RIYADH: The Royal Commission for AlUla aims to host 2 million visitors annually and create 40,500 jobs by 2035, a top RCU official has said. Speaking on the second day of the inaugural Hima protected areas forum in Riyadh in a session titled “Protected Areas and Economic Development,” keynote speaker Dr. Stephen Browne, vice president of wildlife and natural heritage at the RCU, shared AlUla’s vision for protected area development and its economic impact.

RIYADH: Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan met his Spanish counterpart, Jose Manuel Albares, at the high-level forum on regional security and cooperation between the Gulf Cooperation Council and the EU. During the meeting on Monday, the two ministers discussed relations between their countries, as well as regional and international issues of common interest, including developments in the Gaza Strip, the Saudi Foreign Ministry reported.

RIYADH: Photographers in the Kingdom have until April 27 to enter a competition that is looking for the best images and videos that showcase the Saudi environment. The aim of the contest, organized by the Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture’s Environmental Awareness Initiative, is to promote environmental awareness through the use of art, and engage the community in the creation and sharing of content that highlights the natural splendor and beauty of the Kingdom.

RIYADH: One of the oldest cities in Saudi Arabia’s Najd, Marat, lies tucked away in the Al-Washm region of central Saudi Arabia. Its intriguing history is illuminated in the Arabic book “Glimpses into the History of Marat” by Saudi researcher Abdullah Al-Duwaihi, first published in 2012, yet relevant for those wishing to explore the Kingdom’s history.

RIYADH: Personnel from the Royal Saudi Air Force joined their counterparts from several allied nations on Monday at the start of Desert Flag, a multinational military exercise taking place at Al-Dhafra Air Base in the UAE. Over the next three weeks the forces will take part in various flight-related exercises, including defensive and offensive counter-air operations, close-air support, and combat search and rescue missions, the Saudi Press Agency reported. In addition to Saudi Arabia and the UAE, the participating nations include Oman, Turkey, the US, France and South Korea.

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia is committed to the environment’s conservation and working to transform the landscape by promoting large-scale tree planting, combating desertification and enhancing biodiversity, an expert said at the first Hima protected areas forum in Riyadh. Keynote speaker Dr. Faisal Wali, energy and water manager at the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, who spoke on Monday on the “Conservation in an Era of Climate Change” panel, said: “Saudi Arabia is committed toward conservation.

RIYADH: The municipality of Dawadmi, Riyadh province, in collaboration with the Saudi Hiking Trails Association (Darb), has inaugurated the historic Thahlan Mount hiking trail. Stretching over 1,200 meters, the trail is one of the longest in the area, and is expected to become a popular destination for outdoor activities, the Saudi Press Agency reported. The opening ceremony was attended by various government representatives and regional hiking enthusiasts.

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s General Directorate of Narcotics Control arrested three Yemeni nationals and three Saudi citizens in Tabuk for attempting to sell narcotics, Saudi Press Agency reported on Monday Preliminary legal procedures have been completed for all the individuals involved, who were subsequently referred to the Public Prosecution. Security authorities have reiterated their call for the public to report any information concerning drug smuggling or selling by calling 911 in Makkah, Riyadh and the Eastern regions and 999 in the rest of the Kingdom’s regions.

RIYADH: Cinema ticket prices in Saudi Arabia are set to drop significantly after the Film Commission’s recent decision to cut cinema operating license fees. The move, approved by the commission’s board of directors chaired by Minister of Culture Prince Badr bin Abdullah bin Farhan, aims to foster growth, boost audience engagement and establish Saudi Arabia as a regional filmmaking hub. The commission has simplified the licensing process and reduced fees for various operations, including permanent, temporary and special-needs cinemas, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

RIYADH: Saudi Food and Drug Authority CEO Hisham bin Saad Aljadhey met Malaysian Minister of Religious Affairs Mohamad Naim bin Mokhtar in Kuala Lumpur on Monday to discuss supporting and expanding the halal industry in Malaysia. Malaysian Department of Islamic Development Director General Hakimah Yusuf also attended the meeting. The two sides discussed unifying halal standards and boosting coordination in legislative and technical research, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

MADINAH: Madinah Gov. Prince Salman bin Sultan received the Canadian Ambassador to the Kingdom Jean-Philippe Linteau on Sunday. During the meeting, the two sides exchanged cordial talks and discussed issues of mutual interest, the Saudi Press Agency reported. Meanwhile, in a separate meeting, Riyadh Gov. Prince Faisal bin Bandar received Emrullah Isler, Turkiye’s recently appointed envoy to the Kingdom, at his office in Riyadh and wished him success in his new position.  

