Saudi Arabia’s King Salman and Crown Prince perform Eid Al-Fitr prayers

Saudi Arabia’s King Salman performs Eid Al-Fitr prayers at Al-Salam Palace in Jeddah. (SPA)

Jeddah - Saudi Arabia’s King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman attended Eid Al-Fitr prayers on Friday, Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported.

King Salman performed the prayers with dignitaries at Jeddah’s Al-Salam Palace, while the crown prince joined worshippers at the Grand Mosque in Makkah.

Earlier, the king conveyed Eid wishes to Arab and Muslim nations around the world on Twitter, sending hopes of prosperity and stability.

#خادم_الحرمين_الشريفين يؤدي صلاة #عيد_الفطر في قصر السلام بجدة.#واس pic.twitter.com/xddDFZHvf6

— واس الأخبار الملكية (@spagov) April 21, 2023

“May Allah accept from all of us the fasting of Ramadan month, the prayers, and good deeds. May Allah return to all of us Eid, as our country, the Arab and Muslim nations, and all the countries of the world enjoy security, peace, and tranquility,” he tweeted.

أهنئكم بعيد الفطر، بعد أن بلغنا سبحانه وتعالى شهر رمضان المبارك، ومنَّ علينا بصيامه وقيامه، داعين المولى أن يتقبل منا ومنكم صالح الأعمال.
أعاد الله علينا هذا العيد وبلادنا وأمتنا العربية والإسلامية والعالم أجمع بخير وسلام.
وكل عام وأنتم بخير.

— سلمان بن عبدالعزيز (@KingSalman) April 21, 2023

On Thursday, King Salman offered a speech on the eve of Eid Al-Fitr delivered by the Minister of Media, Salman bin Yousef Al-Dosari.

He said the Kingdom had the honor of serving Umrah pilgrims during Ramadan.

“Sensing the sacred duty and fulfilling this honorable responsibility, we exert every effort and provide thought and money, and we continue day and night, since the foundation of the state by the founder, the late King Abdulaziz bin Abdulrahman Al Saud, through his sons, the kings. We are proud and honored to continue the mission and will always remain on that path.”

He added, “Millions of Umrah performers were able to perform Umrah rituals during Ramadan this year, thanks to Allah the Almighty's uncountable blessings. This would not have been possible without the grace of Allah and the tireless efforts of numerous government sectors to serve Umrah performers and enable them to perform Umrah with ease and comfort.”

سمو #ولي_العهد يؤدي صلاة #عيد_الفطر مع جموع المصلين في المسجد الحرام.#واس pic.twitter.com/C2OtIsLxF3

— واس الأخبار الملكية (@spagov) April 21, 2023

During the Eid sermon, Sheikh Saleh noted that Saudi Arabia, under the leadership of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman and the Crown Prince, has made the service of the Two Holy Mosques as a slogan that is not preceded by any other slogan, and made an effort that cannot be competed with.

After the prayer, the Crown Prince met and welcomed the princes, sheikhs, scholars, and senior officials. both civilian and military, who congratulated him on the occasion of Eid Al-Fitr. They also had breakfast with the Crown Prince.

Saudis serve up breakfast feast to get the Eid holiday off to a perfect start

There are many popular Eid Al-Fitr traditions among the people of Saudi Arabia. Some like to hand out sweets to children, for example, while others exchange gifts. One of the most common is for families to get together on Eid morning for a special breakfast.

This is no normal morning snack, it is a veritable feast many families enjoy together after returning from the early-morning Eid prayers. In some places, such as Hail in northern Saudi Arabia, families share their Eid breakfast with neighbors, either by inviting them into their homes or joining together for an outdoor street party, complete with seasonal decorations and carpets, for which each family prepares food to share.

In the Kingdom’s central region, and some other areas, families typically cook mufattah, a traditional meat dish reserved for special occasions such as weddings or the Eid holiday. Although only eaten once or twice a year, it is highly popular in Saudi Arabia and usually made with lamb.

