https://arab.news/2p7tg
RIYADH: The Kingdom’s Ministry of Health, in collaboration with Saudi Telecom Company, launched the Middle East’s first oncology e-platform at the Seha Virtual Hospital’s headquarters here last week.
The aim is to improve the quality of healthcare provided to patients in line with the goals of Vision 2030.
The platform will be overseen by a committee of specialist Saudi doctors who will meet to discuss patients diagnosed with tumors.
This will help with the early detection of tumors and the development of appropriate treatment plans.
The e-platform will facilitate an exchange of knowledge and expertise between local and international oncology specialists.
The ministry has confirmed that doctors working on the platform have already begun studying several cases from across Saudi Arabia.
 
RIYADH: Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif arrived in Riyadh on Monday ahead of the sixth edition of the Future Investment Initiative.
He was received at King Khalid International Airport by the deputy governor of Riyadh region Prince Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Abdulaziz, the Saudi ambassador to Pakistan Nawaf bin Said Al-Malki, and Pakistan’s ambassador to the Kingdom Ameer Khurram Rathore.
Earlier, Sharif tweeted that he was travelling to Saudi Arabia at the invitation of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and would attend the FII conference.
“The present state of the global economy needs new thinking and bold vision to overcome the irritants and forge new paths,” Sharif wrote on Twitter.
“There are serious concerns about the threat of global recession hitting the economies. The pandemic and climate-induced disasters have already put immense strains on developing countries. High time the world explored solutions to the deepening challenges through candid dialogue,” he added.
JEDDAH: The Ministry of Culture announced today the organization of the Asiri Step Festival, which will run from Nov. 27 to Dec. 1 in the city of Abha as part of the Saudi Quality of Life Program.
The traditional music and dance festival aims to shed light on the Asiri Step, widely known in the south as the “Southern Step,” an ancient war dance passed down from generation to generation.
The three-day festival will be comprised of four main components, including an operetta area that will feature songs set to the Southern Step rhythm, and an area dedicated to poetry and lyricism, where poets will recite their works associated with the dance form.
There will also be an exhibition focusing on the thousand-year history of the Asiri Step, showing how it evolved over the centuries, and its many variations across the Kingdom’s regions.
The final area will be dedicated to music and food, where visitors will be able to dine at a range of restaurants and cafes while enjoying traditional music and watching groups perform the Asiri Step.  
The festival will also provide a training and performance area that includes a stage ranging from 100-200 meters featuring an interactive floor that visitors can engage with and a screen showing dancers performing the Asiri Step.
The event is one of many cultural activities organized by the Ministry of Culture in various regions of the Kingdom to promote the country’s rich cultural heritage.
Such events also aim to highlight the traditional performing arts in the Kingdom and protect them from extinction by reminding Saudis of their significance.
Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan reiterated the Kingdom’s support of all international efforts to eradicate terrorism “from its roots.”
Speaking at the Dakar International Forum on Peace and Security on Monday, Prince Faisal said terrorism posed a threat to international maritime trade and the global economy.
He highlighted the Kingdom’s “leading role” in fighting terrorism.
“Saudi Arabia supports peaceful resolution to conflicts and comprehensive economic development,” he said.
“We believe in multilateral global action to create a just world.”
Prince Faisal also reaffirmed Saudi Arabia’s efforts to overcome climate change, reiterating the Kingdom’s commitment to achieving net zero emissions by 2060 and the goals of the Paris Agreement.
The Dakar International Forum on Peace and Security is an annual event that gathers leaders, policy makers, and multiple actors involved in peace and security. This year’s two-day event is being held under the theme “Africa in the face of exogenous shocks: challenges of stability and sovereignty.”
JEDDAH: The Smart Stutterer Community here have lauded their current collaboration with local bodies but will be seeking to strengthen ties with the Saudi ministries of health and education to help 350,000 people who have the speech disorder in the Kingdom.
As part of International Stuttering Awareness Day, held every Oct. 22, the SSC hosted a conference on Saturday at Effat University’s Prince Bandar bin Sultan Hall, where 10 people took the stage to show how fluent and self-assured they have become after completing the organization’s program.
There are 80 million people who have the disfluency disorder worldwide, who often have to contend with discrimination.
The event was attended by more than 500 people from inside and outside the Kingdom. For nearly four hours, the participants inspired the audience with their stories of how they became more fluent speakers.
Speaking to Arab News, Dr. Abdullah Kreshan, general supervisor of the SSC project, said that stuttering can be treated. “Stutterers now have many solutions to get rid of their problem … People in our society have long believed the speech disorder could be impossible to treat,” Kreshan said.
