Hala guys! 👋🏼

The weekend is almost here, but Saudi news has not slowed down! Riyadh doctors turned one donated heart into two life-saving operations ❤️ The global creative industry is heading to the capital with the launch of LIONS Riyadh 🎨 And a Saudi engineer built his own desert vehicle in the United States before bringing it home for the ultimate test in Tuwaiq 🏜️

Plus, the first-ever Lovin’ Riyadh Awards are still open, and this time the spotlight is on the people building some of the capital’s strongest communities 🏆

Here are the hot topics to catch up on before the weekend begins! 🔥👇🏼

LOVIN NEWS

❤️ One Donated Heart Helped Save Two Children In Riyadh

🏥 Surgeons at King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre successfully performed the first pediatric domino heart transplant across Europe and the Middle East, using one donated heart to help save two children.

• A New Heart For A 12-Year-Old: After spending six weeks on life support with end-stage heart failure, a 12-year-old boy received a compatible donor heart.

• Although the child’s heart muscle was failing, his pulmonary valve remained healthy. Surgeons carefully removed and preserved it instead of discarding it.

• The healthy valve was immediately transplanted into a 9-year-old child suffering from severe heart disease.

• The procedures took place in neighbouring operating rooms, allowing the medical teams to work quickly and safely.

• The complex operation showed how one organ donation can be maximised to help more than one critically ill patient.

💡 Summary:

A 12-year-old heart-transplant recipient also became an organ donor during a historic procedure in Riyadh. Doctors preserved a healthy valve from his old heart and transplanted it into a 9-year-old child, helping save two young lives through one coordinated operation.

LOVIN NEWS

🎨 LIONS Riyadh Is Putting Saudi Creativity On The Global Stage

🌍 LIONS Riyadh will officially launch in Saudi, bringing one of the world’s most recognised creative marketing communities to the capital.

• Save The Date: The inaugural festival will take place at KAFD from December 6 to 8, 2027.

• The event will bring together filmmakers, creators, designers, marketers, agencies, major brands, media companies, technology businesses and emerging talent.

• Saudi and Middle Eastern talent will gain direct access to international expertise, industry leaders, potential partners and new career opportunities.

• With Saudi film, gaming, fashion, entertainment and content continuing to expand, the festival aims to connect that local momentum with a wider global network.

• The goal is to develop national talent, attract investment and expertise, create jobs and help Saudi ideas reach international markets.

• Cannes Lions will remain the organisation’s main global festival, while Dubai Lynx will continue as MENA’s established creative awards platform. LIONS Riyadh will be a new regional event complementing both.

💡 Summary:

LIONS Riyadh will launch at KAFD from December 6 to 8, 2027, connecting Saudi’s growing creative community with global brands, agencies, leaders and opportunities. The three-day festival will focus on creativity, culture, marketing effectiveness and the future of the industry.

LOVIN COMMUNITY

🏆 Meet Riyadh’s Community Champions

🏃 The First-Ever Lovin’ Riyadh Awards Are Celebrating The People Who Keep The Capital Moving: The Lovin’ Community Champion category recognises local leaders who have created real communities through fitness, football, cycling, walking and shared goals.

• 🏋️ Abdullah “Abu Rabiah” Alrabiah — SHPOOOV: A Saudi professional bodybuilder and the founder of the SHPOOOV fitness community.

• ⚽ Khalid Al-Olyan — O15 Academy: A Saudi football creator and the founder of O15 Football Academy.

• 🚴 Anas Al-Babtain — Riyadh Wheelers: The president of Riyadh Wheelers, a volunteer-run cycling club established in 1992.

• 🚶 Dr. Saleh Al-Ansari — Riyadh Walkers: A Saudi physician, health advocate and pioneer of Riyadh’s organised walking movement.

• 🏃‍♀️ Hannah Meraki And Sawsan Hassan — The Clique KSA: The co-founders of The Clique, an all-women running and walking community in Riyadh.

💡 Summary:

These nominees have transformed shared interests into genuine support systems across Riyadh. From gym floors and football pitches to walking tracks and cycling routes, they prove that the capital’s strongest communities are built one step, ride, rep and goal at a time.

🗳️ Voting is now open in the first-ever Lovin’ Riyadh Awards. Choose the Community Champion who deserves the win before September 28!

CLICK HERE TO VOTE

 🍿 Sharable bits and tips!

• A pilgrim in Makkah was not about to let littering slide, because keeping the holy city clean is everyone’s responsibility 🕋🧹

• Saudi is entering that awkward seasonal weather transition, which means colds, flu and allergies could become more noticeable 🌡️🤧

• More than 332,000 new students received health screenings before settling into the school-year routine 🩺🎒

LOVIN COMMUNITY

🏜️ A Saudi Engineer Built His Own Desert Vehicle And Tested It In Tuwaiq

🔧 Saudi mechanical engineer Turki Al-Jadani turned his lifelong fascination with cars into a custom off-road vehicle designed for the Kingdom’s demanding desert terrain.

• As a KAUST scholar studying mechanical engineering in the United States, Al-Jadani focused his academic journey on automotive design.

• He later moved to Detroit, one of the world’s best-known automotive hubs, where he engineered and assembled the vehicle from the ground up.

• The finished prototype is a high-performance off-road buggy built to handle extreme heat, deep sand and challenging terrain.

• Al-Jadani brought the vehicle back to Saudi and tested it across the rugged landscape of Tuwaiq.

• Components including the suspension and thermal-management systems are being evaluated and improved through real desert testing.

• The project could represent an early step towards developing specialised automotive design and manufacturing capabilities inside the Kingdom.

💡 Summary:

Saudi engineer Turki Al-Jadani built a custom desert vehicle in the United States and brought it home for testing in Tuwaiq. Named the Interceptor, the prototype was designed specifically to handle Saudi Arabia’s heat, sand and demanding terrain.

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