mountains, southwestern France on July 2, 2026. (Photo by Gaizka IROZ / AFP)
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Stubborn Vulture Reportedly Plucked from Plane's Wing before Greece Flight

A vulture flies over the Iraty mountains, southwestern France on July 2, 2026. (Photo by Gaizka IROZ / AFP)
A vulture flies over the Iraty mountains, southwestern France on July 2, 2026. (Photo by Gaizka IROZ / AFP)

A vulture who refused to budge had to be removed from the wing of a flight awaiting takeoff on the Greek island of Crete, in order to avoid potential damage to the plane, a local newspaper reported Monday.

The Patris daily said the incident occurred late Sunday at the island's Iraklio airport, when the fire service was called in to remove the large scavenger.

It pictured the bird tucked inside a jacket held by a firefighter. The report did not specify where the flight was headed.

Birds are routinely sucked into aircraft engines, occasionally causing serious accidents.

Last week, the US National Transportation Safety Board said bird remains had been found in the engine of a Ryanair plane that saw a blade break off on July 10, shattering a cabin window and partially sucking a passenger outside.

Four suspected bird strikes to the plane's engine had been reported by flight crews in the 12 months preceding the accident, but no damage was found in subsequent maintenance, the report said.