Asim Alotaibi, the owner of Asim’s farm, a butcher’s shop in the Alnarjis neighborhood of northern Riyadh, said: “The animal itself should be clean and healthy. At our farm, we feed our animals grass and barley. The animal can either be young or old; therefore the taste of the meat differs according to the age of the animal.

“The most important thing to me is the quality of meat, and you won’t fully know how good of a quality your product is unless you fed the animal yourself, you managed the process of feeding the animal, and know exactly what your animal is eating.”

Alotaibi said his shop specializes in locally reared lamb and wild camel meat. He owns his own farm in the desert outside of Riyadh, where he said it is important the animals, especially camels, are able to roam free and graze naturally.

This style of organic, free range farming has its challenges, however. Alotaibi told Arab News that it means livestock is more vulnerable to theft, for example, and on one occasion he lost 120 sheep to thieves while his business was preparing delivery orders for a large number of customers a week or two before Eid.

When asked what people should look for when buying meat, Alotaibi said that the way it has been prepared and stored is no less important that the initial quality of the meat itself. Often, people look for what they think is the freshest meat at their local grocery store without paying any attention to how it has been stored, he added.

Khalil Mohammed, a butcher at a supermarket in northern Riyadh, explained how he ensures meat remains at its best.

“We first wash the meat immediately after we skin the lamb,” he said. “Then we wrap the meat in a white cloth. After that, the meat must be stored in refrigerators in cool temperatures ranging from 0 to 5 degrees Celsius.”

He said that storage temperature is key to ensuring the quality of the meat remains high. The lower the temperature, the better the chance it will remain fresh and flavorful for longer.

In terms of the quality of the meat itself, Mohammed said that “the ratio of meat to fat matters,” along with the quality of veterinary care the animals receive.

“The animal must be examined by the veterinarian before it is slaughtered, to ensure it is healthy,” he explained.

Eid Al-Fitr, which begins on Friday in Saudi Arabia, marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan and the start of three days of celebrations and family gatherings.

Pope Francis, Ronaldo lose Twitter verified blue status, others keep it

Twitter on Thursday began removing legacy blue checkmarks from user profiles, with famous people including Pope Francis, Microsoft Corp (MSFT.O) co-founder Bill Gates and Portuguese soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo losing their verified status.

Under Elon Musk's ownership, Twitter has changed how it hands out the coveted blue checkmarks, previously given to noted individuals, journalists, executives, politicians and establishments after verifying their identities. They served as a mark of authenticity.

Musk said in November that Twitter will begin charging $8 per month for the badge in an effort to launch more revenue streams beyond advertising. The company later offered checkmarks in other colors - gold for businesses and a gray for government and multilateral organizations and officials.

The pope, who lost the blue tick on Thursday, was later given the gray verification checkmark by Twitter.

The Vatican, which was taken by surprise, said in a statement that it was aware that Twitter was making changes but noted that the pope had more than 53 million followers on his @Pontifex accounts in various languages.

"While awaiting to know the platform's new policies, the Holy See hopes they will include certification of the authenticity of the accounts," it said.

Some personalities such as basketball star LeBron James and author Stephen King still had their blue checkmarks, apparently courtesy of Musk himself.

Some personalities such as basketball star LeBron James and author Stephen King still had their blue checkmarks, apparently courtesy of Musk himself.

"The Shining" author King, who has previously called Musk a terrible fit for Twitter, tweeted: "My Twitter account says I've subscribed to Twitter Blue. I haven't. My Twitter account says I've given a phone number. I haven't."

Musk tweeted back to him: "You're welcome namaste," with a hands folded emoji.

The Verge reported that James, who has previously said he would not pay for verification, had not paid to keep the checkmark.

Musk tweeted separately: "I'm paying for a few personally." and later tweeted "Just Shatner, LeBron and King," referring to Star Trek actor William Shatner, who had last month complained about being forced to pay to keep his blue checkmark.

Among those losing their badges were former U.S. President Donald Trump and reality TV star Kim Kardashian.

