News

First Female Saudi Astronaut To Join International Space Station

Saudi Arabia will send a male and female astronaut to the ISS in Q2 of 2023.

Published

3 years ago

February 14, 2023

Nour Nasir

first female saudi astronaut to join the international space station

Saudi Space Commission

Saudi Arabia has officially announced that it will send the first female Saudi astronaut to the International Space Station in Q2 2023 as part of a two-person team. The mission follows in the footsteps of the neighbouring United Arab Emirates which became the first Arab nation to send a citizen into space, back in 2019.

Rayyanah Barnawi and teammate Ali AlQarni will join the crew of the AX-2 space mission in a historic flight that will launch from the USA. Meanwhile, the Saudi Human Spaceflight Program will commence the training of two further astronauts, Mariam Fardous and Ali AlGamdi, for the mission.

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia hopes the mission will bolster human spaceflight capabilities and help the country benefit from the opportunities provided by being an active participant in the space industry. An official statement explained that the flight would be “contributing to scientific research that serves the interests of humans in essential fields such as health, sustainability, and space technology.”

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As well as boosting research and development in space-based innovation, The Saudi Human Spaceflight Program will also aid new graduates in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). According to the Saudi Space Commission, the mission to the ISS will make the country one of only a handful to simultaneously bring two astronauts of the same nationality to the International Space Station.

The Spaceflight Program contributes to Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030, a unique transformative economic and social reform blueprint. The AX-2 mission will help to further the country’s plans for the future and enable Saudi innovation to take center stage in the global, connected economy.

News

Lebanon Ministers Meet Visa Over National Digital Payment Platform

Finance and technology ministers say a comparative study and roadmap will follow before any decision on adopting a model.

Published

22 hours ago

May 5, 2026

Joanna Melki

lebanon ministers meet visa over national digital payment platform

Lebanon’s finance and technology ministers met representatives from Visa last week to discuss a proposed unified national digital payment platform for government services, according to a readout from the Ministry of Finance.

The meeting brought together Finance Minister Yassin Jaber, Minister of State for Technology and Artificial Intelligence Kamal Shehadeh, a Visa delegation, and experts from both ministries. Discussion focused on whether Lebanon could establish a single platform through which citizens and institutions would pay taxes, fees, fines and other official transactions electronically, using mobile phones and other digital channels.

The Visa delegation presented examples from countries that have adopted unified government payment platforms, including the United Arab Emirates, Singapore, Estonia and Jordan. According to the readout, the examples were presented as having increased collection rates and expanded financial inclusion.

Talks covered settlement mechanisms, direct transfer to the treasury account, financial reconciliation, risk management, cybersecurity, fees, and an operational model that would involve the private sector. The parties agreed to continue technical and institutional consultations, prepare a comparative study, and develop an implementation roadmap before any decision on adopting a model for Lebanon.

Jaber said the Ministry of Finance had already enabled citizens to pay using credit cards and e-wallets through transfer companies, but described the proposed platform as a further step. He framed the development of electronic payment and collection systems as a priority within the ministry’s modernization plan.

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Shehadeh outlined the citizen-facing concept as a single mobile application through which users could settle obligations to ministries, government institutions and other bodies.

“The idea, in short, is that any citizen downloads an application on their mobile phone, through which they can pay all service obligations for all ministries, government institutions, or those owned by the Lebanese state, and others as well, as the platform is not limited only to state institutions,” he said.

Shehadeh added that the platform would not displace banks and money transfer companies that currently provide collection services to the state, calling it complementary to their work.