Fahad Abdullah Aljabr has been the senior director of project delivery at King Abdullah Financial District, a business and lifestyle destination in Riyadh, since September 2023. In this role, Aljabr manages multiple mixed-use developments across different areas within the district, including the Financial Plaza, which will provide car parks, a shopping center, retail offerings, and entertainment venues, along with roof-top amenities, health clubs and sports facilities, with over 250,000 square meters of development.

RIYADH: Taif’s mountainous and famed rose farms have become a major fragrance production hub, producing over 550 million flowers annually and driving an economic engine worth millions. Spanning 270 hectares, some 910 rose farms nurture around 1.14 million bushes across areas like Al-Hada, Al-Shifa, Wadi Muharram, Al-Wahat, and Al-Wahit, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

ALKHOBAR: Overlooking the city of Alkhobar, with colorful neon lights shimmering in the night sky, Swifties of the Eastern Province came together to listen to Taylor Swift’s anticipated double album, “The Tortured Poets Department,” on the night of its release. At the very same time the album started playing in Alkhobar’s Trip Lounge, Riyadh hosted its own listening party at Level Up and Jeddah’s Swifties tuned in from Makan.

RIYADH: As the world marks International Mother Earth Day on April 22, Saudi Arabia continues its effort to mitigate the effects of climate change, accelerate its transition to green energy, promote sustainability, and protect natural habitats through the Saudi Green Initiative. Launched in 2021, one key SGI target is to reduce carbon emissions by 278 million tonnes per annum by 2030 and to achieve net zero by 2060. The Kingdom hopes to reach this milestone through investments in renewable energy sources like wind and solar.

RIYADH: Spring paints a vibrant picture across Saudi Arabia, creating ideal nesting conditions for its feathered residents. The abundant food, comfortable temperatures, and increased rainfall from March to July provide a breeding haven. Yet, amid this avian activity, one particular bird faces an uphill battle for survival: the Asir magpie. This stunning bird, scientifically known as Pica asirensis, holds a precarious position on the global endangered species list. Restricted to a small pocket in the juniper forests of the Asir region, fewer than 100 breeding pairs remain.

Riyadh: The grand mufti of Saudi Arabia, Sheikh Abdulaziz Al-Asheikh, and senior scholars of the Islamic world are in Riyadh for the Islamic Fiqh Council’s 23rd session to discuss contemporary jurisprudence challenges. Scholars and researchers from Islamic and Muslim-minority countries are attending the session, which runs from April 20 to 22.

RIYADH: Outer Edge Riyadh, the Web3 innovation forum, is set to bring together some of the biggest names in the blockchain, artificial intelligence, and gaming ecosystems from around the world at The Garage in the Saudi capital on Tuesday. The summit, in partnership with Animoca Brands and King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology, aims to showcase advances in Web3 and gaming ecosystem development in Saudi Arabia.

JEDDAH: King Abdulaziz University won 17 awards and medals for its innovations at the Geneva International Exhibition of Inventions. The 26 Saudi universities that entered — 19 public, two independent, and five private institutions — between them displayed 113 inventions in the Kingdom’s pavilion, with applications in various scientific, theoretical, medical and other fields. Mosab bin Faleh Al-Harbi, spokesperson and director of the KAU media center, said that the competition boosts the importance of scientific research and innovation in academia.

RIYADH: The Royal Saudi Air Force took part in multinational air exercise INIOCHOS 2024, held at the Air Tactics Center in Greece, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Sunday. Over the course of two weeks, air forces from several countries carried out a variety of simulated combat air operations, involving planning cells, command of air missions and campaigns, intelligence missions and forward air control tasks during close air support operations.

BOGOTÁ: Saudi Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Waleed Elkhereiji recently met his Colombian counterpart, Francisco Coy Granados, the foreign ministry reported on X on Saturday. During the meeting, the two reviewed bilateral relations and ways in which they could be strengthened, along with the latest developments and issues of mutual concern. The meeting was also attended by Acting Charge d’Affairs of Saudi Arabia’s Embassy in Colombia Mohammed Al-Shatri, and the director general of the deputy minister’s office, Mutashar Al-Enezi.  

RIYADH: Award winners were crowned on the final day of the fourth Gulf Cinema Festival in Riyadh on Saturday, at a ceremony attended by prominent artistic and cinematic names, the Saudi Press Agency reported. The winners were nominated by a jury headed by Ibrahim Al-Hasawi from Saudi Arabia, who was joined by Bassam Al-Thawadi from Bahrain, Rawda Al-Thani from Qatar, Khaled Amin from Kuwait, Nujoom Al-Ghanem from the UAE and Ibrahim Al-Zadjali from Oman.

