Category: Information

Danah Ibrahim from the Technical College for Girls in Buraidah, which is one of the Technical and Vocational Training Corporation (TVTC) training facilities, has won a gold medal for her ” Magic Move” project at the International Invention Show “WorldInvent Singapore”, held from September 4 to 6.

The project helps autistic children communicate with the help of specific innovative tools. The children can make drawings in the air using a special stick that mirrors their drawings on a screen, thus helping them communicate their feelings and thoughts freely to others and allowing health professionals to assess their progress.

This achievement reflects TVTC’s keenness to support innovation, nurture and empower Saudi innovators and foster smart solutions.

Source: Saudi Press Agency

The U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) has provided a research grant worth $1.2 million to a research team consisting of three American universities led by Saudi academic and faculty member at the University of California, Dr. Faisal Nawab.

Dr. Nawab said in a statement to the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) that the universities participating in the research team include the University of California at Irvine, the University of California at Davis, and New Jersey Tech, noting that the project aims to address the challenges of data protection and privacy in Internet applications and smart cities.

He added that the project seeks to enable the transformation of the current data infrastructure to comply with user data protection legislation and regulations, such as the personal data protection system that the Kingdom is working on, represented by the Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA).

He stated that the team’s mission will last four years, and its first results will be revealed at the Data Systems Development Conference in Italy and will be presented and discussed annually at the NSF.

Dr. Nawab highlighted his cooperation with some Saudi universities and entities through his research laboratory at the University of California for this goal, adding that Saudi Arabia, represented by SDAIA, was the first to introduce systems and regulations for data protection in a way that guarantees user rights and that personal data protection.

Source: Saudi Press Agency

Dr. Mohammed bin Mubarak Juma, Minister of Education and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Higher Education Council, met with Fengchun Miao, the Director of the UNESCO King Hamad Bin Isa Al-Khalifa Prize for the Use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) in Education.

They discussed the arrangements for the award-distribution ceremony which will be held at the UNESCO headquarters on September 7.

Senior officials, ambassadors, diplomats, researchers, and media professionals from various countries will attend the ceremony to honour the award laureates.

Dr. Juma and Fengchun Miao reviewed areas of cooperation between Bahrain’s Ministry of Education and UNESCO in fields of education and higher education.

They also discussed the proposed themes of the award’s next edition.

Source: Bahrain News Agency

The Communications, Space and Technology Commission (CST) issued the “Data Center Services Regulations” document as part of its efforts to keep pace with the rapid development in the communications and technology sector, as well as to promote digital transformation in all sectors throughout the Kingdom.

According to CST, the document aims to create an environment suitable for the sector’s expected growth, motivate investment in data centers, and promote fair competition, as well as to make optimal use of the communications and information technology sector’s infrastructure, and promote advanced and environmentally friendly data centers.

CST also said that the regulation will enhance the quality of service, protect users, and attract data center service providers, which in turn will attract other high-quality investments, such as cloud computing service providers, game publishers, video streaming service operators, and content delivery networks, all part of CST’s continuous endeavor to localize, and enhance digital services in the Kingdom.

The regulation will also contribute to the implementation of policies, plans, and programs designed to boost investment in the data center sector, as well as enhance the Kingdom’s position as a regional hub in the region, and a destination for investors and entrepreneurs.

CST calls on all data center service providers to review the document and register via CST’s portal before the document gets into force, on January 1, 2024.

The document can be viewed through the link below:

https://www.cst.gov.sa/ar/services/Documents/dcsr_en.pdf

Source: Saudi Press Agency

Dr. Mohammed bin Mubarak Juma, Minister of Education, today visited Al-Hidaya Al-Khalifiya Secondary Boys’ School, where he was informed about the progress of the induction day for parents, organised by the Education Ministry on September 4 and 5, following the directives of His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister.

The minister was briefed on the mechanisms to welcome parents during the induction day, and the information given to them about the new academic year.

Dr. Juma met Yasser Bani Hammad, Head of Schools, and responsible for following up on Al Hedaya Al-Khalifiya Secondary Boys School, and a number of the teaching and administrative staff.

The minister also spoke to several parents and was informed about their impressions regarding the organisation of the induction day.

He expressed thanks and appreciation to all the teaching and administrative staff at various government schools for the tremendous efforts they had exerted to prepare well for the induction days.

The Minister of Education also paid tribute to companies, institutions and commercial shops for contributing, alongside the Ministry, to organising the induction days, by distributing discount vouchers for school supplies to parents.

This is the outcome of the ongoing fruitful cooperation between government entities and the private sector, he said, noting that this distinguished partnership between both sectors contribute to increasing the options available to the beneficiaries to obtain discounted prices

Source: Bahrain News Agency

The Promising Children’s Charitable Medical Society, on Sunday on the campus of Palestine Ahliya University, gave a group of mothers of orphan children a first aid course in cooperation with the Palestinian Red Crescent Society.