Twitter on Friday also dropped the "government-funded" label from the accounts of U.S.-based National Public Radio (NPR), British Broadcasting Corp and public broadcaster Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC).

Pope Francis gestures as he attends the weekly general audience in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican, April 19, 2023. REUTERS/Guglielmo Mangiapane

It dropped the "China state-affiliated media" tag on the accounts of Xinhua News as well as of journalists associated with government-backed publications.

NPR stopped posting content on its 52 official Twitter feeds after the social networking company labeled it "state-affiliated media" and later "government-funded media".

CBC also paused its activities on Twitter and sparred with Musk over the platform's definition of "government-funded".

Kiev’s extremism, crimes confirm that special operation must go on — Russian MFA

Ukrainian Presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak
©AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky

The Kiev regime’s extremist statements and crimes confirm the need to continue the special military operation until all of its objectives have been achieved, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Friday.

The ministry drew attention to "the latest portion of extremist statements by some Ukrainian officials," in particular, Mikhail Podolyak, an advisor to the head of the Ukrainian presidential office, who, "while discussing the situation involving the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church, openly stated that today the Kiev regime has a unique chance to quickly and painlessly physically 'mop up' a large number of pro-Russian people."

"Such rhetoric and criminal actions by the Kiev regime confirm the need for continuing the special military operation until the tasks of denazification and demilitarization of Ukraine and the elimination of threats to Russia’s security emanating from its territory have been fully accomplished," the Russian Foreign Ministry pointed out.

It recalled that Podolyak "also promised to punish the residents of Crimea and Donbass for their wish to pin their future on Russia."

"He is echoed by the mayor of Dnepropetrovsk, renamed to Dnepr, Boris Filatov, who says that Ukraine does not forgive offenses," the Russian Foreign Ministry added.

Russia's Wire-Guided Anti-Tank System Decimates Ukrainian Troops

The Fagot is a man-portable anti-tank missile system designed for use by infantry units. Thanks to its infrared guidance system, it can accurately target tanks and other armored vehicles, making it a formidable weapon against armored threats.

The Russian Defense Ministry has released video footage showing soldiers from the mobile anti-tank reserve of the Airborne Troops destroying a cluster of Ukrainian infantry using the Fagot man-portable anti-tank missile system.

The paratroopers moved in on the enemy's positions. On arrival in the designated area, the airborne reconnaissance team used thermal imaging equipment to pinpoint the Ukrainian forces.

The Russian reconnaissance team unleashed rockets that struck and obliterated the Ukrainian infantry formations. After destroying the enemy, the paratroopers quickly left their firing position.

📹 Russian Airborne Forces mobile anti-tank unit wipes out Ukrainian troops

The Russian Defense Ministry has released a video showing soldiers from a mobile anti-tank reserve of the Airborne Troops eliminating Ukrainian troops with Russia’s Fagot man-portable anti-tank missile system.

Upon pinpointing a concentration of Ukrainian nationalist formations, the reconnaissance team unleashed rockets, hammering the infantry. After destroying the enemy, the paratroopers quickly left their firing position.

The Fagot is a man-portable anti-tank missile system designed for use by infantry units. Its infrared guidance system makes it possible to accurately target tanks and other armored vehicles, proving that it is a formidable weapon against armored threats.

Russian MoD briefing on progress of special military operation in Ukraine:

▪️In the Kupyansk direction, Russian forces destroyed up to 60 Ukrainian troops and one armored combat vehicle, one ammunition depot, as well as one D-20 and one Akatsyia self-propelled howitzers. In addition, the actions of four Ukrainian sabotage and reconnaissance groups were thwarted;

▪️In the Krasny Liman direction, Ukrainian losses amounted to 55 personnel, two armored fighting vehicles, as well as one D-20 and one Gvozdika self-propelled howitzers;

▪️In the Donetsk direction, Russian forces destroyed more than 310 Ukrainian troops, four armored fighting vehicles, a Grad MLRS combat vehicle, as well as one Msta-B and one Gvozdika howitzer;

▪️In the South Donetsk and Zaporozhye directions, Ukrainian losses during the day amounted to 90 soldiers, two armored fighting vehicles, one Msta-B howitzer as well as two ammunition depots;

▪️In the Kherson direction, Russian forces neutralized up to 10 Ukrainian troops as well as one fuel depot;

▪️Russian air defense systems also intercepted three HIMARS missiles, as well as three Ukrainian UAVs in the LPR, DPR, and Kharkov region.