He added that over the past three years, more than 600 male and female citizens and residents have completed the SSC’s programs and are now more fluent and articulate speakers.
Kreshan said that further success can be achieved by ensuring greater collaboration between civil society organizations and government bodies. “This incorporation is needed to achieve one of the Saudi Vision’s key pillars — a vibrant society capable of creating a prosperous economy and building an ambitious nation.”
The SSC’s Director of Programs Ahmed Al-Muhanna added that the Kingdom has made great strides in treating people who have the disorder. He said that stuttering or “stammering” is a speech disorder where people find it difficult to express themselves in words. “The condition can even be worse when the person is excited, tired or under pressure.”
He added that stuttering starts between the ages of 1 and 6, when all children learn to speak. This is called the subconscious mindset. In later life, Al-Muhanna said, unpleasant experiences and shocks could disrupt breathing and trigger a stutter.
Kreshan said the SSC is the first organization of its kind in the GCC region. “We have proved that there is a solution to stuttering. Some 600 people from Saudi Arabia, Gulf countries and the Arab world have completed the programs designed to help them overcome their speech disorders. We are nowadays offering qualitative programs. You have seen through the videos how the stutterers were when they came to us and how they are now.”
He said the SSC had signed partnership agreements with several government entities. “Last April, our project won the Jeddah Creativity Award after being arbitrated by more than 50 academicians. We are also in contact with the Ministry of Education to give us the green light to hold school awareness campaigns. Moreover, we receive donations from charity societies and companies through their social responsibility programs,” he said.
Kreshan said the SSC wants to ensure it has a national footprint. “It would be great if we could cooperate with more concerned agencies and entities. This way, we can go to the furthest (extent) possible. We have 350,000 stutterers of both genders in the society, and they are in dire need of our help,” he said.
Kreshan said there are many misconceptions about stuttering. “Some may believe that stuttering is impossible to treat, and that is not true at all. Some others may think that there are no stuttering treatment centers in the Arab world, and they spend a lot of money on their travels and search for a solution for themselves or for a stuttering family member,” he said.
Kreshan said the SSC’s five-day program is meant to be a starting point for people who are disfluent. “After five days of intensive training, a stutterer can benefit from 70 to 90 percent of the training program. After that, the remaining 10 to 30 percent can be treated over time, with more practice.” He said the program has a small cost, which is refundable if a person does not get any benefit from it.
Abdul Aziz Al-Mufairij, a 14-year-old former stutterer, was presented as an example of the SSC’s success. He was first shown speaking in a pretreatment video and then came on to the stage to speak. When he finished his presentation, Al-Mufairij’s fluency and self-assurance received a thundering ovation.
Al-Mufairij told Arab News that he started stuttering at the age of 5. “Luckily, I faced no bullying from my brothers and relatives, but I remember it later bothered me a lot when a teacher asked me to read a text in front of my schoolmates. I didn’t like it when some teachers didn’t give me enough time to read or express myself,” he said.
Al-Mufairij said he joined the SSC program four months ago and that his entire family helped him overcome his difficulty. He practiced four to five hours a day and would often speak to people out in malls and other public places to gain confidence.
On the sidelines of the event, representatives from the GCC countries signed partnerships and agreements with the SSC, with the aim to replicate its program in their countries.
RIYADH: The Royal Saudi Air Force will participate in “Aerial Warfare and Missile Defense Centre 2022”drill in the UAE’s Al-Thafrah Air Base, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported on Sunday. 
The month-long exercise – which will begin at the end of the week – will train the pilots and crew on air combat operations and how to work in alliance with international forces in a war environment that would be constructed similar to a real war, according to SPA. 
It also aims to aid the exchange of military expertise in planning and implementing defense tactics with the participating countries, and ensure that all participating forces are ready and efficient to support air and technical crews. 
The participating countries are Saudi Arabia, the UAE, the US, the UK, Greece, Oman, France, Germany, India, and Australia.
Commander of Royal Saudi Air Force General Prince Turki bin Bandar bin Abdulazi saw off the Royal Saudi Air Force as they left for the UAE from the King Abdulaziz Airbase. 
سمو قائد #القوات_الجوية يستعرض مجموعة القوات الجوية قبل مغادرتها إلى قاعدة الظفرة الجوية في #الإمارات؛ للمشاركة في تمرين «مركز الحرب الجوي والدفاع الصاروخي 2022».https://t.co/KEFW5cj1zW pic.twitter.com/JOgbtOtRcX

source