The graduation ceremony took place in the presence of the Chairman of the Society’s Board of Directors, Dr. Muhammad Al-Muati, Colonel Bassem Abu Hashhash, representing the Palestinian National Security Command, Colonel Akram Abu Al-Halawa, representing the Palestinian Police Command in Bethlehem, Abdel Halim Jaafra, Medical Director of the Red Crescent, Marwan Fararja, a member of the Red Crescent Authority, and Omar Al-Arouj, an official. Orphans file in the Social Development Directorate in Bethlehem, and Professor Nawal Al-Shamli.

Al-Muati expressed his thanks to the sponsors of this course, which lasted 21 credit hours, with the participation of 35 women, and which aims to raise the health cultural level of mothers, in implementation of the “A Paramedic in Every Home” initiative Al-Muati called for supporting the association’s progress at all popular and official levels to work on developing programs provided to serve orphan children and their mothers.

Source: Maan News Agency

Rawan bint Najeeb Tawfiqi, Minister of Youth Affairs, met with members of the fifth batch of the national leadership programme HIPO-Youth.

The programme is organized by the Institute of Public Administration (BIPA) in cooperation with the Ministry of Youth Affairs and INJAZ Bahrain.

The minister stressed the pivotal role played by Bahraini youth in advancing the development process in Bahrain, through their capabilities to initiate youth programmes that would raise the level of national aspirations.

Dr. Shaikha Rana bint Isa bin Daij Al Khalifa, Director General of BIPA, explained that the meeting of the minister with the programme’s members is a meeting from youth to youth, which reflects what Bahrain possesses today in terms of youth energies and leaders capable of participating in the decision-making process.

She noted that the exchange of experiences and applied practices by an elite group of government leaders is a mechanism that has proven effectiveness in motivating and encouraging Bahraini youth to develop their abilities and skills, and come up with innovative ideas and projects that contribute to achieving national accomplishments that keep pace with government visions.

Source: Bahrain News Agency

The Fourth International Conference on the Future of Digital Education in the Arab World concluded in Jeddah yesterday, with the participation of a group of faculty members in public and private universities and colleges in the Arab world. The last session of the conference was on the role of artificial intelligence (AI) and its various applications in the future of Arab education, and the growing symbiotic relationship between cybersecurity and digital citizenship.

During its scientific sessions, the conference was keen to include research on ways to develop the academic preparation of teachers from the digital side, the role of AI and its various applications in the future of education and harnessing it to deliver information of the highest quality. Additionally, the conference covered the importance of collective commitment to security, inclusiveness, and responsibility in the digital world to address the potential risks of AI.

The scientific conference sessions made several recommendations, including the importance of employing emerging technologies and the role of AI in maintaining cybersecurity. The recommendations also covered the importance of developing the skills and tools used in digital education institutions and cognitive perception. Additionally, the recommendations included enacting academic legislation and laws that regulate the digital environment, activating awareness and education initiatives in the fields of cybersecurity, working to develop talents among education students in digital education skills and tools, and protecting intellectual rights in the digital academic community.

Source: Saudi Press Agency

The Communications, Space and Technology Commission (CST) invites the public to submit their input on the Space Data Regulations Platform and Application Document for Obtaining a Permit to provide Space Data Platform Services, which aims to establish the regulatory environment for the space sector and attract investments to contribute to the growth of the GDP, as well as to increase the effectiveness of space data governance.

CST stated that through the publication of these two documents, any entity that undertakes to establish a platform that acts as a marketplace for space data, and to collect and process the space data received from satellite operators, such as satellite images, remote sensing data, orbital data, weather data and astronomy data, can get informed with the view to obtain a license.

The platform also connects satellite operators, technical solution and application developers, researchers and entities wishing to obtain space data-based solutions.

CST underlined that the Application Document for Obtaining a Permit to provide Space Data Platform Services includes guidelines and requirements for entities interested in acquiring a license, as well as obligations of relevant parties to ensure user rights and data security.

CST calls on all concerned parties and stakeholders to provide their comments, observations and suggestions regarding the documents, emphasizing its commitment to transparency and clarity in engaging all relevant entities. The deadline for submitting the input is September 12, 2023; submission can be done through the CST website:

https://regulations.citc.gov.sa/en/Pages/PublishedPublicConsultations.aspx#/PublishedPublicConsultations

Source: Saudi Press Agency

The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) expressed solidarity with the Rohingya Muslims and reiterated its commitment to pursue justice and accountability for the atrocities committed by the Myanmar military against them, particularly at the International Court of Justice.

OIC thanked the government and people of Bangladesh for providing shelter and humanitarian relief to the Rohingya people, and expressed appreciation for the support extended by many OIC member states to these refugees.

OIC also reiterated its firm resolve to support the Rohingya Muslims and called on the international community to renew its commitment to create conditions conducive to the “voluntary, safe, dignified and sustainable return of Rohingya refugees to their homeland in Myanmar”.

The OIC General Secretariat called upon the international community to redouble efforts and provide urgently needed humanitarian assistance for the displaced Rohingya living in refugee camps, in light of the considerable decline in funding that resulted in cuts in food assistance.

August 25, 2023, marked the sixth year since the forced mass displacement of the Rohingya Muslims and of other communities from Myanmar’s Rakhine State and the beginning of the huge influx of these people to Bangladesh

Source: Saudi Press Agency