Latest statements by Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs:

▪️After the expiration of the INF Treaty in 2026, Russia needs to be prepared for any scenario;

▪️In the context of risks associated with the INF Treaty's expiration, it is important to develop the idea of increasing the creation of a unified and integrated national missile defense system;

🇷🇺 Russian soldiers destroyed a Ukrainian Army position using Sani mortars

The artillerymen used high-explosive fragmentation ammunition against enemy fortifications and personnel. They conducted indirect fire at a distance of about six kilometers, correcting their aim using drones.

▪️It is obvious that Russia needs to increase its tactical missile potential;

▪️Russia must remain vigilant on its eastern borders and have an impressive arsenal of medium-range missiles;

▪️Russia should consider whether its current stance on not deploying intermediate-range missiles in Europe is still justified or if it is necessary to prepare for such a deployment;

▪️The arms race, including in the missile sphere, is becoming uncontrollable.

Twitter drops ‘state-affiliated’ labels

©Getty Images / David Odisho

Twitter has removed ‘state-affiliated’ and ‘government-funded’ labels from major media accounts as part of an unannounced update. The move on Friday follows a string of spats between Twitter and several news organizations over the designations.

Twitter had applied the controversial labels to numerous accounts over the last few weeks, including the BBC, Canada’s CBC, and America’s NPR. In response, several outlets threatened to leave Twitter and suspended their activity on the platform, arguing that the tags were an attempt to undermine their legitimacy or suggest a lack of editorial independence.

CEO Elon Musk explained that Twitter was only “trying to be accurate” and even changed some of the labels, switching the BBC’s designation from “government-funded” to “publicly-funded,” while CBC’s tag was reworded as “69% government-funded.”

However, as of Friday, no labels could be seen on any of the accounts mentioned. The tag was also removed from other media outlets, including Russia’s RT and Sputnik, and China’s Global Times and Xinhua. The label was likewise absent from the accounts of journalists associated with the outlets.

Twitter later changed the label to “government-funded media,” but NPR — which relies on the government for a tiny fraction of its funding — said it was still misleading.

Canadian Broadcasting Corp. and Swedish public radio made similar decisions to quit tweeting. CBC’s government-funded label vanished Friday, along with the state-affiliated tags on media accounts including Sputnik and RT in Russia and Xinhua in China.

Many of Twitter’s high-profile users on Thursday lost the blue checks that helped verify their identity and distinguish them from impostors.

Before Musk’s $44 billion takeover of Twitter last year, the ‘state-affiliated media’ tag had primarily been reserved for non-Western outlets, mainly in Russia and China. Twitter’s previous management said in 2020 that the designation was meant to inform the public “when a media account is affiliated directly or indirectly with a state actor.” Twitter also said at the time that it would stop amplifying such accounts or their tweets through its recommendation systems.

The latest update to the platform has also seen the long-anticipated removal of all legacy blue check marks that previously identified the verified accounts of celebrities, journalists, and prominent politicians. Those wishing to have the icon next to their name must now pay an $8-per-month Twitter Blue subscription fee.

Musk announced the dismantling of the legacy blue checkmark shortly after he closed the deal to purchase Twitter, revealing he wanted to monetize the feature to make the company more profitable. In addition to the basic Twitter Blue subscription, the platform now offers businesses a $1,000-per-month gold verification badge, which also allows them to verify their affiliates.

Celebrity users, from basketball star LeBron James to author Stephen King and Star Trek’s William Shatner, have balked at joining — although on Thursday, all three had blue checks indicating that the account paid for verification.

King, for one, said he hadn’t paid.

