ATLANTA — FIFA president Gianni Infantino said the governing body will consider keeping hydration breaks at future World Cups despite criticism of the additional stoppages introduced during the 2026 tournament. Infantino defended the mandatory cooling breaks, which take place midway through each half, saying they may be contributing to the high intensity and entertainment levels seen during the expanded 48-team tournament. FIFA will evaluate whether to retain the breaks in future competitions after reviewing their impact during this World Cup. “Maybe the coach can reassess certain situations, correct certain mistakes. The players get a little rest and come back in…
Author: Editorial Team
FOXBOROUGH — England missed a chance to secure an early place in the World Cup knockout stage after being held to a goalless draw by Ghana on Tuesday. Despite dominating possession and outshooting Ghana 19-1, England could not find a breakthrough at Gillette Stadium as both teams remained unbeaten in Group L. England entered the match after defeating Croatia 4-2 in its opener, while Ghana arrived on the back of a 1-0 victory over Panama. The result leaves qualification to the round of 32 still undecided heading into the final round of group matches. England, which has never lost to…
Saudi Arabia ranked ninth globally in the Auditing and Accounting Practices indicator in the IMD World Competitiveness Yearbook 2026, reflecting the impact of the professional and institutional transformation the Saudi accounting sector has witnessed over the past decade in line with Saudi Vision 2030. This progress is the result of a comprehensive reform journey covering more than 300 reforms, including 128 substantive reforms, 86 consequential reforms, 71 procedural reforms, and 16 legislative reforms, contributing to developing the professional environment and enhancing the quality of accounting and auditing practices. The Kingdom adopted 128 international standards, making it the only country in the Middle…
Google Cloud and Nokia recently announced a plan to integrate agents made using Gemini AI models into the vendor’s network assurance platform. This move was cited as aiding quick resolution of operator issues. The pair asserted the six agents being created would provide dramatic gains for users of the Nokia Assurance Center. In a joint statement, Nokia and Google Cloud pointed to the increasingly complex volume of data being generated by networks as causing issues for systems relying on manual troubleshooting, highlighting bottlenecks from an ever-escalating number of alerts. “This partnership addresses these challenges by using agents to instantly process…
RIYADH — Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman and Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman received written messages from King Charles III of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. The messages were pertaining to further improving bilateral relations between the two countries. Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Waleed Al-Khereiji received the messages from British Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Stephen Hitchen during their meeting at the ministry’s headquarters in Riyadh on Tuesday. During the meeting, Al-Khereiji and Hitchen reviewed bilateral relations between the two friendly countries. They discussed ways to further enhance and develop…
JEDDAH — Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman and Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman have sent cables of condolences and sympathy to Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani following the explosion at a gas-processing facility in Ras Laffan industrial zone that resulted in several deaths and injuries. In their separate cables, the King and the Crown Prince extended their deepest condolences and sincere sympathies to the Emir, as well as to the families of the deceased, and the people of Qatar. They wished a speedy recovery for the injured. Source: Saudi Gazette
RIYADH — Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman has approved the hosting of 1,000 male and female Umrah pilgrims from around the world at his personal expense under the Guests of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Program for Hajj, Umrah, and Visit. The initiative will be implemented by the Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Call and Guidance. The first group under the program, which will be carried out in four phases during the 1448 AH year, includes 250 Umrah pilgrims hailing from 16 Asian countries: Indonesia, East Timor, the Philippines, Malaysia, Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam, Myanmar, Laos, Singapore,…
Agricultural terraces across Aseer Region are witnessing the wheat harvest season in a scene that reflects the continuity of agricultural activity and its deep-rooted heritage in the region’s mountainous environment. Farmers begin harvesting the crop after it reaches full maturity and turns golden in color, using methods that combine traditional practices with modern technologies. The agricultural terraces produce several local grain varieties, most notably Al-Seeb, Al-Mabiyah, Al-Qiyadh, and Al-Sumaira, in addition to barley and corn. The harvest is followed by drying, threshing, and grain-separation processes, which form part of the agricultural heritage of the region’s villages. Modern equipment has contributed to developing…
Nvidia recently showcased what they described as the industry’s first full-stack safety platform for physical AI designed to accelerate the deployment of humanoid robots in industrial environments. The company said its expanded Halos platform combines AI compute, system software, sensors and inspection tools into a single safety architecture aimed at helping robotics companies build and certify autonomous systems operating alongside human workers. The chipmaker explained as robots become more autonomous and increasingly rely on AI foundation models, distributed sensors and accelerated computing, “scaling these systems requires a full-stack safety architecture” before they can be trusted to work alongside humans in…
WASHINGTON — US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday the US naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz has ended, while he insisted that Iran has agreed to allow nuclear inspections long into the future despite statements to the contrary from Iranian officials. “Iran has fully and completely agreed to highest level Nuclear inspections long into the future (Infinity!!!),” he wrote in a social media post. “This will insure ‘Nuclear Honesty.’ If they did not agree to this, there would be no further negotiations!“ Iran has denied it had begun discussions on its nuclear program or agreed to invite International…