Saudi Arabia gives $31 billion aid to 78 countries, Yemen tops list

Arab News
June 22, 2018

Jeddah, Jun 22: Since the foundation of Saudi Arabia, its wealth has not been limited to its citizens but has been spread throughout most of the world.

It has provided humanitarian aid, charitable grants and soft loans to countries regardless of color or race. The Kingdom has always been one of world’s top providers of aid.

To highlight the Kingdom’s effort internationally and to preserve its right to give in the same way as the major donor countries, King Salman issued a royal decree, under the guidance of the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre (KSRelief), to establish a database of Saudi aid, including the Kingdom’s humanitarian assistance in coordination with the relevant authorities.

The center worked on the design and prepared the platform for the registration of humanitarian, development and philanthropic projects and contributions based on international standards in the registration and documentation of the Development Assistance Committee of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (DAC-OECD), and the UN's Financial Tracking Service (UNFTS) and the International Aid Transparency Initiative (IATI).

Saudi aid is in cash and in-kind  assistance, provided in humanitarian and charitable grants and soft loans to promote development. The aid data also includes payments and subsequent financial commitments.

Saudi donors have been trained to provide and classify the aid in three phases: The first 10 years (2007-2017) — the current phase — the second phase (1996-2006) and the third phase, which includes the rest of the assistance provided since the establishment of the Kingdom.

The Kingdom has a long history in a variety of sectors and fields, where it is called the Kingdom of Humanity and its name is associated with issues that call for peace and giving.

The Kingdom’s humanitarian tenders in accordance with the official Saudi Aid Platform in its current phase (2007-2017) has reached a total of $32.83 billion.

The number of the Kingdom’s humanitarian, development and philanthropic projects reached 1,084, with a total of $31.90 billion for 78 benefiting countries.

The financial contributions to international organizations and entities included (489) contributions totaling $929,711,258 to 37 beneficiaries. Development aid amounted to $493.88 billion and humanitarian aid to $353.440 billion, while philanthropic aid reached $82.381 billion.

The top five recipient countries of aid from Saudi Arabia are: Yemen, with a total of $14 billion for 290 projects, followed by Syria with a total of $3 billion/153 projects, Egypt was ranked third with a total of $2 billion/20 projects, while Niger was ranked fourth with a total of $1.230 billion/7 projects and Mauritania was ranked fifth with 14 projects and a total of $1.219 million.

The top five beneficiaries of the Kingdom were the UN with 45 contributions totaling $303.37 million, the General Secretariat of the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf with 23 contributions totaling $225.849 million, the League of Arab States with 28 contributions totaling $140.810 million, the UN Development Program with 24 contributions totaling $80.200 million and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation with 21 contributions totaling $48.395 million.

The official public statistics of Saudi humanitarian, development and philanthropic projects to serve the continents and regions worldwide have reached more than $21.165 billion in Asia, $9.810 billion in Africa, $379 million in Europe, $376 million in North America and $170 million in Europe and Central Asia.

The number of partners was 192, the number of sectors was 20 and Saudi donors amounted to 10 entities, where the value of development aid amounted to $21 billion, humanitarian aid was $21 billion, while philanthropic donations amounted to $39 billion.

The top 10 projects have reached the highest level by sector, including humanitarian aid relief aid in emergency cases by 69 percent for 716 projects, transportation with 73 projects, religious and social philanthropic activities with 62 projects, education with 60 projects, health with 42 projects, water and public health with 29 projects, power generation and supply with 20 projects in addition to other projects.

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News Network
October 4,2024

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According to a report, American multinational technology conglomerate Meta is restricting the use of the upside-down red triangle emoji, which has become a broader symbol of Palestinian resistance.

Meta is restricting the emoji on its Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp platforms, The Intercept reported on Thursday after reviewing internal content moderation materials.

Since the beginning of Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza, the resistance movement Hamas has regularly released footage of its successful strikes on Israeli military positions with red triangles superimposed above targeted soldiers and armor, the report said.

The use of the red triangle emoji has expanded online since October last year, becoming a widely used icon for people expressing their sentiments in favor of Palestine and against Israel.

Social media users use the emoji in their posts, usernames, and profiles as a badge of solidarity and protest against Israel’s crime against Palestinians.  

The symbol has become so popular that the Israeli military has used it in its own propaganda.

In November, an Israeli military video that warned “Our triangle is stronger than yours, Abu Obeida,” addressing Hamas’s spokesperson, Al Jazeera reported.

Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, has determined that the upside-down triangle emoji is a proxy for support for Hamas, according to internal policy guidelines obtained by The Intercept.

Meta is deleting the triangle that may be followed by further disciplinary action from the company depending on how severely it assesses its use.

According to the policy materials, the ban covers contexts in which Meta decides a “user is clearly posting about the conflict and it is reasonable to read the red triangle as a proxy for Hamas and it is being used to glorify, support or represent Hamas’s violence.”

Israel has killed at least 41,700 Palestinians, mostly women and children, in Gaza since October 2023. In Lebanon, the death toll has risen to more than 1,840 with 8,400 wounded.

The Israeli war machine ignited its genocidal campaign by targeting helpless Palestinians trapped in the Gaza Strip in October.

It was after the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas conducted surprise Operation Al-Aqsa Storm against the occupying entity in response to the regime's decades-long campaign of bloodletting and devastation against the Palestinians.

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News Network
September 24,2024

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The Karnataka High Court on Tuesday dismissed the petition filed by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah against Governor Thawarchand Gehlot's decision to sanction the complaint and investigation against him in the alleged Mysore Urban Development Authority (MUDA) scam case.

Justice M Nagaprasanna said the facts narrated in the petition would undoubtedly require an investigation.

The court has also said that the Governor's order approving sanction to investigate against Siddaramaiah under section 17A of the Prevention of Corruption Act does not suffer from application of mind, instead has abundance of application of mind.

Meanwhile, the court rejected the request made by senior advocate Abhishek Singhvi to stay the order of the court. The court has vacated the interim order passed on August 19. In the interim order the trial court was directed not to take any precipitative action against Siddaramaiah. On August 17, Governor had approved sanction under section 17 A  of the Prevention of Corruption Act and Section 218 of Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita ( BNSS), citing three applications.

The court said the private complainants were justified in registering the complaint and seeking approval from the governor.

Insofar as private complainants seeking sanction under section 17A, the court said the provision nowhere requires only a police officer to seek sanction from a competent authority. The court further said it is in fact the duty of the private complainants to seek such approval.

Earlier, The High Court had completed its hearing in the case on September 12, and reserved its orders. It had also directed a special court in Bengaluru to defer further proceedings and not to take any precipitative action against the Chief Minister.

The case pertains to allegations that compensatory sites were allotted to Siddaramaiah's wife B M Parvathi in an upmarket area in Mysuru that had higher property value as compared to the location of her land that had been "acquired" by MUDA.

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News Network
October 1,2024

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The Israeli regime has conducted a series of deadly airstrikes on the Syrian capital of Damascus, with Syrian media reporting three rounds of strikes in the capital area in one night.

An Israeli aircraft launched several missiles from the occupied Golan Heights on Tuesday, targeting locations southwest of Damascus.

Syrian air defenses successfully intercepted many of these missiles, according to the Syrian state media.

According to the Syrian military, the Israeli aggression led to the martyrdom of three civilians, the injury of nine others, and significant damage to private property.

The Al Mayadeen news outlet reports that local journalist Safaa Ahmad was among those killed in the attack, which hit the Mezzeh neighborhood in the Syrian capital. Rescue crews are dealing with fires on the ground.

Syrian television said one of its anchors was killed in the Israeli strike on Damascus on Tuesday.

State television said in a statement that it "mourns anchor Safaa Ahmad who was martyred in the Israeli aggression on the capital Damascus."

The official SANA news agency earlier said "air defense systems are intercepting hostile targets for the third time tonight in the Damascus area," using a phrase that usually refers to Israeli aggression.

Subsequently, another wave of attacks was aimed at the suburbs of Damascus which was intercepted by air defenses.

Syria has consistently called on the UN Security Council to take action against these assaults, which it views as clear violations of its sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Israel frequently targets military positions inside Syria, especially those of the Lebanese resistance movement Hezbollah which has played a key role in helping the Syrian army in its fight against foreign-backed terrorists.

The Tel Aviv regime rarely comments on its attacks on Syrian territories, which many see as a knee-jerk reaction to the Syrian government’s phenomenal success in confronting and decimating terrorism.

Damascus has time and again called on the UN Security Council to put an end to the regime’s attacks that violate Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

The Israeli attacks on Syria come amid the regime’s ongoing genocide in the Gaza Strip which has killed more than 41,600 people, mostly women and children, over the past year.

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