“My Twitter account says I’ve subscribed to Twitter Blue. I haven’t. My Twitter account says I’ve given a phone number. I haven’t,” King tweeted Thursday. “Just so you know.”

In a reply to King’s tweet, Musk said “You’re welcome namaste” and in another tweet he said he’s “paying for a few personally.” He later tweeted he was just paying for King, Shatner and James.

Singer Dionne Warwick tweeted earlier in the week that the site’s verification system “is an absolute mess.”

“The way Twitter is going anyone could be me now,” Warwick said. She had earlier vowed not to pay for Twitter Blue, saying the monthly fee “could (and will) be going toward my extra hot lattes.”

On Thursday, Warwick lost her blue check (which is actually a white check mark in a blue background).

For users who still had a blue check Thursday, a popup message indicated that the account “is verified because they are subscribed to Twitter Blue and verified their phone number.” Verifying a phone number simply means that the person has a phone number and they verified that they have access to it — it does not confirm the person’s identity.

It wasn’t just celebrities and journalists who lost their blue checks Thursday. Many government agencies, nonprofits and public-service accounts around the world found themselves no longer verified, raising concerns that Twitter could lose its status as a platform for getting accurate, up-to-date information from authentic sources, including in emergencies.

While Twitter offers gold checks for “verified organizations” and gray checks for government organizations and their affiliates, it’s not clear how the platform doles these out.

The official Twitter account of the New York City government, which earlier had a blue check, tweeted on Thursday that “This is an authentic Twitter account representing the New York City Government This is the only account for @NYCGov run by New York City government” in an attempt to clear up confusion.

A newly created spoof account with 36 followers (also without a blue check), disagreed: “No, you’re not. THIS account is the only authentic Twitter account representing and run by the New York City Government.”

Soon, another spoof account — purporting to be Pope Francis — weighed in too: “By the authority vested in me, Pope Francis, I declare @NYC_GOVERNMENT the official New York City Government. Peace be with you.”

Fewer than 5% of legacy verified accounts appear to have paid to join Twitter Blue as of Thursday, according to an analysis by Travis Brown, a Berlin-based developer of software for tracking social media.

Musk’s move has riled up some high-profile users and pleased some right-wing figures and Musk fans who thought the marks were unfair. But it is not an obvious money-maker for the social media platform that has long relied on advertising for most of its revenue.

Digital intelligence platform Similarweb analyzed how many people signed up for Twitter Blue on their desktop computers and only detected 116,000 confirmed sign-ups last month, which at $8 or $11 per month does not represent a major revenue stream. The analysis did not count accounts bought via mobile apps.

After buying San Francisco-based Twitter for $44 billion in October, Musk has been trying to boost the struggling platform’s revenue by pushing more people to pay for a premium subscription. But his move also reflects his assertion that the blue verification marks have become an undeserved or “corrupt” status symbol for elite personalities, news reporters and others granted verification for free by Twitter’s previous leadership.

Twitter began tagging profiles with a blue check mark starting about 14 years ago. Along with shielding celebrities from impersonators, one of the main reasons was to provide an extra tool to curb misinformation coming from accounts impersonating people. Most “legacy blue checks,” including the accounts of politicians, activists and people who suddenly find themselves in the news, as well as little-known journalists at small publications around the globe, are not household names.

One of Musk’s first product moves after taking over Twitter was to launch a service granting blue checks to anyone willing to pay $8 a month. But it was quickly inundated by impostor accounts, including those impersonating Nintendo, pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly and Musk’s businesses Tesla and SpaceX, so Twitter had to temporarily suspend the service days after its launch.

The relaunched service costs $8 a month for web users and $11 a month for users of its iPhone or Android apps. Subscribers are supposed to see fewer ads, be able to post longer videos and have their tweets featured more prominently.

SpaceX rocket explosion illustrates Elon Musk's 'successful failure' formula

The spectacular explosion of SpaceX’s new Starship rocket minutes after it soared off its launch pad on a first flight test is the latest vivid illustration of a “successful failure” business formula that serves Elon Musk’s company well, experts said.

