Jeddah hosts first Rider Champion and Fun Festival

Jeddah, Apr 9: Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (JCCI) with the cooperation of the General Authority for Entertainment and Saudi Federation of Cars and Motorcycles launched the first Rider Champion and Fun Festival for families on Thursday.

The three-day Rider Champion and Fun Festival, with a committee of referees and participation of prominent professionals and hobbyists, includes 12 social, cultural, artistic, sports and theater events.

Visitors enjoyed diverse performances and acrobatic moves among the participants looking to win this year’s championship.

The championship included motorcycle races and acts, skating skills and auto racing. The event is hosted by a number of famous artists and athletes.

Abdullah Filali, chairman of the organizing committee, said the aim of the event was to develop talent among youth in the Gulf region with participation of competitors from Bahrain, UAE and Libya.

He pointed out that the games are held under the supervision of trained staff and a committee of referees to guide the youth in exploiting their talents.

The first day of the festival started with children’s theater with the participation of a group of artists, along with racing cars and motorcycle acts and preparations for a freestyle race. On the second day a freestyle race performance was enjoyed by visitors. On Saturday, a final freestyle race will be held.

Hassan bin Ibrahim Dahlan, secretary-general of the Jeddah Chamber, said the JCCI supported the event to promote economic, marketing and tourism in the city of Jeddah.

He also said that JCCI always supports events to encourage and empower young people in various fields and to enhance community partnership in all sectors to contribute to the economic growth.

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Israeli army captures Rafah crossing as tanks roll in after heavy bombardment

News Network

May 7,2024

The Israeli military says it has taken full control of the Rafah crossing, which borders Egypt.

Israeli tanks took over the crossing after advancing during the night following heavy bombardment of residential areas.

The military said the crossing is now disconnected from the Salah a-Din road in eastern Rafah, which was seized before.

Tel Aviv said it would continue the operation in Rafah even after the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas said it had agreed to a proposal on ceasefire in Gaza put forward by Qatari and Egyptian mediators.

Earlier, Israeli military aircraft heavily bombed Rafah accompanied with ground advances shortly after Hamas said it had accepted the ceasefire proposal.

The official Palestinian news agency Wafa and Egyptian media said Israeli military vehicles advanced towards the Palestinian side of the Rafah crossing with Egypt, as well as the Karem Shalom crossing with the Israeli-occupied territories.

A Palestinian security official and an Egyptian authority have told the Associated Press news agency that Israeli tanks have entered Rafah, reaching as close as 200 meters from Rafah’s border crossing with neighboring Egypt.

The Israeli military has said it was conducting “targeted strikes” against Hamas in eastern Rafah.

Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office has also said "Israel is continuing the operation in Rafah to exert military pressure on Hamas" in order to advance the release of captives and what it called "the other objectives of the war."

In the meantime, it described the proposal on ceasefire as "far from Israel's essential demands," but added that it would send negotiators for talks "to exhaust the potential for arriving at an agreement."

The military strikes on Rafah came ahead of talks in Egypt on Tuesday aimed at sealing a truce proposal accepted by Hamas, which was put forward by Qatari and Egyptian mediators.

According to a copy of the proposal, there will be three phases to ending Israel’s onslaught against Gaza.

The first phase calls for a complete withdrawal of Israeli troops from the Netzarim corridor and the return of displaced Palestinians to their homes. The second phase involves an announcement of a permanent cessation of military operations. In the last phase, there would be a complete end to the blockade of the Gaza Strip.

In return, Israel would be required to release an unspecified number of Palestinian prisoners, withdraw its troops from certain regions of the Gaza Strip, and allow Palestinians to travel from the south of the coastal sliver to the north.

About 1.5 million Palestinians are sheltering in Rafah, once designated a “safe zone” by the Israeli military. Palestinians are now struggling to evacuate the city, after the Israeli military dropped leaflets ordering them to leave as a large-scale assault on the city is planned.

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has said that a ground invasion of Rafah would be “intolerable” and called on Israel and Hamas “to go an extra mile” to reach a truce deal.

“This is an opportunity that cannot be missed, and a ground invasion in Rafah would be intolerable because of its devastating humanitarian consequences, and because of its destabilizing impact in the region,” Guterres told reporters on Monday ahead of a meeting with Italian President Sergio Mattarella in New York.

Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi has also warned that Israel is “jeopardizing the deal by bombing Rafah.”

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