BOGOTÁ: Saudi Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Waleed Elkhereiji recently met his Colombian counterpart, Francisco Coy Granados, the foreign ministry reported on X on Saturday. During the meeting, the two reviewed bilateral relations and ways in which they could be strengthened, along with the latest developments and issues of mutual concern. The meeting was also attended by Acting Charge d’Affairs of Saudi Arabia’s Embassy in Colombia Mohammed Al-Shatri, and the director general of the deputy minister’s office, Mutashar Al-Enezi.  

RIYADH: Saudi authorities recently made several drug-related arrests and confiscations in operations across the Kingdom, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Saturday. Border Guard land patrols in Al-Ardah governorate, Jazan region arrested a Yemeni national attempting to smuggle 60 kg of qat. In the Saqam sector of Najran region, the land patrols thwarted the smuggling of 58 kg of hashish.

RIYADH: Saudi authorities arrested almost 15,000 people in one week for breaching residency, work and border security regulations, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Saturday. According to an official report, a total of 9,479 people were arrested for violations of residency laws, while 3,763 were held over illegal border crossing attempts, and a further 1,430 for labor-related issues. The report showed that among the 996 people arrested for trying to enter the Kingdom illegally, 64 percent were Ethiopian, 33 percent Yemeni, and 3 percent were of other nationalities.

RIYADH: Riyadh’s Merwas, considered the biggest art and entertainment factory globally, is proving to be one of Saudi Arabia’s greatest music industry assets. Nada Al-Tuwaijri, co-founder and CEO of Merwas, told Arab News that the facility, which holds the Guinness World Record for the largest music production studio, “is home to all artists.”

RIYADH: The Diriyah Gate Development Authority, in collaboration with the Saudi National Committee of the International Council on Monuments and Sites and the Heritage Foundation, marked World Heritage Day on April 18. The celebration included a variety of activities held over three days at several sites, notably the historic At-Turaif district in Diriyah, listed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List since 2010.

RIYADH: Urban greening works in the Irqah neighborhood of Riyadh began on April 18, continuing a tree-planting initiative that is part of the Green Riyadh program. Irqah is the eighth residential neighborhood in the capital to become part of the urban greening initiative, following Al-Aziziyah, Al-Naseem, Al-Jazeera, Al-Uraija, Qurtuba, Al-Ghadir, and Al-Nakheel, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s assistant minister of defense, Talal Al-Otaibi, on Friday held talks with top officials from the Pakistan Army during an official visit to Islamabad. He reviewed relations between the two countries during meetings with the commander of the army, Gen. Syed Asim Munir, the head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Sahir Shamshad Mirza, and the chief of the general staff, Gen. Muhammad Avais Dastgir.

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia is taking part in a special Camel Parade in France on Saturday, in celebration of the UN’s designation of 2024 as International Year of Camelids. The event in Paris has been organized by the French Federation for the Development of Camelids in France and Europe, under the umbrella of the International Camel Organization, and is sponsored by the Saudi Ministry of Culture and the Kingdom’s Camel Club. This is the third year in which the event has taken place.  The event was first held in January 2019 and repeated in 2022.  

RIYADH: Mohammed Al-Sudairi, the Saudi deputy minister of education for universities, research and innovation, opened the Kingdom’s pavilion at the 49th Geneva International Exhibition of Inventions. Some 26 Saudi Arabian universities are taking part at the event — including 19 government universities, two independents and five private bodies — and a total of 113 inventions have been produced, in scientific, theoretical, medical, and biological specializations, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

JEDDAH: The Hayy Jameel Facade Commission is inviting new and established artists in Saudi Arabia to reimagine the facade of the Hayy Jameel art building in Jeddah. In its fourth year and third open call process, the commission will select a winning artwork that serves as conversation starter between the complex, the community it serves and the broader public. Antonia Carver, director of Art Jameel, said: “At Art Jameel, we are committed to fostering the role of the arts in public life.

RIYADH: The Saudi Fund for Development signed a $50 million loan agreement with St. Vincent and the Grenadines on Friday to assist communities affected by natural disasters, Saudi Press Agency reported. The deal was signed by SFD CEO Sultan Abdulrahman Al-Marshad and Camillo Gonsalves, finance minister of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, during the 2024 spring meetings of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund in Washington.

RIYADH: While his classmates took part in sports activities, Saudi teenage artist Jawad Al-Omair daydreamed about the next time he would pick up a paintbrush or pencil to draw again. At only 16 years of age, Al-Omair has established himself as an artist, drawing inspiration from the beauty and pain surrounding him.

RIYADH: Around the world, electric vehicles are already revolutionizing leisure, public transportation and logistics, shrinking the carbon footprint of travel, improving air quality and reducing pollution in the air, on land and in the sea. As Saudi Arabia embarks on a range of environmental initiatives designed to address the challenges posed by climate change and foster sustainable economic development, EVs have become an important focus area.