Rather than seeing the fiery disintegration of Musk’s colossal, next-generation Starship system as a setback, experts said the dramatic loss of the rocket ship would help accelerate development of the vehicle.

Images of the Starship tumbling out of control some 30km up in the sky while mounted to its Super Heavy rocket booster before the combined vehicle blew to bits dominated media coverage of the highly anticipated launch.

SpaceX acknowledged that several of the Super Heavy’s 33 powerful Raptor engines malfunctioned on ascent and that the booster rocket and Starship failed to separate as designed before the ill-fated flight was terminated.

But SpaceX executives including Musk – the founder, CEO and chief engineer of the California-based rocket company – hailed the test flight for achieving the major objective of getting the vehicle off the ground while providing a wealth of data that will advance Starship’s development.

“Congrats SpaceX team on an exciting test launch of Starship!” Musk tweeted. “Learned a lot for next test launch in a few months.”

SpaceX said that “with a test like this, success comes from what we learn, and today’s test will help us improve Starship’s reliability as SpaceX seeks to make life multi-planetary.”

“We cleared the tower which was our only hope,” said Kate Tice, a SpaceX quality systems engineer.

Nasa chief Bill Nelson congratulated SpaceX, saying “every great achievement throughout history has demanded some level of calculated risk, because with great risk comes great reward”.

At least two experts in aerospace engineering and planetary science who spoke with Reuters agreed that the test flight delivered benefits.

“This is a classical SpaceX successful failure,” said Garrett Reisman, an astronautical engineering professor at the University of Southern California who is a former Nasa astronaut and is also a senior adviser to SpaceX.

Reisman called the Starship test flight a hallmark of a SpaceX strategy that sets Musk’s company apart from traditional aerospace companies and even Nasa by “this embracing of failure when the consequences of failure are low”.

The rocket lifted off in the early morning hours Thursday from its facility in Boca Chica, Texas. Photo: Reuters

No astronauts were aboard for the crewless flight, and the rocket was flown almost entirely over water from the Gulf Coast Starbase facility in south Texas to avoid possible injuries or property damage on the ground from falling debris.

“Even though that rocket costs a lot of money, what really costs a lot of money are people’s salaries,” Reisman said in an interview hours after Thursday’s launch.

Reisman said SpaceX saves more money in the long run, and takes less time to identify and correct engineering flaws by taking more risks in the development process rather than keeping “a large team working for years and years and years trying to get it perfect before you even try it”.

“I would say the timeline for transporting people (aboard Starship) is accelerated right now compared to what it was a couple of hours ago,” Reisman said.

Planetary scientist Tanya Harrison, a fellow at the University of British Columbia’s Outer Space Institute, said clearing the launch tower and ascending through a critical point known as maximum aerodynamic pressure were major feats on the first flight of such a large, complex launch system.

“It’s part of the testing process,” she said in an interview. “There are a lot of accidents that happen when you’re trying to design a new rocket. The fact that it launched at all made a lot of people really happy.”

She said the risks of a single flight test were small in comparison to the ambitious gains at stake.

“This is the biggest rocket that humanity has tried to build,” she said, adding that it is designed to carry “orders of magnitude” more cargo and people to and from deep space than any existing spacecraft.

Whereas Nasa is working on a mission to retrieve samples of Martian soil and minerals measured in kilograms being collected by the Mars Perseverance rover, Starship will carry back many tons of rock, as well transport dozens of astronauts and entire lab facilities to and from the moon and Mars, Harrison said.

Musk has billed Starship as crucial to SpaceX’s interplanetary exploration goals as well as its more near-term launch business, with commercial satellites, science telescopes and eventually paying astro-tourists expected to use the fully reusable rocket system for rides to space.

Citing SpaceX’s rapid pace of development since its 2002 founding, leading to dozens of commercial missions a year with its workhorse rocket for low-Earth orbit, the Falcon 9, Harrison said, “it wouldn’t surprise me if we had humans on Mars with Starship in the next decade.”